Seen 'em all – 133 FBS teams in action. Three new members to be added the next two years. All divisions: 695 games attended since 1979! Get my new book now available on Amazon.com in Kindle and in Paperback: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly! Follow our 31-game schedule in 2024.
Trailing 25-22 at the end of the third quarter, Cincinnati Bearcat QB Desmond Ridder dove over and extended the ball from the one for his second TD on the ground. Next, he followed with a seven-yard TD pass, also his second of the day, to lead No. 7 Cincinnati past Central Florida (5-3, 4-3) with its high powered passing attack, 36-33. Safety Darrick Forrest picked off a Dillon Gabriel pass tipped in the air as Dillon came into the game ranked third in the nation with 188 consecutive passes without a pick. Forrest returned it 20 yards to the UCF 16 to start the short touchdown drive to give Cincy back a 29-25 lead for the first TD in Q4.
Masks muffled the cheers (not really) of Golden Knight cheerleaders as their team unexpectedly lost three games this season including this one to the Bearcats.
Late comeback holds off Knights
The Bearcats defense in particular got off to a slow, inauspicious start against the Golden Knights averaging 44 ppg and 619 yards of total offense through seven games, but played tougher as the game progressed. On its next series after regaining the lead, with tight coverage they forced a UCF punt after a three and out. Ten plays and 71 yards later, Ridder ( 21 for 32 passing, 338 yards and two TDs; 14 carries for 57 yards a rushing and two TDs) connected with Leonard Taylor from the seven to extend their lead, 36-25.
Jousting to the end
The Knights responded with 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive of their own when Dillon Gabriel ( 26 for 49, 243 yards, three TDs, one INT) hooked up with Jaylen Robinson for a 10-yard TD pass. Gabriel fired on target again with Jacob Harris for a two-point conversion to close the score, 36-33, with 4:24 remaining.
UCF QB Dillon Gabriel looks down field for open receivers.
Cincy used up a lot of clock after the ensuing kickoff driving down to the UCF five for a first down with 1:34 left. Instead of taking the ball over for what looked like a clear TD run, work horse Gerrid Oaks (28 carries, 97 yards) dropped at the one-yard line to force the Golden Knights to spend its last time out. Oaks ran two more times for no gains and Ridder fumbled the ball on fourth down. Central Florida took over with one second left on their own eight as time expired with Cincinnati improving their record to 8-0.
Slow start for Bearcat defense
Great game! In the early going UCF looked to have an advantage following a spirited senior day celebration in front of a boisterous but Covid-19 restricted crowd of 10,668. The Knights also came in with chips on their shoulders a year after a 27-24 loss at Nippert Stadium. The senior class of Golden Knights had a lot to play for in front of their final home game crowd as they entered this contest with an impressive four-year record of 40-6. Their Bounce House press box even states the claim of “2017 National Champions” when they finished 13-0.
The Bounce House press box boasts to be the home of the 2017 NCAA National Champions.
Down early, but far from out
The Cats started out jittery to say the least. With the Knights fired up and their fans small in numbers but loud with their enthusiasm, on their first two drives, Gabriel’s signal-calling drew the Bearcats offsides twice on critical third and long situations. As a result, the Knights converted first downs to keep touchdown drives alive. The second TD was set up on a fumbled punt by Ryan Montgomery at his 22. Knight Amari Johnson slid past him as as he fielded the punt, enough to distract the punt returner to lose sight of the ball. Johnson recovered to send the home team on to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter.
Trailing, the Cats offense got in gear behind Ridder, and the defense started to tighten up against the pass. They slowed down the Knights passing attack after the first quarter holding Dillon way below his 417 yards per game passing average. Cincinnati reeled off 16 straight points as Ridder got great protection up front to perform with confidence throughout the second period.
Bearcat WR Tre Tucker looks upfield on a swing pass from Desmond Ridder.
Impressive drives
Cincinnati scored on a 73-yard drive on five plays when Riddick targeted TE Josh Whyle on a crossing pattern to turn up field and race 29 yards along the right sideline for its first touchdown to trail, 14-10. UCF drove back into Bearcat territory, but on a fourth down pass, WR Marlon Williams (eight receptions, 97 yards, two TDs) let a pass slip through his hands while wide open to put Cincinnati back on offense from their 23. The turnover on downs resulted in Cole Smith’s 26-yard FG to get the Cats to within one, 14-13.
TE Josh Whyle snags pass from Ridder (9) for a 29-yard TD pass in 2nd quarter.
The Bearcat defense forced UCF to punt from their 20 on the next possession, and took over on offense again from their 30 with 2:06 to go in the half. A 45-yard pass took Cincy to the UCF 35. On the very next play, a transformer blew and the stadium lights went out as Ridder connected with Whyle once again in what looked to be a 35-yard scoring play. However, the officials reconvened to rule that the play ended at the 15 due to an inadvertent whistle that could hardly be heard. The transformer explosion was evident though and caused wonder if this would delay the game under darkening skies. It didn’t.
UCF WR Marlon Williams covered by CB Arquon Bush let this fall through his finger tips on a fourth down.
The Cats got down to the three where Ridder faked a handoff inside and ran around the left side untouched for a 19-14 lead. UCF thwarted the two-point conversion. And with 1:23 left, they drove to the Bearcats 26 where PK Dan Obarski put up three points with one second left to end the half with UCF trailing now, only 19-17.
Marching Knights? Not really. Band performances are limited to music from the stands.
Having deferred the ball in the first half, Cincinnati opened the third period with two penalties to set them back starting from their four before running a play. For 16 plays, the Cats used up 8:31 on the clock with most of the yardage being churned out by hard-running Oaks. Smith put up a FG from the 22 to extend the Cincy lead, 22-17. After a touchback to start from the 25, UCF played with a sense of urgency doing what they do best, passing the ball. Within 2:30, they drove the length of the field with Marlon Williams taking in a 19-yard scoring pass to give the Knights a 23-22 lead. A two-point conversion attempt through the air to Williams put UCF up by three going into the final period before the Bearcats comeback in the final period.
Golden Knight Ben Thompson looks for running room against the tough Cincinnati D.
Glad we did this
Regretfully out timing did not work well for our return flight, and we missed some final action in the last period to catch our flight. The game turned out to be thrilling as expected, and we were glad to have gotten to see this up-and-coming Cincinnati program who has a legitimate shot to pull a surprise or two if they make it to the College Football Playoff. We think it will take a second Notre Dame win over Clemson to get this done. For Cincinnati, it may take two wins in a row over a tough, improved Tulsa team. They meet in three weeks at Tulsa, and then the following week for the AAC championship. This year, the top two teams in the 11-team conference meet in the championship. With a 5-1 record, the Golden Hurricanes are scheduled play at Houston and at Navy before hosting the Bearcats, if Covid doesn’t continue to cancel games, of course.
Next!
Cincinnati travels to play beleaguered Temple (1-6) in Philly this weekend. Don’t know if tickets are available, but to be honest, not too tempted to go after seeing this one. UCF plays at rival South Florida who has also foundered this season. If they pull the win in this finale, they should pose an interesting match up for any team in a bowl game. ESPN pundits predict they will play in the Boca Raton Bowl against Liberty. It would be great game between these two, but we’d prefer to see both of these non-power squads play against Power Five schools in better bowls. As for collegefootballfan.com, we have one more regular season game in December. Come back and check out our game preview next week.
Hint: This is one of the two teams we plan to see play in December.
Awards
Desmond Ridder earned American Athletic Offensive Player of the Week Award for the fourth time this season. In addition, he was named as one of the eight Manning Award Stars of the Week and also selected as one of the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great Eight following the Bearcats win. He impressed us with his composure, passing, and leadership during this must-win game against a good team.
