Game 619: Tennessee State beats Austin Peay in exciting late-game action, 24-22

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Clarksville, TN – The second half battle between Tennessee State and Austin Peay made up for a lackluster first as the Tigers (2-3, 1-0) fought off the Governors (2-4, 0-1) to a 24-22 victory in an Ohio Valley Conference contest.  TSU Tiger QB Geremy Hickbottom led his offense with a TD run of 44 yards and two TD passes.  The Governors challenged right to the bitter end after failing on a two-point conversion late TD with less than two minutes remaining.

Uneventful start

     Punts, missed field goals, and a Tiger fumble marked time for the action of the first half.  Not until 4:15 remained before intermission did TSU put three points on the board with a 25-yard FG by Antonio Zita.  After that conversion, both teams failed on subsequent field goals attempts before heading to their locker rooms. If the action continued this way in the second half, we envisioned this game matching our record lowest scoring game ever going back to 1981 when Rutgers defeated Virginia in The Meadowlands by that final score, 3-0.

  • Tennessee State PK Antonio Zita follows through on the only three points scored in the first half.

Second half starts slow

     A punt-fest continued into the second half until a roughing the kicker penalty put APSU at the TSU 49 with renewed life. A 29-yard pass to Baniko Harley placed the Govs at the Tiger 12.  Maddux Trujillo finally put three on the board to knot the score.  The tie seemed to spark life into both squads for the rest to the game.  The Governor crowd got into it with chants of “Let’s go Peay!”, and the Austin Peay band across the way added much to the spirit through the end.

Sparks start to fly

   Hickbottom lofted a long pass leading WR Rodell Rahmaan nicely toward the end zone with an over the should catch down the left sideline for a 63-yard TD pass. AP blocked the ensuing extra point attempt.  On the very next Governor possession, the offense found sudden energy as RB Brian Snead burst through a hole for a 66-yard TD sprint to put his team up for the first time for a 10-9 lead. That lead did not last long, however.  Hickbottom broke out of the protected pocket and raced 45 yards to pay-dirt to regain the lead.  He connected with Rahmaan on a short slant over the middle on the two-point conversion giving TSU the 17-10 lead going into Q4.

  • Austin Peay RB Brian Snead (4) races 66 yards to give the Governors a short-lived 10-9 lead in the third period.

     Austin Peay’s first two possessions in the final period resulted in Trujillo field goals from 24 and 39 yards respectively.  Up 17-16, Hickbottom completed a 37-yard pass to Zaire Thornton to get to the Gov’s 38.  After a loss and a penalty, he connected again with Rahmaan on a crossing pattern for a 45-yard catch and run down the left sideline for a 24-16 lead.  With 5:53 left in the game, a lot of fans started to leave.  With young, energetic HC Scotty Walden leading AP as we’d seen at Chattanooga, the Govs could still win this game!  However, after three consecutive incompletes, his team had to punt the ball away to put Tennessee State back in control under first-year HC Eddie George.  AP Freshman QB Draylen Ellis (25 for 54, 254 yards, TD) is still a work-in-process.

  • Tennessee State Head Coach and Heisman Trophy winner (wearing white visor) keeps a close watch on his team to make his Tigers more competitive in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Fight to the finish and beyond

    The APSU defense forced TSU to a three and out late in the fourth.  Starting from the 25, Ellis came through to lead a drive culminating with a 10-yard TD pass to WR Baniko Harley (5 catches for 85 yards, TD) to close within two.  On the ensuing two-point conversion, the ball fell from the intended receiver’s hands a few yards short with 1:56 left.  Suddenly, the night sky opened up with hale-like rain, and the remaining fans ran for cover where they could find it. Maybe the ones who left earlier knew this was coming. 

  • TSU QB Geremy Hickbottom breaks loose for a 44-yard TD run to recapture the Tigers lead, 17-10.

    There was no quit in either team.  They continued to fight. AP’s onsides kick bounced high and out of bounds.  TSU took possession at the AP 45.  Using two remaining time-outs, the Governors D forced another TSU punt for a touchback.  Time ran out to end any possible AP comeback, and as the two teams met at midfield after, a few scuffles broke out and campus security, some pretty big ones, stepped on to help quell the situations quickly.  The intensity that started late in the game festered after time expired. Great game that started off slowly and intensified into a late, great, exciting finish.  Our last-minute scheduling change resulted with the type of finish that we always hope for.

Next up:

Austin Peay remains at Fortera Stadium next Saturday to host OVC foe Southeast Missouri State (1-4,1-1) whose only win is over the TSU Tigers, 47-14.  Tennessee State has a week off before returning to Nissan Stadium in Nashville to host Tennessee Tech (1-4, 1-1) whose first win came over SE Mizzou this past weekend, 28-17.  It seems the OVC playoff bid may be wide open based on these results. 

     As for us at Collegefootballfan.com, we may be calling another audible as the Thursday night game to see No. 15 Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State (1-4) may be cancelled on our end. The CCU Chanticleers (5-0, 1-0) average 46 ppg.  The ASU Red Wolves’ defense allows about the same per game to their opponents.  As we always say, we like to find the most competitive games.  Of course, this is a Thursday night game and would be nice to see the highly-ranked Chants.

  However, into our first year of retirement, we are learning how to use our new-found flexibility to our advantage.  The Chants play at Appalachian State (4-1, 1-0) on Wednesday, October 20, in a key SunBelt battle for first.  We’re looking to pull this off to add to our schedule.  Keep an eye on this website for updates.  And if this works out, we still have a great ACC game on the slate next Saturday when Virginia (3-2, 1-1) travels to Louisville (3-2,1-2) for our first game at Cardinal Stadium.  Both teams have explosive QBs in Brennan Anderson for the Cavaliers and Malik Cunningham for the Cardinals.  The Cavs and Cards average over 30 points per game, and both have already fallen to Wake Forest. This should be a good one.

Extra points:

Punter Kaleb Mosley averaged 40.7 yards on seven punts for TSU with a long of 58.  However, AP punter Matthew Rigney outdid him with 46.6 yards on eight with a long of 60.  We usually don’t acknowledge punters, but they dominated the first half and made some other critical kicks throughout.  One or both of these guys could end up playing on Sundays in the future.

After all these years, we never knew we had been missing “the greatest tradition in all of college football” according to the PA announcer before the start of this game. Surely, not many others outside of the Austin Peay community are aware of this.  Their fantastic-sounding marching band traditionally plays the Monkees’ hit, “The Last Train to Clarksville,” to wind down their pre-game show to get the AP fans fired up!   Never knew that. The way this game started, the Governors didn’t play fired up football. “Last Train to Clarksville”?  Oh no, no, no!  Besides, we already witnessed and heard their best and most unique tradition down in Chattanooga when AP fans chanted, “Let’s go Peay!” But what do we know? What other unique college traditions have we missed after attending 619 college football games to date? Always learning something new, and that makes going to all these games at new venues a lot of fun!

  • Take the last train to Clarksville and meet us at Fortera Stadium, home of the Austin Peay Governors.

Steveo’s Salvos: Week 5, October 1, 2021

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SEC policy? Doesn’t get any more blatant than this, Paul.

  Tennessee, looking to get back into consideration for respectability meaning more wins, cancelled a contract to play Army West Point next season.  Army, who runs the triple option that the Vols never see, has been on the upswing the past few years. Against a few Power Five teams the past few years, they threatened, but came up short: West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl, 24-21; at Michigan, 24-21, and at Oklahoma, 28-21. Tennessee planned to host the Cadets next season with Knoxville hosting the 2022 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention!  Evidently fearing a loss, they paid Army $500,000 to cancel and booked wayward Akron in their place for a one-million-dollar payout.

  • “On Brave Old Army team, on to the fray…” They frightened off Tennessee, however.

SECret to success

   This year these same Zips lost to Auburn, 60-10, and to Ohio State, 59-7.  So why not contract a team you can clobber instead of a team that will challenge? Maybe make your team better? No.  Easy win for the money serves a purpose for more money. Basically, assured of a win, Akron replacing a possible loss helps them. Non-conference games with Akron, Ball State, and UT Martin at home and Pitt on the road, they’re doing the math for 2022.  At best, 3-1 now. Vanderbilt looks to be a certain fourth win. South Carolina, Mizzou, and Kentucky present possible wins.  If they win two, that’s six wins (6-2) – a Bowl game.  The balance of the season lists Florida, at LSU, Alabama, and at Georgia. They get into a guaranteed bowl game at 6-6.  Thank you, Akron, for stepping up. It’s conjecture, but it’s part of the plan. More bowl games, the more money into the SEC coffers.

If you can’t beat ‘em, don’t play ‘em.

 This year, Alabama plays FCS Mercer and New Mexico State (slowest team ever seen if you watched highlights against Hawaii) this year.  Too many clunkers dot SEC slates: Rice, Alabama State, Arkansas- Pine Bluff, Samford, Charleston Southern, LA-Monroe, Missouri State, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee Tech, Prairie View, UConn.  They counter that they play these teams because their conference is so tough.  How do they prove that?  SEC non-conference games this year include losses to UCLA, Memphis, Boston College, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and East Tennessee State. Throw in a few desperate wins against Colorado, UT Chattanooga, Georgia State, and even down-trotting Clemson.  Not much proof of any extraordinary “toughness” here.  The Game Day guys will talk about the Arkansas win over Texas and the Ole Miss win over NC State, but they won’t go into any depth about these.

  • At least Auburn agreed to a home and home series with Penn State in 2021-22. First time at a Big Ten campus in 90 years. Was it the last?

Fine-tuning our schedule again

   This Saturday, we had planned to go see Middle Tennessee (1-3,0-2) host a good Marshall team (2-2, 0-1) in a ConferenceUSA match.  MTSU lost at Charlotte last week, 42-38.  Marshall fell to a good Appalachian State team, 31-30. It might not be a very good game.  We’re thinking of going to see an FCS game even closer to us instead for better competition on the gridiron.  Austin Peay (2-2) hosts Tennessee State (1-2) in Clarksville.    We get to add the TSU Tigers under new HC Eddie George for one thing.  We had planned to see the Tigers host Tennessee Tech on October 16.  Tech is currently 0-4, and rather than go to see these two clash in big, empty Nissan Stadium that day, we set eyes on a more competitive game with some bite. 

