Back-to-Back Bitch Slap Puts Quick Lane Bowl on the Map

Just when we thought that the College Football Playoff was sucking too much oxygen outta the bowl season, someone or something somewhere else steps up.

Thank you, Eastern Michigan. Kudos, Mike Glass III.

And thank you, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center, for going above and beyond the call to keep this Detroit-based bowl alive.

 

Actually, both the Eagles' and Pittsburgh Panther fans did a solid, too. Their schools' proximity to Ford Field ensured a big crowd on hand to give this ACC-MAC matchup a big-bowl flavor.

Apparently, it wound up being too much for White.

Dude was having a decent day in what turned out to be a losing cause, as Pitt rebounded to prevail, 34-30.

 

Damn right there's more.

As if the world doesn't have enough dumb stuff, why some football players wanna throw punches at others who are wearing helmets is a mystery of our times. Granted, it's not as dumb as swinging helmets at others, but there are smarter ways to deal with boiling emotions in the heat of competition.

Those do not include bitch-slapping, the wussiest punch of all.

Especially when one lands on an unhelmeted target by accident, like a referee.

 

Truly uncool.

White's had a solid college career and did well in this game -- 28-50 for 311yd and 2 TDs -- but now he'll mostly be remembered for his last action for Eastern Michigan.

 

As a result, this thrilling contest will forever be known as the Mike Glass Game:

 

Kinda lost in the headline, then, was the fact that Eastern Michigan came thisclose to joining fellow Other Fiver Louisiana Tech in dumping an ACC team. It woulda been only their second bowl victory; the first was back in 1987's California Bowl over San José State.

The Panthers' lunchbox hero was WR Maurice Ffrench, who hauled in 12 passes for 165yd, including that spectacular 96-yard jaunt that's now the longest in Pittsburgh history.

 

Pittsburgh's furious comeback put them in the post-season win column for the first time since 2014, so they're going home happy, no matter what anyone else says about their conquering the club that finished last in the MAC West.

Eastern's earned a lotta warm-&-fuzzies, too. Dudes played well for most of the game, but they also know they had this one and couldn't finish it.

Unfortunately for White, neither could he, and that's what's gonna be remembered.