By MONTE DUTTON

I feel as if I crossed over at about the time I placed a helping of ham and dressing on a plate next to the casseroles I missed the first time around. Turkey was assigned green-bean, mac-and-cheese, sweet potatoes and pecans, and turnip greens. Ham got hash-brown casserole, more mac-and-cheese, corn and something I can’t recall now but was undoubtedly delicious.

Gravy and cranberry sauce adorned both plates. A plate of pies – sweet-potato, key lime, pecan – closed out the feast.

I gave my nephew a ride home and took 10 minutes to get out of the neighborhood. It would have taken 30 seconds had I taken a right when I took a left.

In my defense, I didn’t care.

I went to bed earlier than usual. Back home the ballgames were nothing special. I watched more of Ole Miss defeating Mississippi State because I thought the Seattle Seahawks’ uniforms might give me a headache.

And sunspots.

On Thursday night, I had turned down a plate of leftovers because I thought I wouldn’t want another bite of turkey for at least a month. It was a mistake. On Friday, I consumed two bagels, some cream cheese, an apple and an orange. After Thanksgiving, that sufficed, but turkey and Duke’s mayonnaise would have been tasty on those bagels.

It occurred to me that Thanksgiving marked a change in seasons. Football has mainly run its course, at least with me on the grounds. Furman is still playing but gets a week off. Laurens is hiring a new coach. Presbyterian College got better. Clinton had another great year. The Red Devils prospered mostly alone here in the county.

Football is still all over TV. Texas-Texas Tech was Friday night. Ohio State-Michigan and Clemson-Carolina were Saturday. Chattanooga played Austin Peay to see which was heading to Paladin Stadium in a week. The Mocs won on a field goal, 24-21, and get another crack at the Paladins on Saturday.

I watched Iowa edge Nebraska 13-10, and I was glad the Hawkeyes won because I wanted it to be possible for one last coach like Kirk Ferentz to win 10 games. The game had the nation’s best matchup of quarterback names: Iowa’s Deacon Hill vs. Nebraska’s Chubba Purdy.

Texas looked strong. The Longhorns have that Big 12 rarity, a defense.

So far, my favorite TV guy’s remark was: “He’s gotta dance with the horse that brought him, Big Dog.”

Sometimes I just idly count the number of times the analyst says the word “utilize.”

Gus Johnson certainly electrifies any sporting event he broadcasts. He’s really pushed the envelope in Ann Arbor.

The University of Michigan has one grain-fed football team. It’s probably not fair to call it “big-boy” style since so many college players are 23 or 24 years old. The Wolverines and Buckeyes played a “big-man game.”

I knew this would happen. I didn’t see the Alabama-Auburn ending because I became obsessed with the BYU-Oklahoma State game, which the Cowboys won in double overtime after trailing, 24-6, at halftime.

Spencer Rattler ought to get the Order of the Palmetto just for surviving the season.

A week earlier, I determined from watching Clemson defeat North Carolina and South Carolina defeat Kentucky that the Gamecocks could not possibly win.

I thought that about Furman at Wofford, too.

It’s time to start paying attention to basketball, or at least leaning that way. Laurens is bound to be better. How much? The Raiders visit the Red Devils on Friday night.

Some say they intend to make a contribution to keep the site alive. Several have done so recently. I reckon some just don’t get around to it. I used to list an address to send a check (DHK Sports, P.O. Box 768, Clinton, S.C. 29325). I finally got it through my thick head that not that many people write checks nowadays. For example, me. A more convenient means might be sending a reasonable amount to DHK Sports on Venmo.

Support the advertisers, and help keep the site – the game stories, the blogs, the photos – alive by making a monthly donation via Patreon. The Laurens County site is here. The Furman site is here.

Another way I can make a little is if you purchase my books at MonteDutton.net. They’re quite entertaining in spite of the fellow who wrote them. Two of my novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audio versions. The latest, The Latter Days, is about baseball.

Photo galleries are posted on Instagram @furmanatt and @laurenscountysports.