That day in the Southern Conference, FCS No. 19 Chattanooga (1-2, including a 28-23 loss versus Kentucky) hosts FCS No. 14 East Tennessee State (4-0,1-0).  ETSU plays on our slate for the first time.  Both have two games prior to this meeting.  If both teams win both games, it will be a fight for first in the SoCon. That’s what we like to see!

  • Ailym Ford nears end zone for UTC against Austin Peay. Back to Chattanooga for us in October.

Finebaum’s Smoke and Mirrors

The SEC also has their watchdog, Paul Finebaum , throwing out signals attacking the ACC on its way down, starting with Clemson. No other college football fan can see that ,of course. Only Paul can see that with all those TV monitors in front of him. Give us the news he doesn’t want us to see. For bashing, he should look no further than his beloved SEC. However, he takes the low road to distract everybody form the evident decline of the SEC. That’s what his network pays him for, being the conference’s wingman. Nice job if you can find the work.

Week Four in Review

  We wanted to see if either undefeated Big Ten team would be exposed as very overrated, but No. 14 Michigan’s 20-13 win over Rutgers (3-1) showed that the Scarlet Knights held their own against a nemesis who had beaten them 280-61 over five games before last season’s 48-42 U of M win.  RU gets tested again the next two weeks against No. 11 Ohio State (3-1) and at No. 17 Michigan State.  Michigan (4-0) won’t run into the top of their eastern division foes until going to Michigan State on October 30…

Boston College (4-0) defeated Mizzou (2-2), 41-34.  Anyone notice the SEC sent the same refs to Boston that had officiated the Penn State-Auburn week the previous week?  They must’ve done a stellar job per SEC evaluations to get to travel to BC for this non-conference contest…In other ACC action, we had special interests seeing how Wake Forest and Virginia would do against each other last Friday.  We’ve got both penned in for upcoming games.  Wake (4-0) defeated the Wahoos soundly, 37-17, to jump up to No. 24 – ahead of Clemson!  We’ll see UVA against Louisville on October 9 and at BYU on October 30.  The Demon Deacons will host NC State on our agenda on November 13…Of course, NC State pulled the upset we called last week when they defeated Clemson, 27-21…

  • At 4-0 after beating Missouri of the SEC last week, can the Eagles challenge for the ACC title? Quick, somebody tell Paul Finebaum!

Notre Dame beat Wisconsin, 41-21, scoring 21 points in Q4.  The three late TDs came on a kickoff return and two pick sixes.  Not sure if anyone can say the Irish offense is that good, or if the Wisconsin defense is not what it seems based on this score. We’ll find out about both this upcoming weekend…UT San Antonio (4-0) could be rising to the top of ConferenceUSA after their 31-28 win at Memphis (3-1).  They start conference play next week versus UNLV (0-4).

Our Best of Week Four

Collegefootballfan.com is excited to see BYU play for the first time since 1989 this season when they host Virginia on October 30. Also, our first game ever in Provo!  This weekend, the No. 13 Cougars will visit Utah State (3-1).  The Aggies will be up for this after suffering their first loss last week to Boise, 27-3.  We look for State to throw a scare into BYU, but they will remain unbeaten…

SEC

     No. 2 Georgia (4-0) is untested despite a close win over Clemson who struggles offensively. Thirty-five points in the first quarter against Vanderbilt on the road is nothing to brag about. The Dores are bad.  UAB?  South Carolina?  No. 7 Arkansas (4-0) has locked horns with Texas and A&M, both ranked.  Look for them to make this very close, if not an upset surprise… Also in the SEC, No. 12 Mississippi (3-0) at No. 1 Alabama (4-0): the soap opera stuff gets put aside and the teams play.  Saban, the Recycler, will know how to beat Lane Kiffin.  It won’t be pretty…

ACC

Louisville (3-1, 1-0) at No. 24 Wake Forest (4-0, 2-0), another ACC scouting report for us, will be a tussle. Both beat Florida State and beat good passing teams respectively in UCF and in Virginia.  It will be close with Wake taking this win at home, based on their wealth of experience, and QB Sam Hartman…

  • Wake and Louisville duked it out two years ago to a final score of 62-59 won by the Cardinals. Looking for similar results when Wake meets Louisville again this weekend, but Deacs coming out on top
    .

AAC/Independent

     No. 9 Notre Dame inflated their win over Wisconsin who has no offense to speak of and a very good defense with a kickoff return and two pick sixes in the fourth quarter last week to win, 41-21. No. 7 Cincinnati plays strong on both sides of the ball.  They are a team on a mission. This game and Indiana were must-wins before American Athletic competition begins.  With a bye last Saturday, they are focused to get to the CFP.  QB Desmond Ridder will lead an offense that can keep ND’s off the field.  Their defense will hold the Irish in check with or without Jack Coan.  This is the Bearcat’s shot and they know it…

Big Twelve

We saw Baylor (4-0) defeat Texas State in our FBS opener, and they haven’t lost since including last week’s win over No. 14 Iowa State to land at No. 21 in this week’s AP poll.  Oklahoma State looms at No.  19 with a 21-20 victory at Boise and with a win over previous No. 24 Kansas State. OSU has been solid at home and they will meet in Stillwater. Baylor relies on the run mostly and the Cowboys stop the running game.  They should prevail in a good game at home…We still see Oklahoma on course to lose one of its next three. WVU came close to pulling it off last weekend.

Big Ten

No. 4 Penn State (4-0,1-0) looks forward to having Indiana (2-2, 0-1) visit Beaver Stadium after they handed the Nittany Lions a one-point loss in last season’s opener on a controversial last-play score.  We saw IU defeat Western Kentucky last week, 33-31.  Though Michael Penix threw for 373 yards, he never tossed one into the end zone against a very loose Hilltopper secondary.  IU’s defense also gave a lot of cushion to WKU’s receivers last week allowing Bailey Zappe the throw for 365 yards and three TDs.  Topper receivers were wide-open all night.  Penn State will not offer Ty Fryfogel and their TE Peyton Hendershot anywhere near the amount of space they enjoyed last week.  On the other side, Sean Clifford, Jahan Dotson, and the rest of the PSU receiving corps will take full advantage of the space IU will give them.  We look for the Lions to win by at least three touchdowns.

  • WKU’s Dalvin Smith scores on a 13-yard TD pass against Indiana. If IU allows PSU receivers to get this open on Saturday, the Lions’ offense should have a field day.

Rack ‘em up for Eight in “Achtober”

During the first full month of fall, we plan to attend seven and hopefully eight games during October.  Thanks to a couple of Thursday night games and our new-found flexibility to venture to new locations, we are taking advantage.  After our short ride to Austin Peay this Saturday against Tennessee State, we head out Thursday to Jonesboro, Arkansas to see No. 16 Coastal Carolina (4-0) with QB Grayson McCall take on Arkansas State (1-3).  Saturday after, we venture a few hours away for an afternoon game in Louisville to see the Cardinals take on the Virginia Cavaliers.

     On Thursday night, October 14, we plan to see Navy (0-4) try to turn things around in Memphis against the Tigers.  We look forward to seeing a significant SoCon game in Chattanooga when UTC plays ETSU the following Saturday.  We stay FCS on October 23 if the Ohio Valley Conference game between Austin Peay at Murray State matters for a conference title. If not, Boston College at Louisville could be of interest in the ACC instead.  Hopefully, the TV programmers will see thing our way to time the start of UCLA at Utah conveniently to allow us to see that game along with Virginia at BYU in Provo on October 30.   Looking forward to Halloween. No tricks, just treats this year!  

 

Game 618: Indiana’s quick start holds off Western Kentucky, 33-31

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Bowling Green, Kentucky – The Indiana Hoosiers (2-2) took a 14-0 lead in the first period over Western Kentucky (1-2) on the road, but the Hilltoppers opened up a comparable passing attack and battled to the end as IU won in a close one, 33-21. Indiana QB Michael Penix passed for 373 yards completing 34 of 53 to very wide-open receivers.  He ran for a TD and his RB Stephen Carr added two on short runs all finishing long drives.  WR Ty Fryfogel caught key passes gaining 98 yards on ten receptions.  

Hoosiers start quick

     WKU, down by 14, went to the air on QB Bailey Zappe’s arm to offset IU’s successful air attack.  He countered with 31 of 44 completions for 365 yards and three TDs. WKU’s pass defense was porous. As the game progressed, however, the IU secondary showed their coverage lacked more than the Toppers.  Zappe passed at will.  Early penalties and mistakes cost them in several critical situations.  Neither team turned the ball over which could be attributed to no pressure on either QB. Neither team recorded a sack. Both secondaries played very loose coverage. 

  • QB Michael Penix submarines underneath this pile for Indiana’s second score.

    One positive note for the Hilltopper defense, it displayed a “bend but don’t break” scenario forcing four FGs.  However, Hoosier PK Charles Campbell lived up to the task converting all four attempts from 46, 37, 25, and 48 yards.  IU’s first punt of the game came late in Q3.

Hilltoppers climb back in

     Long drives finished by short TD runs by Penix and Carr spotted the Hoosiers a 14-0 lead by the end of Q1.  WKU got its offense going into the second period finishing a 77-yard drive with a one-yard plunge by Adam Cofield. Campbell’s first two FGs extended the IU lead, 20-7.  WKU showed it figured IU’s weakness through the air and drove 72 yards in 1:42 scoring with only 55 seconds left in the half. A 25-yard pass to Daewood Davis at the right pylon closed the gap by six.  IU started its next possession with two straight complete passes and a 21-yard run by Carr to the Topper’s 15.  Three incompletions and an offsides by WKU brought Campbell back on to boot is third FG for a 23-14 margin as time ran out to end the half.

Memory of Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium/Fiex Field

    Though this was Collegefootballfan.com’s first time ever at the home site of the Western Kentucky football program, this game revived a vivid memory of a WKU football game played in this venue from 1970.  Back then, ABC-TV featured a Sunday morning college football program featuring four or five games from the previous day before.  The field goals in particular, while sitting up above the north end zone this evening overlooking a highway running parallel to railroad tracks running east to west, reminded me of a game recorded on that program back then.

