Seen 'em all – 133 FBS teams in action. Three new members to be added the next two years. All divisions: 706 games attended since 1979! Get my new book now available on Amazon.com in Kindle and in Paperback: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly! Follow our 31-game schedule in 2024.
This season’s Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams brings up fewer players from the annals of collegefootballfan.com history relative to previous years. Very few photos as well. Here are our notes featuring games played in by players in this year’s pro championship who have made it to the top at the next level in games collegefootballfan.com attended while playing at the collegiate level.
New England Patriots
RB James White –As a junior at Wisconsin in 2012, he ran
seven times for 13 yards behind RT Rob Havenstein, starting for the LA Rams now
at right guard, in a 24-21 OT loss to Penn State at Beaver Stadium to finish
7-5,4-4.
RG Shaq Mason – Mason played his final game for Georgia Tech in the Capital One Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve where. His blocking for option QB Justin Thomas, game MVP, and the rest of Tech’s triple-option backfield set an Orange Bowl rushing record of 452 yards in the 49-34 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs led by Dak Prescott. The Yellow Jackets finished ranked 8th in the nation with an overall record of 11-3.
QB Justin Thomas (5) scores from 13 yards with Shaq Mason and company opening the holes for Georgia Tech in their 2014 Orange Bowl win.
CB Stephon Gilmore – As a senior at South Carolina in 2011, the Gamecocks defeated Navy at home in an early season battle, 24-21. In their regular season finale, the Cocks defeated Clemson at home, 34-13. SC finished with an 11-2 record to finish 9th in the nation. The Bills selected Gilmore in the first round. Now he plays for the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.
S Devin McCourty and CB Jason McCourty, Rutgers – The twin
brothers played together in the Scarlet Knight secondary from 2006-2008 before
Jason went to play in the pros a year before his brother. Devin played in all
52 games while at RU (36-16) when they won four bowl games under HC Greg
Schiano. Over that span, collegefootballfan.com attended
nine games with the Knights winning six.
One included RU’s biggest win in school history defeating Louisville in
2007, 28-25. Losses later to Cincinnati
and to WVU knocked them out of major bowl contention. They finished 11-2
finishing at No. 12.
Los Angeles Rams
C John Sullivan – LA’s starting center leads the way as he
is one of three starters for the Rams who played in games we attended. Sullivan played on a 3-9 Notre Dame team in
2007 we saw fall at Penn State, 31-10. Previously,
we mentioned RT Rob Havenstein of Wisconsin.
RG Austin Blythe – The Iowa Hawkeye’s memory is not much better that that of the guy playing to his left. We watched the Hawkeyes get dominated by Tennessee in the 2015 Taxslayer Bowl ,45-28. Three late Iowa scores made the final look respectable. It wasn’t.
Where’s Austin? Look for No. 63 Austin Blythe starting Left Guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes entering the field before the 2015 Taxslayer Bowl where they got slain by the Tennessee Vols. Look for him blocking for the Los Angeles Rams at Right Guard in Super Bowl LIII.
DT Aaron Donald – All-Pro and one of the NFL’s premiere players, the former Pit Panther and his teammates fell to Navy in Annapolis in his final season in 2013, 24-21, on a Navy FG with no time remaining. Stats found reveals that Donald had four tackles, on for a loss. Pitt finished 7-6 to a Navy squad that finished 9-4. The Rams selected him in the first round and came up with a gem.
We anticipated 2018 pre-season All-American DT Ed Oliver’s (10) talent coming into the Houston Cougar’s game against Navy, but LB Austin Robinson (22) impressed us with 21 stops that day.
Collegefootballfan.com – We liked the talent we saw comprising our 2018 Defensive All-American team this year. As teams seem to score more and more at all levels of football, everybody in the pros is looking for that rush end, that stop-gap defensive tackle or that corner who can stay close in coverage and find his way to the football (not to the man before the ball as we all saw another reason regretfully for more replay reviews this weekend – pass interference calls).
Check this out. Here is our Collegefootballfan.com 2018 Defensive All-American FBS Team. On defense as opposed to offense, we made more selections here based on individual performances witnessed at games we attended as opposed to seasonal stats and reputations. Look for some Top Draft picks coming out of this bunch.
Defensive Front
BC DE Zach Allen (2) pursues Miami QB in the Eagles 27-14 win.
DE Zach Allen, Boston College, Senior, 6’5”, 285 vs. UMass
and Miami – 2nd team All ACC
DT Quinnen Williams, Alabama, Soph, 6’4”, 289 vs. Oklahoma – Sporting News All American
DT Ed Oliver, Houston, Junior, 6’3” 292 vs. Tulsa and Navy –
Sporting News 2nd Team
DE Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois, Junior, 6’1”, 237 vs. Toledo – Blocked punt, recovered, and returned for a TD 27 yards in the Huskies 38-16 win to make our 2018 defensive All-American team. Totaled 15 sacks during the season.
NIU DE Sutton Smith (15) fights to get to Toledo ball carrier.
Linebacking Corps
LB TJ Edmonds, Wisconsin, Senior, 6’1”, 242 vs Penn State – All
Big Ten, 113 tackles and three INTs
LB Austin Robinson, Houston, Senior 6’3”, 240 vs. Tulsa and
Navy – AAC defensive player of the week vs. Navy with 21 tackles including 4.5
tackles for loss and two sacks in their 49-36 win. 128 tackles on the season. All AAC first
team.
LB Cooper Edmiston, Tulsa, Junior, 6’3” 237 lbs. vs. Temple, Houston, and Navy. 113 tackles and four INTs. Honorable mention for AAC team. Made our team because we saw him make three of his four INTs. Two against Temple, one a drive-killer and the second setting up a Tulsa TD. Against Houston, his pick resulted in a field goal in their loss.
CB Hamp Cheevers, Boston College, Junior, 5’ 10” 180 vs. UMass and Miami. Seven INTs/one TD. Against Miami, his pick resulted in a FG in the third period to extend the BC lead on to a 27-14 victory. All ACC 1st team.
Boston College CB Hamp Cheevers (4) looks to make stop against UMass WR Andy Isabella (5).
CB Amani Oruwariye, Penn State, Senior, 6’1” 203 vs. Ohio
State, Wisconsin and Maryland 51 stops, three INTs and 12 break-ups. All Big
Ten
S Deionte Thompson, Alabama, Junior, 6’2’, 195 vs. Oklahoma. 70 tackles, two INTs. Sporting new All-American.
S Delvon Randall, Temple, 6’1”, 215 vs. Tulsa. All- AAC
Specialist
P Jason Smith, Cincinnati, 6’5” 225 vs. Virginia Tech All-AAC
Penn State CB Amani Oruwariye (21) fends off blocker to close in on tackle against Maryland.
Collegefootballfan.com All-American connection: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa (13) to Jerry Jeudy (6)
Collegefootballfan.com – Among our 27 college football games
attended in 2018, we here at collegefootballfan.com saw 24 different Football
Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams play during the course of our very entertaining
season. Okay, we did attend a few clunkers,
but most games are memorable even from a negative context (Purdue losing at the
half to Auburn in the Music City, 56-7, c’mon).
We usually can’t be at more than one place any given Saturday, but we did
our best to see at least two or even three games over a three or a four-day
period when things worked out for us. We did that eight times this past season.
So many teams, not enough weekends
Of course, we also attended FCS and D-3 contests as well when opportunities arose. What can we say? We’re college football addicts. Put two teams of comparable talent on the field and we’ll be there – from the SEC to the NEWMAC (New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference). With such quantity, we’re bound to see great quality when it comes to individual talent. We can see three of four players everyone knows about when we add Alabama to our post-season bowl schedule, but we can also find some hidden gems when we put UMass or a few American Athletic teams on our slate when we start planning our season. In the past, when people start raving about this pro player “out of nowhere”, we like to mention we saw him have great game for Mount Union. Or, we can say we knew he had talent when we watched him play against the Naval Academy.
