I’d like to respond to Eric Lindsey’s column on Oct. 13, titled “Despite gifts, Cats struggle to score.”

Lindsey’s discussion of the football team’s loss to South Carolina this weekend is unfair and shortsighted. He writes, “the Cats did what they always do … hung their heads, said would’ve, could’ve, (and) should’ve,” which is nothing more than an attack on the very character of the players, rather than any sort of insightful gridiron analysis.

A more knowledgeable observer would note that the team played quite hard throughout the game, despite the bad breaks, and that while admittedly ineffective on offense, the Cats were able to compete with a strong South Carolina squad that is now riding a four-game winning streak.

In particular, Lindsey’s assertions that the “offense is so bad and so lost at this point that they find ways not to score,” and that “the offense is not getting any better” are patently false, and somewhat cowardly. The “horrible throws” Lindsey notes were thrown by a sophomore first-year starter against a defense that held then-No. 2 Georgia to 14 points a few weeks ago.

One must assume that Lindsey has been spoiled by the prolific output of the Woodson/Burton/Little/Johnson/Tamme (all currently in the NFL) attack of last season. Unfortunately, this is college football, and people graduate. The offense is young, period. Only the foolish would mistake youth for a “lack of talent.”

Finally, the claim that the Cats are “visibly reeling” is simply journalistic showboating; I assume Lindsey saw the phrase in some discussion of the Cincinnati Bengals and decided it was appropriate here. It is not. Losing at Alabama by a field goal in a game most predicted would be a blowout is not reeling. Losing a hard-luck game to South Carolina (not Spurrier; Lindsey seems to believe the ol’ ball coach is still lining up under center) is not reeling.

The Cats have every opportunity to continue to compete and win in the Southeastern Conference this season and for years to come.

Keith Halladay

part-time English instructor