Week Two 2022 Steveo’s Salvos:  Wake at Vandy, Week One notes, Microsoft Guidelines, Nos. 2-3-4, Who’s done?

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 Week Two: Wake Forest at Vanderbilt

    Good news in Week Two for No. 23 Wake Forest (1-0). Collegefootballfan.com will see them play when they visit 2-0 Vanderbilt Saturday.  Starting QB Sam Hartman, sidelined by a non-football medical issue, returns to action this weekend.   Hartman led the Demon Deacons last season with 4,228 passing yards and 39 TD passes.  Sitting out last week versus VMI, Brett Griffis stepped in to run the run/pass option (RPO) effectively for HC Dave Clawson’s team.  With Hartman back to throw to a flock of receivers and with RB Christian Turner who galloped for 100 yards last week, all cylinders should be firing Saturday.  The Wake question remains on defense under new DC Brad Lambert in from Purdue a year ago. 

    Vandy, off a 2-10 2021 season, won it first two games with a lot of points on the board led by QB Mike Wright.  With wins at Hawaii (0-2), 63-10, and over FCS Elon 42-31, he leads the team in passing with 391 yards and in rushing with 247. Six TDs came on his passes and four on runs.  How tested he will be by Wake will be seen on Saturday.  If Lambert brings improvement, this may be a good test for him.  If he hasn’t, this could be an unanticipated tight, high-scoring shoot-out between Vandy and Wake.

Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman prior to Boston College game last season. A Heisman candidate, he returns Saturday for his first start in 2022.

A few choice words for Microsoft Guidelines

   In the wake of last weekend’s results, stories ran on line about new ratings.  Of course, the comments came raging in.  We don’t add much commentary to these waste-of-time articles.  Primarily, we observe for entertainment purposes. If anything, we’ll attempt a short, hard-hitting zinger. We avoid offensive words/language knowing they prevent publication.  A reader named “Bo Sai” commented basically to the effect, “Your writer glossed over the fact that Miami defeated BCU of the ACC, 70-13. No mention of that…” Four others responded with likes. Had to laugh and provide this response: “Hahaha!  BCU is Bethune Cookman, a HBCU school, not Boston College” (I figured BC losing to Rutgers, 22-21, was embarrassing enough).   “Does not follow guidelines” message popped up right away.  Why?  Because I wrote, “Hahaha!”? 

    I deleted that phrase. Still no good. I simplified it further using no off-color language, etc. though I felt like it.   Still not following guidelines.  Steamed, because Microsoft blocked a simple response for a correction, eventually popped up a drop-down.   Only having generic choices that didn’t make sense to say, “this comment is not correct” regarding the original submittal. I eventually chose “Wrong topic”.  I only typed in “Bethune-Cookman”.  The point is, if Microsoft enforces guidelines for comment fields, they should be monitored by people who know about the topics being discussed.  This is what I want to say directly to Microsoft now. “Don’t let your computer geeks monitor comments made by idiots who don’t know what they’re talking about. If you can’t, stuff it!” Anybody offended?  Political comments are minimized overwhelmingly for sure, but comments about college football like this? They can just “stick it, too!” Offended?  “Tough.”

Preseason’s Nos. two, three, and four

    Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson – three teams on our slate – already changed to Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan. The Buckeyes had a tougher than expected time with Notre Dame. The Irish led 10-7, but OSU overcame, 21-10. Georgia wailed on Oregon under their former DC Dan Lanning, 49-3, basically signaling to all the world the PAC-12 falls out of CFP contention already (Utah, USC?).  Michigan wrecked Colorado State, 51-7, to edge ahead of Clemson.  More importantly, this reinforces our point pertaining to our Alabama 55 – Utah State 0 game review.

     Jim Harbaugh’s U of M squad has the most pathetic slate of three opening non-conference games all at home. Colorado State, already decimated 0-2 Hawaii in Week Two, and then preseason No. 131 UConn!  Question to pollsters: Michigan deserves to jump past Clemson, who whipped horribly coached Georgia Tech, 41-10, based on this alone?  At least Tech is a weak Power Five, not a Bottom Five school! Even upcoming Clemson foes FCS Furman and LA Tech can probably beat all three. 

Get it together coaches

 If Nick Saban had the guts to call Harbaugh (or vice versa) and negotiate a home-and-home series to open on consecutive years to play one another, fans wouldn’t have to watch or pay to attend these horrific games.  Play now and see who makes the playoffs. That would be tremendous to open the season with these two egomaniacs competing. Why not? Both teams have full seasons ahead to recover from a loss by winning their conferences. No guts, no glory – Bama and U Of M only pick on teams that don’t recruit on the same level!  Please go back and read to our last game review.

Traeshon Holden TD Catch
Alabama’s WR Traeshon Holden grabs his first of two TDs against Utah State in 55-0 Crimson Tide victory.

Georgia Tech’s Geoff Collins is done

    We saw his debut season as HC at Temple. We respected the positive developments of that program prior under Matt Rhule (no pun intended).  The Owls headed in the wrong direction under the former defensive coordinator of Urban Meyer’s Florida teams. Temple football played with no discipline.  Mistakes and penalties pervaded under him with thug tactics.  Collins stayed two years, and then he headed to replace Paul Johnson’s triple option offense at Georgia Tech.  After Monday night’s loss to Clemson, his record at Tech stands at 9-26.  He’s done nothing to improve this program. Johnson left behind an 82-61 record over 11 years despite supporters not taking a liking to his run-oriented offense. Collins’ forte sides on defense. Last season, opponents averaged 33.5 ppg against the Rambling Wrecks.   In Week Two, this program is already done under Collins. Stick a fork in them and look for him to become a DC again elsewhere, maybe.

Other teams on our 2022 schedule heading into Week Two

       Spence Rattler passed for 227 yard and one TD in his South Carolina debut against Georgia State last week in a 35-14 victory.  He faces No. 16 Arkansas and No. 2 Georgia the next two weeks. We see him Week 6 at No. 20 Kentucky (1-0) winner over Miami (O.)…James Madison smashed Middle Tennessee at home in their FBS debut, 44-7. The Dukes passed for 287 yards and rushed for 261.  The Blue Raiders returning QB Chase Cunningham threw for a meager 107 yards and the rushing game accumulated only 12 yards. JMU will visit Louisville (0-1, lost at Syracuse 31-7) on November 5 to become our 131st FBS team. LU’s Scott Satterfield sits on another hot seat… MTSU will be seen in action at home against UTSA (0-1) on September 30 and home against WKU (2-0, winners over Hawaii 49-17).

WKU QB Austin Reed
Western Kentucky QB Austin Reed, transfer from D-2 West Florida where they won the 2019 national championship, is now firing bullets for the Hilltoppers. WKU returned from win at Hawaii in Week Two and now preps to visit Indiana September 17.

Texas round-up

      The UT San Antonio Roadrunners fell at the Alamo Dome to the No. 25 Houston Cougars who we will see play at Navy. The Cougars overcame a 14-point deficit in the final period to snap UTSA’s 10-game home winning streak in three OTs, 37-35. Houston QB Clayton Tune completed 22 of 32 for 206 yards and three TDs while rushing 15 times for 51 yards and a score.  The Roadrunners’ QB Frank Smith completed 28 of 43 for 337 yards and three TDS while rushing 63 yards and one TD.  These two will provide severe firepower against defenses when we see them face Navy and MTSU respectively.

Roll call

Navy was one of two FBS squads that fell to the FCS in their opener. Delaware won 14-7 under new HC Ryan Carty who led the Blue Hens as QB to their 2003 FCS national championship.  Bad sign: first time in years Navy’s leading receiver outgained their leading rusher in yardage, 77 to 47. The Mids also fumbled three times in the first half. The first on their initial drive resulting in a Blue Hen score… Army (0-1) who we don’t see until Navy in Philly, lost to Coastal Carolina, 38-28. CCU QB Grayson McCall threw three TDs and ran for the clincher with 3:01 left.

     For Week Two, in the best matchup among teams we’ll see this season, the No. 9 Baylor Bears (1-0) visit No. 21 BYU Cougars (1-0).  We’ll see Bears at Texas in November.  We saw the Cougars at Lavelle Edwards Stadium last season when they defeated UVA, 66-49.  Without starting QB Jaren Hall in the Independence Bowl, we watched them lose to UAB, 31-28.   With Hall returning healthy, BYU going against the tough Bear defense will be interesting. Baylor counters with their Soph QB Blake Shapen who keyed the defeat of Oklahoma State in last year’s Big Twelve championship.  These two teams will be meeting for the first of many times as BYU joins the Big Twelve conference next year.  Both programs should be fired up to learn more about one another in this one. 

The Baylor defense looms tough in 2022 and will face BYU’s high-flying offense in Provo this weekend.

Other Week Two games of interest

We’ll see Texas State (0-1) host Louisiana Thanksgiving weekend. State fell to Nevada 38-14 to lower HC Jake Spavital’s record to 9-28. The future in San Marcos does not look good for him unless he starts to win early and often. Louisiana defeated SE LA 24-7 in HC Michael Desormeaux’s first game… Texas clobbered UL Monroe, 52-10, before facing Alabama this weekend.  The following week, ULM travels to Bryant Denny to be “entertained” by Alabama. Good plan Nick Saban…Austin Peay recovered from last week’s loss to WKU by slamming the Presbyterian Blue Hose, 63-0. The foe we will see them play next comes September 24 as Eastern Kentucky. EKU came up short versus FBS eastern Michigan, 42-34…Auburn showed no mercy to FCS Mercer 42-16. San Jose is next before we see them host PSU.

Appalachian State kept coming back at home against North Carolina until time expired, 63-61.  The Mountaineers travel to Kyle Field this week. Can HC Shawn Clark roust his defense and QB Chase Brice keep the wheels turning on offense to upend the Aggies in Week Two?  Based on ASU history, we think they have a good shot…Troy (0-1) with recent WKU transfer QB Jarret Doege lost at Ole Miss, 28-10. The Trojans visit Appy State and host Marshall before heading to face his short-term WKU teammates (2-0) on October 1.  We look forward to that one.  Good move, Jarrett?… The other FCS win over an FBS program last Saturday: William & Mary 41 – Charlotte 24.  Wonder if William made the difference in this game?  Leaving this in my wake, can I say that without offending anybody?