Hey, you never know
If we sat home and hit the remote from the comfort of our couch, we’d get to see a little bit of everybody play and a lot of that Geico Gecko. Instead, we get out there to the stadium after a tailgate party to join an energetic crowd and possibly sit in the driving rain, or in intense heat, or on a windy, cold, snowy day, and we get to see some of the best talent perform in person.
Even limiting our All-American selections to 24 of 130 teams, you’d say that our All-American team from that relatively small sample rivals many of the other teams announced by the major publications, websites, and college football “experts”. Some of the players on our team who you’ve heard little about will be analyzed and primped for the 2019 draft, and some whom you’ve not heard of yet could become household names beyond this April.
Our All-American offense
Check this out. Here is our Collegefootballfan.com 2018 Offensive All-American FBS Team including individual performances that earned the each a spot on this team:
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Soph, Alabama – 3,353 yards and 37 TDs: we saw Tua outgun Heisman winner Kyler Murray of Oklahoma at the Capital One CFP Orange Bowl in a 45-34 victory. He completed his first nine passes finishing 24 for 27 for 318 yards and four TDs.
RB Jonathan Taylor, Soph, Wisconsin – led nation with 2,194 rushing yards. Scored 16 TDs. Against Penn State in a 22-10 loss, he started the scoring with a 71-yard TD run. He rushed for 185 yards on 20 carries against the Lions that day.
Badger RB Jonathan Taylor breezes downfield for his 71-yard TD romp against PSU.
RB Darrell Henderson, Senior, Memphis – second in the nation with 1,909 yards on the ground. Led the nation with 8.9 yards per carry. Against Navy in an early season 22-21 loss, he carried 12 times for 214 yards and two TDs.
Honorable Mentions: AJ Dillon,BC; Miles Sanders, PSU; Michael Warren II, Cincinnati
WR Andy Isabella, Senior, UMass – led the nation in receiving yards with 1,698 yards on 102 catches. We saw the Minutemen lose early in their season opener at Boston College, but Isabella showed up big time in a 62-59 shoot-out in at home in Amherst against Liberty as we added them as our 130th FBS team. That day, the 5’10” 190-lb WR made nine receptions for 305 yards and two TDs from his team’s back-up QB Ross Comis.
Andy Isabella snags pass against Liberty for an 89-yard touchdown!
WR Jerry Jeudy, Soph, Alabama – Biletnikoff Award winner who accelerates well to any ball thrown in his area. 1,103 yards, 12 TDs, averaging nation best 18.7 yard per reception. Against Oklahoma CFP win, gained 73 yards on four catches and scored one TD.
Honorable Mentions: Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty; Darius Slayton, Auburn
TE Irv Smith, Junior, Alabama – Good hands, good blocker, tough to bring down. Only two catches for 19 yards against Oklahoma, but his toughness and basic things he did well impressed us. Caught 44 passes for 710 yard and 11 TDs for the season averaging 16.1 yards per reception.
Honorable mention: Tommy Sweeney, BC: Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
Alabama Center Ross Pierschbacher opens a hole for Crimson Tide running game in CFP Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma.
Annapolis, MD – The Cincinnati Bearcats (11-2) defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies, 35-31, in the McDonnell Douglass Military Bowl for one of their most successful seasons in school history. The two teams closed out Collegefootballfan.com’s 2018 bowl season with a much appreciated, exciting finish. After 25 consecutive winning seasons, Virginia Tech suffered its first losing season at 6-7, but not without a tough struggle to a much-improved program.
Always an honor to attend and celebrate the McDonnell Douglass Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corp Stadium in Annapolis.
Setbacks to start the seesaw
Despite the cold, wet weather, the two teams racked up 905 yards of offense. After six lead changes, Cincinnati came up with the seventh on Michael Warren’s second TD with 1:29 left in the game. The Bearcats went toe-to-toe with the Hokies after losing their starting QB and American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, Desmond Ridder, during their second possession of the game. Senior QB Hayden Moore, their starter in 2017, entered, passed for 120 yards, and scored a 19-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter. Navy -Marine Corps Memorial Stadium favors Moore as he had a good game statistically here against the Midshipman his junior season.
Cincy DE Zane Wilson (97) knocks Tech receiver out of bounds in early action.
With the score tied 14-14 at the half, Virginia Tech untied the knot with Brian Johnson’s 28-yard FG. Warren, who had a career best rushing day of 166 yards, countered with a 40-yard TD run to put Cincy ahead, 21-17. Before the period ended, Tech QB Ryan Willis (20 for 31, 219 yards, two TDs, one INT) tossed a two-yard TD pass to TE Chris Cunningham to regain the lead.
TE Chris Cunningham hauls in two-yard TD pass from Willis to take 24-21 lead for Tech late in the third period
Final quarter of 2018
Leading the Bearcat drive into the final quarter of our Collegefootballfan.com 2018 season, Moore had the Cats back on the prowl starting from their 25. On a key third and eight, he completed a pass to WR Trent Cloud for a nine-yard gain and the first down. Two plays later, Moore ran 19 yards into the end zone to change the lead again. Tech swung right back into an offensive mode with Terius Wheatley’s 50-yard kickoff return to Cincy’s 45. A 40-yard reception by Tre Turner and another seemingly unavoidable and unintentional targeting penalty put the Hokies at the five. Willis ran it in from there to give Tech another lead, 31-28.
Bearcats Charles McClelland eludes VT defenders in early action.
The teams traded turnovers and then punts before Cincinnati got the ball on their 36 with 3:36 left on the clock. Head Coach Luke Fickell’s Bearcats put the game on the back of their hot running back. Michael Warren rushed four times on the next five plays with the last putting the Bearcats up 35-31 with 1:29 left. Tech came out with Willis firing away. On his fifth straight pass attempt, DB James Wiggin picked it off to take over for Cincy on the 48. They ran out the clock for its 11th win of the season, only the third time in school history. This exciting game and our 27-game season both became history with the Bearcats finishing it off on a winning note, 35-31.
The Bearcats Michael Warren II breaks through Hokie line on the way to the winning score with 1:29 left in the game.
Great way to finish our season
Outstanding game. Wonderful time. At least the rain held off during our pre-game tailgate. We still hung out in the rain afterward for our final college football celebration of 2018 on New Year’s Eve afternoon. We tailgated as the streets and parking lots around Navy-Marine Corps cleared out. After our two previous disappointing, bowl blow-outs attended the past week, collegefootballfan.com enjoyed finishing its 27-game season with an exciting, last-minute victory. For us, the 27 games attended this season ties our record for most games attended in a season which we also achieved in 2014 and 2016. We now stand at 586 games attended since 1979. Our 600th game is within reach in 2019!
With Navy’s Bill the Goat’s “background” in our background, Collegefootballfan.com and friends along with Cincinnati fans get together of celebrate the Bearcats’ win at the Military Bowl after the game.
Wheels in motion for 2019
The Bearcats look to continue their revival under Luke Fickell entering his third season. They open next year when Chip Kelly brings UCLA to the Bearcats’ Nippert Stadium. When is the American Athletic going to be recognized as the Power 6 conference? VA Tech looks to go back to its winning ways under Justin Fuentes with its opener at Lane Stadium hosting the FCS Furman Paladins.
For us at collegefootballfan.com to start the 2019 season in late August, we’re trying to kick off our season with a trip that just coincides with our 30th wedding anniversary. St. Laurie and I spent our Honeymoon in Hawaii and she agreed that if we go back for our 30th, we could see a game there. It just so happens that Hawaii hosts Arizona on August 24, so plans will soon be underway! Continue to check out our site weekly during the off season. We will feature 2018 wrap-ups, our All-American teams, our draft preview, schedule building for 2019, Spring games, and special features. If nothing else, Steveo’s Salvos, our spin on things going on in the fun world of college football will give you the latest. Enjoy Clemson vs. Alabama this Monday night. It should be a great game!