   Looking up records after, I confirmed my memory was correct!  I believe the broadcaster narrating the highlights was either Bill Simpson or Bob Murphy of NY Mets broadcasting fame.  The game featured Western Kentucky hosting Eastern Kentucky.  As a field goal cleared a high, chain-linked fence beyond the end zone at that time, one of two school-aged kids standing on the desolate road at that time caught the football.  They both started running away from the football field with the game ball as the narrator exclaimed, “And here is the longest run of the day!” Being at Feix Field, a beautiful football facility by the way, and seeing FGs landing in the stands brought back the WKU memory.  What memories of so long ago – shocking!

  • Charles Campbell’s four FGS at WKU stirred some memories of a highlight reel from 1970 at the same stadium.

 You can look it up!

  I confirmed all of this on Wikipedia.  WKU won the Ohio Valley Conference that season with a record of 8-1-1, 5-1-1.  They finished No. 12 in the AP and No. 9 in the UPI final polls in the NCAA College Division.  On October 24 in Bowling Green, they defeated No. 14 Eastern Kentucky, 19-7, in the “Battle of the Blue Grass.”  Several WKU alum on that team made it to the NFL.  Of note, one of the Hilltoppers’s football assistants was Romeo Crennel, long time NFL coach since. 

Feix Field is named for the HC of WKU at the time of this game.  Jimmy Feix played QB for the Toppers in 1949-1952.  He was an assistant there from 1957-68.  He became HC from 1968-1993 finishing with a career record of 106-56-6.  His teams won the Ohio Valley Conference six times. Great stuff!  We wonder if there is any record of the two kids responsible for the “famous” longest run with that ball that day?

Hoosiers hold on

     In the second half, Zappe came out firing.  His 13-yard TD pass to Dalvin Smith closed the score to 23-21 within the first two minutes of the second half.  Field goals by both teams made the score 26-24 going into the final period.

  • WKU’s Dalvin Smith scores on a 13-yard TD pass to close the gap early in the third period.

     Carr’s five-yard TD run to finish an 86-yard Hoosier drive extended IU’s lead, 33-24.  WKU’s ensuing drive stayed alive on a fourth and seven-yard pass completion to Mitchell Tinsley. The 38-yard gain renewed life for the Hilltoppers at IU’s 34.  With 2:43 left, Zappe connected with a wide-open Malachi Corley for a 19-yard TD pass. WKU got back within two, 33-31.

     Indiana took over at their 35 when the Topper kickoff landed out of bounds.  A third and eight pass from Penix to Fryfogel for ten yards put IU in control after WKU used up all its time-outs to run out the clock to take home the Big Ten Team’s 33-31 victory, but not without exposing some weakness going forward into conference play.

  • IU WR Ty Fryfogel didn’t score on Saturday, but he had several key catches including a final first down late in the game to seal the Hoosier win.

Next week

     IU’s conference play starts next Saturday at No. 4 Penn State.  Having seen the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers both play these last two weekends, look for our prediction regarding that one later this week in Steveo’s Salvos.  Speaking of Big Ten play, WKU continues the same traveling to East Lansing, Michigan to play No. 17 Michigan State (4-0).  Collegefootballfan.com is calling an audible. We decided that high-scoring Marshall (2-2) visiting Middle Tennessee (1-3) will not be as competitive as another local alternative game.  We will travel to nearby Clarksville, TN instead to see our first game at Austin Peay (2-2). They host Ohio Valley Conference foe, Tennessee State (1-2), an HBCS coached by Heisman winner Eddie George. We will see these Tigers play for the first time.  Interestingly enough, these two will meet again in Nissan Stadium on October.

Extra points:

Since we both have an interest in exploring locations not far from where we live now in Tennessee, my wife “St. Laurie” joined me on this excursion to Bowling Green within an hour away.  On the way, we stopped at The Mint Gaming Hall in Franklin, Kentucky right over the north Tennessee border.  Slots and horse simulcasting only.  We went for drinks and apps at Double Dogs Sports bar in Bowling Green for our pregame meal. 

Good beers and three appetizers were good, but even Laurie got intrigued by the games being played on the multi screens long enough to watch the Louisville-FSU game with a small but hard-core group of Cardinal fans.  Even more so, she was intrigued to watch Clemson going down since she is the mother of a die-hard Gamecock fan!  However, Clemson tied the game at the end of regulation and I pried her away from OT since we were unfamiliar with the parking arrangements at WKU.

We got to the campus easily enough, but signs for football parking were not evident.  On this date where Power Five team Indiana visited for a rare occasion, the facility probably was not organized to host the 25,171 fans that showed up for this one.  Probably twice what they usually have at Topper games. We followed what we thought were others searching for football parking, stopped to ask several people who directed us to the local high school lot, parked for free, and thought nothing of it since we had quite a trek ahead of us. 

A bunch of high school bands were practicing near their buses for what we figured was a HS band halftime extravaganza.  We never saw them again. After the game, we walked along dark streets and found we were the last car left.  One gate was locked. Uh oh!  We found a main gate wasn’t, luckily.  On the way back we were the only ones walking along this route. We had parked at a high school band competition at the Warren Central High School.  Oh well, we’ll know better next time!  WKU vs Middle Tennessee is on our slate later this season, for now.

The record crowd created long lines on the way into Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.  By accident, we ended up in the shorter of two lines luckily to get in a few minutes late into the game.  No tickets could be added to the collections as these were bought electronically in advance, and no programs were to be had either.  Not sure if they had run out or just never sold any.  New technology puts a damper on some of the fun of attending college football games.

  • Collegefootballfan.com plans to visit Topper the WKU mascot again!

Steve’s Salvos: Week Four, September 23, 2021

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Saban’s system

    To many not affiliated with the vaunted Southeastern Conference, it really means “Alabama and the other 13”.   Conference members still try to knock The Tide off the top of the SEC since Nick Saban has taken them over since 2007. However, nobody else in the FBS gets a true shot either until it comes to the CFP.  Take Miami this year, for instance.  Like other Alabama openers in the past, they’re supposedly playing at a neutral site. This was the eighth opener in Atlanta Alabama has played since 2007. All against different teams.  And during those seasons under Saban, The Tide has competed in the post-season play in Atlanta nine times.  Neutral?  Easy drive for their dedicated fans base.  Great times had by all.

      And funny how teams like Duke and Louisville met them in openers after successful seasons.  Lots of pregame hype.  However, in both of those cases, starting QBs from their previous seasons, Daniel Jones and Lamar Jackson respectively, already headed to the NFL.  Another key to success, open against an inexperienced QB while no one is looking.  This year, Miami heralded D’Eriq King’s return at QB.  Did the neutral field “neutralize” him in the Hurricane’s 43-14 loss?  Evidently not.  Michigan State visited the Hurricanes on their home turf much farther from their East Lansing home last Saturday.  The Spartans came away with a 38-17 win from Hard Rock Stadium. 

    A key point here is The Tide refuses to play a home and home series with any of these teams. When was the last time an Alabama team coached by Saban played on a non-conference Power Five campus? It was in 2011, in a 27-11 win at Penn State who started an inexperienced QB.    They met Michigan, Wisconsin, and USC in “neutral” Arlington, Texas in other openers.  Wonder whose fan-base is predominant at that site?  If you don’t know, take a lesson in US Geography.  How about playing these teams the following year in Chicago, Indianapolis, or Las Vegas?  They’re neutral, or aren’t they? 

  • Don’t tell him. He knows what he’s doing.

Who needs a big pay-out?

      Then of course, in case they ever slip up, they play an FCS team next. This year – Mercer.  Alabama has the top recruiting class in the nation every year.  So, they schedule a team not even among the 130 other schools supposedly recruiting FBS level players? Should this game even count? They should lose votes for scheduling this game no matter what the score.  Ok, one school that non-competitive is no excuse, but two? New Mexico State brings up the back-end of the slate before their biggest threat every year, their instate rival – Auburn. Maybe he forgot his team slaughtered the same in 2019, 62-10. Maybe he thinks they got better?    

     Is Saban really afraid his team will lose focus at that time of year so much?  Since he started coaching Bama in 2007, does he not know that the Aggies have only won 39 games over that period of time. Does his juggernaut always need a “gimme” game to prepare for the next challenge?  He’s got the best football talent in the college football universe, but he hates to be challenged. So, he avoids challenges until he has no choice.  No wonder why he didn’t last long at the next level.  He found out that without recruiting and scheduling advantages, he’s just a run of the mill coach when the playing field is level.  Smart thinking on his part. Can’t blame him, but the current system offers advantages to those who know how to manipulate it. And no one can do that better than he can.

SEC? SEC? SEC? or “The Other 13”

   As for the others in this vaunted conference so far:  LSU fell at UCLA in an unusual west coast trip for the Tigers. Auburn played a Big Ten school on the road for the first time in 90 years and lost to Penn State last weekend. Mississippi State lost to AAC Memphis not far away but on the road, 31-29. And the SEC says they lost it on a non-call by their refs after the Bulldogs left a punt on the turf?  How come they’re not admitting to at least four major bad calls their refs made against Penn State last weekend in their 28-20 win over Auburn?  Nobody else wants to hear it.

      Pitt beat Tennessee, 41-34, in Neyland two weeks ago and then fell at home to Western Michigan, 44-41, last week. No. 7 Texas A&M pulled out last minute win at Colorado, 10-7.  A week later, Minnesota visited the Buffalos in Boulder and dominated to win, 30-0.  Last week, Kentucky struggled against one of our new favorite FCS teams near us in Tennessee, Austin Peay, to get by, 28-23.   Every SEC team’s conference patsy, Vanderbilt, lost to East Tennessee State of the FCS in their home opener, 23-3.  Georgia’s opening win over Clemson, 10-3, lost some luster when the Tigers could only beat Georgia Tech two weeks later, 14-8.

     Probably the best non-conference wins among the Other 13 came when Ole Miss beat NC State at home, 24-10, and when Arkansas defeated Texas at home, 40-21.  Ole Miss hosts Liberty late in the season. The point is that the Other 13 play on equal par with other conferences. During the regular season, they don’t have many chances to prove they are dominant. Of course, come bowl season, when they virtually all get another “home” game by virtue of their advantageous proximity to warm weather climates, they will attempt to make that claim most likely.  This year could be different though.

  • We watched Kentucky win over South Carolina in our third and final game of 2020. They meet in South Carolina this Saturday.

