Eye of the Beholder

I've recently introduced my 13-year-old son to The Twilight Zone. (Hopefully he won't need therapy until he's old enough to pay for it himself.) The other night, we watched what to me is the quintessential episode in that classic series, Eye of the Beholder. Or, as I've always called it, The Pig People.

I think a lot of ACU fans - spoiled rotten in recent years by No. 1-in-the-nation offensive juggernauts - were like the Pig nurses recoiling in horror at the sight of the "ugly" woman as the bandages were removed from the new-look ACU offense Thursday night to reveal a unit that mustered just 174 total yards of offense against Northwest Missouri State. (As a frame of reference, consider that Johnny Knox caught 9 balls for 189 yards in the first half against West Texas A&M last October.)

But as little as ACU mustered, Northwest could never catch up. And every Wildcat fan should relish the 19-14 win over a very good Bearcats team, no matter how it may have looked to some. Keep in mind, it's doubtful the 'Cats will face a defense as good as Northwest's the rest of the season.

And besides, this isn't figure skating. There are no style points or national voters to impress. Remember in Division II, the national polls are only eye candy. It's the regional rankings, the first of which will be released in early October, that determine which of the six teams from each of the four super regions make the playoffs.

It's a huge victory over a team from ACU's region. And it could well be the win that pushes the Wildcats into the playoffs come November. Though I'll grant you what with the weather delay and the points on punts and the fans carrying the storm-blown bleachers out of the end zone, it was a night Rod Serling would've loved.