Also, Cincinnati PK Cole Smith was named as one of the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award’s three Stars of the Week and earned recognition on the American Athletic Conference’s weekly honor roll. He tallied scored 12 points making field goals of 47, 26 and 22 yards and going 3-for-3 on PATs.
Bearcat PK Cole Smith puts up first three points for his team on Saturday.
Cincinnati’s defense should earn recognition for holding UCF to 359 yards of total offense. The Golden Knights average 619 yards in their previous seven games. Gabriel Dillon totaled only 243 passing yards after averaging 417.7 since the beginning of the 2020 season.
Orlando, FL – We are itching to go see a game of national significance for which we could actually get tickets! With one game under our belts at least featuring the current No. 24 team in the nation, Louisiana, we should be seeing a rock ’em, sock ’em game this Saturday. The No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0, 6-0) with the third top scoring defense in the nation (12.4 ppg) travels to Bounce House Stadium in Orlando to try to stop the high-scoring Golden Knights of Central Florida (5-2, 4-2). UCF, led by QB Dillon Gabriel leads the nation in passing yards averaging 396.9 yards per game. The Knights average 44.0 ppg. The “unstoppable” offense versus the unyielding defense. It doesn’t get much better than this for an exciting match-up.
Bearcats heading to World of Disney!
No. 7 Cincinnati
Last year, Cincy tagged UCF at home in Nippert, 27-24. In 2020 so far, both squads mangled common American Athletic foes Houston and ECU. However, if Memphis is an indicator, the Bearcats walloped them at home, 49-10, while the Tigers edged the Knights 50-49 near the birthplace of Elvis. HC Luke Fickell, former Ohio State assistant and player, has his team rolling in his fourth season with a record of 33-13. Their two previous seasons totaled eleven wins in both for a program that has generally struggled for many years. Read “Our two cents” below. Fickell’s focus on defensive improvement gives his team an edge for CFP contention. A formidable showing against this offense could vault this team into this year’s final four.
High-flying UCF
UCF is led by HC Josh Heupel, also with an impressive collegiate resume as starting QB at Oklahoma where in 2000, he led the Sooners to a national championship and finished second in the Heisman voting. After two years mentoring UCF, his program comes into this contest with a record of 27-6 under him. His first team finished the regular season 12-0 before falling to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. This year, he has his Golden Knights at the top of the nation’s scoring charts once again. Besides the one-point loss at Memphis, the Knights other loss came in a surprising upset by improved Tulsa at home, 34-26.
UCF offense vs Cincy defense
On offense, Knight QB Dillon Gabriel has thrown for 2,774 yards, 23 TDs, and only two INTs. Marlon Williams leads in receptions (63), yards (942), and TDs (8). Jaylon Robinson also impresses in these same categories with 41 snags, 822 yards, and four TDs. Defensively the Bearcats counter with LB Jerrell White leading his team with 63 stops. CBs Coby Bryant and Ahmad Gardner both tallied three picks to their credit. They have held opponents to 188.9 passing yards per game. This matchup between these two units will be one of the most competitive in college football during this regular season.
HC Luke Fickell has focused on upgrading his defense since he took over the Bearcats in 2017.It’s paying off in 2020.
And vice-versa
QB Desmond Ridder leads a more balanced attack for Cincinnati. His passing prowess stands at 1,483 yards with 14 TD tosses. He’s added 469 yards and scored nine TDs rushing. The teams leading ball carrier is Gerrid Oaks with 565 yards and seven scores. Ridder likes to spread his passes as four of his receivers total over 200 receiving yards and total 11 TD passes among them. Their scoring prowess compares to UCF’s at 41.6 per game. Knight DB Richie Grant ( 3 INTs) and his secondary mates will have their work cut out for them. Defensively, the UCF defense yields 28.7 ppg. This is where Cincinnati holds the edge to win this one. We expect to see a score similar to last year’s final as the Knights have the home edge despite the covid-restricted crowd. Fickell’s defense should give the Bearcats the edge to stay atop the American Athletic and shoot to become the first non-Power Five school to make the CFP. We hope that we can be able to say, we saw the first such team to do so!
The Bearcats bring a balanced pass-run attack this season.
Our two cents
For what it’s worth, here’s a little Collegefootballfan.com history regarding the opponents in our 612th game on our historic tour through time. This will only be our second time attending a UCF game. In 2004, times were very different for the Knights back then. They came to State College, PA to meet a downtrodden PSU team in the throes of a 4-7 season under HC Joe Paterno. The Lions entered this contest 1-1 while the Knights came in at 0-2. In a sloppy game on a hurricane trodden field surrounded by devastating floods throughout Pennsylvania, the Lions won, 37-13. The visitors never won that year finishing 0-11 under first-year HC George O’Leary. Needless to say, this is our first game at The Bounce House.
A blast from the past! Cincinnati cheerleaders on the field without masks! Look at the smile. We long for the good old days – soon!
The Bearcats stand 1-4 in the annals of our history with some interesting albeit not so favorable accounts to their credit. Our first experience with the program was a 41-0 loss to PSU at State College in 1987. In my book, Talesfrom the Tailgate, the chapter entitled “Low Budget Bearcats” details my most vivid memory of that game. The Bearcats spent the night before the game in the same hotel my friends and I did. Those familiar with my football budget understand what I mean here. Ten years later, I attended my first game at the Carrier Dome where Syracuse rocked them, 63-21.
Their next meeting depicts my most memorable about the Bearcats. As favorites in 2004, Cincy (2-3) ventured up to West Point where a dreadful Army team came in on a 19-game losing streak. Behind in the fourth 41-29, on fourth and goal at the Army eight, Cincy QB Gino Guidugli’s pass got batted down in the end zone. Army answered with 93-yard TD run to pull the upset to ignite a frenzied Army celebration with a 48-29 victory. The Cats reeled off five straight wins after that and beat Marshall in the Fort Worth Bowl to finish 7-5. Gino Guidugli is now Cincinnati’s very effective offensive coordinator!
The Bearcats plan to play UCF’s receivers tightly this Saturday.
In 2017, enter Fickell. Navy dropped them 42-32 on a blistering hot September afternoon in Annapolis. The Bearcats finished 4-8. In 2018, Cincy returned to Annapolis with a 10-2 record (one loss was to 12-1 UCF, 38-13). At the Military Bowl that day, Cincinnati triumphed for the first time in our presence, 35-31, in a very competitive game against Virginia Tech. We expect to see something very similar in Orlando on Saturday!
With Navy’s Bill the Goat’s “background” in our background, Collegefootballfan.com and friends along with Cincinnati fans get together to celebrate the Bearcats’ 2018 win at the Military Bowl over Virginia Tech after the game.
San Marcos, Texas – Collegefootballfan.com broke out of a relentless, seven-month quarantine and flew all the way to San Marcos to attend our first live game of the 2020 season for our 611th intercollegiate football game overall. The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns posted a late second quarter comeback to overcome the Texas State Bobcats, 44-34. Turnovers set up key scores in this Sun Belt battle, but in the end, the Ragin’ Cajuns relied on the arm of QB Levi Lewis (22 of 32, 332 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and on the legs of Trey Ragas (19 rushes for 131 yards, 3 TDs) to propel them to their fifth win of the season to keep them atop the Sun Belt West (5-1, 4-0).
Collegefootballfan.com made it for our first game ever at Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos, Texas. Where’s everybody else?
Oh no – not a blow-out!
On a perfect evening for football under a full Halloween moon causing a lot of bumps in the night at Bobcat Stadium, the Cajuns mischievously swiped two Bobcat passes and turned them into 14 points for an early lead. Instead of allowing a romp to take place after giving up two consecutive picks to start the game with a 14-point deficit, TSU answered with 21 of their own. The first came on a well executed fake field goal with PK Seth Keller running around the left end for a 12-yard jaunt on a pitch from his holder to end the first period deadlocked, 14-14.
