The Red Bandana Game
The Red Bandana. For those of you not familiar with the story, or simply too young to put it in context… this is important.
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Welles Crowther was a BC Lacrosse player and 1999 honors graduate who was working in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. His whole life he carried a Red Bandana with him everywhere he went.
About ten minutes after United Airlines flight 175 hit the building, “Crowther made his way to the 78th-floor sky lobby, where he encountered a group of survivors, including a badly burned Ling Young, who worked on the 86th floor in New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance…, and was one of 17 survivors from at or above the impacted floors in the Twin Towers. Crowther, carrying a young woman on his back, directed them to the one working stairway. The survivors followed him 17 floors down, where he dropped off the woman he was carrying before heading back upstairs to assist others. By the time he returned to the 78th floor, he had his red bandana around his nose and mouth to protect him from smoke and haze. He found another group of survivors, which included AON Corp. employee Judy Wein (who worked on the 103rd floor) in pain from a broken arm, cracked ribs, and a punctured lung. According to Wein, Crowther assisted in putting out fires and administering first aid. He then announced to that group, “Everyone who can stand, stand now. If you can help others, do so.” He directed this group downstairs as well. As occupants of the Tower headed for the street, Crowther returned up the stairs to help others. He was last seen doing so with members of the FDNY before the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m…
Crowther’s family was unaware of his actions between his last phone call to his mother and his death, until Allison Crowther read Judy Wein’s firsthand account in The New York Times of being saved by a man in a red bandana. Allison then met with the people Welles had saved, including Wein and Young, and they confirmed his identity through photographs. According to survivor accounts, Crowther saved as many as 18 people during the attacks.” (Wikipedia )
I added this because, while September 11th is transitioning from memory to history, for Boston College, Saturday’s game is about keeping that memory alive. Memory of finding courage and the will to help others no matter who they are. Risking, giving of yourself to do something that is right and good; symbolized by Welles and his Red Bandana.
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Saturday’s Matchup
MSU goes into Saturday night’s 8pm matchup at Boston College for their annual “Red Bandana Game”. Despite their loss to #6 Mizzou last week the BC Eagles are in the top-25 for the first time since… Doug Flutie (?), Matt Ryan (?), Luke Kuechly (?). No, since 2018. (Prior to that it was 2008 with Matt Ryan.) With their recent success under new coach and B1G familiar, Bill O’Brien, under the lights the crowd will be fierce – and likely all Sam Adams-upped, ready to yell at passers-by in Green & White at least as coherently as the late Shane McGowan. The Eagles are favored by six-and-a-half. Prop bets are open on how many times “Shipping Up to Boston” gets played.
Spartans’ keys to the game:
1. BYOB – Bring Your Own Red Bandanas.
If our boys in Green (and they will be in all Green on Saturday) want to take some of the fight out of the partisan crowd they should do a class thing and stand and Honor Welles Crowther alongside BC players, with bandanas. Wear Red Bandanas during pregame and the Anthem. Show that it means something to us too, and tuck them into the pants during the game. If it only gets half the Rocket Surgeons in the stands to bring the decibels down 3 ticks and say, “Hey, these guys don’t suck as much as those other Michigan guys,” it’ll be worth it. With a little extra luck maybe they give a couple BC players a moment of pause on a play or two.
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2. Stop the run.
BC does have a balanced attack with over 600 yards rushing on the season to match the 600+ passing. Though they lost their legs and only 49 of those rushing yards came last week against Missouri. We’ve been watching the MSU D grow up before our eyes. Getting those gaps covered, filled… buried, should work wonders for shifting momentum to the Geen. I hope the Good DC Rossi has a solid new blitz or stunt or two he’s looking to break out, it’s time. This game should hinge on the Spartans defense getting some space for the O to operate.
Set Number: X160221 TK1
3. Cut down the penalties.
We’ve been averaging over 100 yards per game in those little canary-yellow beanbag life-suckers since the season launched; and escaped by the skin of our buttercupped chinstraps. (Ignore the mixed metaphors.)
With Jonathan Kim 100 yards is good enough for two trips into FG range, or just a straight up, Chiles-led short-field TD-and-a-half. The Spartans cannot leave those points on the sidelines. As Coach Jonathan Smith mentioned in the presser Monday, “it’s really before the whistle and after the whistle are the ones,” that have been killing drives (or extending them for opponents). Last Saturday a personal foul simultaneously cost a pick-six and threw away its three-and-out alternative. Let’s get the ones between the whistles taken care of as well. How about just keep it under 30-yards for the game and we’ll go from there.
Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Keys for Boston College:
1. The bartender has them… you’re not getting them back until Sunday.
Overall, these two teams are, somewhat surprisingly to many, on the rise behind new heads of each program. However, both teams are searching for that offensive consistency. BC had it then lost a bunch of it last week. They’re going to be looking to regain it. I think Aiden Chiles and our O find some Saturday – even with a duct-taped Offensive Line and a richer mix of youngster pass-catchers amongst the veterans. With mental errors reduced, it really should come down to Defense and Special Teams — and finding ways to quiet the slightly-confused-there’s-no-puck-involved crowd. If that’s the case, I think MSU flies home happy with their first 4-0 start since ‘21.