Go U, NU

If you watch college sports on TV, you know that for every game both colleges each get 30 seconds to show a promotional video for their respective schools.  And you know that they're pretty much all the same -- basically showing students walking around a beatific campus, some work going on in a science lab, a few seconds of some low level sport like volleyball, a professor lecturing in a class of riveted students, a lake or river or grove of trees, and an authoritative, but warm voice over that says something like, "State University...Where today's students learn to become tomorrow's leaders...Honor...Integrity...And a drive for excellence."

Yesterday, one of the ESPN channels had the Northwestern-Illinois football game.  Whichever team won, it would be their sixth win and make them eligible to play in a bowl game.  Alas, Northwestern's quarterback had been injured the week before, and their leading receiver didn't play either, nor one of the top linebackers and safeties and so...well, you can guess the rest.  They didn't win.  Sigh.

But during the game, the broadcast of course aired the obligatory 30-second Northwestern promotional spot.  And...well, let's just say that it was COMPLETELY different from any I've ever seen run during a sportscast.  And it was wonderful.  I wish it was longer, but God love 'em for recognizing these promos for what they are -- in one generic eyeball and out the other -- and doing something that would actually be attention-getting in a funny, totally bizarre and memorable way.

(It cuts off before the very end.  The last words are coach Pat Fitzgerald's trademark, "Go, Cats!", with which he ends every interview.)