TSU PK Seth Keller hustles around left end for the Cats first score to cut Louisiana’s lead to 14-7 in the first.
We got us a game for a while
The Cats overtook the lead with a 33-yard TD pass from Brady McBride to Marcell Barbee early in the second. Louisiana evened it right back up at 21-21 when Lewis took it in on a 12-yard run midway in the same stanza. The Bobcat defense needed to start stopping the Cajun offense. They did it for one series, but that was all they could muster. With 2:26 to go in the half, Lewis’s passes and Ragas’s rushes put them in the end zone in six plays with Ragas running in from the two.
State took over with a minute left, but McBride (14 of 32, 166 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs) threw his third interception of the half, second by Cajun DB Eric Garror. From their 38-yard line with 54 seconds left, a key pass completion to Pete LeBlanc put Louisiana at the TSU three. With seven ticks left, Lewis connected with Kyren Lacy for a one-yard TD pass for Cajun’s 34-21 halftime lead.
RB Trey Ragas retakes the lead for the Ragin Cajuns, 28-21.
Screw the “new normal”
With Covid-19 bringing us into the world of abnormality, the halftime show was presented pre-recorded on the two Bobcat Stadium big screens both stationed on angles at the ends of the horseshoe-shaped stadium – good viewing for a within the stadium. However, the recordings just don’t do justice for the experience of attending a college football halftime show. The Texas State Strutter’s Cowgirl women’s dance team, 111- strong, sat relegated in the enclosed end zone all dressed up with no place to go along with other 7,500 others estimated to be in attendance to watch their pre-recorded performance. What a letdown for these students and the Bobcat fans. Hopefully, we’ll be back when things return to normalcy and the Bobcats (1-7, 1-3) will be more competitive.
Bobcat cheerleaders warm up with mandatory masks on before ascending to balcony on far end of Bobcat Stadiumto maintain social distances from one another.
Bobcats battle back?
To start the second half, the visitors extended their lead, 37-21, on their first possession with Nate Snyder’s 42-yard FG. The home team got back on the board with a 62-yard drive keyed by runs from Brock Sturges (17 carries for 129 yards, two TDs) who brought it over from 10 yards out to close the gap, 37-27, as a two-point conversion failed. The Cat D forced a Cajun punt to potentially make the game more interesting, but the offense sputtered.
Somewhere under this, RB Jahmyl Jeter powers through this mass of humanity for the Bobcats second score.
Runnin’ Ragin’ Cajuns
In the final quarter, Louisiana relied on their running game to eat some clock mixing runs between Elijah Mitchell (17 carries for 96 yards) and Ragas who finished off the 56-yard drive with a seven-yard TD run, his third of the game. Another Bobcat score by Sturges from 18 yards out sealed the final score with 1:50 left to play. The onsides attempt on the ensuing kickoff landed safely into the grasp of member of the Louisiana hands team. The visitors from Cajun country prevailed, 44-34.
They finally allowed the Strutters to perform on the field after the game. Before the game as Bobcat Club members, we had some good food and drinks before the game in The Pavilion. With no tailgating after the game, like the Strutters, we split!
Cats need a defensive makeover
Despite three fumble recoveries and an INT, the Bobcat defense could not come up with key plays to stop the Cajuns who gained 282 yards on the ground and 322 through the air. They allowed five of eleven third down conversions on key drives and never sacked Lewis. No emotional leadership seemed to exist on the field, and we never witnessed the players huddle up to review strategies while instead resting comfortably when on benches along the sideling. The only sideline action noted from here watched the constant offering of swigs from blue Powerade bottles by managers on a night not under a blistering hot, midday sun, but on a cool, pleasant Halloween night perfect for football. It seemed like the focus was for student managers working on commissions to promote Powerade. Defensive leadership needs to aspire to adjust attitudes on the field and strategies along the sideline.
Next up for the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Arkansas State Red Wolves (3-4, 1-3) come to Lafayette, LA in another Sun Belt West match-up. The Bobcats return home for an afternoon game on Jim Wacker Field next week to take on tough Appalachian State leading the Sun Belt’s East Division (4-1, 2-0). The Mountaineers from Boone, NC lead the Sun Belt by far on defensive scoring. They allow only 17.6 points per game in a conference featuring some high-flying .
Though muffled, these Bobcat cheerleaders hope they have something to cheer about at home against Appy State this Saturday.
As for collegefootballfan.com, we’re back in quarantine for our eighth month now planning another breakout before November’s over. We have our periscope up now considering a potential two-game trip before the month’s out. Both match-ups stir our interest, but timing is everything. Will teams avoid Covid-19? Can games go on as scheduled? Will kick-off times be convenient so we can attend both? We figure we wait for at least that information, and then we go from there. If a conflict occurs, we may have to choose which one we prefer, a tough choice for us. Stay tuned for Game 612 and possibly Game 613. Beat Covid-19!
Our 611th game in Collegefootballfan.com history opens our 41st season this weekend in San Marcos, Texas when we see the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (4-1,2-1) visit the Bobcats of Texas State (1-6,1-2) in a Sunbelt bout! Upset? We’re hoping the Bobcats put up some kind of fight while Penn State hosts Ohio State on another network at the same time. We’re just as happy as can be to be off the couch, out of the house, and seeing a live game played in front of us from the stands once again. On the other hand, maybe our timing is not too bad based on how the Lions and Buckeyes performed last week. We hope both games will be close, but…
Past Ohio State at Penn State action.
Our History
Both teams we see this weekend post 0-1 marks in the annals of Collegefootballfan.com history. Both play on our slate for the second time in years. On October 11, 2003, we added the Ragin’ Cajuns and the UL Monroe Indians in a glorious match-up between two 0-6 teams! Attending this game we proclaimed it the “battle at the bottom of the barrel” between the two lowest rated teams in the FBS that season. It turned out to be well worth the trip for excitement. UL-Monroe booted a 31-yard field goal with 1:46 left in the game in an intense, seesaw rivalry for a 45-42 victory. If you don’t believe it, you can read about all the action in my book, “Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ’em all!” We added those two squads as numbers 85 and 86 on our drive to see every FBS team to play at least once.
Looking forward to Texas sideline scenery even if they do wear masks.
2020 season
As for Texas State, we added them as our 124th team on November 17, 2012. They fell to Navy in Annapolis, 21-10. This season, their six losses included close losses to SMU, UTSA, and Boston College, but last week, BYU hammered them, 52-14. Of all teams, their one win thus far came over UL-Monroe, the program we watched edge the Cajuns 17 years ago. After the Louisiana upset win over Iowa State open the season, 31-14, their three wins were won by two, three, and four points. Their lone loss came to an undefeated Coastal Carolina team, 30-27.
Our Outlook
To make this a game, the Bobcat defense has to step up and play their best game of the season. We hope they keep it close to make this contest interesting, but we look for the Cajuns to win by a touchdown. The teams have not played any common opponents this season. Since this is our first game at TSU’s Bobcat Stadium and being hosted by PSU alum and TSU Bobcat employee Zach Rittle, we’ll be pulling for the Cat’s upset. Looking forward to attending a game live and in person once again! It’s been an unusual and desolate college football season for us. We hope FCS games in the spring will allow us more game time attendance opportunities. Only two other potential games loom for CFF.com during the current fall season.
Two things we will predict if the FCS allows fans this spring: we will see Delaware play and North Dakota State will win another title.
Originally planning for this season, by now we would have attended possibly three games by now. However as we all already know, this year is unlike any other. Someone needs to call a do-over! We know that’s not going to happen, so the only alternative is to press on and make this bad situation tolerable by adapting to overcome what we are all going through.