Miami Lakes, FL – No. 1 Alabama dominated No. 4 Oklahoma and took an early four-TD lead to go on to advance into the CFP title game with a 45-34 victory. Bama star QB Tua Tagovailoa impressed with his strong, rifle arm throwing deadly accurate passes to WRs Devonta Smith (6 for 104 yards, 1 TD) and to Jerry Jeudy (4 for 73, 1 TD). He completed his first nine attempts and finished by completing 24 of 27 (a bowl record) for 318 yards and four TDs.
These Alabama cheerleaders smiled all night and are probably smiling all the way to Santa Clara, California this week.
Timing is everything
Tagovailoa’s sense of timing with his receivers resembles nothing Collegefootballfan.com has ever witnessed so consistently before. His passes looked overthrown and out of reach on numerous occasions, but both Smith and Jeudy accelerated to make the receptions for big gains bursting by defenders. The timing between QB and receivers looked masterful.
First play – Tua (13) to Smith (6) for 50 yards.
Fast Start
Alabama took a 21-0 lead by the end of period one. A fifty-yard bullet to Smith on the game’s first play set up a one-yard touchdown by Damien Harris on to finish the Tide’s first possession. However, that was pre-empted by a lost fumble by Bama reversed under a pile of bodies difficult to fathom based on two replays shown on The Hard Rock Stadium video board. Tua’s pass to Henry Riggs III at the OU ten extended the Tide’s lead on their subsequent possession. Harris finished off a 75-yard drive with a one-yard run to give Bama its 21-0 lead before the first stanza ended. I could not foresee leaving my second bowl game in two days after the first half, but the thought did regretfully cross my mind. What a waste of a bowl tour this turned out to be, I thought.
Damien Harris (34) keeps feet in bounds for another Alabama gain.
Never saw this before
In the second period, a 40-yard reception by Jerry Jeudy set up a diving TD catch by Josh Jacobs (15 rushes for 98 yards; 4 catches for 60 yards and 1 TD) going out over the end line to go up, 28-0. OU finally got on the board with a two-yard TD run by Trey Sermon on their subsequent possession. Things got a little interesting after two consecutive personal foul calls against the Sooners, one after the TD and one following the point after that sent the ensuing kickoff from the OU ten. It looked like another big break for Alabama. However, a surprising fair catch by Bama only got them started from their 25.
That’s right! Oklahoma kicking off from their 10-yard line.
The Sooners held to force a 34-yard punt that resulted with Austin Siebert’s 26-yard FG. It seemed like the penalties threw Bama a little off kilter. Maybe no one else challenged them physically like that before. The Crimson Tide came back next though with Joseph Bulova’s 38-yard FG to reset their course to lead 31-10 at halftime. CFF.com decided to stick it out in the second half just in case. We didn’t buy a ticket and fly down to Florida for half a CFP game.
Heisman moments?
In the third period, OU crept back within 11 starting with another 26-yard FG by Siebert. On their next series, Murray followed up with a 49-yard pass caught over the shoulder by WR Charleston Rambo to trail 31-20 with 3:03 left in the third. Would we see some Heisman magic from Kyler Murray? Not if Heisman runner-up Tagovailoa could help it.
Dropping back, the 2018 Heisman winner Kyler Murray (1) got outgunned in this showdown against Heisman runner-up, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
Continuing a drive into the final period, the Bama QB completed five passes to five different receivers in this series, the last one to Smith from ten yards out. No. 1 and No. 4 traded three more TDs nearing the end of play. Murray threw a 10-yard score to WR Cee Dee Lamb to complete an 80-yard scoring drive. Tagovailoa followed up with 13-yard TD pass to Jeudy after The Tide recovered an onsides kick at OU’s 46. The Sooners were game but late as Murray tallied the final score of the game running it in from the eight with 4:23 remaining. The Alabama Crimson Tide ate up the clock with its run game forcing OU to use up its last two time-outs before time expired. The Tide rolls on to Santa Clara, California at 14-0 with it 45-34 victory.
Smith hauls in Tagovailoa’s fourth TD pass of the game.
No. 2 Clemson waits
for what will be their fourth post-season meeting against The Tide in four
years. This should be another classic
battle. We will watch it on TV and turn
it off it the score gets out of hand, but we don’t think this will be the case. Oklahoma (12-2) opens at Houston next season
who just hired Dana Holgerson formerly head Coach as West Virginia after the
release of major Applewhite. He’s had
some familiarity with the Sooners after seven seasons of Big Twelve play heading
into that one. For what that’s worth, he’s 0-7 against the Sooners. We at Collegefootballfan.com travel on to our
final game of 27 this season to be held in Annapolis on New Year’s Eve
afternoon. The 10-2 Cincinnati Bearkats
of the American Athletic face 6-6 Power Five team Virginia Tech of the ACC in
the McDonnel Douglas Military Bowl.
Extra points:
We made up another new resolution (after the debacle in Music City) for next year’s bowl season plan based on this experience. As long as Alabama and Clemson continue to enter the CFP’s Final Four (and we don’t expect them to miss out on this any time soon), we will only buy a ticket to a game if Penn State is involved. At least we’d be fired up to root for somebody. We just don’t see either Alabama or Clemson fading away and out of CFP contention under the watch of their skillful head coaches.
Hard Rock Stadium hosts the CFP Championship in 2020. If Alabama plays Clemson again, count us out!
Dominating Dynasties
And domination’s not unusual in college football by any stretch if you are familiar with other divisions of NCAA college football. Dynasties basically already persist in all four divisions to some extent. North Dakota State won five of the last six FCS championships and will be in it again on January 6 when they meet perennial contender Eastern Washington for its next title.
The closest we got to the FCS championship this season was seeing Colgate defeat James Madison in the second round of play. The victorious Colgate Red Raiders fell to finalist North Dakota State the following week.
Mount Union in Division 3 has played in 21 national championship games since 1993 and won 13 D-3 titles. They fell to Mary Hardin-Baylor this season after defeating them last season. The MU Purple Raiders and Wisconsin Warhawks met for the title nine times from 2005-2014. The Warhawks won six and lost three. Former UWW Head Coach Lance Leipold moved on to FBS Buffalo in 2015 and is already righting the Bulls’ program there.
NW Missouri State is the closest to dominance in D-2. They’ve won five D-2 championships from 2009-2016. From 2005-2008, they made it to each championship game but came up short each time. The reason for success? We say its outstanding head coaches who are highly skillful in five major areas.
ESPN’s Maria Taylor gets a few words of wisdom from Nick Saban on his way to the locker room at halftime.
Alabama and Clemson successes can be attributed to the talents of their respective head coaches Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney. The five areas that dynasty-leading coaches are highly skillful at above and beyond all other coaches in their respective levels are these: 1.) Recruiting talent, 2.) Building solid coaching staffs, 3.) Teaching (coaching) skills on the practice field, 4.) Motivating their players, and 5.) Game Plans (X’s and O’s) executed in the heat of competition. This is what got them both to Santa Clara, and that is the result of these skills you will see on Monday night in the CFP championship game.
Regretfully, this picture shows what college football is becoming all about, commercialism and TV time-outs. Because of this, the game finished well past midnight. Fans now get to watch how long the TV time-outs last.
Nashville, TN – Auburn scored eight TDs on its first eight possessions and never looked back to defeat Purdue (6-7) in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl as it raced out to a 56-7 halftime lead. Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham threw for five TDs and 373 yards to embarrass the Boilermakers early and often. The Tigers (8-5) needed only 11 minutes of ball control to build their first half lead for a bowl record of points in one half. Collegefootallfan.com decided to leave after the half and enjoy downtown Nashville with friends for our one-day stop in Nashville. The second half consisted of conservative play and substitute players in the second half as indicated by the final score.