We beefed up our schedule

      After Florida State’s opening close loss to Notre Dame, their trip to Clemson enticed us to possibly go see a meaningful, competitive, ACC game against the Tigers on October 30.  Following FSU’s losses to Jacksonville State and a big one to an improving Wake Forest team last weekend, we decided to abort that mission. Clemson struggles offensively as well.  Our five-hour trip will still be there the next few years, we figure. So, looking at that date, we see the possibility of a game or maybe even two that interest us at venues we’ve never attended.  We committed to a trip to Utah, and we now await the TV people to figure the times. Former BYU HC Bronco Mendenhall will bring his Virginia Cavaliers (2-1) back to Provo to play his former employer, BYU, currently 3-0 and ranked No. 15.

      UVA QB Brennan Armstrong can put a lot of points on the board and HC Kalani Sitake’s defense continues to keep opponents, three Pac- 12 foes thus far, averaging less than 17 ppg. A lot can happen between now and then, but if the TV gurus plan this game at night, we hope we get the chance to see No. 24 UCLA visit the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City as well.  Utah State (3-0) is little farther north of Provo but plays Hawaii at 1 pm.  Hoping things work our way for two, but BYU vs. UVA may be worth this trip alone.

Week Three in Review

   What can we say about our game last week?  Great game despite the officiating inadequacies.  Hope to see Penn State (3-0) and Auburn (2-1) go deep into the CFP considerations this year…We predicted that if any FCS team had a shot to beat an FBS team, Delaware (2-1) could possibly overcome Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights (3-0), however, put the whammy on the Blue Hens, 45-13. For the FCS upset of the week, we should have looked no further than two weeks ago.  The Texas State Bobcats (1-2) got beat at home by Incarnate Word, 42-34.  HC Jake Spavital goes into the pressure cooker now in a road game against Eastern Michigan before games in the improving Sun Belt Conference…

Notre Dame (3-0) defeated Purdue (2-1) albeit unimpressively, 27-13.  Ranked 12th, the Irish have games coming up against Wisconsin (1-1) with their tough defense in Chicago. Now that’s what we call a neutral site. The following week, the Irish host No. 8 Cincinnati (3-0) who have a bye this week…

  • Cincinnati looks to get the AAC recognized as a the sixth “Power’ conference these past few years. Now it looks to get the Other Five a spot in this year’s CFP.

  No. 4 Oklahoma defeated former rival Nebraska, 23-16.  Very unimpressed.  The Sooners have WVU, a game at Kansas State, Texas in Dallas, and TCU the next four weeks.  They’re bound to trip somewhere by then…Cincy knocked off Indiana (1-2) with late plays. This and the ND game were required wins by the soothsayers before they try to run the table against the American Athletic Conference.  Luke Fickell’s squad has a very legitimate shot to break the Power Five hold on the CFP this season…Alabama may have shown some vulnerability in their 31-29 win The Swamp against the Gators last week.  Surely, Saban has his team in a recovery mode against Southern Miss (1-2) this week just in time to prepare for his former OC Lane Kiffin when Ole Miss visits Tuscaloosa the week after.

Our Best of Week Four

     Rutgers (3-0) at No. 19 Michigan (3-0) – who’d have thunk this?  Which team steps back into reality? Neither team has beaten anybody of note. At home and based on tradition, we have to go with U of M… Missouri (2-1) at BC (3-0) – again no one has beaten anyone of note. We’ll bank on Jeff Hafley’s Eagle defense to challenge the Tigers offense this weekend. Hopefully, this will overcome any surprise the SEC team may bring along to Boston…

     Wake Forest (3-0) at Virginia (2-1) on Friday night – Both teams are scoring about 40 points per game so we expect this to be high-scoring right to the bitter end. We have great interest in this game since both teams will play twice on our schedule late this year. Should be fun.  Who has the better defense? Not sure yet, but based on a shoot-out with Louisville two years ago, we’re going with Wake in a slight upset…

  • Wake and Louisville duked it out two years ago to a final score of 62-59 won by the Cardinals. Looking for similar results when Wake meets UVA Friday night.

    No. 12 Notre Dame (3-0) vs. No. 18 Wisconsin in Chicago – we go with the Badgers as their defense can stop Notre Dame and their familiarity with former Badger QB Jack Coan will work against the Irish.  Too bad because an Irish loss here may take any luster off a Cincinnati win the following week…Marshall (2-1) at Appalachian State (2-1) on Thursday night. What the heck happened to the Thundering Herd last week in that come from behind loss at home to East Carolina, 42-38? Appy beat ECU at home in their opener, 33-19. We’ll go with the Mountaineers on that mountain in Boone, NC…

     Texas San Antonio (3-0) at Memphis (3-0). We like what we saw from WR Calvin Austin last week versus Mississippi State. The overall Tiger team speed is going to put Memphis past the Roadrunners…We think NC State’s defense will hold No. 9 Clemson in check again this week. At home, the Wolfpack brings enough offense to knock the Tigers out of CFP contention early this season to shock the college football world. Looking forward to a few new entries in the Final Four this year – along with Alabama come Georgia, Penn State, and Cincinnati.

Game 617: O-line, Sean Clifford lead No. 10 Penn State Past No. 19 Auburn, 28-20

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State College, PA – Penn State’s offensive line held Auburn’s tough, front seven to one, single sack, and enabled QB Sean Clifford to complete 28 of 32 passes for 280 yards and two TDs for a great 28-20 Penn State victory over Auburn (2-1).  WR Jahan Dotson, the recipient of 10 catches for 78 yards and a TD, including several tremendous catches, also tossed a 22-yard completion on a PSU scoring drive.  Horrible and questionable officiating by the SEC crew kept this closer than the final result should have been. The two ranked teams battled in front of 109,538 of mostly PSU fans, all clad in white in a “white-out” game in raucous Beaver Stadium.    Auburn orange dotted the scene throughout for the first game their Tigers played at a Big Ten venue in 90 years.

  • White out warm-up!

Tigers score first

     Auburn halted the initial Penn State possession on downs and took over to score first.  PK Anders Carlson booted a 45-yard FG for the early Tiger lead.   An exchange of punts put the Lions back on their 12.  Three consecutive pass completions put the Lions on AU’s four.  Clifford’s next pass to Jahan Dotson, who made a leaping catch at the back of the end zone before going out of bounds, gave PSU the 7-3 lead heading into Q2.

SEC! SEC! SEC!

     Auburn continued its next drive into the second period, finishing a 75-yard TD drive on Tank Bigsby’s four-yard TD to retake the lead by three.  Penn State’s next series was thwarted by the SEC crew’s first officiating debacle.  On a first and ten, Clifford’s pass sailed over his intended receiver who turned the wrong way and got flagged for intentional grounding??? If that was the case, officiating crews at both the collegiate and pro levels could learn from this bunch.  To add insult to injury, well, read the official play by play on the ESPN website.

      PSU got penalized five yards after the first down play with a loss of the down.  On supposedly second and sixteen, Dotson caught a pass for five yards.  On third and 11 from the 33, the Lions’ Jordan Stout punted. The SEC officiating crew including the replay monitor insisted this was fourth down despite the protests of PSU HC James Franklin!  After that, the mistake was admitted, but nothing could be done at that point to reverse the damage.

Nittany Lions overcome

     Penn State forced AU to punt on a real fourth down from their 45.  The Lions strung together a drive mixing up passes with runs by Noah Cain (19 carries for 51 yards, one TD).  A two-yard TD reception by TE Brenton Strange (4 catches, 71 yards, TD) gave the Lions a 14-10 lead.  Before the half expired with 47 seconds left, PSU’s possession ended on a Clifford pass from the 41 toward the end zone that got intercepted at the three where AU took a knee to end the first half.

  • Jahan Dotson (5) signals TD as TE Brendon Strange takes it over for go ahead TD for the Nittany Lions in the second period.

Pre-game pleasantries

    Our six-hour tailgate in Happy Valley for the first time in years on a bright, beautiful, albeit very hot day was great.  Great company, great food, great drinks (cold beers and bourbon concoctions) with a majestic view of Mount Nittany!  We have to thank our tailgate neighbors who noted Guest Game Analyst John Massimilla’s (PSU alum) Pittsburgh Steeler folding chairs.  They insisted they if we helped them set up their 13’X13’ canopy, we could use the shade while they partied elsewhere.  It turned out to be a game-saver for us under the intense sun.  They never came back before we went into the game and were gone when we returned around midnight! Thank you, fellow fans!

    Also, we don’t remember more spacious parking in Happy Valley than we had today.  So easy to get in and out, that fellow tailgaters Shane and Laura were able to tailgate with their French Bulldogs, Millie and Macie.  Two hours before the game, they left to bring them home, and they returned to park back in the same space in time to go in with us. 

  • Mount Nittany loomed near us on a beautiful day to tailgate in Happy Valley! Too bad it doesn’t light up at night to be used as a landmark to find your car when the game ends at midnight.

Flipside Frustrations

    The flipside of the pleasantries at our tailgate turned to the questionable calls of a suspect officiating crew which is being blistered in social media. Such arrangements by these “objective” officiating crews called into question after, especially since the “spineless” NCAA allows conferences to take the responsibility which offers the freedom to manipulate the outcome of a game.  Ball spotting and non-calls fell in favor of the visitors were flagrantly incorrect as the game continued.  Instant replay comes into question as reputable as well.  It can be as manipulative as those on the field if the “wrong” people are in place.

      Without taking control out of the jurisdiction of the conferences, this can continue to be a problem.  Online comments include statements such as, “Did the SEC officiating crew return home on the same flight as the Auburn football team?”  Most likely, since flights to Alabama are limited heading out of State College Airport.  We figure these individuals would have been in the stands with the rest of the Auburn fans with orange shakers in hand if not making calls on the field.  Worst one-sided job ever witnessed personally regarding non-conference visiting officials among our 617 college football games to date.  An investigation should be made, but won’t be.  Just ignore what happened.

Back to the Hard-hitting Action

     To start the second half, PSU got the break it needed to extend their lead.  Auburn’s Kobe Hudson fumbled on their first play from scrimmage, and Derrick Tangelo recovered at AU’s 20.  TE Tyler Warren took it over from the two four plays later on a dive over the middle from the ”Wildcat” for their 21-10 lead.  Auburn responded with a 75-yard TD drive as RB Tank Bigsby (23 carries, 102 yards, two TDs) did the brunt of the work breaking tackles to pick up key yards for his six-yard TD to bring AU back to trail by four, 21-17.