All our plans on the previous post, well throw them out the window! Fewer teams are playing, and all those kicking off the 2020 fall season will be void of fans or will limit their seating capacity to 25% of a full stadium. Basically those attending can only gain access with season tickets. Even those don’t guarantee attendance at every home game. In most cases, tailgating is prohibited. This is college football?
Imagine only 25% at Beaver Stadium? Unfathomable!
Like mostly everyone else, Collegefootballfan.com will be watching on TV from home after 40 years of attending games just about every fall weekend. That just adds to this depressing time, where we can say that we are at least in our case we’re still employed while working from home avoiding daily, long commutes which we’ve gotten used to and hope to continue. However, life outside of work, it drags on, avoiding interaction with others and trying to find worthwhile things to do, whether self-entertaining or even dedicating time to help others with their needs.
Bring on the season! Bring in the fans!
College football season always ends routines of working around the yard and other required responsibilities around the house. Hot weather subsided with the fresh scent of Autumn in the air signaling a time for pads to start popping. For us, this time of year morphs into opportunities to travel, to party with friends, share good times, and relish great American traditions of the best spectator sport in history – “college” football. It always brings great people together. For us, this is always a special time of year that speeds us into the Christmas season and then into Bowl Season!
Our last bowl season ended with LSU devastating Oklahoma. After attending three OU CFP blow-out losses, we vow no more Sooner bowl games for us!
So as the 2020 season kicks off, don’t expect a lot of game reporting from yours truly this season. We just pray that play will continue. As of now, our total of 610 games stalls at that number for at least a few weeks. Of all games planned for, the only one that we look sure to attend looms in October in Texas. Depending on pending announcements by some programs to open up more seating as the season progresses, our attendance depends on attaining tickets direct through schools if available, or through friends with season tickets. At this point, we cannot rely on online ticket distribution as one cannot be sure if such tickets will be honored based on schools’ distribution policies. So it’s good to have friends with tickets in high or low seats. We’ll take what we can get with enough notice to do so economically. Nothing is certain, even the possibility that an entire season can be played.
We’ll be back in Texas this October with Alex, but not at UT. We’ll be at Texas State. Go Bobcats!
There’s possibly some silver linings. The Big Ten may start playing Thanksgiving weekend. We have our Penn State connection, but will fans be allowed by then? Where will the games be played? Rumors persist they will be relegated to indoor stadiums within the “footprint” of the conference. We can only hope they play, but despite weather conditions, we can attend some games further east than where this footprint lies.
Big Ten football has been braving the elements forever! Why stop now?
Also this spring, supposedly 13 FCS Conferences will play a shortened season. We’re in for two or more season ticket packages somewhere from Delaware to Ohio to Rhode Island to cover the time frame to get seats if they’ll give enough notice that fans can attend. We’re keeping our eyes, ears, and options open. With some progress to put Covid-19 behind us, people everywhere and fans at games adhering to preventive measures, players avoiding any major outbreaks this fall, and an earlier than anticipated vaccine developed, at best we can hope for an extended college football “season” of games played from early fall through late spring. We can only hope, but for now, we seem relegated to sitting on our coach to see the action we usually enjoy in person. Let’s hope everyone’s efforts gets us back to some form of “Normalcy”. For now, we’ll adapt as best we can to eventually overcome these crazy, unusual, and uncertain times.
Two things we will predict if the FCS allows fans this spring: we will see Delaware play and North Dakota State will win another title.
It’s mid-August of 2020, the year of the Coronavirus pandemic, and college football continues to figure out if some games will be played, and still has yet to announce who, if anyone, will be allowed to actually attend any games. Beyond that, will tailgating be allowed? How far apart will everyone sit? Can fans buy walk-up tickets? All kinds of questions remain. Frivolous to some people at this time, but eventually we have to get back to enjoying life despite the setbacks.
Our Game 600 tailgate party’s “before” picture. When will be able to do this safely once again?
Conference decisions
The media focuses on the pursuit of the SEC, ACC, and Big XII to get teams ready to play this September while the B1G and PAC-12 plan to wait for spring. However, along with the three “Power” conferences heading into the fray in a few weeks, The American Athletic, ConferenceUSA, The Mountain West, and The Sun Belt prep their players for battle as well. Independents such as Army, BYU, and Liberty try to maintain a semblance of a “full” Fall Schedule. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame ditched independence this season to play as a full fledged member of the ACC – good move on the parts of both. The only qualm we have is that the ACC forced the Irish to discontinue the longest intersectional rivalry by disallowing the Irish to open in Annapolis to play Navy for their traditional, long-time annual rivalry even though primarily one-sided.
To get to the Navy game this season, Army (in white vs Navy in 2019) is filling their 2020 schedule with home games against the likes of UL Monroe, Abilene Christian, and Mercer. However, no fans will be able to attend per Gov. Cuomo.
Reservations about this and reservations about that
We still wonder if the games will be played at this point. Any major outbreaks of Covid-19 among teams or even within a major football school (University of North Carolina?) early could put the entire season on hold and the sport in jeopardy. If one player or coach or student manager possibly dies from this pandemic, the entire sport takes a beating that will last longer than one season. As much as we now think of procuring tickets in advance for games that still remain scheduled, we only take a less costly monetary risk. However, the feeling prevails that if football competition pervades on the college gridirons this fall, after 610 games over 40 years, who other then Collegefootballfan.com needs to be part of it with mask, social-distancing, and by whatever other means are necessary.
Something that we’re already losing in the “new normal” – actual game tickets. Germ carriers? Electronics? Boring!
The new what?
Since March, like many, I’ve been lucky enough to work from home. My employer manufactures ingredients going into disinfectants, soaps, detergents, and the like. As a Purchasing professional, my job is to keep raw materials coming in so our plants can keep up with the markets strong demands. However, boredom has already set in. Besides work, the only other consistent forms of “entertainment and exercise” (still no gyms open by me) are walking twice a day (total of five miles daily) , swimming laps in our pool, and going to eat with Saint Laurie at local restaurants that can now offer only outside seating (let’s see what happens when October rolls in). Yard work and home improvements on weekends fall in line with work – enough already. Only micro-brewery runs break the monotony.
People tend to call this the “new normal”. Pardon me, I call it the “abnormal.” I enjoy living life and experiencing different things. This is getting dull, and I’ll be first in line when a new vaccine is approved! I don’t know how many years lie ahead, but I’ve got to enjoy life and do it with family and friends. A big part of this for me involves college football!
Got the Fever
Salvitation has started like it does every summer though pessimism holds the reins back on me. It’s August. I’ve snapped! Fall with no college football? Usually my schedule is intact with various options by June for every weekend from late August through January. And of course there’s the sanity my St. Laurie needs to maintain. She always asks, “OK, what three games do you want me to go to with you this year? Three at the most.” My football weekends mean freedom for her as well. This season, her interest will coincide with visits to see our son and daughter. One of these visits may actually be a bye week.
We’ll miss seeing some of our favorite cheerleading squads as well. As for UCLA and the PAC 12, maybe we’ll catch them in the spring!
Tentative “Wishlist”
To squash this fever with a glimmer of hope that there will be college football being played this fall, I’ve perused the ever-changing slates of schools that plan to play. With limited choices due to minimal games and travel capabilities, this year’s collegefootballfan.com’s tentative slate turns out better than expected. “Tentative” this year is more key than ever, of course.
1.) Will they really play? 2.) Can fans attend? 3.) Will we be able to get tickets due to “pecking orders”? So at this point, we can’t refer to this as our schedule, but only as our “Wishlist”. The good thing for CFF.com? Two FBS teams we enjoy seeing play, Navy and Temple, plan to play and they’ll make up the brunt of our Wishlist with key American Athletic Conference games to be played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial and Lincoln Financial. Navy games are an overnight trip and Temples games are two-hour drives. Check out our Wishlist below, and wish us luck!