Auburn came out smoking right from the start
Early and often
The Auburn scoring machine with Head Coach Gus Malzahn calling plays started off with a 63-yard TD on a short pass to wide-open JaTarvious Whitlow out of the backfield for a 66-yard score. He took it over for the next two scores after subsequent possessions on short runs from the wildcat formation. Purdue’s only response came on a 7-yard TD run by Rondale Moore to trail 21-7 in the first period. Thereafter, the Tigers poured it on. WR Darious Slayton caught three TD passes of 74, 52, and 34 yards each for a total of 160 yards. It was evident early on that the Boilermaker secondary could not match up with the speedy Auburn receiving corps.
Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham rears back to toss a 74-yard TD bomb to Darius Slayton.
Following Slayton’s first two scores, Auburn’s Big Kat Bryant scored on a 20-yard INT return and on Anthony Schwartz’s six-yard run. The Tiger’s final score of the half came on Slayton’s third TD reception. Two insignificant second half scores came on Stidham’s fifth TD pass to Ryan Davis on a five-yard route and on Purdue QB David Blough’s 22-yard run which we witnessed on television at the Benchmark right across the river from Nissan Stadium at 117 Second Ave. Guest Game analysts and our long-time Auburn connections Charlie and Lynda Murren and I spent the rest of the afternoon with Will the bartender. He usually tends bar on the second floor at the Benchmark on weekends. Auburn won, 63-14.
Anthony Schwartz (5) takes it around right end for Auburn’s 49-7 lead in the second period.
Coming up short
Auburn came up short on two bowl records set by Army only two weeks ago with their 70-14 win over Houston in the Armed Forces Services Bowl in Fort Worth. Army set the record for most points (tying West Virginia’s mark when we attended the 2012 Orange Bowl) and the widest margin of victory at 56. Auburn fans did not anticipate the final result as the Tigers played inconsistently during the course of the 2018 season. They started the season with a 21-16 win over Washington who finished at No. 9. A one-point victory over No. 19 Texas A&M late in the season was the only other victory of note. Losses to five other conference foes finished them at 3-5 in the SEC.
Auburn’s record-setting halftime lead.
Among 59,024 in attendance at Nissan Stadium, Purdue fans came out in good numbers despite their team losing three of its last four contests including this one. Upsets over Boston College, Iowa, and their 49-20 win over No. 6 Ohio State propelled them to into their second bowl in two years under Head Coach Jeff Brohm. In the aftermath, Brohm has made improvements in West Lafayette during his short stint there, but today’s game proved there’s a lot of work heading into next season. They will open the 2019 season at Nevada. Auburn will face the Oregon Ducks in their opener at Arlington, Texas.
Purdue’s season turned upside down.
Extra Points:
In the future, we will
try to avoid any further bowl contests between the SEC and the Big Ten West. Of course, we will always be tempted to come
back to the Music City where we always have a good time. This game is the fifth such conference
match-up we’ve attended in the past few years.
Basically the SEC dominated each time despite some of the inflated late scores
by the conquered. Other teams against the
SEC (except for Alabama; see game 585 review shortly) have competed equally in
most other bowls attended in recent years – Notre Dame over LSU, Georgia Tech over
Mississippi State, Penn State over Tennessee, and Wake Forest over Texas
A&M.
Our non-entertaining SEC vs. Big Ten West history:
Tennessee 45 Iowa 28
Missouri 33 Minnesota 17
Tennessee 45 Northwestern 6
Tennessee 38 Nebraska 24
Auburn 63 Purdue 14
Even cute, loveable Aubie, Auburn’s Tiger mascot, has to be careful with his come-ons these days!
Collegefootballfan.com enjoyed our 40th straight season of attending as many college football games as we could this season, and it’s not over. Bowl season is upon. But let’s recap some of highlights of our 40th year traveling to our record-tying season in which we will have attended 27 college football games around this great country of ours.
Maine rolled to a 35-7 win over New Hampshire in this season’s opener in Orono, Maine, home of the Black Bears.
Rack ’em up
Among the clashes we attended, we saw 37 different teams from among the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Football Championship Division, and Division 3. The teams represented 11 different conferences from the vaunted SEC down to the D-3 NEWMAC (New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conference). Three FBS Independents joined our frays. We traveled to five different venues where we’d never seen game before among the 583 games attended since 1979. And to think, we have three bowl games coming up. We’ll add six more teams we haven’t seen this season and add another major conference to boot. Enough about numbers now. Let’s hit some highlights and some lowlights regretfully.
Like the Pilgrims
We started with three games in New England on Labor day weekend. We ventured to the state of Maine to see a game there for the first time. To our surprise, not only did the host Black Bears defeat perennial FCS power and bitter rival New Hampshire that evening, but who knew they would go on to a 10-4 season. They won the always tough Colonial Athletic Association title, and they made it to the FCS semi-finals where they fell to Eastern Washington. Maine is hockey country. Farthest they ever made it in football.
Our second stop took us to see Springfield of the aforementioned NEWMAC host crosstown rival Western New England. It marked our first time attending a game there at small but packed Benedum Field. The Pride (7-3) beat WNE that evening 42-21, but the Golden Bears(8-3) went on to win the Commonwealth Coastal football title and earned a D-3 playoff spot. We finished the weekend at a great tailgate party at Alumni Field in Chestnut Hill with our friend Bob “Pops” LeBlanc and his pals where his Alma mater, Boston College, dominated UMass at home, 55-21.
Nautical Miles
For the third year in a row, we purchased season tickets at the Naval Academy as we’ve enjoyed seeing the Mids play good football over the last 15 years, running the triple-option, challenging for the American Athletic title, enjoying down town Annapolis, bringing other guys down for great “Boyz weekends”, and tailgating with the likes of fellow Navy fans Brian Donnelly, his fiance Laurie, and our pal Navy Al. Well maybe running the triple option now against the same conference foes every year might be catching up with the Mids. The struggled this season to finish the season at 3-9. The good thing for us was that all three wins were played at home, and we saw all three. In the first one in retrospect resulted in an upset. The Mids came from behind 21-9 to defeat the Memphis Tigers in a driving rainstorm, 22-21. Most thought this win would vault teh Mids into position to take teh AAC west. teh the contratry, they went nowhere and mempphis went 8-5, 5-3 to win the West title. They lost to underfeated No. 6 Central Flrida in the conference final. RB Darrell Henderson compliled 1,909 rushing yards and 22 TDs on 214 carries this season. He placed second in the nation for rushing yards.
Navy stuck it top Memphis with a 22-21 win in the AAC West opener for both teams, but the Tigers won the 2019 division title.
The following week, we headed back to Annapolis to watch them play FCS Lehigh. We’ve followed the Mountain Hawks closely over the years. The usually have a good program and we love going to games at Goodman Stadium where we had season tickets for few years when Mike Groome, a player from our neighborhood starred for them at Linebacker. However, the Hawks have had a tough few years and this season turned into a low point finishing 3-8, 2-4 in the struggling ( except for Colgate) Patriot League. Navy decimated them, 51-21. We look forward to the day the Hawks will be back in top form to challenge for the Patriot League.
Later in the season, Houston came to town with a 5-1, 2-0 AAC record and scored 41 points or more in its last seven games. Cougar QB D’Eriq King exposed Navy’s slow secondary with four second half touchdowns. The visitors triumphed the only time we attended Navy – Marine Corps Stadium this season (we went to Delaware instead of the Temple-Navy game), 49-36.
At our last game at Annapolis this season, the Mids faced Tulsa who came in with the same identical records 2-8, 1-6 AAC. With Zach Abey at QB, the Mids got their triple-option going again to the tune of 389 yards on the ground. Abey completed only one of two passes for 15 yards while running for 128. The Mids defense played as best they did all year, but Tulsa struggled on offense all season long finishing the season at 2-10. They Mids won “liberty” for the entire Brigade that evening with a 37-29 victory.