Look for our book

ed. by – Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate; from the Fan who’s seen ’em all! If you enjoy the articles on our blog, please click on the book title to above enjoy our unique story of attending games over 30 years to reach the goal of seeing every FBS team play at least once. Follow us through time on this fun journey!

In week two, the Tide rolls on to Austin, Texas.
In Week Two, The Tide rolls on into Austin, Texas. How much of their pageantry will follow them there?

Game 637: Bama blasts Utah State, why bother?

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Tuscaloosa – Nick Saban recruits the highest rated high school players in the nation for Bama.  They blasted Utah State last Saturday, 55-0, and it could have been a lot worse.  Why does Saban insist on finding the best players in the nation and then seek teams for his schedule not even close to his level of talent? In our case, the only thing we got out of this “game” was checking the box for finally seeing Bama play a home game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, our 76th venue among all in the Football Bowl (eventually “B” will be supplemented with a “P” for “Professional”) Subdivision.  We witnessed the pregame excitement and all pageantry before kickoff, but everyone in attendance and the many Crimson Tide no-shows knew already what was going to happen.  The bookies set the line at 41.5 points.  Oh, the excitement – Not!  Why bother?

HC Nick Saban leads the pageantry of the Alabama pregame.

Why we announce our “tentative” schedule every season

    When planning our schedule earlier this year, the price of a ticket for Texas A&M at Bama started at over $300/seat in the upper level.  Probably sky-rocketed after Saban made his remarks about Jimbo Fisher “buying” recruits Bama wanted.  Reviewing our selection of games for September 3, the best regarding an affordable, competitive game for us looked like Elon (FCS) at nearby Vanderbilt.  The Commodores appear on our slate again the following week as we have a close contingent of Wake Forest friends coming into town to see the Deacs play.  We needed to see someone different.

    Realizing we plan to see Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson ranked 2-3-4 on our schedule already this season, why not get No. 1 Bama?  Wow!  $33/seat for Utah State game this weekend.  Gas prices have fallen from Tennessee to Alabama into the low $3’s. For a tank and a half, that’s much better than close to $5+/ gallon when checking on the A&M opportunity months ago.  And even better, we had enough points to get a free night at a Microtel right in Tuscaloosa. Usually, rentals that close to game day are not available. Our first hint on what to expect, evidently. My wife, St. Laurie, had no interest in going.  We had just gotten back from Penn State at Purdue.  She figures she’s already hit one of three games she will possibly attend this season.  Cheap trip for one!

Bryant Denny Stadium
Our approach to Bryant-Denny Stadium. The exterior was impressive and efficiently organized. Inside, long lines of hundreds of fans lingered at concession stands more than an hour before kickoff. Didn’t have time to check out the tailgating atmosphere.

Plans with budgets in mind

    For collegefootballfan.com, this looked like a bargain basement sale.  Only the gas would cost more than a 20-minute drive to Vanderbilt!  On top of that, the hotel manager suggested the bus shuttle at the nearby mall within walking distance for $15 round trip.  Much cheaper than a stadium parking space. Bama even offers an honest-to-goodness printed football program (121 pages plus ads). Few schools do that anymore.  “Scan the barcode on the video board”  for your virtual program, most announce.  Yeah, right!  My wife rejoices my game program collection no longer grows so she won’t have to recycle more if I’m gone before she is.  And, “Alabama Game Day” only costs $5!  Well as they say, “You get what you pay for.”  The game started.

As they exclaimed in Ancient Rome, “Let the games begin!”

Bring on the Aggies! Let the “game” begin!

    Utah State received the opening kick-off. QB Logan Bonner completed a 23-yard pass on first down from scrimmage.  Everyone in attendance had just witnessed the Utah State offensive highlight of the game.  The Aggie defense held Bama to Will Reichard’s field goal of 45 yards on their first possession.  That turned out to be State’s defensive highlight for the game, at least for their first team.   Every subsequent Bama score preceded a touchback on every kickoff beyond through the second series of the third quarter.  All but one of those forthcoming Bama possessions resulted in a touchdown.  The other ended in a field goal.  At halftime, Bama led 41-0. 

Saban kept Heisman candidate Bryce Young in for the first series in Q3.  On that drive and before the subsequent 48-0 score, he summoned Young’s back-up Jalen Milroe along the sideline to get ready for the next series.  Even hard-hitting LB Will Anderson Jr. played into the third on defense.  I guess Saban needed to assure the Crimson Tide fans that he would cover the 41.5 line.  For all the bloody details of the 55-0 Bama decimation, we don’t need to record the bloodshed here, just click here to read about the decimation we witnessed for yourself.

Last year’s Heisman winner, Bama QB Bryce Young (9), sets up to throw one of his five TD passes on the day. He played through the first series of the second half throwing for 195 yards and running for 100.

    This “contest” was like watching the Atlanta Braves play a Little League team.  Probably like watching lions gore Christians in the Roman Coliseum.  Like me playing Tiger Woods, at any age, in golf.  You call this competition?   Nick Saban and a few other coaches monopolize the top talent for college football.  The kids that want to go pro go to those few, and the few happily take the best of what’s available (before they opt out now for the portal when they don’t start).  All the other schools get everybody else to mix and match to fill in their needs.  In the end, why can’t the few “pick on somebody their own size” as the saying goes?  You recruit the best, so play the best.  Why bother with playing significantly less talented opponents? The “best” all come out on top of the polls eventually any way.

Young (9) broke loose on this run for 63 yards in the second quarter.

Consideration for upcoming games at Bama

   Funny, the hotel desk clerk told me I was “lucky” coming his weekend.  Usually, people have to book a minimum of two or three nights for a Bama home game.  Since Utah State visited, just one night needed.  Initially, I thought this was because Utah State was not considered a good game.  Then I thought, well maybe the hotel management assumed not may fans from Utah would make it to the Alabama campus.  Even more Bama fans didn’t based on the supply and prices offered on line.

    Looking at future home games at Bryant-Denny this season: UL Monroe visits in two weeks, Vanderbilt comes the week after, Mississippi State buses in on October 22, and middle of the road, FCS Austin Peay arrives the week before the big Auburn rivalry on Thanksgiving weekend.  Does the hotel think that fans of ULM, Vandy, and APU will drive in droves to spend a few nights in Tuscaloosa to come see their teams play Bama for big paychecks and a result similarly suffered by USU this evening?  

Rather than see their teams get rocked like the Aggies, ULM fans will probably prefer to watch Mississippi State beat LSU on TV. Vandy fans can hold their money to buy season baseball tickets before spring.  Austin Peay fans will find other things to do as usual.  Not many showed up in nearby Bowling Green, KY last week.  It would have been nice Saturday night if someone at B-D could have changed the channel on the videoboard to the Ohio State -ND game, especially with the Irish leading 10-7.

Bama’s Heisman candidate on defense this year, Will Anderson Jr (31), registered five solo tackles, three assisted and one tackle for loss in basically the first half.

Hey Nick, pick on someone your own size

    The Texas A&M game with Fisher highlights the Bama home excitement in 2022.  The Auburn rivalry remains the no-brainer rivalry.   Mississippi State always wants a shot at The Tide no matter what.  However, at least Saban should disregard the temptations of showing off his superior talent over the likes of ULM and Austin Peay every season.  Everybody criticizes ND for playing a “weak” schedule (despite Ohio State, Clemson, BYU, and USC this year).  Fans rightfully bust Michigan this year for playing three non-Power Five teams.  Oklahoma’s non-conference slate has been pretty shoddy over the past few years.   Bama has played SEC east rival Georgia only twice in the regular season in the last 13 years.  The point here is these are among programs Bama competes with for the similar talent in the off-season.

   Saban can probably call any of these programs to schedule home and home series they could agree to.  Last time Bama did such was booked before he coached here.  Penn State got pushed back though a year when they had no returning QB experience.  However, past history indicates to be Saban wants to play only one and done with Power 5 teams.  Usually at a “neutral” site, like Atlanta. Right!  Surely Notre Dame, Jim Harbaugh, and OU are not dumb enough to bite on that.  When Saban insists because he needs an additional home game to subsidize other Bama athletic teams, look closer.

Would Nick Saban miss all the attention at Bryant-Denny if he took his team to another big venue on an opponent’s campus? After not having done so in all his years at Bama, probably!

All about whose money?

    Rough counts indicate The Tide competes in only seven men’s NCAA sports programs and eight in women’s sports. Do you know how many other schools compete in?  By rough count: Michigan – 13 for men, 14 for women; ND – 12 and 12; Ohio State – 18 and 19; Penn State- 15 and 14; Stanford – 16 and 20; USNA 20 and 14 (only 4,000 students, but federally funded to some extent along with donations to NAAA); Ivies Princeton and Harvard – 18-18 and 20-20 respectively (of course, alumni endowments could probably fund every student’s tuition every year). 

Two other points here.  Are other Alabama students relegated more to waving shakers at football games than being encouraged to participate in other sports while matriculating at Alabama?  Young men can’t participate in wrestling, gymnastics, lacrosse, volleyball, or shooting sports like at other schools.  And women at Alabama can’t pursue field hockey, water polo, lacrosse, or fencing.  The other point is that with fewer sports, Bama football gets to retain more funds than other Power Five participants do for football.

Alabama doesn’t even support sports like wrestling that can even challenge such great programs at other FBS schools. Why not?

Good Saint Nick

   As for another supposed reason the SEC schedules FCS teams – benevolence. Really?  They want to give less financially sound programs the benefit of funding in exchange for a win if necessary to get a bowl bid – not that Bama or UGA need this.  What’s Saban making?  $9.3 million annually?  If he’s so caring of other programs, why doesn’t he take the $300,000 of the $9.3M and donate it each year to an FCS program of his choice?  With the player’s NIL money, why don’t they take up a collection?  They may have to someday if nobody wants to play them under such overwhelming odds in the future.  If Kirby Smart and UGA did the same with their cash, why can’t The Tide and ‘Dawgs schedule a non-conference game between each other every year when they don’t play an SEC game? 