We plan to see Navy and Temple both play several times this season including their game against one another in Annapolis in September 26.
Sept. 7 BYU at Navy, 8 pm Monday
Sept. 12 Bye
Sept. 19 Syracuse at Pitt, or BC at Duke*, Durham, NC
Sept. 26 Temple at Navy
Oct. 3 Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee* and/or LSU at Vanderbilt (Nashville visit)
Oct. 10 UL-Monroe at Liberty*, Lynchburg, VA
Oct. 17 Virginia at Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, NC (with Jim “Bug” Harton)
Oct. 24 Houston at Navy
Oct. 31 Louisiana at Texas State*, San Marcos, TX (family visit)
Or as the next line goes in this classic by The Happenings, “See you, when the summer’s through,” but as Lee Corso likes to say, “Not so fast my friends!” We at collegefootballfan.com try to stay optimistic that there will be a college football season in 2020. However, every time we think there will be one, Covid-19 numbers raises its ugly numbers insinuating that there will be a limited season, at best. Will schools allow students back on campuses before the fall semester? Some are already backing down on this. Classes on-line only they say. Will players be allowed on campus if the rest of the student body is not? If some students attend to studies on campus, will athletes also be allowed?
Will we tailgate under the fall foliage in September like we have for the past 150 years?
September? How about October? November?
Beyond students and athletes returning to school, other limitations create obstacles. If Covid-19 affects some players, but not all, how long will those affected sit out? Do they risk getting it again? When can they return? Who makes the final, risky decision? What if there are not enough starters to fill a roster to safely qualify for a game? What happens if the opponent refuses to play a team with a significant outbreak? What if multiple coaches or game officials test positive? What if no substitutes are available to officiate?
What happens if Nick Saban and most of his staff can’t stay healthy all season?
In the stands
Go beyond the playing field. Of course, we anticipate masks will be required for all fans (shields inside of helmets for all players)? Social distances will be maintained. How many fans will be allowed to attend? Lower ticket sales and higher prices? Will walk up sales be allowed? If not, will there be higher fees added to online ticket prices? Will there be age restrictions that disallow older fans into venues – 60 and over, 65 and over? How will smaller divisions with lower attendance restrict fans? Families and students only? Limited walk up sales and socially distanced seating on grandstand seats? Will fans even be allowed? What, no cheerleaders!? Is this really college football?
As he does at every Navy game, except sans his No. 72 jersey at this game, “First Down Freddie” leads a cheer to celebrate another for the Mids! Will die-hards like this be forced to sit out the season if it’s played.
Until a vaccine is developed that nobody can predict when, all precautions will be necessary. It’s understandable at his point, but the truth of the matter is this is all still under assessment. Is there a definitive answer that yet that all are safe from dying? Most often, we hear the final decisions have to be made in July to have the players ready in game condition, to develop some of the newest on the rosters to assimilate into the team, and to prepare game-untested members need to ready to step in as needed.
Without spring games like Penn State’s Blue-White game, coaches find their 2020 teams way behind in preparation for games supposedly two months away.
Getting priorities straight
We’re staying positive, but we won’t be shocked if our collegiate gridirons remain empty this year. A few lower division schools, D-2 Morehouse and D-3 TCNJ (The College of New Jersey) have already announced all fall athletics are cancelled in 2020. Even some winter programs, The bottom line has to be in regards to the health of their athletes. Larger schools are torn between physical health and the financial health of their programs that provide revenues to fund all other athletic programs on their campuses.
Syracuse fans and students rush to the on-field celebration after their upset over No. 2 Clemson in 2017! Social distancing?Yeah, right!
This summer: the waiting game
If smarter people than myself can get together to come up with a plan to keep athletes safe and healthy as well assure benefits under severe circumstances to save college sports for the long-term, we’re all for it. But if they can’t address the short-term health issues first, they can’t address the long term. We can only hope and pray for an effective vaccine to be developed to hopefully save us all so we can return to life as we knew it and to have college football and our other sports back on track in 2021.
With that said, I’m thinking positive that there will be some form of college football being played in 2020. From a personal perspective, I am working on an opportunity to move from my home state of New Jersey to the great state of Tennessee in the not to distant future. In addition, to reduce the budget in 2020 and stay flexible, I’m considering more emphasis on small school games. Already, the Naval Academy is returning a refund for my two tickets purchased for the Notre Dame game originally scheduled in Dublin, Ireland on August 29 and later moved to Annapolis on September 5. Paring down the seats from 35,000 originally sold to make social distancing possible and probably the addition of 4,000 midshipman, I fell in line far at the bottom behind all the admirals, captains, and Marine Corps generals, so I’m looking at other options.
The SUNY Privateers (in blue) and the Mass Maritime Mariners will possibly be on our potential D-3 schedule in 2020.
Triple option: not Navy’s, ours
Always enjoying my off-seasons perusing various games to attend, I have put together a “New Jersey plan”, a “Tennessee plan”, and a “Division-3 plan”. In some cases they overlap. However, not knowing how this tenuous season will play out in the end, I’m leaving options open. To explore my possibilities, I have determined what my best options are. Even these are subject to change. Those of you who have followed collegefootballfan.com over the years understand I’m not one who enjoys sitting at home on a couch in front of a television during the fall. If there are games, I’ll be somewhere. I don’t want to disappoint my fans and I’m not ready to sit out a college football season at this point no matter what Saint Laurie says!
By now, I’m usually salivating about my upcoming schedule. With options still open, I’m not sure where I’ll be. I’m holding back on editing my 2020 slate until there is more clarification of who will be available to see play, when, where, and against who. Give it another two weeks at least. Who could have ever imagined that we would ever see a year like 2020? Let’s hope we can come out with a much better future for everything.
We close our great 2019 college football with photos of some of the best talent play this past season who have recently garnered the opportunity to play at the highest level of all in their futures. Their desire to compete at a top level brings out our enjoyment about this terrific endeavor we’ve enjoyed for forty years now. We get to see kids coming out of high school and playing three or for years at the collegiate level who come out finishing careers as the best of the best. Getting to see them become part of a team and playing as competitively as possible to play their best to win in every game we attend makes doing this all worthwhile. Generally, we plan to attend games that we think allow us to see the most competitive possible.
What this game means to us
With all the other amenities surrounding college football that we enjoy such as the travel, the tailgating, the school spirit, the cheerleaders, the marching bands, the traditions, alum we meet, and the friends who join us, the efforts and play of the young men on the field no matter what level of NCAA football are what keep us coming back to attend games every fall. We look forward to doing this as long as we physically and financially can even if it means just going to see local Division III schools play!
Let our great traditions continue
Let’s all hope that whatever the outcome this tragic epidemic leaves behind, it will not change our ways of life here in this country where we can no longer enjoy getting together, interacting with our friends, and enjoying being a part of something that allows us to have fun and to share memories together. We hope and pray that we will find a way to get back to our lives as safely as possible as soon as we can to continue to enjoy life as we know it and how it was meant to be.
Great history with focus on our future
Below, enjoy some great action from some of the best college football players in the country we watched give their all on the gridirons around our great country these past few seasons. You’ll see most of these guys playing at the next level for years to come. Come back as we plan our options for next season as things develop to follow us here at collegefootballfan.com!