“Living on Tulsa Time”
Speaking of Tulsa, not only did the Golden Hurricanes fall on our Navy season ticket schedule, but we just happened to catch them two other times this season. How does someone living in New Jersey get to catch on to see Tulsa play football three times in one season? First of all, we caught them on three road trips. Tulsa conveniently showed up on a Thursday night in Philly to play Temple as part of a double-header weekend plan for us. The plan included a flight to Nashville (where I think about retiring to) from Philadelphia the next morning on the way to see Vanderbilt play at home for the first time. The Owls scored twice defensively – once on a 36-yard pick six and on a 50-yard fumble return to give them their winning margin in their 31-17 victory. Temple went on to an 8-4,7-1 season in the AAC East. They play Duke in the Walk-on’s Independent Bowl on December 27.
Two weeks later on a business trip to Houston, it just so happened the that the Hurricanes were also in town to play a Thursday night game against the Houston Cougars. With a lead of 26-17 early in the final period, Tulsa could not stop D-Eriq King around the right end for a 61-yard touchdown jaunt. The Cougars added three on their next possession to take a one-point lead. However, once again turnovers did the Cane’s in despite plenty of time left. Frosh QB Seth Boomers’s fumble on his own nine and a subsequent pick by CB Deontay Anderson to give the Cougars possession on TU’s 23 both resulted in quick and decisive scores for Houston’s 41-26 win. Like Navy, Tulsa did not go bowling with their poor record. Houston headed to the Lockheed Martin Armed Services Bowl to play 10-2 Army in Fort Worth , Texas last Saturday. Army-West Point set a record margin of victory for all bowl games with a 70-14 victory.
“It’s Vanderbilt!”
I have an ambition right now to eventually retire in Nashville, Tennessee. St. Laurie doesn’t see eye to eye with me on this, yet. Friendly people, moderate weather compared to good, old Jersey (birthplace of college football), lower taxes, great music of course, part-time work opportunities to keep the mind and blood flowing, day-trips to most parts of the eastern US, historic sites, beautiful state and national parks, pro hockey, pro football, minor league baseball, and major college sports stir my desire to move to this great part of the country when the hustle and bustle is done.
When it comes to college sports, Middle Tennessee competes in Conference USA in nearby Murfreesboro. Of course, you can see Vanderbilt University host the rest of the SEC in basketball, baseball, and football. That last item is kind of the downer. The Commodores have gotten a little better, but generally when it comes to football, they are still a the bottom of the SEC pile. This season, I figured I would get back down there and experience a Vandy football game to check the atmosphere and add Vanderbilt Stadium to my growing list of FBS venues. Hosting my daughter Alex’s Alma mater, the University of South Carolina, I figured this would be a convenient time to go and see the Gamecocks play again since she had graduated.
Well first impression made me wonder if the Commodores had any fans. I picked a little road side beer garden a few blocks away from VU Stadium. All is saw were Gamecock fans at the the bar and along the street tailgating. I met one retired gentleman at the bar with a Vandy hat on, but he was possibly “future-me“. He was a casual Vandy fan, but in reality an Indiana Hoosier fan who settled down in Nashville. He had a season ticket, but he said he was one of very few.
Carolina fumbles at the ends of long drives kept Vandy in this game in one of many rain-soaked games we attended on 2018.
The parking lot near the stadium was sparsely populated as game time neared, and I ventured over to find a bargain ticket. Of course, one of the local ticket flippers approached me to inquire what I would be willing to pay for a ticket. I threw out a low-ball number knowing this drill. As usual, I was told I could get a 50-yard line seat at a price $10 less than the face value. I blurted out immediately, ” Are you kidding? It’s Vanderbilt!” I saw the lack of interest from the locals, and the Carolina fans primarily bought theirs from their school I imagined. I knew this was not the hottest ticket in Nashville today or any other day. Most people come to town to spend money here on the musical entertainment. I’m certainly the only person in town visiting besides Carolina fans that this vendor probably found coming to see this sideshow.
I’d also seen TV highlights when Vandy played Bama at home last season. One young VU fan was shown sticking it out all by himself in the Vanderbilt side during a 59-0 blow-out by The Tide. Coming in, the Commodores had a 3-0 record. Season over. They finished 5-7 in the end, though not bad for Vandy generally. My potential vendor and I agreed to disagree, but another local business rep approached me a few steps away, and we came up with an agreeable price. Damn, it turned out to be really on the 50 yard line as he said. The Carolina fan next to me asked what I had paid and disappointed to find out I had gotten mine for less than he did. It proved I knew my market.
Vandy trailed 20-14 in the third until a major thunderstorm came through to suspend play and for everyone to seek shelter. An hour later, play resumed. Two SC drives ended by fumbles kept the ‘Dores in the game until the Cocks finished them off with a 37-14 victory. It could have been worse. Same old Vanderbilt. Their 6-6 record got them into the Academy Sports and Outdoors Texas Bowl against Baylor, also 6-6. The Gamecocks (7-5) play Virginia (6-6) in the Belk Bowl.
What did we at Collegefootballfan.com get out of this? If and when we retire to Nashville, most likely Vanderbilt home games will be back-ups to Middle Tennessee offerings and or any game we can attend in Atlanta, Memphis, Cincinnati, Lexington, Knoxville, parts of North Carolina, or any other trip to see a game we plan in advance somewhere near the eastern seaboard. I hope I can afford to do that this stage of my life. If not, I know I can find bargains in Nashville. “It’s Vanderbilt!”
Attendance at Vanderbilt Stadium typically wanes no matter who the Commodores play in the fanatical SEC.
Among the Ivies on Fridays
The Ivy League and ESPN have “partnered” on Friday nights to show the best of some traditional Ivy League clashes during the ten weeks of the shortest season of any sport played today. Ten games only. No championship game, tie breakers, or post season action of any sort after the staid League plays ten games only, seven against the same elite members of these prestigious institutions of higher academia.
We bit as teams among the Ivy League are within driving distances on Friday nights that allow us to plan to see them the evening before we venture on to another game the next morning. Our first took us to upper Manhattan (New York, not Kansas) where Princeton ripped Columbia, 45-10. The next day, we easily ventured out to State College, PA for an all-day tailgate before Penn State’s 8 pm White-out against Ohio State. However, watching Princeton play this year provided us the chance to see history in the making for the Tigers.
They went undefeated with a 10-0 record with an average score of 47-13 (easy to figure out when all you have to do is divide total points for and against by 10). PU QB John Lovett, who sat out the 2017 season with an injury, ran for two TDs and threw for two. Just as he had done in 2016, he won the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League’s MVP. The 470 points he led the offense to set an Ivy League record for most points ever scored in one season. The 10-0 record marked the first time since 1964 that the Tigers finished undefeated overall. He personally scored a touchdown rushing in 20 straight games he played in. Columbia finished their season at 6-4, 3-4.
At least the Columbia Cheerleaders’ placard reads, “Lions!” At one point, the Lion cheerleaders chanted “D-D-D-Defense!” when their team was on offense.
Princeton Head Coach Bob Surace earned Ivy League Coach of the Year honors. He’s led the Tigers to the Ivy League crown in three of the last six seasons. At the end of the regular FCS season, Princeton ranked at No. 8. Their most competitive Ivy foe, Dartmouth (9-1) , stands at No. 15. The Tigers fought them off to a 14-9 win late in the season. Next year in honor of their 150th start in the first game of college football ever played (against Rutgers in 1869), these two will meet on November 9 at Yankee Stadium.