Proceeds can go to FCS programs of their choices.  The draw surely sells out, gets their fans truly fired up, creates a great natural rivalry played annually, and doesn’t impact their capability for either to knock themselves out of the SEC championship those seasons. This would probably give both even more recruiting advantages, not that either needs more right now.  But why not?  They basically dominate most of the other teams in the SEC when it comes to recruiting already. Win, win, win, win, win for Bama, UGA, SEC, FCS, and all the fans.

Check out Austin Peay’s Fortera Stadium. Alabama hosts the Governors this year in Tuscaloosa. Similar football budgets you think? Nice of Nick Saban to consider making a donation without embarrassing the FCS school in a game the Govs have no chance to win.

Nick The GOAT?

     Caught some of the retort between two “experts” on TV we catch on the fly at the gym.  Stephen A. Smith refers to Nick Saban as the greatest college coach of all time.  Chris “Mad Dog” Russo countered with Notre Dame’s Ara Parseghian.  We say this, it’s difficult to compare the two based on what coaching is mostly about today.  Coaching can be broken down into three main parts: executing game plans, player development, and RECRUITING. The third is entirely the major emphasis in today’s game than it was twenty, thirty, or more years ago.  If it wasn’t, Saban’s bellyaching on national news about Fisher’s recruiting tactics wouldn’t cause the consternation residing today between the two.  Trouble is, this will get worse before it gets better.

     We can say that for college football, Nick Saban is probably he best recruiter out there because every talented player wants to play for him.  He starts head and shoulders among all coaches because he attracts and selects the best talent to play for him every year.  How do we judge him in the other two aspects? As far as player development, we counted about thirty guys along the sideline with red-striped Alabama golf shirts on against Utah State. Many with clipboards. So there’s evidently analysis and development going on.  He pays his coaches a lot to coordinate games for him. Many eventually leave to take on head coaching jobs elsewhere.

College football was much different when Ara Parseghian was head coach at Northwestern and Notre Dame from the 50s to the 70s. Media rarely hyped up recruiting and news photos were all basically black and white.

Football GOAT at being smart

     However, let’s consider leveling the talent field when it comes to coaching football.  After two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, as head coach in 2005-2006 with a 15-17 record, Nick Saban high-tailed it back to the college. He knew his forte was recruiting.  In the NFL, a team can’t hoard significantly more or better talent than all the other opponents. Teams also don’t get to load schedules with teams much weaker. The NFL shares revenues and levels the playing field every year based on records of teams the previous year.  Strength of records and schedules are calculated to level the competition. Some organizations still struggle despite this every year.   This comes down primarily to managing game execution. 

     Nick Saban was smart enough to know his weaknesses and strengths when it comes to coaching. He made the most of it in college football.  He knows better than anyone how to tilt the playing field and under today’s standards, he’s the best at what he does.  Look at his record.   

Enough vented here about the non-competitive nature of college football today.  Bring on the “FPS” and get it over with.  Saban’s players will always be in demand by the pros.

Next up!

    Bama heads for their one Power Five non-conference at Texas next Saturday.  Former Bama OC Steve Sarkasian faces his former boss. Until recently, only Jimbo Fisher and Kirby Smart have been able to finally knock off their former mentor.  Both happened last year.  Others including them failed previously. What chance does Sark have two years removed from Tuscaloosa?

    Utah State gets to play their FCS game hosting Weber State next week. The Wildcats finished at No. 20 in the FCS poll last year and expect to rank again this year in the pre-season polls. They defeated Western Oregon in their opener Saturday, 41-5.  How will the loss to Bama affect the Aggies against the Wildcats?

   As related earlier, collegefootballfan.com stays in Nashville to see 2-0 Vanderbilt host 1-0 Wake Forest.  Breakfast – Bloody Mary Tailgate party!  According to our WFU aficionado, Jim “Bug “ Harton who will be our prime Guest Game Analyst, the sub QB for Heisman candidate Sam Hartman, Mitch Griffis (288 passing yards, three TD passes) looked good against VMI. However, holding by the offensive line last Thursday proved setbacks despite the 44-10 win over VMI.  HC Dave Clawson will be doing some fine-tuning this week against a Commodore team feeling good about being 2-0, already equaling last season’s victory total.  Looks to be a more competitive game than initially anticipated.  Definitely better as we recover from watching an Alabama practice and a Utah State try-out staged simultaneously Saturday night. How boring.

Ed. by – Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan whose seen ‘em all!   Click on the title to buy and submit a review. In it, Bama fans can read stories about games attended when The Tide defeated the likes of Auburn in the Iron Bowl and against Ohio State in the Kickoff Classic.  There are references to Penn State games in other chapters.  Alabama is now 10-1 in the annals of our history, but we saw them compete in these and CFP games among some of the best (ND, OU, Washington, and Clemson).  They should play these teams more often?  Why not offer home and home series? Such games against comparable talent have to be better than what transpired in Bryant-Denny Saturday night.

Alabama twirlers wave good-bye to Aggies
Hey Aggies! Y’all come back to Bryant-Denny any time!

Game 636: Late scores in two halves propel Penn State past Purdue in Big Ten openers

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West Lafayette, IN – Last minute touchdowns in both halves by Penn State keyed their victory over Purdue in the Big Ten opener for both, 35-31.  With two seconds left in the first half, TE Brenton Strange shed two tacklers and rambled down the right sideline 67 yards to give Penn State a 21—10 advantage at halftime. Purdue fought back to take the lead into the final period.  However, with 57 seconds remaining in the game, Sean Clifford connected with RB Keyvone Lee on a nine-yard swing pass out of the back field to seal the Nittany Lion win.  The score capped an 80-yard drive. Purdue seemed to have the game well in hand holding Penn State to only 326 yards at that point with 2:29 left.

See-saw, See-saw

   The lead changed seven times during the game.  Purdue struck first with a 36-yard FG late in the first period when Mitchell Fineran split the uprights. The Lions roared back on their next possession early in the second after converting a fourth and two at the Boilermaker 29 for a first down.  At the 12, Clifford tossed his first of four TDs with a scoring strike to WR Mike Tinsley to lead by four.  Purdue, with the benefit of a targeting penalty by LB Carter Abdul who got ejected, drove 75 yards with RB King Doerue breaking through the left for a 3-yard TD.  Later in the half, Penn State advanced 57 yards with Clifford carrying the ball over with a two-yard plunge to lead once again, 14-10. 

Purdue RB King Doerue slips this tackle to score from the three.

   On the subsequent Purdue possession, Boilermaker RB TJ Sheffield coughed up the football and CB Joey Porter, Jr. recovered for the Lions at their 18.  A pass interference call put the Lions on their 33.  Many PSU fans in our section 101 called for James Franklin to sit on the lead and just go into halftime.  However, it seems like with all the attention Franklin calls to the talent he recruits, this is the time when he needs to show why he recruits such extraordinary talent.   Are they as good as he says they are?  Show us.  Clifford (20 for 37, 282 yards, four TDs, 1 INT) went to the air, hit Jordan along the right sideline, and instead of the four-point lead, Penn State led by seven going into the halftime. 

Sean Clifford (14) unleashes toward WR Parker Washington (3) during second period.

Great Tailgate at Purdue!

    With our good friend Mike Pirrello and his wife Amy from NJ whose daughter Julia just entered her senior year at Purdue, St. Laurie and I had a tremendous tailgating experience!  Along with Rick and Kristie Blount of the same NJ town whose son Matt also attends Purdue, they all came to West Lafayette to celebrate the opening game of their kids’ senior season at Purdue.  On a beautiful day, we were treated to a party in the back yard of Matt’s house shared with other friends located only a few blocks from Ross-Ade Stadium.  Mike and Rick worked over hot grills making some of our favorite NJ specialties like Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches along with sausage, pepper, and onions on rolls.

     We all brought various samples of favorite Brews to go along with burgers and hot dogs while sharing many “Tales from the Tailgate”.   My Penn State cohorts from over the many years, John Massimilla (PSU grad, die-hard fan) and Dr. Wayne Hoover (fellow Juniatian, class of ’83) came up to root for Penn State from Chambersburg.  We all had a great time meeting and tailgating with the Purdue students and parents who all welcomed us there.  John brought some bourbon and we all appreciated being in the shade on a hot, sunny day.  We took several group photos to remember a very fantastic pre-game party! 

     Mike and Amy’s youngest daughter, Taylor, joined as well and the family would leave early Friday morning to go back for her to cheerlead for her high school team that night.   A senior, Taylor is considering going to a Big Ten school, but not sure where yet.  After the game, I suggested to her father that Collegefootballfan.com still has to go to game at Wisconsin. We hope he can steer her to Madison for another great tailgate to go along with a Fifth Quarter Celebration with Badger fans!

Collegefootballfan.com enjoyed tailgating with friends and fans from both Penn State and Purdue in West Lafayette. Our first Purdue game at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Boilermakers steam out of locker room

    Purdue’s offense came out firing to start the second half.  They drove 75 yards in 3:49 with Doerue running it over from the two this time to cut the lead.  PSU came in without Clifford on offense.  No one in 101 realized he sustained an injury on Jordan’s touchdown to end the second first half.  Nearby Lion fans voiced approval when frosh QB Drew Allar came into play behind center.  Penn State punted from the 49.  Clifford ran back on the field during a break in the next drive.  He came out to play again to mixed emotions among the Blue and White faithful.  Like Allar, his next series resulted in a punt. 

Next, the Boilermaker offense put together an 81-yard TD drive.   O’Connell (29 for 58, 356 yards, one TD) hooked up with Iowa transfer and former high school teammate Charlie Jones for a 17-yard scoring pass.  Heading into the fourth, Jones’s (12 receptions, 153 yards, one TD) catch put Purdue in front, 24-21.

Aidan O'Connell got good protection most of the game against Penn State
Purdue gave O’Connell good protection throughout most of the game.