LSU LBs K’Lavon Chaisson (18) and Patrick Queen (8) close in to stop a Sooner in the 2019 CFP Peach Bowl win. Chaisson joined the Jaguars as the 22nd pick overall, and Queen followed at No. 28 overall with the Ravens. Tough Tigers! Auburn CB Noah Igbingoghene demonstrates tight coverage against Purdue in 2018 Music City Bowl that got him drafted by the Dolphins at No. 30. Auburn DE Marlon Davidson also shut down Purdue in Nashville for a 56-7 lead at the half. He got snagged by the Falcons as the 47th pick in 2020.We watched Jalen Hurts (2) lead Bama to a CFP win over Washington in 2017. Then we saw him sit the bench when Taglavoilia led The Tide past the Sooners in the CFP in 2018. Then we saw him take an ass-whooping as QB for the Sooners in 2019. Good luck to him backing up Carson Wentz of the Eagles who selected him at No. 53. Houston OT Josh Jones (74) seen here against Navy got drafted by the Cardinals who were glad to still find a quality OT at pick no. 72.LB Zack Baun of Wisconsin (far right) in action here against Penn State will continue his playing career with the Saints who grabbed him at No. 74.Temple C Matt Hennessey (58) will have to be more wary of his blocking assignments than shown here against Georgia Tech , but he is still highly regarded by the Falcons who took him at No. 78 overall to play with them in Georgia.You never know where you will see hidden talent. CB Reggie Robinson II (9) of the struggling Tulsa program stood out evidently for the Cowboys to select him at No. 123 in the draft. LSU C Saahdiq Charles (77) protected Heisman winner Joe Burrow in 2019. The Jaguars will be calling on him now to protect their QBs to new heights after selecting him 108th.Miami Hurricane Shaquille Quarterman, shown here making a stop against Boston College and future Packer Running Back AJ Dillon, will remain in the state of Florida joining the Jaguars who selected him at No. 140.A lineman from last season’s UMass football team was not selected, but we saw Jack Driscoll play for the Minutemen in their opener against Hawaii in 2017. In 2019, he started at OT as a grad transfer at Auburn. The Eagles thought enough of him to take him at No. 145 overall.Another Hurricane from Tulsa, DE Trevis Gipsen (15), snuck in here on us to get recognized for his talent and deemed worthy enough to join the Bears as the 155th selection in this year’s draft.Penn State DT Robert Windsor has been called up as No. 193 to help plug up the middle for the Colts in the future. James Madison QB Ben Di Nucci, shown in action in an FCS playoff loss to Colgate in 2018, went further in 2019 to the finals where the Dukes fell to North Dakota State. He has a chance to go back to the playoffs next year with the Cowboys who drew him in the final round as No. 231.More pics coming up to beat the coronavirus blues blahs!
Below we featured action photos of players touted for the 2020 draft who we saw play during their careers. See who went where and when. After the draft, we’ll feature some more – amazing, a lot more. Having seen LSU and Alabama play CFP games the last two seasons, we certainly saw a lot of players heading to the NFL. We called it right for a few players on the very end of some wish lists as well. Come back and check us out after all the dealing is done.
Must-see TV
Finally! A live sports show to watch on TV this spring! The NFL draft starting on the evening of April 23. For sure the highlight of social distancing TV season. We look forward to the NFL draft every year to see names come up among all the players we’ve seen in action over the past few years to see who is good enough to continue playing football on Sundays. It’s great to be able to say we saw this great player perform or that one. It thrills us even more to say, we remember this one particular player for a great performance, or a great play, or may have played for a team in a lower division who we just thought was special, and then he shows up making it big when nobody else even heard of the guy before.
When we go back and peruse the pictures of plays we took and see a player considered as a potential draft pick, it makes it that much more fun each spring to reminisce about games we attended and players we saw and recorded for memorable moments to share with others.
Seeing is believing
Researching our many photos of game action over seasons in our recent past, we present our collection of memories to share with you. Some players are already household names. Some are known just to their school’s fan base. Others bring to mind a particular highlight seen in the past. And a small group will make you think, who the heck is that and why is he here? That’s he fun of all this.
Seeing these players in game action provides the truest evaluation of a football player. You can watch the players run sprints, lift weights, jump their highest. Reports will come out that an individual is too slow, or this one’s arms are too short to be an effective blocker or tackler. From the opposite perspective, the remarks state that he’s a QB who’s going to be around along time, or that this player is a top five pick. We’ve seen players over the years earn such reputations on both sides and wondered what the so-called experts see that we don’t. Seeing players in action provides a better perspective than all the off field analysis we hear about. “Seeing is believing” is what we think makes for the best judgment. Whether the players we display below make it to the next level or not, from what we’ve seen, these guys could play on our team any day,
Enjoy!
We start right at the top with No. 1 pick LSU QB Joe Burrow who threw seven TD passes against Oklahoma in the CFP Peach bowl when we saw him perform. Burrow went No. 1 to Cincinnati as expected, but many of his teammates followed him in later rounds including OT Lloyd Cushenberry III (79) who went 83rd to Denver.The second QB most likely to be drafted, Alabama’s Tua Tagliavoiloa, unleashes under pressure against The Sooners in Bama’s CFP win in the 2018 Orange Bowl. Tua went to the Dolphins at No. 5. He may have the opportunity to play again against Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore (90) who was chosen by the Cowboys at No. 82.Wisconsin Badger RB Jonathan Taylor breezes downfield for a 71-yard TD romp against Penn State. He looks to churn out yards for some team on Sundays in 2020.The Colts picked him 41st in the second round.In 2018, Liberty WR Antonio Gandy-Golden impressed us with this sideline catch as well as others here against UMass and CB Isaiah Rodgers. Look for Gandy-Golden to go early in the draft. Rodgers could go in the late rounds or as a free agent to make it as a pro roster special teams player as well.Gandy-Golden went to the Redskins at No. 143. The analysts seemed to hail him as a steal who will be around quite a while.As predicted here, Rodgers went at No. 211 to the Colts. Joe Reed of Virginia en-route to a 92-yard kick-off return for a touchdown against Georgia Tech in 2017. Later that season in the Military Bowl, we saw him return the opening kickoff 100 yards against Navy for another TD . He may play as a special-teamer for some NFL team in the future. This wide receiver with five career kick-off returns and record receiving yardage at UVA was taken at No. 151 by the Chargers.Penn State CB John Reid will look to step up and make sure tackles on ball carriers at the next level like he did here against Wisconsin.At No. 141, he was drafted by former Penn State Head Coach Bill O’Brien for the Houston Texans. These Sun Dolls from South Florida always seem to be sneaking onto this site.It’s ok. Anytime!Temple LB Shaun Bradley (5) foils a Georgia Tech scoring attempt. Look for him to bring some tenacity wherever he finds a spot in the NFL. He can possibly keep his address and even his locker as the Eagles selected him at No. 196 so he can continue to play at Lincoln Financial Fieldin Philadelphia where the Owls play their home games.BC’s AJ Dillon runs with speed and power for the next level.The Packers chose him to develop their running game late in the second round as pick number 62.Vanderbilt’s WR Kalija Lipscomb hauled this one in for a score against South Carolina. Despite a lot of great receiving talent in this year’s draft, he should get taken in the late rounds.Not selected, things worked out well for him as a free agent.Signed by the World Champion Chiefs!Big Wisconsin offensive linemen like Center Tyler Biadasz (61) will add power and protection where needed in the pros. The Cowboys selected him to fill their void at Center as the final selection in the fourth round.North Dakota State DE Derek Tuszka (91) latching on to Delaware QB’s leg has scouts saying he’s ready to make the leap from FCS national champs to NFL as did fellow Bison, QB Carson Wentz.Denver selected him at No. 254, next to last in the draft.A kicker? We got an eye on one – Tyler Bass of Georgia Southern here in action at Coastal Carolina.Evidently the Bills did, too, and selected him as No. 188.
