Saturday afternoon is for football.

Come to think of it, so is Saturday morning. And Friday night. Sunday, of course. And Monday night. And occasionally Thursday.

But this particular Saturday afternoon is especially for football. Zak's Arkansas Razorbacks just beat No. 17 Auburn. My Maryland Terrapins play at Wake Forest trying to stay the only undefeated team in ACC play. And right now, on my screen, is the Pittsburgh Panthers versus the Connecticut Huskies.

Wait ... huh? Why am I watching this game?

Because it could be ugly.

Not one team-blows-out-the-other ugly. But real ugly. Football ugly. UConn's defense, one of the best in college football, producing big hits, forcing the offense into big mistakes. The Pitt defense could even take the Huskies' cue and the game could turn into good old fashioned, smash mouth football. I'm talking a 13-10, 17-13 kind of game.

Remember when Balmer used to play those kinds of games? 

I grew up rooting for Linebacker U, Penn State. I've been a Ravens fan since the franchise came to Baltimore. I love defense.

Don't get me wrong; watching offense can be fun. Witnessing the progression of Joe Flacco firsthand has been amazing. Seeing the funky formations and play calls by Cam Cameron makes the game exciting.

But, as much as I love these 2009 Ravens, a part of me misses those 13-10 games, like the divisional round contest against the Tennessee Titans in last season's playoffs.

I like fullback-like running backs carrying the ball 25 times. I like inside linebackers blitzing up the middle. I like receivers and tight ends to know that catching a slant over the middle means being planted to the turf with frightening force.

In short, I like real football.

Not football where the star quarterback throws 47 times. Not football where defenders aren't allowed to hit said star quarterback. Not football where you can jam the receiver five yards off the line of scrimmage, but can't even look at them -- forget come into contact with them -- past that point.

Football, the football that I grew up watching and was taught to play, is ugly.

What the Ravens do these days is fun. And so is winning. But I miss that ugly, at least a little bit.