  • “Wildcat” Tyler Warren (44) prepares to leap for a touchdown to give PSU a 21-10 lead.

     On Penn State’s subsequent possession, another officiating mistake thwarted a Penn State drive.  At the Auburn 43 on a fourth and one from punt formation, the ball was snapped to 6-4, 326-lb blocking back/DT PJ Mustipher. Initial contact held him up briefly as he continued to drive his legs. A surge from behind pushed him ahead to an apparent first down as the whistle finally blew.  The crew moved it back short of the first down back to where the initial contact was made, but the play continued. AU took over on what should have been a PSU first-down.  How many chances could these zebras off the Tigers?

When will these officials knock it off?

    Auburn started Q4 continuing a drive from its 43. The possession resulted in Carlson’s FG from 43, but again, not without officiating controversy – a flagrant non-call.  Penn State’s pass rush trapped Bo Nixon (21 for 37, 185 yards) who sprinted away from the line of scrimmage and threw an errant pass over the PSU bench from the pocket with no receiver even close.  It warranted an illegal grounding call as he clearly never came out of the tackle box.  No flag from this officiating crew.  Instead of pacing off 15 yards back to the 50, the Tigers remaining at the 35 on second down and such kept Auburn in range to convert another Carlson FG to close the gap, 21-20, with 14:55 left to play.

  • QB Bo Nixon led the Tigers hard until the end to try to beat Penn State.

     The next Lion drive started from the 25 to take some time off the clock. However, key pass completions to John Lovett for 18 yards out of the backfield and the next to TE Brenton Strange put the Lions on the Auburn three. Following an Auburn timeout, Cain took the hand off and made a cut to his left behind OT Rasheed Walker’s block to put the Lions up, 28-20.  The Lion defense had to step up to hold off a game Tiger offense for the rest of the game.

Auburn continues to threaten

     Bigsby demonstrated he was tough to stop.  When called on, he ran over and around PSU tacklers behind good blocking.  However,  HC Bryan Harsin insisted on using Nix to move the Tigers more often through the air against a tenacious Nittany Lion secondary.  He seemed willing to rely on getting some favorable calls on pass interference, but the Penn State DBs focused more on playing the ball while in the air.  AU punted from their 34.  PSU gave the ball back on a punt to give the Tigers the ball with 7:02 left.

     The Tigers drove all the way to the Lion ten for a first down. After an incompletion, Bigsby added a yard. Nix completed a pass to TE John Samuel Shenker at the two. On fourth down, Nix lofted a pass over the right corner of the end zone well out of bounds to Kobe Hudson who got tangled up with S Jaquan Brisker who played the ball perfectly to avoid any interference call.  The Lions took over on their two.

     On second and eleven from the two, Clifford led Dotson down the right sideline with a pass, and interference was called against Auburn to allow PSU to maintain possession. They eventually punted from the 13. Punter Jordan Stout’s high kick went 49 yards to the Auburn 38 where the Tigers took over with 38 seconds left.  Nix led his team to the 26 and stopped the clock with a spike.  With seconds left, Brisker read his last past to knock it down as time expired.  The intense, hard-hitting game ended in the 28-20 victory for the Nittany Lions (3-0). 

  • WR Jahan Dotson played a great game in Saturday’s White-out against Auburn!

Meet again, but under definitely has to be under better circumstances

The Lions moved up to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and Auburn slipped to No. 23. There’s lots of time ahead to see what these two teams will do in future conference games to challenge for CFP positioning.  A rematch would be fantastic, and we hope better officiating will be available to remove too many questionable calls in evidence this evening.  Next season, the Nittany Lions will venture down to Auburn for a rematch.  Hopefully, Big Ten officials replacing the SEC’s will be much more professional and objective to what we witnessed in our 617th game.

Extra points:

PSU will host FCS No. 8 Villanova next Saturday at Beaver Stadium – unlikely to be played before 109,000 fans.  Auburn goes back home again versus Georgia State (1-2), 20-9 winner over Charlotte on Saturday after humbling losses previously to Army and to North Carolina.  Maybe AU can score enough points in this one to get their PPG average back up to 61!  Collegefootballfan.com looks forward to going to Bowling Green, Kentucky for the first time.  There the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1-1) will host Indiana (1-2) who fell to No. 8 Cincinnati Saturday, 38-24, and to No. 5 Iowa, 31-6, to open the season.

This past weekend marked the 111th game Penn State game we’ve attended (86-25).  This was our 12th with Auburn for a record of 5-6-1.

Steveo’s Salvos : Week 3, September 16, 2021

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Our best this year

      Our best game of the year impacting national implications occurs Saturday when we travel to State College to see No. 10 Penn State host No. 22 Auburn.  The Big Ten and SEC have long seasons ahead and there is no reason to count these two out of consideration for the CFP.  This first regular season meeting ever between these two historic programs will be played before a sold out, “white-out”, at 7:30 pm in front of a national TV audience.

      Both sport records of 2-0, but PSU has been significantly more challenged than AU.  The Nittany Lions defeated No. 18 Wisconsin in their opener on the road, 16-10.  Last week they defeated defending MAC champ Ball State, 44-9.  The Tigers defeated MAC doormat Akron, 60-10, and FCS Alabama State, 62-0 on their home turf known as “The Plains.”  State College will be the first game at a campus north of the Mason-Dixon line since who knows when?…

     AU comes in with new HC Brian Harsin after a successful eight-year stint a Boise with a 74-26 record.  His new defensive coordinator is Derek Mason who succeeded PSU HC James Franklin after he left Vanderbilt. Franklin hired OC Mike Yurcich from Texas to add more firepower to the Lion offense.  The Lions seemed to make progress from week one to week two.  They will be more tested this week than last. 

     The key to this game will be more progress on the Nittany Lion O-line to protect QB Sean Clifford from a very good Tiger front seven. Auburn, of course, will be greatly tested on offense as Bo Nix and company have not faced the likes of the Penn State defense They averaged 575 yards per game and 61 points against lesser talent.  The Lions allow 330 yards and 9.5 points per game.  With 110,000 white jerseys backing them, the Penn State will pose a challenge the Tigers have not yet encountered.  The key to the win will be the play between the o-line of Penn State and the front seven of Auburn.  Can’t wait!

  • Cute, cuddly Aubie, Auburn’s mascot, will be venturing into territory unknown to him in The Happy Valley this weekend.

Stepping over the line?

     We are very critical, to say the least, of the Navy offense as we reported in our last game review.  Many others are as well. Navy AD Chet Gladchuk shocked many on Monday, including supposedly HC Ken Niumatatolo, when he “fired” Navy offensive coordinator Irvin Jasper.  Talk about a knee-jerk reaction and over-stepping!

     The AD has every right to be disappointed with the Navy performance so far this year. However, though there’s not much optimism for improvement, how can he target a successful coach who’s served the Academy for 14 years during one of the greatest stretches of football success it’s ever had?  Much of that success has to be credited to Jasper who developed that triple-option offense and mentored the great QBs they’ve had up until now.

      He overstepped Niumatatolo who rightfully convinced the miffed AD to rehire Jasper back a strictly the QB coach. This has to strain this relationship already.  These look to be sudden, tough times for the Mids, but why was the OC coordinator targeted?  Navy fans we talked to Saturday spoke about the overall decline of talent seen on this team – smaller offensive linemen, less depth in the backfield, no big, bruising fullback like in past seasons.  The entire program has to be challenged and that starts with the HC who’s done a stalwart job with this program who has won over 100 games at Navy – more than anyone else. 

     Gladchuk has to put aside the emotional reactions and try to be problem solver for the overall program to succeed.  Over-stepping and criticizing and changing personnel suddenly cannot solve the issues in the short term.   The only positive envisioned here is possible wake-up call to the team. Maybe that is where the emotions need to be stirred.  In the meantime, right this ship!  Don’t scuttle it!  Go Navy! 

  • What does AD Chet Gladchuk’s move mean for the future of HC Ken Niumatalolo staying in Annapolis?

Review of games last week

     Coastal Carolina knocked off Kansas as expected, 49-22.  We just like to keep our eye on KU HC Lance Leipold who we respect as a HC based on previous successes.  Optimism reins here that he will bring some measure of success to this downtrodden Jayhawk program. Don’t expect it this year, but we feel if anybody can turn this program around, it’s this guy… Coastal looks like it hasn’t skipped a beat from last year. The No. 16 Chanticleers are added to our schedule at Arkansas State on October 7… PSU’s win showed some improvement of offense we hoped to see in its win over Ball State, 44-9.  However, room for improvement from the o-line still exists as reported in our preview above.

     Army defeated Western Kentucky (1-1) at home, 38-35.  The result indicates to us that WKU can be competitive.  Failing to unravel Army’s triple option to trail the Cadets, 35-14, in the fourth, QB Bailey Zappe led the Hilltoppers back into the game to lose by three.  The transfer from Houston Baptist threw three TD passes for 435 yards.  Indiana (1-1) will bring more defense to Bowling Green on September 25, but the Hilltoppers will not be contending with an unfamiliar offensive style. The Hoosiers don’t seem up to par with where they were a year ago.

  • Army (2-0), seen in action against Navy here two years ago, will most likely be 3-0 after playing poor UConn this week. They won’t be challenged until Oct. 2 when they start a stretch of four games against Ball State, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, and Air Force.

     Big Ten power exchange: Oregon knocked off Ohio State, 35-28, for the big upset of the day in Columbus demonstrating that the Buckeye’s offense has some chinks in it.  OSU dropped down from three to nine and has some challenges still ahead.  Iowa rose from No. 10 to No. 5 beating intrastate rival Iowa State 27-17.  The Cyclones fell to No. 14.  Penn State will visit the Hawkeyes on 10/9 and the Buckeyes on 10/30.  On 10/30 the Hawkeyes visit Wisconsin.  Much remains for the outcome of the Big Ten.