Two weeks later, we attended the Yale at Penn game at Franklin Field in Philly on Friday night on our way to Navy vs. Houston in Annapolis the next day. Yale triumphed 23-10 on the wheels of RB Alan Lamar, who rushed for 179 yards and two TDs. The Bulldog defense held solidly. Yale QB Kurt Rawlings suffered a serious leg injury late in the game and was removed. He never played the rest of the season. The Bulldogs lost three of their last four games to finish 5-5, 3-4 in the Ivy. The Quakers finished 6-4, 3-4.
GGA Brian Donnelly and I were most disappointed to see the effects of Ivy League football on Friday night television as the attendance already hurt by media coverage saturation does not bode well for bodies in seats to add spirit to these games. Neither Ivy league game we attended attracted many. Princeton’s final win at home over rival Penn to win the Ivy and finish their historic 10-0 season only attracted, 7,749 fans. Heck , we saw more than that back in 1987 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton when the Tigers defeated Columbia for the Lions’ record-breaking 38th loss in a row. It’s a shame to see the dwindling interest in college football at historical universities such as the Ivy’s. A college football game always enticed such great social gatherings for students, their families, and the alumni. School spirit isn’t what it used to be at these campuses.
Alan Lamar follows his blocking through the Penn Quaker defense.
No. 22 Army defeats Navy for third consecutive rivalry win, 17-10
The Corps of Cadets hopped as President Trump sat among the Midshipman across from them during the second half.
Philadelphia – In front of President Donald Trump and 66,729 fans at Lincoln Financial Field, the Cadets of Army (10-2) sealed its third straight victory over Navy late in the fourth period for a 17-10 victory. The two teams, both very familiar with the common triple option offense they run, kept each other in check throughout most of the game. With wins over both Air Force and Navy (3-9) this season, Army keeps the Command-in-Chief’s Trophy for service academy supremacy for the second year in a row. For Collegefootballfan.com, we attended our 12th Army-Navy game of the 119 played to date with a host of friends who enjoyed great tailgating on a cold but sunny and comfortable afternoon in Philly. For us, this season’s game was the seventh consecutive game we’ve attended in this greatest of historic, college football rivalries.
Hail to the Chief
The tailgating festivities started early in the parking lot. With President Trump attending, security slowed our entry into the stadium. We missed the pre-game activities inside “The Linc” and caught up with the action six minutes into the first period. Before Guest Game Analysts (GGA’s) Scott Mitchell, USNR Master Chief recently retired after 26 years, Frank Scarpa (Rutgers), and Les DiVite (Seton Hall) settled into our seats in section 129 right next to the Brigade of Midshipman, Army already led, 7-0.
While still waiting to pass through the turnstiles, we watched the US Army Helicopter flyover before kickoff.
Quick-start Cadets
On their first possession, Cadet QB Kelvin Hopkins scored on a one-yard plunge capping an 82-yard drive on five plays. Kell Walker’s 51-yard jaunt to the Navy 10 keyed the scoring drive. Neither team could score for the balance of the half. By games’ end, the Mids totaled only 208 yards of offense to the Cadets 283. For the first three quarters, USNA gained only 64 yards on the ground 7 and no passing yards.
Army Junior LB Amadeo West (52) puts stop on Navy ball carrier.
Presidents present
Trump, the tenth sitting President to attendthis storied rivalry, switched sidelines from the Army side to the Navy side athalftime. We at collegefootballfan.com haveattended Army-Navy games previously presided over by President Gerald Ford (1974)and by President Bill Clinton (1996).
President Donald Trump sits among Navy brass, fans, and Mids during second half of Army-Navy game.
A battle to the very end
Army started the second half marching 80 yards on its first possession. The Cadets methodically moved the football to Navy’s 26-yard line. PK John Abercrombie put up a 33-yard FG to build Army’s lead, 10-0. The Army offense chewed up 8:19 during this drive. Army regained possession late in the third period on DB Mike Reynold’s INT of Zach Abey.
In the final period,Navy stopped the Cadet drive short on a fourth and two to take back the ball at Amy’s 42. Garrett Lewis replaced Abey at QB for the Mids. On first and ten at the Army 16, Lewis picked up 10 yards, but DB Jaylon McClinton’s tackle forced a fumble and James Gibson recovered for the Black Knights on their three.
Jacob Springer (1) returns punt for four yards in Q3 for Navy.
Navy forced Army to punt from the 12 and started with good field position at the 48. Malcolm Perry raced 43 yards to the Cadet five. Lewis put the Mids on the board finally with a one-yard TD to close within 10-7 as 7:01 remained in the game. Navy took possession again later from their 34. On fourth and twelve, Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo re-inserted Abey. Back to pass, LB Ken Brinson jarred the football loose and then recovered to put Army in possession at Navy’s 22 with 3:02 remaining. Three plays later, Army put the ball at the one. Hopkins scored his second TD of the game from there to extend Army’s lead, 17-7.
Navy FB Anthony Gargiulo bulls to one-yard line to set up Navy score by Lewis.
Navy got rolling from its 25 to Army’s 28. They elected to get three with Bennett Moehring’s 46-yard FG to trail 17-10 with only :29 to play. Army’s Jordan Asberry recovered the ensuing onsides kick on Navy’s 43. Game 119 of this historic rivalry came to an end. Navy, who won 14 consecutive games before Army’s current streak continues to lead this series, 60-52-7. We’ll all be back again next season in Philadelphia on December 14, 2019 for the 120th clash between Army and Navy.
With the loss, the Midshipman sang “Navy Blue and Gold” before the Cadets sang their alma mater.
And then there is one
Army’s successful season continues at the Armed Forces Services Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on December 22. The Cadets play Houston (8-4) who defeated the Mids in Annapolis this season, 49-36. Navy finished the 2018 season a disappointing 3-9. This marks the first season since 2011 and only the second since 2002 that the Midshipman did not earn a trip to a bowl game. Next season,they kick off the 2019 season in Annapolis against Holy Cross.
AAC Defensive player of the Week LB Austin Robinson (22) shown here against Navy and the rest of the Houston Cougars D will be prepping for Army’s triple-option for the Armed Forces Services Bowl in two weeks.
Bye-bye
Collegefootballfan.com faces two bye weekends in a row, one planned and one unplanned encountering earlier than anticipated “football withdrawal.” Next weekend, there are no games at any level within traveling distance to attend. We’ll watch the team we opened our season with, eight-seeded FCS Colonial Athletic Association champ Maine, on television against Eastern Washington on that irritating, red turf, play in the FCS national semi-final game. Then after the following weekend and a relaxing Christmas holiday with the family, we go bowling! Three times in four days.
Time to go bowling
On Friday, December
28, we start in Nashville at our fifth Music City Bowl. Auburn (7-5) faces off
with Purdue (6-6), the only team to knock off No. 6 Ohio State this season,
49-20. The next day, we travel to attend
the big one, the Orange Bowl CFP semi-final in Miami Lakes, Florida. It kicks off
at 8 pm. No. 1 Alabama plays No. 4
Oklahoma with newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray at QB. Alabama’s QB Tua Tagovailoa finished second
in the balloting. With Bama’s DL Quinnen Williams finishing eighth in the balloting,
Collegefootballfan.com will have seen eight of the of ten Heisman vote-getters
in 2018 play in person during the last two seasons. For us, this will be our fifth Orange Bowl
game. Winner of this game heads to Santa
Clarita, California for the FBS title game on January 7.
We wrap up our 2018 season back in Annapolis on New Year’s Eve day at noon without Navy in a game. This year the Military Bowl features Cincinnati (10-2) of the American Athletic taking on 6-6 Virginia Tech of the ACC. Other Five against Power Five. The visit to Annapolis makes this our eighth venture to what starts as the Eagle Bank Bowl in Washington, D.C.and morphed into the Military Bowl in the capitol of Maryland.
Three bowl games in four days. It’ll be a great finish to an already memorable college football season for us at CFF.com. We finish off a record-tying season with 27 games attended in 2018, just as we did in 2017 and 2014. Despite all the great game action attended, the college football season always seems to go way too fast!
