How Rece Davis Ended Up Being a Motivational Tool for Northwestern Football: TRAINA THOUGHTS

ESPN segment on Northwestern ends up being rallying cry for football team, as it beats Wisconsin to remain undefeated.

1. Last Tuesday, ESPN analyst Joey Galloway made it clear he wasn't buying into Northwestern as a team that could make the playoff.

The Wildcats were 4–0 at time, but Galloway made it clear he wasn't impressed. He told host Rece Davis, "I've been watching Northwestern play and honestly, they got a bunch of Rece Davises out there running around."

Davis took the jab in stride and responded, "High-level athletes, huh?" 

Galloway doubled down on insulting Northwestern's players, saying, "Yeah, very athletic, Rece. That's why I said that."

Cut to a few days later and the Wildcats completely shut down Wisconsin's offense and came away with a 17–7 win despite being 7.5-point home underdogs.

After the game, Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats made it very clear they used Galloway's knock as motivation.

Not bad for a bunch of @ReceDavis’, eh @Joey_Galloway? 😉

— Pat Fitzgerald (@coachfitz51) November 22, 2020

Perfect. 😂 And @ReceDavis really is great. But the reason we’re 5-0 is because we have a LOT of guys on this team who play ball like @Joey_Galloway! #GoCats https://t.co/h1W6gDr0HW

— Pat Fitzgerald (@coachfitz51) November 23, 2020

The team's official Twitter account has even changed its name to "Fightin' Rece Davises" and continues to mock Galloway.

WE ARE... 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣' 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨

🏈 @ReceDavis | 🎙 @RileyLees pic.twitter.com/C82DXv8fAw

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) November 22, 2020

Galloway seems to be taking the whole thing in stride.

Not bad for a bunch of @ReceDavis’, eh @Joey_Galloway? 😉

— Pat Fitzgerald (@coachfitz51) November 22, 2020

This is awesome. Well done @NUFBFamily
pic.twitter.com/1qh0KjrPNv

— joey galloway (@Joey_Galloway) November 22, 2020

And despite getting hit with a side shot by Galloway, Davis is embracing his role as a motivator for Northwestern.

And a certain B1G team is now in the top 10. Might I suggest @coachfitz51 install a “Play like RD Today” sign above the locker room exit to touch on the way to the field. I mean. Winning follows me around. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/B10WAoE1Zo

— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) November 22, 2020

2. With Tony Romo pulling in more than $17 million per year from CBS, and Jim Nantz reportedly wanting to match his partner's salary, Fox's Joe Buck couldn't help but sneak in this wonderful line about "analyst money" during Sunday's Packers-Colts game.

Buck and Aikman will a subtle reference to that Romo and (possibly) Nantz money. pic.twitter.com/lvtyd8dTTh

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) November 22, 2020

3. One of the great things about sports is seeing something we've never seen before. That was the case Sunday thanks to Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, although the moment wasn't great for him.

Smith-Schuster appeared to hurt his foot after stepping on a penalty flag a ref threw to the ground.

Former Browns offensive lineman Orlando Brown once suffered a serious eye injury when a penalty flag got thrown in his face, but we've never seen a player actually step on a flag.

4. For me, there's nothing better in all of sports these days than being able to sit on my couch every Sunday and watch Patrick Mahomes play football for three hours. He showed why that's the case again last night. 

It's not a secret Mahomes is the best player in football, but we still enjoy a simple, yet effective quote like this one from Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

#Chiefs coach Andy Reid was asked if he considered going for a FG instead of a TD at the end: "I've got Pat Mahomes, so you give me a minute and a half, and I'm good there.”

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 23, 2020

Yes, yes, you are good there.

MARCHED RIGHT DOWN THE FIELD ⏰

📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/5yyRhYGx7B

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 23, 2020

5. The Undertaker made his "Final Farewell" appearance at last night's Survivor Series. I didn't quite understand the segment, with a bunch of superstars being brought out to the ring and then disappearing. And then Vince McMahon coming out to speak and also disappearing. And then the Undertaker comes out, says a few words about ending his career and leaves without ever interacting with all the people who had come out for the farewell.

Either way, I think we'll definitely see the Undertaker in WWE again in some capacity, based on what he said at the end of the latest episode of the SI Media Podcast.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

Or you can watch the podcast on YouTube.

6. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: This was one of Saturday's Night Live's better Thanksgiving sketches, and it still holds up today.

7. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 1991, Michigan's Desmond Howard hit the Heisman pose after a punt return TD against Ohio State.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.