Week 3 games of interest

We’re on vacation this week in Delaware. The 2-0 Fighting Blue Hens, No. 6 in the FCS, visit the 2-0 Scarlet Knights of Rutgers this week.  Several FCS teams have pulled some big upsets over the FBS thus far.  This looks like the best chance for another this week…Purdue (2-0) at No. 12 Notre Dame (2-0): The Boilermakers were always a nemesis for the Irish in their heydays.  Not sure if Purdue is up to par, but the Irish have just gotten by their first two opponents late in both games.  Purdue pulled the last big upset in the Big Ten over Ohio State a few years ago…

  • Maybe Delaware, in blue, will intimidate Rutgers this week with uniforms similar to Michigan’s. RU has never beaten U of M since they joined the Big Ten.

     Oklahoma hosts Nebraska in a nostalgic rivalry.  Our interest lies in the amount of points the Huskers (2-1) will score in this one. Come on, 76-0 over Western Carolina? Why did the Sooners even schedule that one?  They thought the Catamounts would create a distraction for this one?…   No. 8 Cincinnati at Indiana. This was supposed to be a test for the “Other Five” team, but if not, Notre Dame still looms before AAC play…No. 1 Alabama visits No. 11 Florida in the Swamp.  This is the first of three true tests for Bama from our perspective.

  • Cincinnati TE Josh Whyle snags pass from Derek Ridder (9) for a 29-yard TD pass against UCF last season. Cincy starts to challenge this week for a CFP spot in January.

Game 616: Air Force bests floundering Navy, 23-3

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Annapolis, MD – On a day of tributes to those lost on 9/11 20 years ago to the day, the Air Force Academy (2-0) defeated a floundering Navy football team that has played great football for most of the past 20 years, 23-3. The Midshipman offense lacks the firepower of the past decade indicated by the meager statistics of a once-proud program at the end of three quarters: one first down, 55 total yards, no pass completions, and no passing yards.  QB Xavier Arline, replaced in the final period, does not display the physical quickness demonstrated by former Navy QBs Keenan Reynolds nor Malcolm Perry.  Both players who made NFL rosters since, effectively ran the triple option to place USNA among the top team rushing leaders in the nation every year.

  • What a difference two years makes. Navy’s QB Malcolm Perry compiled 111 yards on 23 carries and scored two TDS for the Mids in a 34-25 victory over Air Force in 2019. This year, Navy tallied only 68 yards of total offense.

Rough seas ahead for Navy

     Many in attendance including Guest Game Analysts who have enjoyed watching Navy football during this period already ponder if this team will win a game this season.  The 2021 schedule loomed as one of the toughest ever to begin with before the season.  With a record of 0-2 now and a struggling offense scoring only 10 points in two games, great teams ahead like Central Florida, No. 8 Cincinnati, and No. 10 Notre Dame look insurmountable. 

First half struggles for both

    On this bright, sunny day similar in weather to this same date 20 years ago, these two teams that shared this solemn occasion before the game of lives lost then and since, played a tight first half with Air Force leading 7-3 at the end.  The Mids took the lead 3-0 in the second period on Bijan Nichols 30-yard FG. The score resulted from a shanked punt that put the Mids at the Falcon 48. 

     The Navy defense put up a good fight.   A fumbled punt put Air Force (2-0) at the Navy 20.  They held the Falcons to a field goal attempt that went wide to maintain the lead for the time being.  Following a Navy three-and-out, the visitors took over again in Mid territory at the 43.  With 1:09 left in the half, AF RB Brad Roberts ran it in for a TD from the three to close the scoring going into the break. 

  • Air Force FB Brad Roberts (20) ended the Falcons first half scoring drought with a three-yard plunge late in the period.

In Memoriam

    At the half, tributes were made to alumni of both academies lost on September 11, 2001.  The Navy lost 14 graduates that day and Air Force lost two.  Pilots on Flights 77 and 93 came from both of these respective schools.  Seven died in the Pentagon attack, three perished at the World Trade Center, and four traveled as passengers.  Since the attack, many from both academies served defending our country against terrorism and some died in defense of this country.

  • Most of the Midshipman in attendance at this game were not even born before 9/11. But many who sat in these seats before them served our country over the years in the Navy and the Marine Corps in the war against terrorism.

Slow start to second half

     The third quarter stalemate of punt exchanges ended when Navy roughed the punter to give Air Force new life with a first down at their 41.  Before the period ended, QB Haaziq Daniels faked a dive hand-off and turned up field untouched for a 28-yard TD to put the Falcons up 14-3 going into the final period.  Could the Mids muster their offense to make a comeback?  On several occasions the Brigade of Midshipman chanted the name of a replacement QB, but HC Ken Niumatatolo stuck with Arline as he had against Marshall the previous week.

  • USAFA QB Haaziq Daniels (4) finds a seam on this play to race 28 yards for a Falcon TD.

A floundering (not Air) force

     A snap from center over the punter’s head through the end zone on the next Mid series resulted in a 16-3 Falcon lead.  After the ensuing USNA punt, Air Force drove against a worn-down Navy defense and Roberts scored his second TD on a two-yard run to extend the lead to finish the scoring for the day, 23-3.  Navy’s offensive highlight for the game came on its next series when replacement QB Maasai Maynor entered and fired a 15-yard pass to WR Mychal Cooper for Navy’s first completion and its second first down.  It was an effort in futility that drew a large cheer from the Brigade for its floundering offense that has suddenly fallen far from what Navy football stood for after many successful years under HC Ken Niumatatolo.  The future looks dim for this year’s squad.  We hope this team can rally to pull this proud program back together to avoid a winless season.

Extra points:

Next week, Air Force hosts Utah State (2-0) in Colorado Springs.  Navy can hopefully benefit from a bye week next Saturday to prepare some new wrinkles before traveling to meet Houston (1-1, before hosting Grambling next week) on the road for their first American Athletic clash this season. Next Saturday, Collegefootballfan.com returns to State College, PA for the first time since September 7, 2019 when they defeated Buffalo, 45-10. The No. 10 Nittany Lions (2-0) will meet the No. 22 Auburn Tigers (2-0) for their first regular season clash ever!

The game uniforms for Saturday’s game were confusing.  Navy wore uniforms honoring the Marine Corps with white helmets and red stripes on blue pants.  Air Force wore white jerseys with gold helmets and black pants.  We missed the traditional uniforms of both teams – Navy with blue jerseys, gold pants, and gold helmets; Air Force in the white with blue trim and blue lightning bolts on their helmets.

Personally, we had the great opportunity to get together with a couple of friends who graduated from USNA with the class of 1978 – Rick Yasky and Mike Malinack.  It was great to see them after so many years, and we look forward to seeing them in the future at more Navy games and with a few more of their classmates.

We plan to see Navy play two more times this season.  On Thursday, October 14, we will see them visit the Memphis Tigers.   On December 11, in another tribute to 9/11, we will see them spar with Army in the shadows of Manhattan at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

In our history, this was our 80th Navy game (42-38) and our 12th Air Force game (6-6). Unofficially, Navy leads our series here, 4-2, but a review is underway to assure our accuracy.

  • We look forward to returning to Beaver Stadium for the first time in two years when Penn State faces off against Auburn!

Steveo’s Salvos: Week 2, September 8, 2021

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Told you so, Paul…UConn

Note our comments in Steveo’s Salvos back in Week 1.  Oklahoma’s defense showed already they are not all cracked up to be what soothsayers like Mr. Finebaum would like us to hear.  Tulane not only pushed back to come up short,40-35, but they did it after the game was moved to Norman because of Hurricane Ida… Regarding UConn belonging in the FCS, they were one of a few FBS programs (Washington, Duke and Tulsa among others) that took a hit from the FCS.  Holy Cross’s win, 38-28, over the Huskies initiated the eventual, immediate resignation of HC Paul Edsall. He holds a 6-28 record since he started his second stint at Storrs …

  • We just refuse to watch another Oklahoma defense get pushed around in another CFP game this year.

Paul, there’s more

Regarding the aforementioned Mr. Finebaum, why is he “worried” about LSU? First of all, we know he’s an Alabama fan.  However, what does it mean to him or to the rest of the football world besides LSU fans what happens to LSU?  I thought reporters, at least on a national stage, should not indicate any bias.  A lot of people would like to see more balance in the competition among all the schools to challenge for the national championship. If he’s worried about only one SEC team, or even two only, making the playoffs, why should he worry about LSU?  Is he worried that a PAC-12 team like UCLA now has a shot?  Heaven forbid!… I think we’ll be directing more Steveo’s Salvo’s toward this college football “expert” as the season continues.  

  • Paul, LSU had their way big during their 2019 Championship season. Let’s get some other teams a shot!

Not what we are hoping for, but…

We’ve looked forward to this week’s matchup between Navy and Air Force.  This will be the sixth time we’ve seen these two rivals clash for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.  We were wrong in our prediction for an upset by Texas State over Baylor last week, but this week, we’re pretty sure about this week’s outcome.  Despite the rivalry, the similarities in the offense, and the emotions that will be in the air on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Air Force is primed for a big win here at the Naval Academy.  Navy’s offense is just lacking the skill at QB needed to run the triple option effectively.  To be successful, they not only need to put up a lot of points on the board, but they need to keep the other offense off the playing field. 

Navy lost big to a very good Marshall team last weekend, 49-7.  Air Force clipped FCS Lafayette last week, 35-14.  Surely, they looked ahead to this game in that match-up.  The Falcons bring back depth at every position after the starting team of the last two years opted out and came back this season for an additional year.  They know their triple option and will be prepared under HC Troy Calhoun.  Somehow Army (winner over Georgia State last week) and Air Force recruited the talent these past few years to keep the effectiveness of the triple option intact.  We expect the Falcons, disappointingly, to dominate the Mids.  The USNA will have to play their best game of the year to win this one, but we don’t think emotions alone will be enough. … We’re invited as proud Navy Blue and Gold supporters to attend the CBS Sports College football show in the Captain’s BBQ area before the game. Host Bucky Jones will be there with analysts Rick Neuheisel and Brian Jones.  Maybe I should bring a Goat head and a Falcon head to predict the winner before the 3:30 EST kickoff…Go Navy!

  • We don’t envision a Navy post-game celebration over Air Force like we did here in 2019, but if they pull this off, it would be even bigger!