Louisville’s Mekhi Becton (73) seals off Wake Forest defense in 2017 as Lamar Jackson uses him to his advantage. Scouts consider him a top pick in this year’s draft.The Jets did in particular taking him as the eleventh selection overall.Penn State’s KJ Hamler (1) will become a nice speedy addition with great hands to any team’s receiving corps.KJ went to Denver as draft pick No. 46 joining who we considered the best receiver in this year’s draft from what we’d seen! See below.With all the rushing yards Navy’s QB Malcolm Perry (with football) compiled for the Mids, some team is going to give him a shot to play pro ball.The Dolphins drafted him as a wide receiver as No. 246 in the seventh round.North Carolina’s OT Charlie Heck (67) at 6-8, 315 lbs. who played four years for the Heels with a senior year under Mack Brown should be ready to excel at the next level. He will be heading to the Texans as the 126th pick of 2020.Someone keeps sneaking cheerleader pictures in here among all these exciting game action photos of top players. Guess we’ll have to feature another round of “Beat the coronavirus blues blahs” photos before the draft. After the draft, we’ll have photos of other players who actually got selected in the 2020 draft!TE Thaddeus Moss of LSU (81) follows in his old man Randy’s footsteps to the NFL.Well he didn’t get drafted, but the Redskins signed him as a free agent.Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy demonstrated bursts of speed to smoke the OU secondary like none ever seen before. DBs beware!At No. 15, we think Denver got the best receiver we’d seen in college football over the last few years.South Carolina Gamecock WR Bryan Edwards is a middle round prospect who can excel at the next level.Viva Las Vegas! The Raiders selected him to join them in the desert at No. 81.Penn State DE Yetur Gross-Matos (99) will bring power and speed to pressure QBs and go the distance when a play doesn’t come his way.As the 37th selection overall, he’s headed to Carolina to play for first-year HC Matt Rhule, a former Penn State Linebacker.Wake Forest CB Essang Bassey (21) demonstrated effective coverage that could give him some consideration in the lower rounds. Bassey was one of seven signed as an is undrafted free agent by the Denver Broncos.Minnesota RB Rodney Smith (1) scores one of his eight TDs in 2019 against Rutgers with 1,163 rushing yards. We expect to see him taken late in the draft, but he came up short. He signed on as a free agent with the Panthers. Come back soon so we can help blow away the coronavirus blues!However, we got a lot more pics to share. We can’t believe how many draftees we’ve seen play and caught on camera even when we focus on scenes like this along the sidelines.
That’s right! Among the 24 games we attended this past season, ten final scores were not decided until within the last minute of play. Of these, four were determined on the very last snap of each game. We take pride in putting our schedule together based on the most competitive clashes we can find within the parameters of time, costs, and opportunities.
The closest we enjoyed to a season similar to this one came back in 2013. Back then, we strung eight consecutive contests finishing with the fate of the game decided with the final minute at least. In five of those games, the visitors won. That memorable stretch included three games celebrated in my book, Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ’em all! Click on the title to learn more about our story to see every FBS team play at least once.
That stretch in 2003 rolled out like this:
October 4 – Wisconsin 30 Penn State 23; Oct. 11 – Louisiana – Monroe 45 Louisiana-Lafayette 42; Oct. 18 – Arizona State 33 North Carolina 31; Oct. 25 – UConn 38 Akron 37; November 1 – Ohio State 21 Penn State 20; Nov. 8 – Pitt 31 Virginia Tech 28; Nov. 15 – Yale 27 Princeton 24 (OT); and Nov. 27 -Montclair State 20 Allegheny College 19 in a D-3 playoff game.
As for this exciting season, here’s a summary leading of exciting down-to- the-wire finishes up to the final score of each hotly contested match-up we viewed in person in 2019. The list builds from the least climactic to the most, tenth through first. Many fans who attend games throughout the season following their particular team could probably see two or three like these at the most, although Navy seemed to lead this season in thrilling wins. We attended five of their games, and three we attended that made our hit list.
No. 10 through No. 6
10. August 31 – Boston College led Virginia Tech at home entering the final period, 35-21. Tech pieced together a 18-play drive including a fourth down conversion for an 11-yard TD pass from Ryan Willis to Kaleb Smith. BC recovered the onsides kick. In the final minute, RB AJ Dillon carried the ball for an 11-yard gain on a fourth down and nine to seal the Eagles victory, 35-28.
AJ Dillon (2) sealed BC’s opening victory with an 11-yard gain for a first down in the final minute to seal the Eagles’ opening season win over the Hokies.
9. September 13 – Fairleigh Dickinson – Florham led William Paterson in a D-3 non-conference clash 17-0 in the third. WPU scored late in that period on a 41-yard gallop by Terrique Riddick. In the fourth, the Pioneer running game continued on course finishing scoring drives on a one-yard run by Marcel Mason and a two-yarder by Riddick. Mason took it in from the ten to take a 28-17 WPU lead with 2:49 left to play. FDU QB Anthony Caserta pumped a 14-yard scoring pass to Khrystan Camilo that cut the Pioneer lead 28-23 after a missed two-point conversion with only 1:30 remaining. “Willy Pat” recovered the onsides kick and never relinquished the ball to take the 28-23 victory. It was their first victory since 2017. It also turned out to be the first of only two wins in 2019.
Marcel Mason (1) scored two late TD runs of one yard and ten yards to lead William Paterson to post a 28-23 win over FDU-Florham.
8. November 23 – Early in the last quarter, Navy took a 28-21 lead against SMU with a 13-yard scoring pass and two-point conversion when slotback CJ Williams made an outstanding catch falling flat on his back into the end zone. The Mustangs came right back when QB Shane Buechele connected with Rashee Rice for a 61-yard scoring pass. QB Malcolm Perry’s long burst up the middle gave Navy the 35-28 lead. The outcome still remained in question with SMU’ s passing attack averaging 328.1 yard per game and totaling 28 TD passes for the season.
Starting from their 25, Buechele engineered a drive for a third and four at the Midshipman 12. His first attempt fell incomplete and on fourth down, his pass was nicely broken up. The Ponies still had two time-outs remaining with 2:35 left to play. Navy converted one first down, but on fourth and two from the 31, SMU spent their final time-out. Navy trotted back on to go for it. With cheers echoing throughout Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, SMU jumped off-sides, and a flag flew with a vehement protest from the SMU sideline. Game over with another Navy first down to run out the clock, 35-28.
7. November 9 – With the score tied at 24-24 in Austin, the Texas Longhorns had the ball third and goal at the Kansas State three. Longhorn fans celebrated as QB Sam Ehrlinger carried it over the right side for a supposed score, but officials called the play back for an illegal formation. Ehrlinger centered the ball on the eight on the next play. UT let the clock run down until HC Tim Herman called for a time-out with three seconds left. Cameron Dicker converted to give UT the 27-24 victory with his 26-yard FG to win and put the Horns in third place in the Big 12 trailing Oklahoma by a game and undefeated Baylor by two games. Texas celebrated!
Sam Ehrlinger’s (11) TD run was nullified, but UT settled for Cameron Dicker’s kick to win over Kansas State on the very next and final play of the game.
6. November 16 – Kutztown led Slippery Rock 35-21 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship game (D-2) at home. The Rock then drove down to the seven for a fourth and goal, but an interference call in the end zone gave them a fresh set of downs. Roland Rivers III connected with DeSean Dinkins for a two-yard TD pass to close to within seven early in Q4. Later in the period, Slippery Rock drove into Kutztown’s red zone, but Rivers fumbled and KU recovered at the 18. The Kutztown possession resulted in a punt. The Rock’s Jermaine Wynn found a seam and raced 59 yards to KU’s 11. The Bear defense held, and The Rock settled for Jake Chapla’s 31-yard FG to trail, 35-31.
The Rock held the Bears to a three-and-out. SRU started from their 35 with 2:06 remaining. Rivers got to work running and passing. On a third and ten he completed a pass to Wynn at the 17 followed by an eight-yard pass to Qaadri Dixon. From there Charles Snorweah took it over to give SRU the 37-35 lead. Chapla’s conversion failed to retain the lead by only two.
