This Week's Rented Mule Award - September 17
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by Woodsmeister
Honorable mention: My alma mater, Otterbein College, who went into Mount Union hoping to win for the first-time since 1977. As usual, however, they were shellacked, 58-14. They were outgained by Mount Union 727 yards to 149 yards, Otterbein's 14 points came in the fourth quarter against MU's scrubs, after MU had rolled up a 55-0 lead.
Honorable mention: The New York Mets. The Rented Mule Award is all about being thoroughly and completely owned by an opponent, and the Philadelphia Phillies came into Shea this weekend and swept the Mets for the second straight time. The Mets are 6-12 versus the Phillies this year. New York will probably win the division anyway, but they'd really be running away with it if they weren't letting the Phillies come in and trash their yard.
Runner-up: Notre Dame. Michigan finally found a team they are capable of beating in the Incredible Shrinking House. 38-0. Michigan's previous opponents had run up 34 and 39 on the Wolverines in their own crib. Notre Dame? Nada. Zip. Zilch.
This Week's Rented Mule - The Cincinnati Bengals defense. The Bengals defense rolled over and played dead in the home of the Dawgs. The Cleveland Browns had been totally humiliated by the Steelers the week before: so humiliated that they traded their starting quarterback during the week for a 6th-round draft pick. Starting a quarterback who wasn't good enough to start for them the week before, the Browns rocked and rolled for 51 points and over 500 yards of offense against a defense that was supposedly improved. Wasn't Marvin Lewis supposed to be a defensive genius? The game was close, 51-45 - but this week's award is not so much about the final score as the quality of the opposition. The Cleveland Browns offense rolled the Bengals like a Cuban cigar, and that is enough to award the Bengals this week's Rented Mule.
