Very interesting statistic about scholarships. My wife is a '70 graduate of L-R and we followed the playoffs with great interest this year. I told her we'd drive up from Prattville if they made to the championship game. They did, and we did. What I saw was a team that never gave up. Even when they were down by three scores, nobody left and when it was all over, the L-R fans stayed to cheer their team as they left the field. Talking with an former L-R football player at a rest stop on the way home, I learned that the L-R coach's philosophy is to play the starter whenever he can. Therefore, the starter from the previous two playoff games, Josh Johnson - did not start against NW Missouri; the previous starter - who hadn't taken a snap in weeks - became the starter literally at game-time. We heard the injury rumor about Josh in the stands, but watching him on the sidelines and when he got in the game, I saw no signs of any injury. Overall, it was a game effort by L-R and a good showing on national TV. I think with a little more support from the school, the Bears could be a consistent challenger in Division II, BUT scholorship limitations, bus trips instead of plane trips to the National Championship, and a shoestring budget will take its toll. One final note, during the game I caught myself yelling "Come on, Bama!" instead of "Come on, Bears!" Good habits are hard to break.