Retired USNR Chief Scott Mitchell’s eyes were popping prior in anticipation of his first Army-Navy game this past Saturday.Why Guest Game Analyst Frank Scarpa forgot his Army jersey and wore this instead, we don’t understand. He admits his 1-11 Knight football team is pitiful, but he tried to tell us how well other Scarlet Knight teams are doing in the Big Ten. An article in The Sunday Newark Star Ledger confirmed that Rutgers overall record in all sports against Big Ten schools in 2017-18 shows his Alma mater has only won 23.4% of the time.Our third GGA for today’s game got good news after. Les’s Alma mater, Seton Hall, defeated No. 8 Kentucky in basketball in OT, 84-83.
Colgate defeats James Madison advancing to FCS Quarterfinals as time expires, 23-20
The Village of Hamilton, NY – Colgate PK Chris Puzzi converted a 38-yard FG as time expired to defeat James Madison (9-4) in a second round FCS playoff game, 23-20. The Red Raider defense stopped a fake JMU punt with 2:49 left to start their game-winning drive from their 39. Colgate’s vaunted defense intercepted five passes on the day to keep the visiting Dukes in check.
Big Day at small school
The eighth-seeded Red Raiders (10-1), champions of the Patriot League, travel to Fargo, ND next Saturday to play defending FCS champ and winner of five of the last six FCS titles, No. 1 North Dakota State. Collegefootballfan.com attended this playoff with Guest Game Analyst Sam Cooper (Potsdam State), avid Colgate fan and booster. Sam enjoyed seeing a great turnout of students and alum despite the cold and snow-covered landscape surrounding Andrew Kerr Stadium. The 6,418 in attendance exceeds most crowds at the 2,800-student campus in this small, upstate village surrounded by farmlands. We found some roads taken on the way up don’t even show up on a GPS.
Colgate students came out to support their 9-1 football team in the FCS playoffs.
Rare start for Red Raiders
Things did not start as anticipated for the Red Raiders who outscored all opponents this season in the first period, 67-0. In five of seven games in which they did not allow a touchdown, they recorded shutouts. The Dukes returned the opening kickoff 37 yards out to the 43. They made scoring look easy. Six plays from scrimmage later, RB Cordon Johnson ran it in from the two for a very shocking and early 7-0 lead in front of the home fans. Though many knew, the Dukes, finalists in last season’s championship, far exceeded the talent of other FCS opponents ‘Gate faced this season. JMU’s next drive in the first ended more accordingly to expectations as CB Abu Duramy-Swaray intercepted a pass resulting in a 37-yard FG by Nuzzi.
JMU RB Cardon Johnson (25) finishes off an easy TD drive for an early Q1 score.
James Madison, a cut above the rest
Early in the second period, JMU scored three more with a 34-yard FG by Ethan Radtke. Later in the second, ‘Gate took over on the 50. Puzzi added three later with his 23-yard FG. Throughout the period, Sam noted that Colgate displayed a very basic offense with little deception. No motion among their talented wide receivers. Most plays called for 5’9” 210-lb TB James Holland (25 carries for 90 yards) to pound for yards up the middle. His longest run of the day netted 10 yards. From that perspective, the Red Raiders never went with play action to set up their passing game. QB Grant Breneman (14 of 23, 190 yards, 1 TD) seemed content to stay in the pocket. When would the Red Raiders pull out the stops to put points on the board to defeat the best team on their schedule all season?
JMU WR makes a reception on first quarter drive.
Colgate defense steps up
An INT by CB Tyler Castillo and a second by S Marquise Bruce in the end zone on the last play of the first half thwarted any further scoring by JMU. The Colgate defense performed up to their reputation after allowing early scores. DE Nick Wheeler came up with two sacks. He applied pressure with a three-man front throughout the game to hurry Duke QB Matt DeNucci (19 of 32, 193 yards, 5 INTs). The Colgate offense would need to make some adjustments in the second half to overcome their 10-6 halftime deficit.
School in the “Village”
At intermission, Sam and I took advantage of Colgate’s tailgate policy and went back to his car for hot tomato soup and sandwiches. We figured to get out of the slush-covered bleachers to thaw out a little. On the road into the Village of Hamilton, home of Colgate University, several small jets landed nearby. Sam attested they have an airfield with a 5,400-foot runway that could handle the aircraft used by some of its distinguished CEO/Alumni grads coming back to Gate’s first playoff game at Andrew Kerr Stadium in 15 years. According to Sam, the only other time more aircraft land at the local Hamilton air field occurs during Baseball Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies in Cooperstown, about an hour away. After the game, Sam took me in to see the two-year old Class of 1965 Hockey Arena built adjacent to the football facility. Quite impressive. About 30-framed NHL jerseys of former Colgate alum who went on to play at that level adorned one of the walls above the 2,500-seat arena.
The snow cover around the Hamilton area limited nearby parking areas for the biggest game to be played there in more than a decade.
Second half turn-around
We returned to our seats to find out that the second period did not start off well for the Red Raiders either. JMU forced Breneman to fumble on the first play from scrimmage in the second half and recovered at the Colgate 11. An offensive pass interference call set them back 15 yards. As expected, the Red Raider defense stepped up to the task and only allowed four more yards. JMU settled for Radtke’s 38-yard FG to lead by seven.
The Colgate offense finally got on track on its next possession after its defense picked them back up. Starting from the 25, they drove to the 32. A little deception helped on the next play as Breneman faked a handoff to Holland on a dive. After the fake, he proceeded 32 yards around right end for a touchdown to tie the score, 13-13. ‘Gate’s next possession following a JMU punt to put them back at their ten. On a third and five from their 15, the Soph QB connected with WR Owen Rocket (5 catches, 104 yards, one TD) for a 39-yard pass play. At the JMU 14, Breneman rolled right out of the pocket and connected with Rocket again for 14-yard TD pass to take a 20-13 Colgate lead, their first of the game.
WR Owen Rocket grabs a Colgate TD pass from Grant Breneman to take the lead, 20-13.
JMU fights back
A touchback and a personal foul on the ensuing kickoff started the Dukes at their 12. Cutting in front of the intended receiver and capturing his second pick of the day, Castillo halted this drive. Starting Q4, JMU’s next series resulted with a similar ending as LB TJ Holl picked off DeNucci for Colgate’s fifth INT. Holl played outstanding defense this day making key stops among 11 tackles, nine solo. He returned this pick 29 yards to the James Madison 19.
The Colgate offense went conservative again picking up nine yards on three carries. At the ten, Head Coach Dan Hunt decided to forgo three points to take a ten-point lead. Again Holland tried the middle instead. The JMU defense stopped him for no gain and turned the ball over on downs. JMU Head Coach Mike Houston replaced DeNucci with Frosh QB Gage Moloney. His offense retreated eight yards before punting. DeNucci returned at QB after ‘Gate’s next punt and seemed to swing momentum back JMU’s way. After their two consecutive defensive stops, he finished off a 44-yard drive with a seven-yard option run right to tie the score again, 20-20.
JMU QB Ben Denucci sprints past Colgate defenders for a big game.
Coming down to the wire
Going back on offense again following another Colgate three-and-out, JMU moved to the Colgate 41. There, they went into punt formation on fourth and five. The fake was on! P Harry O’Kelly looked for running room around the right side. However, the Red Raider defense stopped him short by three yards. They took over on their 39 with 2:46 left on the game clock. A 26-yard pass from Breneman to Rocket put them at the Duke’s 35. Three carries by Holland got them a first down at the 25 to force JMU to use its time-outs. At the 21, Puzzi booted his game winner as time expired to win it for the Red Raiders, 23-20. Time to make travel arrangements to Fargo, ND. The Patriot League champs celebrated with their fans.
Colgate fans empty stands to celebrate first home FCS win in 15 years!
