Weekend Wake Up: Mardi Blah, ‘Reke Havoc, Fresno Fails, Nitts Never Quit

Ain’t Undefeated. It was easy to envision the Saints going 16-0 both because their offense seemed so good, their Superdome crowd so overwhelming, and their story so fraught with destiny. Then Dallas came to town. The Cowboys scored twice in the first ten minutes of the game, ran for 145 yards and threw for 312 more, crashed through and flew around New Orleans’ line all night, and generally dominated a game against a 13-0 team, winning 24-17. They were so impressive, in fact, that they will be the trendy sleeper pick to win the NFC. It’s easy to hop off one bandwagon and hop on another in the parking lot, especially when the first one is looking like a beater.

Havoc Wrecks Young Money. Speaking of hopping from bandwagon to bandwagon, expect a lot of movement from Brandon Jennings’ to Tyreke Evans’ in the coming days. That blink-and-you-might-miss-it layup helped Evans’ Kings win in Milwaukee, 96-95, and his 24 points and seven boards were about as impressive as Jennings’ 15 points, nine assists, six boards, and one turnover. But the real reason I might be swayed? Evans’ nickname is “Reke Havoc.” That is unadulterated awesome, and needs to be spread. (Video via SB Nation.)

Varsity Blues. Fresno State, early this decade, had a chance to become what Boise State has: A major West Coast power not in the Pac-10 that could crash the BCS in any given year. Instead, they have become a team that annually disappoints with puzzling WAC losses and, in the past two seasons, bowl flops. A 35-28 double-overtime loss to Wyoming in Saturday’s New Mexico Bowl was about as poor an ending to the Bulldogs’ season as possible, especially given the 28-17 lead they held early in the fourth quarter.

Lions Roar. You want an authentic dynasty? Try Penn State’s volleyball team: 102 consecutive wins, three straight national titles, and a thrilling comeback from down two sets to sink Texas in five in Saturday’s national championship match. Even the great teams in NCAA history -- John Wooden’s UCLA powerhouses, North Carolina’s women’s soccer teams -- lose, sometimes, but Penn State hasn’t in over two years. That’s fantastic.

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