Gregg Easterbrook, a Brookings Institute scholar who moonlights at ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback, often cites the maxim that the football gods smile upon the bold.
Go for the win and the football gods will reward you.
Easterbrook's focus is pro football, but on Saturday, we saw the football gods at work.
It was a little hyped game -- Central Michigan vs. Michigan State. CMU was supposed to serve as an appetizer for the more powerful Spartans. CMU, a two touchdown underdog, had other plans.
The Chippewas were down 27-20 with 32 seconds to go when CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Paris Cotton to cut the Spartans lead to 27-26.
CMU coach Butch Jones could have opted to kick the extra point and send the game to overtime. Instead, he went for two and and the win. The effort failed.
It was a bold move. Going for the win. The football gods smiled upon him and CMU.
CMU recovered an on-sides kick and moved the ball to field goal range. CMU kciker Andrew Aguila set up for 47-yard kick. He missed.
But Michigan State was called for being off-sides and after the five-yard penalty, Aguila got a second chance, from 42 yards.
He nailed it, the ball sailing through the uprights as the clock showed 3 seconds left.
CMU won 29-27.
The football gods smiled.
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