See-saw, See-saw

     After exchanging punts, Penn State went back to work from their 45.  On a slant pattern over the middle, WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith hauled in a 29-yard pass from Clifford and spun off a tackler to bounce down the middle of the field.  PSU advanced ahead, 28-24.  After forcing a Purdue punt, the Lions looked to take control starting on their 36.  Boilermaker S Chris Jefferson dimmed Penn State’s spirits, however, when he intercepted Clifford’s overthrown pass to Tinsley and wove his way 72 yards back for a Purdue touchdown with 8:29 left in the game.  “Boilers Up” as Purdue fans say, 31-28.

    In what seemed like an eternity, the two teams went back and forth not scoring for most of the 8:29 remaining.  PSU started from their nine due to a penalty on the kick return and went three and out.  Next, Purdue punted from their 35 after being thrown back to a 4th and 30 due to penalties.  The Lions punted again 22 seconds later following three incompletes.   The Boilermakers earned a first down at their 41 on a pass to Jones. 

Following consecutive time-outs by both teams, Purdue TE Payne Durham seemed to make a successful diving catch deep in Penn State territory between two diving defenders.  After further review, however, the replay showed that the ball hit the ground and Durham never had full control.  Had his hand been under the nose of the football, the Boilermakers could control the clock and at least get a field goal to thwart any Penn State comeback attempt. Instead, another incompletion for Purdue, and the ensuing punt sailed through the end zone for a touchback.    

Penn State DBs halt Purdue ball carrier
Penn State CBs Kalen King (4) and Marquis Wilson (8) halt Purdue ball carrier in third period.

“Lions up”

   By this time, some taunting and finger-pointing started by a big, young Boilermaker student sitting in section 102 who probably imbibed too many “Boilermakers” before the game, started to enrage the AARP delegation of PSU fans just this side of our aisle.  Some fans nearby signaled to security, and a representative of the stadium force about the same age as the “delegation” came down and stood between to keep the peace.  If not, this Purdue fan would have probably incurred the wrath of a couple dozen, steaming, unhappy senior citizens in white Penn State t-shirts.  Would’ve been a spectacle to see for sure on post-game highlights. 

An iconic, “old school” fan of Penn State showed up at Purdue, but the young Purdue fan didn’t attempt to taunt him and his other three buddies toward the end of the game.

 Old dog, old tricks

  His next throw went to Lee who swung out behind the Boilermakers’ left side uncovered to grab Clifford’s lofted pass for the winning score.  The taunting, twenty-something was now nowhere to be seen. However, section 101 remained intact, but on edge, as Purdue started its possession from the 19.  A sigh of relief came from the Faithful as CB Johnny Dixon sacked O’Donnell for ten-yard loss back at the 21.  The Boilers got as far as the 36, but their engine sputtered as the clock hit all zeros.

PSU sack of O'Connell on last series.
Penn State CB Johnny Dixon take down Aidan O’Connell on last Purdue possession to end Boilermakers’ hopes.

Game in review

     Our Guest Game Analysts John and Wayne agreed that like most of section 101, that Penn State should be thankful to be leaving Ross-Ade Stadium with a win.  Disappointment still existed with the blocking of the Lion O-line and the running game in general.  The ground game netted only 98 yards, and the longest gain of the day went for only 12.  Expectations for blocking and running were much higher.

     Wayne noted that Joey Porter provided very tight coverage in the secondary.  He led the Lions in tackles with eight and had three pass breakups.  John remained concerned about the play-calling by the Lion coaching staff.  Until the end of the game, there seemed to be many questionable play calls and ill-timed execution.  Wayne remained positive though as he said, “Most coaches will tell you the biggest adjustment period in college ball comes between the first and second game.”   We agree.  Let’s see what direction Penn State will go in after this win over the Boilermakers who will also surely continue to improve after this one.

Nittany Lion mascot ponders why Penn State’s running game wasn’t what he had hoped for against Purdue.

     At some point during this post-game analysis, St. Laurie blurted out “we”.  I said nothing, but Wayne chimed in, “We?”  She who only attends only “if she has to” suddenly seemed to take interest as a fan of some team – Penn State, of course, in this case.  She had to admit she got caught up a little in the excitement of what she said was an “interesting game.”  Later, she asked me what games I think she is supposedly going to.  I chisel away at this question figuring the amount is already beyond her normal quota of three.  I have a few bribes in the works.

Next Up

Purdue takes on FCS Indiana State here at home again before traveling to Syracuse and returning home versus Florida Atlantic before entering Big Ten play. Penn State returns to Happy Valley to host the Ohio Bobcats of the Mid American next Saturday. This Saturday, Collegefootballfan.com currently heads to Tuscaloosa for our first visit there to see No. 1 Alabama entertain Utah State (1-0). We hope to be entertained as well!

Ed. – by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!” Read the stories of why my Wife of 33 years earned her title of “St. Laurie”.  This man’s proud story of a lifetime that continues now and…???

Purdue cheerleaders
Purdue cheerleaders remain optimistic against future Big Ten foes. They don’t have to play Ohio State, Michigan, nor Michigan State among the east division of the Big Ten.

Preseason preview with Justcollegfootball.net; Penn State – Purdue; Alabama-Utah State previews

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Listen to our recent podcast with Stephen Hiegel of Justcollegfootball.net as we preview the upcoming 2022 season and discuss some Collegefootballfan.com history. To listen, click on the icon below (please fast forward four minutes. This is an unedited copy with four minutes of wasted set-up time. Thanks) :

Game 636 preview: Penn State at Purdue, 8 pm EST on Thursday, September 1

     Don’t be fooled.  Despite a long-term contract, James Franklin sits on a hot-seat at Penn State.  The Nittany Lions’ recent record of 11-11 fires up the pressure on him, not the fans waiting for results.  His efforts have to show improvements on the field of play this season.

     Purdue comes off a successful 9-4 season led by returning QB Aidan O’Connell. The 2nd Team All-Big Ten QB from a year ago threw for 3,712 yards and 28 TDs last season culminating in a 45-42 win we attended in last season’s Music City Bowl.  Some key Boilermaker receivers will likely be replaced by comparable talent. Their running game needs to step up to offer a more potent offensive attack. 

We ended 2021 seeing Purdue in an exciting win over Tennessee, 45-42, in the Music City Bowl. Our 2022 FBS slate begins with the Boilermakers hosting Penn State on the evening of Thursday, September 1.

    Defensive Coordinator Brad Lambert, now with Wake Forest, left an improved defense behind.  Two understudies, Ron English and Mark Hagen, resume his defensive 4-2-5 scheme.  The loss of DE George Karlaftis to the NFL draft needs to be shored up.  S Jalen Graham will be called on to lead the defensive charge as the primary tackler in this defense.

Penn State preview: The good, the bad, and a new season

   The Nittany Lions return sixth-year QB Sean Clifford.  Many see this as a detriment after last season’s performance, but Clifford played effectively against Iowa last season before suffering an injury while leading.  PSU lost that game.  Hobbled, he returned and didn’t perform up to speed in losses to Illinois and Ohio State. They also fell by four and three points to Michigan and Michigan State respectively. 

    Reviewing last season, Franklin noted he needed to strengthen his running game.  Five-star frosh RB Nick Singleton took up residence in Happy Valley last January. He will be called up on early to improve the struggling ground game.  WR Parker Washington steps up to replace current pro Jahan Dotson, and WR Mike Tinsley transferred in from a record-setting Western Kentucky passing game.

Defense and counter-defense 

  Like Purdue, PSU has a new defensive coordinator in Manny Diaz, successful as the same previously at Miami.  In addition to several returnees up front, two starters from 2020 out with injuries last season return.  DT PJ Mustipher and DE Adisa Isaac will be back.  The LB corps has only one starter returning, but Diaz moves starting Safety Jon Sutherland up to that spot this season.  The secondary will be the strength of this defense with S Ji’Ayar Brown (six INTs) and Joey Porter Jr. at CB.

    Purdue HC Jeff Brohm’s offense with O’Connell counters with WR Broc Thompson off a great performance in the Music City Bowl.  TE Payne Durham leads a strong group in that position that will give defenses fits.  The O-Line returns experience to lead returning top RB King Doerue (533 yards, two TDs) from a year ago.  Sampson James, OSU recruit and Indiana transfer, expects to bring some explosiveness to the Boilermakers’ running attack.

Penn State’s line will be reinforced this year by key returnees who were sidelined by injuries last season.

Pressure points

   Penn State needs to see some improvement up front to give Clifford time and to spring Singleton into the secondary.  Key battles this evening will be between the Purdue passing attack against a very good pass defense with more pressure coming up front this season.

   Speaking of pressure, pressure falls on Franklin mostly to get his program headed in the right direction right now.  He supposedly recruits the talent, but he needs to show how well he can make it all work together on the field.  He needs to do this now with improved play-calling for his experienced QB.  We expect his offense to be more balanced, and we expect Manny Diaz’s defense to be aggressive.  We anticipate that Penn State wins this game over Purdue by a TD at some point in the fourth quarter.

Hail Utah State! Could be surprising in 2022. They visit Alabama on this Saturday.

Game 637:  Utah State at Alabama preview, 7:30 pm EST on Saturday, September 3

     Alabama with its annual bevy of five-star recruits and returning Heisman candidate in QB Bryce Young on offense and LB Will Anderson Jr. on defense should overcome a pretty experienced 11-3 Utah State Aggie team from a year ago.  Utah State (1-0) did not want to expose much last week vs. #131 Connecticut to win 31-20 at home.  HC Blake Anderson will be pulling out all stops he plugged in last week.  We expect to see State run a more balanced up-tempo offense against The Crimson Tide.  We watched last week’s USU game on TV.  QB Logan Bonner seemed to be throwing off his back foot.  If he does that against Bama, the Aggies won’t challenge much on offense, if at all.  He’s also going to have to rely more on runs by Calvin Tyler, Jr. behind an experienced o-line to mix in with his passing game.

Utah State QB Logan Bonner posted 361 passing yards when we saw the Aggies defeat Hawaii in 2021.

Short memory, long day?