Review of last week’s games we had our eyes on

Surprisingly great defense by now No. 10 PSU in 16-10 win over now No. 17 Wisconsin. But why couldn’t the refs find their hankies on definitive, illegal grounding penalties against the Badgers?… Shocked by then No. 18 Iowa’s overwhelming 34-6 win over No. 17 Indiana.  Maybe the Hoosiers visit to the Western Kentucky game we’ll attend September 25 will be more interesting than we anticipated…UCF trailed Boise by 21-0 in the second period, but Dillon Gabriel of UCF tossed four TDs to Hank Bachman’s two for the UCF win, 36-31.  Dyllon Lester’s INT for the Golden Knights halted a Boise State drive on the UCF seven with 2:07 left. Our kind of a game!…Ohio State topped Minnesota, 45-31, but not without a controversial no-call confirmed by the Big Ten. So much for replays…VA Tech defeated UNC at home, 17-10, to knock the Heels from their No. 10 spot in the polls to No. 24. Tech climbed to 19 and held Heisman candidate Sam Howell to 17 of 32 for 208 yards, TD, and three INTs. So much for his chances…

With a 10-7 win by No. 5 Georgia over No.3 Clemson, the Dawgs nudged the Tigers down to No. 6 in this week’s poll, for now.  The only TD came on a pick-six by UGA. At least for now, the CFP looks a little different…  Not sure who can knock Alabama from the top spot, but for now, the others here seem a little more open to fall than many suspect. Oklahoma and Ohio State struggled some, but everyone has at least 10 games left. Even if you want to count this week’s Alabama-Mercer contest as a game worth counting, among some other 28 FBS-FCS matchups , what a waste of a second week of games for the most part. Look who else is playing a level down this week: Clemson, Oklahoma, LSU, West Virginia, Kansas State, Florida State, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Marshall, Indiana, Northwestern, Fresno, and Auburn.  Instead of playing down, these programs should be playing each other this week.

At least we bulk up our schedule

Our plans to attend Northwestern at Wisconsin on November 13 fell through as reported last week, but “tell ya what we’re gonna do”.  Our Wake Forest buddy, “Bug” Harton, said he had some classmates booked for the Demon Deacons’ Homecoming against Duke on October 30.  Seeing the Dukes lose in one of those other FCS upsets to Charlotte last week, we accepted Bug’s invite to change to meet him on November 13 for the NC State game. At least these two teams dominated some similar competition in Week One. The Wolfpack drubbed South Florida, 45-0, and Wake did in Old Dominion, 41-10… On October 30, now being only a five-and-a-half-hour drive to Clemson, we’re looking to head there for the first time when Florida State visits.  After seeing McKenzie Milton come in to get the ‘Noles coming back against Notre Dame Saturday night, this could be a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to the other Death Valley… See our updated 2021 Tentative Schedule. We make it tentative for reason like these.

  • Last time we saw Clemson play in 2017, Syracuse pulled a 27-24 upset over the No. 2-ranked Tigers.

Games we look forward to, but not attending this week

“Kansas at Coastal Carolina?”, you ask.   First of all, congratulations to the Jayhawks under first-year HC Lance Leopold not being one FBS team to succumb in an opener against an FCS team.  They defeated South Dakota, 17-14.  We added No. 16 Coastal to our schedule last week for a date on October 7 at Arkansas State.  Interested to see how KU stands up to a very legitimate program on the rise on the road after Leopold’s short-term intervention joining this program…Western Kentucky at Army. We have WKU in our plans this year at home against Indiana and Middle Tennessee. Army as usual, looms as our last regular season game versus Navy.  WKU defeated FCS UT Martin to open while the Cadets overwhelmed Georgia State, 43-10, with 258 rushing yards and dominant clock control. If WKU can compete with Army, we’ll have a sense for what they can do against Indiana.  We’re also considering another Army game if they make it to this season’s Independence Bowl against a PAC-12 team in Shreveport, LA…

No. 3 Ohio State plays No. 13 Oregon (should be more games like this on week 2) at home.  Just getting by with a break against Minnesota should be an incentive for the Buckeyes, but games like this are what the PAC-12 teams like the Ducks are looking for to break into the CFP. Too bad their DE Kayvon Thibodeaux is out…Ball State won the MAC last season, so they should press No. 11 Penn State after a battle last week against Wisconsin.  Their game the following week we’ll be attending when No. 25 Auburn comes to State College. Trap game early? The Nittany Lions will test the Cardinals to get their offense on track more quickly than they did against the Badgers…No. 9 Iowa State struggled with tough FCS Northern Iowa last week unexpectedly to a close 16-10 victory.  Now comes another instate rival in No. 10 Iowa who blasted No. 17 Indiana unexpectedly, 31-6, last week. Expectedly, this should be a great game among the corn stalks!…

  • And the last time we watched Auburn play, they slammed Purdue in The Music City, 63-14. At the half, they led 56-7. We spent the second half over at the now closed “Benchmark” right across the Cumberland River.

Goodbye to “The Bam”

Steveo’s Salvos sends condolences to his family and memories of a game played back in 1970 that changed college football forever, especially in the South. Sam “The Bam” Cunningham, USC and later New England Patriot fullback known as a hard, tough fearless runner bulling through defenders near the goal line, passed away at the age of 71. We remember watching that game on TV as kids when USC defeated Alabama’s all-white team in 1970, 42-21.  It opened Alabama ‘s HC Paul “Bear” Bryant eyes to start recruiting Black Athletes for The Crimson Tide, and changed the future of college football from then on thanks to Sam’s performance.  Cunningham earned All-American honors in 1972. He captained the Trojans to the national championship in 1972. Against Ohio State in the 1973 Rose Bowl, when he ran for four touchdowns, earning MVP honors, in a 42-17 win.  He’s in both the College football Hall of Fame and is the leading rusher in New England Patriot history. We were never USC fans, but always admired him for his toughness when we watched him play.  He was fun to watch.

Tennessee teams

Got to see Austin Peay defeat UT Chattanooga in a pretty good first game last Thursday, 29-20.  We’ll definitely look for other UTC games to go to in that venue…The Vols soundly defeated hapless Bowling Green as expected, 38-6, while totaling 471 yards on offense in HC Josh Heupel’s UT debut before 82,314 at Neyland Stadium. Next up come the Pitt Panthers (1-0) to Neyland.  They conquered an even weaker team in UMass last week, 51-7. The outcome of this game will be more indicative of where the Volunteer’s season is heading…As for Vanderbilt, new HC Clark Lea has an even deeper hole to dig out of after a 23-3 loss at home to FCS East Tennessee State. Maybe it will get easier when the Commodore’s set sail to Colorado State this weekend. The Rams also lost to an FCS foe, South Dakota State.  Later this season, the ‘Dores will host UConn, loser to FCS Holy Cross…Did we mention that neither Tennessee nor Vanderbilt play on our schedule this year? We have Memphis and Tennessee State at upcoming home games, but at venues where we attended bowl games respectively (at Liberty and Music City at Nissan Stadium).

  • Austin Peay’s defense stuffed Chattanooga’s Ailym Ford (32) on this play in their opener for both last Thursday. We expect to see these two Tennessee teams finish 2021 with winning records and FCS playoff hopes.

Here we go again – realignment

To make up for its losses of Texas and Oklahoma, The Big Twelve and four other schools look for new agreements going forward. By the end of this week, BYU, Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Houston could be joining up with the remains. The question is when? The American Athletic loses three reducing its membership to eight teams. It may need another member or two. We figure Army. More to be bandied about in coming days.

  • We got to see Cincinnati and Central Florida square off last year in an American Athletic Conference game. The AAC has deserved to be recognized as a the sixth “Power’ conference these past few years…Now?

Game 615: Baylor Bears baffle Bobcats of Texas State, 29-20

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  • Texas State’s Bobcat Stadium attracted over 26,000 for their opener vs. Baylor from nearby Waco.

San Marcos, TX – Baylor visited Texas State for the first time ever and played a defensive scheme that baffled a potent Bobcat passing game. They replaced their own from the previous five seasons with a potent ground game to win the opener for both teams, 29-20.  The Bear defense scored the first seven points of the game and forced a safety on the last play to settle the final score.  In between, they held the Bobcat offense to 235 total yards, only 79 on the ground.  The Bears controlled play with a strong running game.  RB Trestan Ebener totaled 120 yards on 20 carries. Backfield mate Abram Smith toted the ball 19 times for 118 yards and two TDs. 

  • Trestan Ebener (1) gains in first quarter action.

Quick strike

     Texas State recovered a Baylor fumble on their 20 to start their second series of the game as Baylor defeats Texas State.  TSU QB Brady McBride (20 of 40, 156 yards, TD, 3 INTs) soft-tossed a safety valve pass to his right. S J T Woods read it perfectly to streak through for a very quick pick-six to give Baylor a quick, 7-0 lead.  A roughing the kicker penalty kept TSU’s next possession alive.  The Bobcats capitalized to drive for a 21-yard FG by Seth Keller to trail, 7-3, heading into the second period.

     Following a missed Baylor FG, the Bobcat offense drove the length of the field.  At the BU 12, McBride threw a 12-yard TD pass to Marcell Barbee (4 catches, 56 yards, TD), TSU’s leading receiver from 2020.  Trailing with :36 left in the first half, Smith scored his first TD from three yards out. BU finished a 75-yard drive to lead, 14-10.

  • Baylor pass break-ups like this limited the TSU passing attack.

Halftime Review

     After a year of Covid, 26,573 fans attended the BU-TSU opener, the sixth meeting between the two programs. This was the first for TSU as an FBS program and the first ever at San Marcos between the two.  The game should be a boon for the Bobcat program as Baylor trekked as only the second Power Five school to visit.  A win here would stir a lot of interest back into the TSU program to hopefully ramp up future attendance. To enhance the game atmosphere, the administration opened the end zone area near the Bobcat team entrance as a concession area to invite fans to get more involved in the game from the field level. 

  • Moving concessions to the end zone at field level should add to the game atmosphere at Bobcat Stadium before and during game action.

     Through our daughter Alex’s boyfriend, Zach Rittle, the Director of Development for the TSU Athletic program, we joined the Bobcat Club to support the sports programs there.  Our contributions provide benefits to enjoy the Bobcat Club when we get down to visit them.  It’s definitely a great experience for us to enjoy when we visit Bobcat Stadium.  Glad to see their the fans coming back this season!  We hope the Bobcats can mix it up in the Sun Belt Conference.

  • A Texas State halftime tradition, the Strutter Dance Team!