JMU finished their season at 9-4. Among the strong Colonial Athletic Association that sent six teams to the FCS playoffs, only two made it to the second round. Only CAA champion Maine (9-3, 7-1) remains now. They throttled Jacksonville State, 55-27. They face No. 2 Weber State in Utah next Saturday.
JMU DL Ron Dell Carter prevents CU RB James Holland from converting a first down at the ten on a fourth and one.
For Colgate, a big challenge lies ahead against No. 1 NDSU, no doubt. It will be time for the Red Raider offense to pull out some more stops if they want to advance past the defending champs to get to the title game. As Sam pointed out, James Madison posed the toughest competition the Raiders have faced all year. When you get this far, it doesn’t get any easier at this stage of the season.
As for collegefootballfan.com, we head to Philly to for our seventh consecutive Army-Navy Game since 2012, our 12th over all. The Cadets have already clinched the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy having won the hardware last season and in defeating Air Force who’s already defeated Navy. Upset in the air? No one expects Navy to win. In this rivalry, that is when the least expected happens. Go Navy!
Grant Breneman (15) carries closer to the JMU goal line on a scoring drive.
PSU Nittany Lions dominate Maryland Terps on Senior day, 38-3
State College – On Senior Day in Happy (Icy, Cold, Wet) Valley, Senior QB Trace McSorely scored two first quarter TDs to take an early lead while the Lion defense dominated the Terps for the second year in a row for a 38-3 victory. Last season in the season finale at College Park, PSU triumphed, 66-3. After losing in OT last week to Ohio State, 52-51, the Terp offense displayed no such effectiveness against the improving Lion defense.
Cold, rainy weather and the long Thanksgiving weekend cut back on attendance for this Penn State Senior Day.
Honoring the past and hopes for the future
On a cold, rainy day with an icy mix thrown down early in the day, the Penn State crowd in half full Beaver Stadium celebrated the final performances of 21 seniors. However, the crowd watched the Lions not only outperform the Terps with outgoing seniors, but they also watched promising underclassmen boding well for the future of Penn State football. First-time Guest Game Analyst Kevin Rogers (Manhattan College Jasper), a long-time PSU football fan who had not seen a game at Beaver Stadium since it was half the size of what it is today, enjoyed what he saw despite the elements he drove through and sat in. He plans to definitely return to Beaver Stadium again in the near future.
LB Micah Parsons (11) puts hit on Terps Anthony McFarland. Parsons saw a lot of playing time at LB during his Frosh year for the Lions.
Bing, bing, bing!
The No. 12 Nittany Lions (9-3, 6-3) followed the opening kickoff with just three plays that put them into the end zone. McSorely (12 for 22 passing, 230 yards, 1 TD; 11 carries for 64 yards, 2 TDS) completed his first pass on the first play to Frosh KJ Hamler for 34 yards. Miles Sanders (14 carries for 128 yards) advanced the next play 35 yards on his first run before McSorely ran it in for a 10-yard TD.
Later in the period, Terp PK Joe Petrino put Maryland on the scoreboard with his 26-yard FG already matching the total point his team scored against PSU the previous season. The Lions came right back as McSorely carried the ball over again for his second score in the first from the 20-yard line. The Lions led 14-3 at the end of the first and never looked back as the Terp offense could not break through the tough Nittany Lion defense who stopped UMD 15 times this day behind the line of scrimmage. DE Yetur Gross Matos led with 3.5 TFLs. Keith Givens added two sacks.
McSorely (9) rushes against Maryland Terrapins during Q2 drive.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Only Jake Pinegar’s 25-yard FG added three points in the second to increase the Penn State lead. Kevin noted a particular PSU weakness, however, along the way. Punt returner DeAndre Thompkins avoided fielding any punts even if evidently catchable. By not fielding any by signaling fair catch, he constantly put the Lions in worse field position than they could have had giving up five to ten yards at least each time. PSU started drives from the 14, 6, and 15 yard-line because of this in the second period. Later in the game, KJ Hamler fielded a punt with a fair catch to start the Lions from their 28 that later resulted in a score. On the final Terp punt, Thompkins set up to receive the punt and it bounced out at the PSU eight. Thompkins graduates this year. Hamler will be returning for his second season in 2019.
Lion defenders Kevin Givens (30) and Shareef Miller (48) pressure Terp QB Tyrell Pigrome.
Records not made to be broken
Fourteen inches of snow the past week and the wettest summer on record in State College and the second wettest fall on record cut down on the typical, stirring pre-game activities prior to the game on Senior Day. Prohibited parking in grass lots, icy Central Pennsylvania roads, a wet, rainy forecast and the holiday weekend cut down the prepaid crowd of 98,000. Many decided to remain in the comforts of their homes to watch on TV. Pregame traditions were relegated to the sidelines and stands to preserve the playing field even after tarps were removed. The Penn State Blue Band did get to perform at halftime despite the on-again and off-again precipitation. The decimated but dedicated crowd in Beaver Stadium still vociferously cheered their team and honored their outgoing Seniors despite the setbacks of the elements.
Breakfast Lion RG Connor McGovern (323 lbs) “pancakes” Terp DT Keiron Howard (290 Lbs) after Miles Sanders moves past line.
Lions roar!
After forcing a punt to start the third, PSU put some younger talent on display. Frosh RB Ricky Slade (11 carries for 64 yards, two TDs) ran the ball five times during the next series for 34 yards finishing the drive with an eight-yard TD run. The score stood 24-3 to end the third.
Frosh RB Ricky Slade (4) bounces off Terrapin tackler to get to goal line.
Terp PK Joe Petrino failed to add the Terp score when he missed a 31-yard FG to start the fourth period. The Lion defensed continued to dominate Maryland (5-7, 3-6) on offense holding them to 259 yards of total offense, only 74 on the ground. On PSU’s next series, McSorely finished off a scoring drive with a five-yard TD pass to Frosh TE Pat Freiermuth. Hamler’s fair catch on the 28 started another TD drive, but not before Head Coach James Franklin installed back-up QB Tommy Stevens for McSorely after the first play.
Miles Sanders (24) bursts through Terp line for gain in third period.
He received a standing ovation from an appreciative crowd. Most had been on hand the past four years to see McSorely and his classmates put together a 25-3 recorded at Beaver Stadium while they played here for PSU. Stevens, entering his fifth and final year of eligibility, looms as next year’s stating QB for the Nittany Lions. On this series, he ran for some yardage, handed off to Slade for more gains on the ground, and passed to Hamler to set up Slade’s final run of the series for a one-yard TD to finalize the score, 38-3. The Lions and their fellow students and fans celebrated in the South end zone and sang the Penn State alma mater. Many others of us including Kevin and me left the confines of Beaver Stadium looking for buses back to parking lots to start our journeys home in the cold and the dark to celebrate.
McSorely (9) leaves Maryland Terps in his wake. After this game, he also leaves with a career completion mark of 703 to lead all PSU QBs.
Regular season ends for some, not all
For the Terps, their season is over. Chances are slim with a 5-7 record to get to a bowl game. The Lions wait to see what happens after the Big Ten Championship game between Ohio State and Northwestern next Saturday. Generally, the feeling is that with their strong, loyal fan following, they’ll most likely get into a New Year’s Day Bowl against an SEC team in Florida.
CFF.com still looks forward to five more games this season. Our next venture takes us up north to another, expectedly cold venue to attend a second round FCS playoff game in Hamilton, NY where No. 8 seed Colgate hosts 2017 FCS runner up James Madison University. We look forward to seeing how the Red Raider defense with five shutouts (seven games in which they allowed no TDs) in 2018 against mostly Patriot League foes stand up against a Colonial Athletic team from a tougher conference that averaged 35 ppg this season. Should be fun as we catch up with friends we made in Hamilton last season when we saw Colgate defeat Fordham at our first game ever at Colgate’s Stadium.