    DE Byron Vaughns impressed on defense last week and as MVP in The LA Bowl last year. However, Alabama’s receivers, Jermaine Burton and Ja’Corey Brooks, though inexperienced, probably have too much speed for the Aggie secondary.  If Vaughns and the experienced Aggie front four don’t bring any pressure against that patented load of offensive Alabama linemen, they will have a long day in Tuscaloosa. What can be said in an Alabama preview that hasn’t been over-advertised already?

Factors and antidote

  The X-factors for State, if there are any, may include Bama’s date at Texas next week versus former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkasian.  Like Utah State against UConn a week ago, Alabama may not be as focused on the task at hand Saturday night.  The point spread for this game looms at 41.5 points.  First game question marks, learning curves, inexperience at some positions, overconfidence, opponent’s motivation factors, late game substitutions, and looking ahead could possibly keep the Aggies in this one longer than anticipated.  The antidote for all of these, of course, could just be HC Nick Saban’s experience. We’ll bank on that, but we just hope that we will see Utah State present some kind of a challenge during our first game ever at Bryant-Denny Stadium to make it somewhat memorable.

-ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!  Click on the title to order your book to read our unique, fun story about seeing every FBS team (up to the first 120) play in person a least once.  And come back here weekly to read about games we continue to attend on a weekly basis stating with #636 and #637 previewed above. Thanks!

When it comes to all the variables to preview in an Alabama game, consider Nick Saban first and foremost.

Game 635: WKU Hilltoppers turn back APU Governors in college football’s season opener

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Bowling Green, KY – Western Kentucky’s Hilltoppers and the FCS Austin Peay Governors battled into the fourth quarter Saturday with the Toppers leading, 21-20.  Long TD passes and turnovers in the final period gave the home team the victory by a final score of 38-27.  With an 11 am CST kickoff to start Week 0 between these two nearby rivals, Collegefootallfan.com attended the inaugural college football game of the 2022 season.

Western Kentucky enters stadium on opening day 2022.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers open the 2022 season as the first FBS to enter its stadium on August 27.

Early season offensive struggles to be expected

     WKU QB Austin Reed connected with WR Malachi Corley (five receptions, 61 yards, three TDs) for early scores. The Topper defense gathered four take-aways resulting in three scores.  Both teams struggled offensively early. Throughout the game, both the Toppers and Govs adapted to playing for the first time with transfer QBs. Reed last played two seasons ago for D-2 West Florida who won the national championship with him under center.  Jarret Doege was to initially start for the Hilltoppers, but he transferred to Troy 12 days ago.  The Govs started Mike DiLilleo (15 for 21, 156 yards, two TDs, two INTs) who played a back-up roll last season for Middle Tennessee.  We saw him in action last season briefly here against the Hilltoppers.  We expected to see Sheldon Layman start, but HC Scotty Walden had him dressed on the sidelines with no pads.

 Work in progress for both

     Hilltopper DB AJ Braithwaite picked DiLilleo’s pass off on APU’s first possession to take over at the Toppers’ 49.  On a fourth and four, Reed (20 for 34, 279 yards, four TDs, 1 INT) connected with Corley wide open over the middle in the end zone for a 17-yard scoring pass to lead, 7-0.  The Govs cut the lead 7-3 on their next possession with Maddux Trujillo’s 41-yard kick.  At times, APU showed glimpses of the same run-pass, delayed mesh option operated successfully by Wake Forest.  They probably needed to run this more often to develop the deception aspect.  Before the first period ended, DiLilleo connected with WR Drae McCray (six catches, 90 yards, two TDs) with his longest pass of the day for a 44-yard TD.  The FCS visitors led at the end of the quarter, 10-7.  Most of the game, Gov passes went short to the flats.

APU Drae McCray TD catch and run for 44 yards.
Austin Peay WR Drae McCray enroute on 44-yard catch and run for a TD in first quarter.

    In the second, the Hilltoppers continued on a 75-yard scoring drive. An 11-yard TD pass to Corley took back a 14-10 lead.  The Govs seemed to gain some momentum on their next drive, but lost it quickly. The left end blocked down, and the RB swung around left end on a pattern down the left hashmark.  DiLilleo fired an errant pass behind him which his intended mark never looked for.  However, Hilltopper DB Upton Stout saw the opportunity right from the start.   He raced toward for the ball to intercept, and he returned it 34 yards unscathed for a pick-six to extend the lead for the home team, 21-10. Most errant pass play ever witnessed in our history. We saw the play unfold from our upper deck seats as clearly as Stout.

Malachi Corley TD reception
Malachi Corley (11) breaks through for his second of three TD catches in this contest. This one from 11 yards out.

Governors fight back

    Starting the next drive from their forty, following two Topper penalties on the ensuing kickoff, give the Govs credit.  APU drove the length of the field with DiLilleo running it in from the one. Eighteen seconds left in the half to whittle the lead, 21-17.  The teams went into the locker-rooms for half time. Fans looked for cover under Houchens Industries-Smith LTD Stadium grandstands when the halftime festivities led by the Governor marching band started as a cold, intermittent rain storm began. 

WKU Dance Team performs during halftime festivities.

Defenses control third period

     As the first half remained hot and sunny late into the second period, a large black cloud blocked out the sun to change the atmosphere of the second half.  The APU marching band remained with fans under the covered mezzanine in line at the concession stands.  We eventually moved up to some empty seats under the awning of the upper-level press box.  On the second series of the third period, only the Governors came up with points on Trujillo’s 49-yard FG.  The one-point Hilltopper lead remained 21-20 heading into the final period.

 Hilltoppers take over

   Western Kentucky started its next possession on their 29 leading into the final period. With 12:56 left, Corley made a diving catch in the end zone on a 25-yard scoring pass from Reed to extend the Hilltopper lead.  The following drive by APU halted on a high snap to DiLilleo. He mishandled the ball on the exchange to his back resulting in a fumble recovery by WKU on their 49.  Three plays later, Reed connected with WR Daewood Davis (6 snares, 124 yards, one TD) on a bomb just short of the end zone. There Davis backpedaled into the end zone against two defenders for a 48-yard touchdown reception.

WKU Daewood Davis TD catch
Hilltopper WR Daewood Davis positions himself under Reed’s pass to back into the end zone for a 35-20 lead.

     The Toppers forced a Governor punt on the next defensive series, but CB Shamari Simmons pick off a pass to put the Govs back on offense at their own 15.  A halfback option pass for 39 yards and a 15-yard penalty against WKU put the Govs at the 24.  They capitalized when DiLilleo connected with McCray again. The TD pass from there put them back within 35-27, with 8:09 left to play.  Aided by a pass interference call, with 3:18 left, Hilltopper Brayden Narveson booted a 23-yard FG to put the home team up, 38-27. 

APU’s Shamari Simmons comes down with an interception to kick start the Governor’s last scoring drive.

On the ensuing kickoff return, APU fumbled the ball away, not once but twice! Western Kentucky took over at the 27.  Topper HC Ty Helton showed some class. He decided to run the clock out rather than try to pad the score.  The Austin Peay Marching Band started singing its signature song by the Beatles, “Take the last train to Clarksville,” in honor of their campus location. They chanted one last time, “Let’s go Peay!” The first final score of the 2022 college football season was in the book, 38-27, in favor of the 1-0 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

 On tap for Week One

    Next week, the Hilltoppers travel over the Pacific to play Hawaii (0-1), 63-10 losers to Vanderbilt late Saturday night. When they return stateside, they’ll have their work cut out for them.  Only one of two teams playing 13 regular season games this year (Hawaii is the other), they play games 11 straight weekends with no breaks.  Collegefootballfan.com will see the Hilltoppers play again on Saturday October 1 when they host Troy of the Sun Belt Conference. 

     Austin Peay returns to Clarksville to host the Presbyterian Blue Hose of Clinton, SC next Saturday.  On September 24, we will see the Governors host Eastern Kentucky in an early key ASUN Conference game for a possible FCS playoff bid.  Only six teams compete in this newly formed conference this year.

    As for CFF.com, we have two big FBS games coming up this week.  On Thursday, we will venture to West Lafayette, Indiana for our first time. Purdue hosts Penn State at Ross-Ade Stadium.  On Saturday, we head to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The No. 1 Crimson Tide play at Bryant-Denny Stadium for our first time to see them against Utah State (1-0), winner over UConn on Saturday, 31-20.

APU cheerleaders "chase the Lion" along with their football teamn
Austin Peay HC Scotty Walden titled his team’s continuous Improvement program as “Chase the Lion.” Evidently the APU cheerleading squad has bought into it as well.

Extra Points:

    We enjoy watching the APU coaching staff led by HC Scotty Walden keeping their team charged up all during the game.  We saw a lesson being taught on their first kickoff. One assistant grabbed Frosh LB Vinay Singh by the arm and made sure he completed his race to the back of the end zone with his teammates as the Governor kick-off team does every time the ball sails through the end zone.

  Good atmosphere at WKU with the announced crowd of 13,868 for the opener.  Of course, not as festive as was last season’s sold-out opener against Power Five school Indiana. Both bands and cheering squads in full attendance.  Free programs (annual publication), free parking, a free Topper t-shirt (we will wear it against Troy), and a real ticket for all fans in attendance.  Great way to open our season!

   Sloppy play in some aspects to be expected in an opener for both teams.  Both are well-coached and adjustments will be made for their next games throughout the season.  We expect to see QB Sheldon Layman get some time along with DiLilleo for the Governors.  They will look for more downfield passing opportunities. Blocking schemes will have to be improved. The Govs were sacked five times.  Perhaps, Walden may be planning do develop the run-pass option game some more to the standards Wake Forest runs today. For the Hilltoppers, run-blocking will be worked on to improve over the 108 yards and 3.4 avg per run in this game.

Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!   If you enjoy reading this article, please click on the title to read about games we attended over the years to see every FBS ream (until there were 120) at least once.  We’ve seen all 130 in existence play in person since.  How many people that you know have done that?  Please read it and submit a review on our Amazon.com page.  Thanks!

APU defense knocks down pass
In early action, the APU defense applied pressure and knocked down an Austin Reed pass attempt.