Baylor bears down

     To start the second half, Baylor extended their lead on Isaiah Hankins’ 43-yard FG, 17-10.  The Bear defense forced a Bobcat punt to take over again from their 30.  Five plays later, Smith ran 13 yards for his second score to seemingly put this game out of reach, 24-10, against a seemingly lethargic Texas State offense.  In response, TSU went to the air. McBride connected on five passes the move the Cats to the Bears’ 21.  They stalled there, however. Keller booted a 38-yard FG to put the home team back to within eleven.

  • Abram Smith barrels in for his second TD of the day for the Baylor Bears.

Oh, those turnovers

     In the fourth, Head Coach Jake Spavital’s offense continued to go through the air. S Jalen Pitre put quick end to that strategy with an interception to put the Bears at the Bobcat 27.  The TSU D, consisting of many transfers, threw Ebener for a loss of six yards to the nine on a third down.  From there, Hankins put up another three to lead 27-13 with 9:35 left.

     With time in favor of Baylor, the next Texas State drive seemed to seal the final result as another INT, this time by S Jairon McVea, looked like a game-killer.  The defense came up tough though and forced the Bears to turn the ball over on downs on a fourth and 17 at TSU’s 35.  On third and ten from this starting point, McBride’s pass attempt fell incomplete to nullify a chance for the Bobcats to get back into this game.  However, a roughing the passer penalty gave the Cats a new life.  The hit on McBride gave the Bobcats floundering offense a spark it needed.  That spark ignited the running of Jamyl Jeter (eight rushes, 45 yards, TD).  He carried the ball five times on this scoring drive taking it over from the two with 1:19 left to play to get into striking distance, 27-20.

  • TSU RB Calvin Hill runs for a short gain.

Never say “die”

     The Cats defense stepped up to force a punt again on fourth down while burning their final two time-outs.  With 15 seconds and the TSU offense backed up on their own ten, a razzle-dazzle play ended up with McBride scooping up the ball in the end zone after the ball had already passed the line of scrimmage.  He winged it downfield for an illegal forward pass resulting in a safety to settle the final score at 29-20. 

     Baylor beat the Cats for the sixth time against no losses.  It was a disappointing start for the Bobcat fans among the 26,573 in attendance.  They couldn’t attend last year, but can the look past this opening loss to come back to cheer their Bobcats on to some wins for the rest of the year.  A win at their next away game will help.

  • Texas State will be looking for QB Brady McBride to put it altogether against FIU next week to put the offense on the right track.

Extra points:    

The Bears host FCS Texas Southern next Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco.  The Bobcats travel to Florida International (1-0) of Conference USA next Saturday.  FIU defeated Long Island University, 48-10, a second year FCS program.  CFF.com travels east to see Navy (0-1) host Air Force (1-0) to honor those lost on and since 9/11 on the 20th anniversary of the attack.  Navy fell big to Marshall Saturday, 49-7.  Air Force defeated FCS Lafayette, 35-14.

  • Yours truly, “St. Laurie”, and Alex had it made in the shade prior to the game at the Bobcat Club’s Pavilion thanks to Zach!

Game 614: For openers, No. 20 Austin Peay jolts No. 18 UT Chattanooga, 30-20

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Chattanooga, TN – Austin Peay scored a go-ahead touchdown late in the third, shutdown UT Chattanooga in the fourth, scored seven more, and upset the No. 20 Moccasins, 30-20, to chants of “Let’s go Peay! Let’s go Peay!”  The Governors finished a 76-yard drive with an eight-yard pass to WR Drae McCray from Draylen Ellis to take the lead, 23-20.  On this Thursday night, constant penalties negating key gains, questionable play-calling, and several officiating blunders contributed to opening game sloppiness, but all kept the game on a level field of play for the most part. Despite impressive numbers from Governor QB Ellis (23 of 33, 345 yards, four TDs, 2 INTs), both squads will need improved QB play to challenge for championships in their respective conferences, the Ohio Valley and Southern Conference, going forward. UTC QB Drayton Arnold struggled completing 11 of 26 for 130 yards, a TD, and two INTs.

Inexperience trumped by energy

     Tyrell Price’s three-yard TD run gave the Moccasins the lead, 7-0, midway through the first.  Ellis connected with WR Baniko Harley (six catches, 137 yards, TD) on a 35-yard seam route when LB Daniel Brent jumped the gap offsides to leave Harley uncovered.  Surprisingly, 31-year-old APU Head Coach Scotty Walden elected to go for an early two-point conversion, rarely called, that failed.  However, as the game progressed, the energy of the young coach exuded enthusiasm to his players through his young coaching staff along the sideline throughout.  What he lacks in experience, he makes up for it with a high energy level.

  • Young Austin Peay HC Scotty Walden, in black left, brings enthusiasm to his players through his young coaching staff. Some seen here.

Ref mistake leads to heads-up play

     Aside from this TD, the Moccasin defense kept the pressure on Ellis early whenever he dropped back. On the other side of the ball, holding penalties killed momentum for UTC.  In the second, a diving interception along the sideline by DB Jonathan Edwards of the Governors put his team at the Moccs 39.  Ellis and offense capitalized quickly on a missed call by the officiating crew.  After a tackle out of bounds, UTC Safety Brandon Dowdell got tangled up behind the APU bench.  Unable to return on to the field until the ball was snapped, Ellis took advantage of the missing player and connected with a wide-open DJ Render for a 30-yard score and a 13-7 lead.  To add insult to injury, the Moccs got hit with a sideline warning probably for arguing their player could not get back on the field.

  • UTC LB Kam Jones makes one of four unassisted tackles, seven overall.

 Need a rulebook review

    The Mocc’s offense responded quickly on the subsequent drive led by RB Ailym Ford (17 rushes for 61 yards). His 34-yard TD jaunt regained the lead for UTC, 14-13.  Not sure of the rules here in this case, but the refs nullified APU’s ensuing kickoff return because a player who didn’t make the return signaled for a fair catch.  The Govs took over on their five.  Doesn’t a fair catch put the ball at the 25 for safety reasons? Maybe only if the returner gives the signal? We have to check this out.

     Following exchanged punts, APU’s next possession started from their 24.  Harley (six catches, 137, yards, TD) took a 46-yard reception he caught off a tip to UTC’s 24.  The Moccs held, but PK Maddux Trujillo converted a 26-yard FG to take a 16-14 Governor lead into halftime. 

  • Ailym Ford nears end zone for UTC.

Our halftime review

This televised FCS contest with regular media timeouts and too many penalties lasted longer than any FCS contest attended in our past.  Even in FCS playoff games, media time-outs seemed fewer and shorter.  When you see a guy on the field holding a digital, LED clock to count down the length of the time-out, the game is destined to be prolonged. Officials went to a viewer on the field to review several critical calls, but replays rarely appeared on Finley Stadium’s big screen. Frustrating, since they apparently had television coverage.  Evidently, the Southern Conference has a more lucrative TV contract than the Colonial Athletic, Ivy League, or Patriot League where we’ve attended many games.

Seesaw third

     In the third, UTC regained the lead on a sideline pattern from 12 yards out to WR Reginald Henderson in the end zone to regain the lead, 20-16.  The missed PAT made up for the Governors’ failed two-point attempt earlier in the game.  Late in the third, the TD pass to McCray put APU in the lead for good.  Their next possession in the fourth seemed destined for failure.  On the second of two consecutively errantly, lofted Ellis passes, SS Brandon Dowdell fielded the ball like a punt for his second INT of the game.  UTC went three and out, however, putting APU back on offense from their 14 with the ensuing punt. 

  • WR Drae McCray tumbles with 8-yard TD catch in third to take APU lead for good.

    The Governors rolled the length of the field on the wheels of RB Ahmaad Tanner doing the bulk of the ground work. He gained 103 yards on 19 carries, and took it in from the four on this drive with 8:14 remaining to extend the Governor’s lead, 30-20.  According to the game program the number 5 jersey he wore indicated he was TE William Wilcox, and the PA announcer obliged.  Not until a review of the game stats did Tanner get credit for his exploits on the field.  Through the end, Wilcox received credit, and no one corrected the announcer.   The Governor fans of the 8,114 in attendance, started their unique chant of, “Let’s go Peay! Let’s go Peay!”  What other team can appropriately celebrate that way in a stadium that sells beer?

  • UTC defense forces QB Draylen Ellis to pick up some short yards on a scramble.

Force of nature

     The Governor’s defense halted the next Moccasin possession with Edward’s second pick of the game.  “Let’s go Peay!” grew louder with their Governors in control.  Starting from the 21, Tanner continued to carry the offense to control the clock and continue the cheers.  UTC Head Coach Rusty Wright, an alum, decided to use his final three time-outs to extend the game still needing two scores.  This was now taking too long.  After having enjoyed dinner and $3 drafts at the Chattanooga Brewing Company across the street from Finley right before the game, the APU chant started to sink in.  Game over.  “Let’s go Peay!”

Extra points: 

     Finely Stadium in downtown Chattanooga is a great and comfortable venue to enjoy UTC games.  They even sell actual paper tickets (to add to our extensive collection), a rarity these days, and offered free game programs.  We’ll plan to go back.

  • Big hooray! No face masks on cheerleaders!

     Both squads play again on September 11 – the Moccs host North Alabama and APU visits to one of our favorite tailgate sites, The Grove at Ole Miss.  Can’t imagine how Lane Kiffin has planned for them.  His defense will probably attain some stats to build on.  The week after, UTC ventures into SEC territory when they travel north to Kentucky.  CFF.com travels to San Marcos, TX to see Texas State host Baylor.

     We combined this football adventure with a historical excursion as we visited and toured nearby Lookout Mountain Battlefield.  The North and South fought “the Battle above the Clouds” here in November 1863. It amazes to realize the toughness and courage of the men who fought on both sides to accomplish things under adverse conditions and without the technologies developed since.  Hauling heavy equipment up and down this 2,100-foot mountain as well as attacking  and defending in the fog and clouds are astounding feats of strength and bravery.   Chattanooga claimed keys for both sides in their struggle as four railroad lines converged into the city from different directions needed for transporting troops and supplies throughout the South.  The 20-lb cannons fired balls two and a half miles from atop the highest point in the area.   Finley Stadium sat below within reach.  See below.

  • Finley under fire in 1863. Alabama Regimental Artillery trained on Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain. Blue and yellow structure below is UTC’s Finley Stadium.