Steveo’s Salvos: Let’s get the 2022 season started

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     Enough about NIL sponsors, transfers, and escape portals, let’s get the 2022 season started!  We’re right on top of it.  11 am CST this Saturday, Austin Peay at Western Kentucky opens our season.  FCS and Group of Five get rolling with similar starts breaking in a new QB.  “Let’s go Peay!” – one of our favorite college cheers now!

Doege gone

     If you haven’t heard, the WKU Hilltoppers starting QB of a week ago, Jarret Doege, who transferred there from West Virginia, turned his back and transferred to Troy! Fourth team in five years?  Didn’t think that could happen without sitting out a season.  Two years at Bowling Green. Three years at WVU. Tranfers to WKU. Quits. Now practicing with Troy. Not right.  Bonus for us though. We already have Troy at WKU penned in on October 1.  Think the Hilltoppers defensive front will pin their ears back for this one?  We hope so. Let’s get the 2022 season started!

    As for the Governors of APU, we figure we saw their two top QBs in action last season.  Primary signal caller Draylen Ellis who led the Govs in our opener last season with an upset win over UT Chattanooga, transferred.  We saw him later in a loss to Tennessee State. That’s where he is now! What a tangled web this portal weaves.   In our third Gov game last year, we watched Soph Sheldon Layman lead the Govs to a convincing 47-7 win over Murray State.  We attended the rivalry between Middle Tennessee and WKU last season.  With MTSU starter Chase Cunningham out, two back-ups stepped in, Nick Vittiato and Bill DiLilleo. With Cunningham returning healthy this season, DiLilleo took the portal and found his way to Peay.  We figure Layman and DiLilleo contend to start this Saturday. Another question to be answered as we get the 2022 season started.

QB Sheldon Layman played well for the Governors in his first start last season for a big win over Murray State.

Our standard response, “So what?”

    Paul Finebaum, aka “Mr. Obvious” in this corner, reports the greatest threat to Alabama’s road to the national championship rests in Ohio State.  Doesn’t just about everybody think that?  Why do the internet headlines try to make such announcements so questionable when the majority of fans would reason the same?  Surprise us when something out of the ordinary comes around. Waste of infinite cyberspace.

Top RBs to return on our schedule in 2022

     This season, we will witness four top RBS returning from among last season’s yardage leaders. Happens that collegefootballfan.com has seen all play these last few years, but each will impact their teams even more this season. TB Chris Rodriguez of Kentucky led the Wildcat ground game last season with 1,379 yards and nine TDs. We plan to see him perform twice this year vs. South Carolina and vs. Georgia. Last year he romped for 144 yards against the Gamecocks, but for only a mere seven against the vaunted Dawg defense in a 30-13 loss.

     Texas’ Bijan Robinson returns on the Heisman watch list with 1,127 yards and 11 TDs. The Baylor Bears will be his comp when we see him perform on Black Friday.  Last season, the Bears knocked him off course from his 5.8 yards per carry to only 2.5 holding him to 43 yards. Despite a TD for Robinson, the Bears won, 31-24.  Tank Bigsby of Auburn ran for 1,099 yards and ten TDs a year ago. He played a solid game against Penn State in a game we attended.  He gained 102 yards and scored twice, but the Lions beat the Tigers, 28-20. 

QB Malik Cunningham of Louisville returns as the nation’s top rushing QB tallying 1,031 yards and 20 touchdowns. We saw him in an OT win in 2019 win over Wake Forest, 62-59, when he produced 99 yards and two scores.  This year, we will see him perform against first-year FBS program James Madison.  Can’t wait to see what these guys will do once we get the 2022 season started!

Baylor DT Siaki Ika (2nd white jersey from top) will lead Baylor’s defensive charge to stop RB Bijan Robinson of Texas when they meet in Austin on November 26.

Deacon D-Up?

     For Week Two, we anticipate Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman hopefully returning to play from a non-related football injury when the Deacs come to Nashville to play Vanderbilt.  Last season, the Deacs averaged 41.0 ppg.  However, though the WFU offense could pour it on, so could their opponents against a very suspect defense.  In three three-point wins, they allowed 34, 37, and 42 points. Against Army’s triple option, the Deacon offense outgunned the Cadets, 70-56, to overcome. In three losses, they allowed 58, 48, and 45 points to allow an average of 28.9 ppg for the season.  Die-hard Wake alum Jim “Bug” Harton and collegefootballfan.com talked offseason as to when his team would upgrade their defense. HC Dave Clawson searched to hire new blood to inspire his “D”.

     The offseason answer came from Purdue.  Former DC Brad Lambert was brought to Wake to improve things on the other side of the football.  His Boilermaker defense allowed 22.4 ppg in 2021. Only twice, did Lambert’s D allow over 30 points. To Ohio State, they surrendered 59.   In the Music City Bowl we attended, the Boilermakers edged the Tennessee Vols in the end, 45-42.  If Hartman and company, even in his absence, can continue to score like last year, and if Lambert’s revamped defense can keep most opponents to 30 or less, Wake could be ready to make a move.  Hartman needs to be ready for Clemson by September 24.  A “W” can only happen though if Lambert can hold that Tiger offense for Clawson’s program for the first time in nine years.

Under pressure last season, NC State QB Devin Leary fires this 28-yard TD pass to WR Devin Carter in their 45-42 loss at Wake Forest. Under new DC Brad Lambert, the Deacs look to improve defensively.

Pro portal?

     Reading a recent update about two pro QBs we saw play as collegians, it struck us as “funny”.  Looks like Baker Mayfield, seen play for Oklahoma and Heisman winner as well, beat out Sam Darnold formerly of USC as the starter for the Carolina Panthers.  What?  Darnold can’t go through the transfer portal?  With all these current college QBs searching for “greener pastures” when they don’t start, how will they take this kind of news if they make it to the pros? Just quit?

Now, some actually may have more money they made from their NILs in college as they will make from the pros.  Surely, it’s eventually going to happen. Another funny thing read later regarding this situation, a back-up QB who may take over for either of these guys could be PJ Walker, HC Matt Rhule’s starting, unheralded QB compared to these two when he was at Temple.  Didn’t even know he made it to the pros. Of course we like the QB from Elizabeth, NJ High School.

QB Sam Darnold of USC (14) defeated UCLA when we saw him play, but he hasn’t made much of a mark in the pros yet.

Best of upcoming Collegefootballfan.com 2022 season

Top Teams – Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, Baylor, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Houston, PSU. First-time Stadiums – Bryant-Denny, Clemson Memorial, Ross-Ade, Red Floyd, Yager, and Scheumann Best games – Ohio State at PSU, Georgia at Kentucky, Baylor at Texas, PSU at Purdue, PSU at Auburn Hottest coaching seats – Scott Satterfield (Louisville), Jake Spavital (Texas State), James Franklin (PSU) Best players- QB Bryce Young (AL),TE Brock Bowers (UGA), RB Bijan Robinson (TX), LB Will Anderson (AL) Best Tailgates – PSU at Purdue, Houston at Navy, ArmyNavy, PSU at Auburn, Wake at Vandy, Louisville at Clemson                                                                     Best possible upsets – Navy over Houston, South Carolina over Kentucky, James Madison over Louisville,  Utah State over Alabama Best Rivalries – ArmyNavy, Penn State-Ohio State, Middle Tennessee-Western Kentucky

Watch for Upcoming CFF.com Podcast for Week “0”

     Check here again shortly for our preseason interview soon.   Done with us by Stephen Hievel of JustCollegeFootball.com,  it should release just in time to get the 2022 season started this weekend.  In addition to our 11 am CST kickoff when Austin Peay goes at it with Western Kentucky, we plan to keep an eye on the results of two other games on Week 0 that include future teams on our early season slate.  UConn visits Utah State, who we will see at Bama on September 3.  Vanderbilt visits Hawaii.  The Commodores return to Nashville to host Wake Forest on September 10.

-Ed. by Steve Koreivo, “Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!”  Please click on the title. It would be great if you would purchase “Tales” and submit a review on its page on Amazon.com.  Thanks!                 

Let’s get this 2022 season started!

Collegefootballfan.com adds pre-season No. 1 Alabama to 2022 slate

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With Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson already on our slate this season, we figured somehow we needed to get pre-season No. 1 Alabama on our schedule. Originally considering the Texas A&M clash on October 8, the prices exceeded our budget. Figuring Alabama fans might take the Utah State Aggies for granted in the season opener on September 3 in Tuscaloosa, we found prices very affordable. We will see Penn State visit Purdue on Thursday, September 1. Lacking a local game near Nashville that really stirred our interest two days later, CFF.com figured we had to come up with a better contest than FCS Elon at lowly Vanderbilt in Week 1 on Saturday night. We found much better than we ever anticipated.

In addition to seeing No. 1 Alabama, we anticipate seeing the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. We project that QB Bryce Young will repeat his performance of 2021 to take home the hardware once again. Among his competition this year, we will see Ohio State’s QB CJ Stroud, RB Treyveon Henderson, and WR Jaxon Smith Njigba when they play Penn State. Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman will be on our slate if he recovers from injury before the Vanderbilt game that we will attend. Former Oklahoma candidate QB Spencer Rattler shows off his stuff this year when he steps under center for South Carolina against Kentucky. RB Bijan Robinson of Texas appears on our watch list when we see him and his Longhorns face Baylor. Even Pryce’s No. 1 Alabama teammate LB Will Anderson vies for attention for that elusive recognition given to defensive players.

Our more recent Alabama sightings have been in CFP games. Here, they appeared against The Sooners in the 2018 Orange Bowl.

Aggies on the rise

Last season, we got to see these Aggies play in with the friendly confines of Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah. They defeated Hawaii, 51-31. Last season under first-year HC Blake Anderson, Utah State improved from 1-5 in the Covid-19 abated season before to 11-3 in 2021. They matched their program’s high mark for wins in a season. Their 7-2 Mountain West mark put them in the conference championship game. There, they defeated San Diego State on the road, 46-13. In the LA Bowl, the Aggies triumphed over Oregon State to rank at No. 24 at the season.

QB Logan Bonner established five single-season passing records at USU. Accumulating 3,628 yards and 36 TDs, he missed the LA Bowl due to a knee injury. In his place, Cooper Legas took over and earned MVP honors. All five starters return on this year’s offensive line. RB Calvin Turner churned out 884 yards behind their push. Good experience returns up front defensively led by DEs Byron Vaughns and Patrick Joyner. Hunter Reynolds, playing a LB/S combo, returns as their leading tackler in 2021 with 83.

Better than expected?

This Utah State program may not be up to par with a top-recruiting team like No. 1 Alabama. However, the players State returns should add some more formidable, experienced players than what The Tide usually faces early. Plus, Bama may be thinking more past this game to their meeting the following week at Texas and their former OC Steve Sarkisian. We think this really adds a great game to our already formidable schedule with nine to ten teams among various pre-season Top 25s. Check it out our 2022 schedule by clicking here!

Utah State QB Logan Bonner added five yards rushing in addition to his 361 passing yards against Hawaii last season.

Our football history

In the annals of collegefootballfan.com’s history, this will be our first visit ever to Bryant-Denny Stadium. However, two of our first three Crimson Tide games attended were played at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL, former permanent home of the Iron Bowl. Back then, we actually watched Paul “Bear” Bryant prowl the sidelines. Over the years, Alabama’s record in our presence is 9-1. Utah State falls on our slate for the fourth time. Their record stands at 2-1.

ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate; From the Fan who’s seen ’em all! Please click on the title to purchase our book about how we’ve seen 120 FBS teams (at that time) play for the first time in our ongoing 42-year adventure (we’re up to 130 now and adding JMU this year)! . And, please submit your review for us. Thanks!

Many players from Bear Bryant’s 1979 No. 1 Alabama graced the cover of the program of the Iron Bowl game the following year.

Steveo’s Salvos: Western Kentucky QB Doege hits transfer portal two weeks before opener

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     Our QB season preview started with Jarret Doege of WKU stepping into a great opportunity after transferring from West Virginia. So what does he do now?  Less than two weeks before his team’s opener on August 27, he announces he’s transferring.  What? This reeks with shame regarding where college football is headed.  No doubt, the NIL and transfer portal threaten this great game.  Doege demonstrates the shams of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), and the supposed “one-time” transfer portal.  The NIL exudes greed, and the transfer portal is not a one-time opportunity for college football players.  Doege started at Bowling Green, and transferred to and started at WVU. He entered WKU as a graduate student (?), and now Doege suddenly seeks an opportunity to play elsewhere.  “Get along little Doege?” Funny, but outside the world of Academia, that equals “four” transfers for Doege. Don’t colleges teach basic Mathematics anymore?

College football needs better controls – and fast!

It’s bad enough that this “student-athlete” can turn his back on his current team. The Hilltoppers prep for their first game eleven days away. However, how could any other member school of the NCAA offer or accept this player on such short notice?  Did some school intentionally come up with a monetary package to draw Doege away from Western Kentucky?  Not only from an ethics standpoint, but whatever happened to restrictions on time? Doesn’t a university have a deadline when to accept students into their “academic” programs? At the pre-season Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Blitz, yours truly attended recently, Head Coach Rick Stockstill commented precisely on this.  Players can transfer any time.  The NCAA has to designate a specific term and a time limit to when players can make this move. Based on Doege’s fourth move which would require a waiver, how does the NCAA not put its foot down?  How weak is this leadership?

In 2021, WKU QB Bailey Zappe (4) led the nation setting FBS passing records for yards and TDs. Becoming a fourth round draft pick for the New England Patriots, he leaves behind a coaching staff, a system, and players to run this same offense. Jarret Doege found a better opportunity than this two weeks before his first game with the Hilltoppers?

Forget life’s lessons – NOT!

   As we argue in vain, is college football only supposed to be for the benefit of players seeking to make it to the professional level? By no means is there a guarantee that Doege will. The NCAA indicates that this must be its true purpose.  It’s only about the money.   No wants to recognize college football’s values about teamwork, commitment, loyalty, and dedication for teams to achieve goals together (Fantasy football undermines teamwork as well, but another story).  These are life lessons well-learned for the students outside of the classroom.  This sport teaches players life-long lessons in family matters, careers beyond sports, the value being a good citizen in society, and the dedication of being part of something greater than oneself.  Not sure if this is college sports’ way of catching up with the rest of society? Or, does our educational system foster the “me” attitude to support selfishness and forget about everybody else?

World of Academia needs to learn how to teach

  These charades called NIL and transfer portal have to be brought under control immediately. Not only is this great game of college football (and other college sports) in jeopardy, but so are the lessons of life that they were intended to teach.  These institutions of “Higher Learning”, through their inept organization called the NCAA, needs to step up and tend to their intended purpose, to educate.

-ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of “Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!”    Click on the title to buy and review this unique story of college football over thirty years. With the pending changes to college football, you can remember what the “amateur” game was about as opposed to the professional level of what it’s about to become.

2022 season preview: Collegefootballfan.com’s top QBs

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    On Collegefootballfan’s schedule this season, we will see some of the top QBs in all of college football.  Last season, we watched record-setting FBS QB Bailey Zappe at Western Kentucky, a transfer from Houston Baptist, perform twice.  He set season NCAA records with 5,967 passing yards and 62 TD passes.  He went on to become drafted in the fourth round by the New England Patriots.  Our slate this year features some of the “Top Guns” aiming for similar marks and destinations.

The transfer strategy

   Our season starts off with Western Kentucky, and with Austin Peay once again.  HC Tyson Helton brought on another transfer to assure dominance through the air.  Jarret Doege arrives fresh from West Virginia where he threw for 5,635 yards and 33 TDs the past two seasons.  Despite last season’s OC Zach Kittley moving on to Texas Tech, his understudy Ben Arbuckle remains. He continues the pass dominated offense preferred by Helton. 

We see the Hilltoppers open the season on August 27 hosting FCS Austin Peay.   We watched the Governors start to turn the corner last season with a 47-6 win over Murray State led by first-time starting QB Sheldon Layman.  The Govs won four of their last five games under young, energetic HC Scotty Walden. Another possible QB starter for APU could be MTSU transfer Mike DiLilleo.  Both teams will be learning what they have at QB in this game. It should be fun to watch QB shuttles along both sidelines.

Another Belichick surprise. QB Bailey Zappe, led the nation in passing yards at Western Kentucky comes in to challenge last year’s QB Mack Jones. With the no. 137 spot in the draft, New England assures itself of QB talent going forward.

No transfers needed here

      In a Big Ten opener the following Thursday, Penn State visits Purdue.  Unlike our opener, both squads start very experienced, top QBs. Purdue brings back three-year starter and 2021 second team All-Big Ten QB Aidan O’Connell.  We attended his encore performance in the 45-42 Music City Bowl win over Tennessee. There, he spread his passes around to nine different receivers for 543 yards and five TDs.  O’Connell found WR Broc Thompson who returns as his favorite receiver. That day, Thompson hauled in seven receptions for 217 yards and two TDS.  O’Connell amassed 3,712 yards and 28 TDs for the season.

      PSU returns its top QB in Sean Clifford for his fourth season as starting QB.  Despite an injury against Iowa that slowed him down last year, he finished with 3,107 yard passing and 21 TDs.  In his sixth season with the Nittany Lions, this will be the first time he will have the same OC in Mike Yurich.  Despite the graduation of top receiver Jahan Dotson, Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith return as top targets from last year. The addition of transfer Mitchell Tinsley from WKU adds to his experienced targets as well.  For a Big Ten opener, this match-up could be a barn-burner.  The burning question to ask, whose defense will be most up for this one?

In our Annals, Deacons should become “11-1”

      On September 10, AP No. 13 Wake Forest comes to Nashville to play Vanderbilt.  Demon Deacon QB Sam Hartmann returns with his offensive line and two top receivers intact. They should continue their 41.0 scoring average going into this one.  We watched the Deacs in action last season beat NC State at home, 45-42. They finished their regular season defeating Boston College on the road with us, 45-10.  Hartman, ranked seventh among top QBs in 2021, led his team with 4,435 passing yards and 46 TDs while only turning over six INTs. 

Vanderbilt comes off a 2-10 season. We will scout them hosting FCS Elon the week before to make a true assessment if they have a shot at winning the SEC as some unknown pollster predicted.   By the way, even our friends from Wake Forest can’t believe that we’ve seen their Deacs play eleven times since 1980 and that they won ten times (only loss in OT to Louisville in 2019). (Stop the presses – Hartman on the sideline indefinitely for non-football, medical issue. Waiting to hear more).

Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman returns in 2022, and with Demon Deacon cohorts, we’ll see him lead Wake against Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Auburn transfer: proven Bama-beater

     We’ll see Penn State on the road for a second time when they and we travel to Auburn for a rematch of their 28-20 victory over the Tigers we attended last season.  However, Auburn QB Bo Nixon has transferred out to Oregon.  In his place, we expect to see Soph QB Zach Calzada who transferred in from Texas A&M.  Zach’s “claim to fame” comes from his start for the Aggies in last season’s 41-38 upset win over No. 1 Alabama.  He completed 21 of 31 passes for 285 yards and three TDs, only one INT.  For the season, he threw for 2,185 yards, 17 TDs, but nine INTs.  Replacing injured QB Haynes King, the Aggies expected to compete for the SEC West, but among Calzada’s ten starts, A&M finished 4-4 in the conference.  Maybe Auburn will allow him to breathe new life as their sophomore starter.

Best meeting of transfer QBs

     October 8 sends us to Lexington, KY where the Kentucky Wildcats with QB Will Levis, last year’s starter, will host South Carolina. Levis, who we’d seen previously on display at Penn State spring games, and as back-up to Sean Clifford, led the Wildcats at QB last season to a 10-3 season.  He returns after tossing for 2,827 yards and running for 376 yards resulting in 33 UK touchdowns.  He has two years of eligibility remaining if he chooses to stay with the Wildcats in 2023.  Carolina will counter with their transfer, a top QB with “star potential” in former Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler.

   Rattler’s story is well known having been the starter and a Heisman candidate at OU. Too many turnovers led to his demise last season.  Caleb Williams (now with the other USC) took over to lead the Sooners the second half of their 11-2 season.  Rattler started the first six games (without a loss) passing for 1,483 yards, 11 TDs, but five INTs plus costly fumbles sat him down. Seeking new opportunities in the portal, he found his former Sooner QB coach Shane Beamer, new HC at South Carolina, a very welcoming option.   He’ll undoubtedly be a big boost at QB for the Gamecocks.  Pre-season reports caution success, however, with a suspect offensive line returning for Carolina.  We’ll get to witness how the Gamecocks stack up first hand in early October.

Eastern Swing, part 1

   Since we relocated to Tennessee, we continue to venture east to hit our two favorite eastern venues on back-to-back weekends as we started this tradition last year.  We travel to Annapolis on October 22 to see Navy host Houston in the Cougars last season in the American Athletic. Then, we roll on to State College, PA to see the Ohio State Buckeyes tussle with the Nittany Lions for our ninth time.  Among top QBs, Houston brings back QB Clayton Tune who pitched for 3,546 yards and 30 TDs leading the Cougs to an 11-2 record.  We saw them fall to Cincy in the AAC championship game before defeating Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl.

     The Cougs averaged 35.9 ppg, but just beat Navy at home, 28-20.  Navy will counter with QB Tai Lavatai running their triple option.  He was out for several games last season. He returned to turn that rushing offense around late and upset 9-2 Army.  The key to Navy success goes with the effectiveness of their QB running the option. This keeps Tune and the opposing offense off the field.  Navy’s ball control helps their defense. Lavatai needs to follow in the footstep of Malcolm Perry and Kennan Reynolds. Both recent Navy QBs ran that offense so effectively that both got drafted as position players by the NFL.

 

Houston WR Nathaniel Dell sprints to Clayton Tune’s pass for Cougars first TD vs. Cincy. Dell and Tune both return to U of H this year.

Eastern Swing, part 2  

   At Beaver Stadium in State College, if Sean Clifford stays healthy up until this point for the Nittany Lions, he’s probably the best bet they have at QB to lead his offense to offset the strength of Buckeyes’ QB CJ Stroud.  A pre-season All-American, Stroud returns from the 11-2 season and Rose Bowl win totaling 4,435 passing yards and 46 TDs.  He finished fifth among top QBs. Despite losing top receivers to the NFL draft, his top target Jaxon Smith-Njigba returns. He snagged 95 tosses for 1,248 of those yards and 15 scores.

 A day game here means no “white-out” in Happy Valley. However, if both schools come in to fight to lead the Big Ten, this will again be an outstanding game. In our annals, PSU leads this series (all at home), 5-3. If we deduct the score of the Lions’ 1994 63-14 win, the Buckeyes hold the edge in points, 157-154. We hope everyone remains healthy for this one which we anticipate as being a close one again.

Run, Malik, run!

    On November 5 and 12, we will see Louisville with their top QB returning in Malik Cunningham. Last season he passed for 2,941 yards and 19 touchdowns. He led all QBs in rushing nationally with 1,031 yards and 20 TDs.  To stay healthy, reports say HC Scott Satterfield may want him to stay protected in the pocket more often this season.  We’ll see him in the first of two consecutive weekends hosting FBS newcomer James Madison.

Louisville QB Malik Cunningham go off to a hot start in the first half against Wake in 2019. Hurt later in this game, the Cards went on to win in OT, 62-49.

The Dukes will be breaking in a new QB after the departure of their impressive QB Cole Johnson. HC Curt Cignetti brought in another transfer (nobody needs to recruit high schools for the time being), QB Todd Centeio from Colorado State. Centeio completed 60% of his passes for 2,958 yards in 2021.  That’s how this works. CSU brings in Jay Norvell from Nevada as HC, so he brings along freshman (aka first year player) Clay Millen to run his Air Raid offense.

  The following week we will follow the Cardinals to see a game at Clemson for the first time.  The big question mark for Dabo Swinney’s team is if his top QB DJ Uiagalelei recovers from last season (nine TDs, 10 INTs). Will DJ have to step aside for Frosh QB Cade Klubnik or some transfer in the pipeline? Will Cunningham pass more or run more against this Tiger defense? We get to see some interesting games impacted by QB play this season.

MVP! MVP! Top QB again?

  Going back to Kentucky on November 19, we get to see defending champion Georgia. Returning comes their sixth-year QB Stetson Bennet intact. Over the years at Georgia, Bennet outlasted QB JT Daniels who transferred from Southern Cal who all UGA fans clamored for to start.  Daniels opted out after last season. In a web of QB transfers, he goes to West Virginia to replace Jarret Doege who we will see play QB at WKU.  Is this what college football has become?  Transfer until you find a place where you might play?  How good is Daniels if he hasn’t stepped up from previous QBs playing ahead of him?  Let the pros just draft these guys out of high school and let them invest their money to develop them.  Transfer portal – do once and done!

    Bennet took MVP honors in their CFP semi-final 34-11 victory over Michigan last season.  Defense dominated for the Dawgs last season.  Will Bennett step up and lead the offense to offset some of the learning curve a basically new defense needs to undergo? Several offensive linemen return to block and All-American TE Brock Bowers returns as his leading receiver along with WR Adonai Mitchell.  Last season, the Wildcats suffered one of their three losses, 30-13, to the Bulldogs on the road.  Kroger Stadium will be pumped for this one and so will Collegefootballfan.com.  We’ll see what a difference a year will make for both of these programs.

Big 12 battle of QBs inexperience

On Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, we will see Baylor and Texas, preseason favorites with QBs in question early in the season. Baylor HC Dave Aranda favored Soph Blake Shapen after spring sessions which prompted incumbent Brian Bohannon to seek greener portal pastures. Shapen demonstrated his skill in the Big 12 championship win over Oklahoma State. He completed 17 straight passes and tallied 180 passing yards and three TD passes. However, he started only two games last season when the Bears finished 12-2. He sat out the 21-7 Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss with a should injury.

The Longhorns big offseason story centered around HC Steve Sarkisian luring transfer QB Quinn Ewers away from Ohio State. Unlike Joe Burrows sitting along the Buckeye sideline for four years sopping up some value from that vaunted program, Ewers absorbed whatever knowledge exists there for only one season. He hasn’t played since his last high school game of 2020. How ready will he be?

By the time we attend this game, hopefully Shapen and Ewers will be healthy, “seasoned” veterans of the college game. Whether they both play or either does, we hope to see a game of meaning. If things don’t work out as things appear to be now, the lead story on both by then could be that they may be seeking the transfer portal. We hope not, but this lack of commitment among top QBs has to end somewhere. The lesson in life has to be that eventually, you have to stick it out and battle for what you want. You can’t always walk away. Whatever happened to, “When the going gets tough…”?

Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of “Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!”  Click on title to buy your copy and add a review today!

Steveo’s Salvos:  Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Blitz 2022

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   Collegefootballfan.com had the pleasure of attending a luncheon held by the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raider Blitz featuring Head Coach Rick Stockstill at CP Between the Lakes Pub in Mt. Juliet, TN on Monday.  Coach Stockstill gave an overview of this year’s Blue Raiders and took questions. In C-USA clashes, CFF plans to see his charges go up against the UTSA Road Runners on Friday, September 30, and again Saturday, October 15, when they host their big rival, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. 

Head Coach’s pre-season analysis

    Stockstill, who played QB at Florida State (class of ‘82) under Hall of Fame HC Bobby Bowden, looks forward to this season with more depth at QB than last season (7-6, 4-4 in C-USA).  When we attended the game at WKU last season, frosh QB Nick Vittiato started, taking over for Senior Chase Cunningham who left previously due to a leg injury that ended his season.  Both return this season.  Vittiato thrived last year as the Blue Raiders won three of their last four games including a 31-24 win over Toledo in the Bahamas Bowl.  He earned the MVP Trophy completing 23 of 35 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns.  MTSU also recruited heralded, three-star freshman QB DJ Riles to the program to add more depth. 

      Stockstill feels good about his returning running game which will be bolstered by transfers, although the O-line requires some rebuilding.  The defense returns key starters up front which will be a strong point for the team.  In some cases, transfers will be stepping in on D, especially in the secondary where DC Scott Shafer, former HC at Syracuse, pulls the team together.  So, when practice starts next week, work in progress begins putting the finishing touches to the Blue Raiders who welcome James Madison University from the FCS to the FBS in their first game on September 3 in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

SS Tra Fluellen (17) returns to step up in the Blue Raiders’ secondary this season.

New world of recruiting

     Speaking of transfer portals and the NIL, Rick took some questions about how these are affecting not only his program, but college football in general.  Whereas recruiting used to focus on kids and where they’d play, playing time, and their interests in the academic goals, the new focal points zoom in on money they can possibly make and what facilities a school offers.  You hear about the sliding boards in the Clemson football facility, and Georgia’s new multi-million-dollar investment.  This forces every FBS program to keep up.  The NIL opens up a whole new world, but he envisions some changes will have to be made. We hope as soon as possible.  

    One change of utmost importance to him is shortening the open portal window.  Currently, it’s constantly open.  Coaching staffs are already overwhelmed by time spent on recruiting, but the portal requires even more time now focused on the future as opposed to the present. Programs have to prepare for anything, especially now, not knowing who they can possibly lose.  He foresees changes for the better alluding to hearing about designating limited portal dates.  One other attendee mentioned NIL offers made now to high school players.  And in an honest answer to my follow-up question regarding, “Who is supposed to monitor this process?”, he rolled his eyes to the laughter among the audience and said, “No one.”  That’s what scares me most regarding the future of college football.

Extra Points

I lunched with MTSU play-by-play radio broadcaster Chip Walters.  We had a great conversation about MTSU and college football in general.  He introduced me to the audience as a “sidewalk” alum and told of the 634 games I’ve attended.  Even Rick Stockstill’s eyes opened up!  Met several nice people, fans and athletic staff members.  Chip plans to invite me to talk again before a Blue Raider game on his pre-game tailgate show.  Go Blue Raiders!  I look forward to seeing them play.

Ed. – Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!

Go Blue Raiders!