KU with three time-outs still in their pockets had the ball again with 25 seconds left. TE Jake Pilkerton caught a Collin DiGalbo pass for 21 yards at The Rock 42. He gathered in another at the 34 with two seconds left. Kutztown lined up looking like they were going to attempt a “Hail Mary”. HC Jim Clement then called a second time-out with Dean Krcic now preparing for a 51-yard attempt into the 14-mph wind. Fans in the home stands were astonished and lacked confidence. Clement voided a shorter attempt earlier with the wind at his kicker’s back. The Dartmouth “Hail Mary” two weeks ago appeared fresh in my mind. I should tell the Head Coach that I was there. Throw the pass! I wanted to keep my streak of games won on the final play intact! SRU HC Shawn Lutz called for a time-out because he had one left to burn to “ice” Krcic. No one on the Kutztown (10-1) side seemed to believe he had a chance. His kick went short, low, and not even close, rolling on the ground. I’d seen better attempts at halftime from students from the stands trying to win prize money from the school bookstore to buy books.
SRU (11-0) celebrated its big PSAC championship victory. These two would be back on a collision course to meet again for the Super East Region title game on December 7 to get into the Semi-final Round of D-2 football, but that didn’t come to pass as you will read why next.
Roland Rivers III nears the goal line for The Rock on a late drive against Kutztown in the PSAC championship game not settled until the final seconds of play.
No. 5 to No. 1
5. November 30 – Notre Dame College of Ohio traveled to Kutztown in the second round of the D-2 playoffs. Both squads came in with 11-1 records averaging 35 ppg. It couldn’t get better than this late in college football’s regular season. Surprisingly, Kutztown PK Dean Krcic booted a 24-yard FG to put the Golden Bears into Q4 with a 17-10 lead.
In the final period, on fourth and one at KU’s four, Notre Dame HC Mike Jacobs opted to at least get a first down if not a touchdown. The Bears stopped RB Jaleel McLaughlin for a one-yard loss and took over on their five. Jacobs’ strategy paid off better than expected. On third down from the seven, KU’S Collin DiGalbo dropped back into the end zone looking for a receiver. However, instead he took a hit from his right jarring to ball loose only to get recovered by Falcon DL Saivon Davis to tie the score at 17-all with 10:11 left to play.
With 1:27 left in the game, after a KU first down, DiGalbo threw three straight incompletions stopping the clock each time. The Bears punted to start NDC from its 40 with only 41 seconds remaining on the clock. RB Jaleel McLaughlin went to work for the Falcons. On the first play, he rambled for 20 yards. On his next, he picked up seven. After calling time-out, he rambled around KU tacklers for 26 yards to the seven. Following a delay of game and a one-yard loss, Tanner Harding’s kick sailed through the uprights from 30 for the Notre Dame College victory as time expired for their first, only, and final lead of the game for a 20-17 victory to move on to a quarterfinal meeting with Slippery Rock. Their hundred or so fans celebrated with a muffled roar across the field as the home side of Andre Reed Stadium sat in morbid silence. Season finished for the Golden Bears. Great game down to the wire and great season for both teams in 2019.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin (20) came up big in the final drive against Kutztown leading to Tanner Harding’s last second FG to defeat Kutztown, 20-17, in the D-2 playoffs.
4. October 26 – The Midshipmen of Navy (6-1, 4-1) relinquished a 24-0 second period lead to Tulane who tied the score at 31-all with 1:01 remaining in the game. When Navy led, 31-21, Tulane’s defense continued to knock Navy off track when PJ Hall picked off Malcolm Perry’s lob pass and returned it to the Mids’ 39. The Green Wave converted the take-away into six when QB Justin McMillan sprinted left to complete a TD pass to a diving Ygenio Booker for a two-yard score. The Wave trailed now 31-28 early heading into the final period.
Tulane forced Navy into a three-and out once again, and then converted it into Merek Glover’s 39-yard FG to even the score at 31-all. The TU comeback sparked Navy’s offense back into action. On the next Mid drive, Perry converted two fourth and ones from his team’s 34 and 45 into first downs on two two-yard dives. On the very next play after the second conversion, he broke tackles and picked up 38 yards to the Tulane 15. The ball went back to RB Jamale Carouthers who rumbled on the next play for his fourth score to give the Naval Academy back the lead, 38-31, with 5:35 remaining.
Tulane fought right back starting from its 23. On a third and two at the Midshipmen’s 20, McMillan completed a pass at the one-yard line. He followed the honors for the score to get within one. HC Willie Fritz called for the kicking unit to enter the field to tie. The score was locked at 38-38 with 1:01 left.
Starting from their 25, USNA HC Ken Niumatatolo decided to rely on Perry’s legs rather than his arm to move the team towards a last-minute score. Perry dropped back to look down field on several plays, but he tucked it and carried the ball for 44 yards on five carries to the Tulane 31. Fritz called a final time-out to “ice” Frosh PK Bijan Nichols with :02 left, but it didn’t work. The first-year kicker put it up like a seasoned vet from 48 yards to not only give Navy a hard-fought, exciting win with no time remaining, but to give them their sixth victory to make them bowl eligible after missing that mark a season ago. Tulane fell to 5-3, 2-2. Serious celebrating took place on the field before the traditional playing of “Navy Blue and Gold!”
FB Jamale Carouthers on the way to one of his four TDs against Tulane in Navy’s last second 41-38 victory on a 48-yard FG by Bijan Nichols.
3. October 15 – Air Force (3-1) came to Annapolis to meet for the first leg of The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for supremacy among the three major Academy football programs. Both teams got off to good starts despite close losses already to Top 25 teams Boise and Memphis respectively. The Mids (2-1) led 21-9 at the end of the third.
Air Force’s drive heading into the final 15 minutes resulted in three more points on a 26-yard boot. On the next series, Air Force recovered a Navy fumble at the Navy 37. This time Air Force got their engines finally revving to forgo a field goal as QB Donald Hammond III took it over from the three to close within two, 21-19. The Falcons forced a Midshipman punt and started from their 28. A pass to WR Benjamin Waters for 41 yards keyed the possession to the Navy six. FB Taven Birdow’s one-yard run into the end zone gave Air Force a 25-21 lead with only 3:15 left to play.
Malcolm Perry did the brunt of the running on Navy’s next possession. He converted a fourth and one on a sneak at the 14 for a first down. With 23 seconds remaining, he carried the ball over from the three to retake the lead for the Mids by three, 28-25. Desperate to score quickly with only one tick left on the clock, the Falcons went into the lateral mode from their 27 resulting in an eight-yard fumble return by Brown of Navy to wrap up the scoring at 34-25 for the Navy victory as the clock ran out.
The sold-out crowd witnessed probably the biggest celebration to ever end a game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Both teams defeated Army, both finished 11-2, both finished their seasons with bowl victories. With this win, Navy finished ranked No. 20 in the nation and winner of the C-I-C Trophy. Air Force finished at No. 22. Great seasons for both in 2019!
Navy’s post-game celebration before “Navy Blue and Gold!” was so big it drew a fine from the NCAA. The last minute win was well worth it!
2. October 12 – The Louisville Cardinals’ speed vaulted them past the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest early to post a 28-7 lead early in the second period. However, the undefeated Deacs ranked 19th in the AP poll coming in, surprisingly out-scored their ACC foe from that point on, 52-34. The third ended with the Cards in the lead, 45-31. Despite many Wake fans already leaving, this game was still within reach for the Demon Deacons.
After an exchange of punts, Louisville thrived with their speed game as sub QB Evan Conley replacing injured starter Micale Cunningham, tossed the ball to Dez Fitzpatrick who turned on his afterburners for a 50-yard TD. The Deacs responded with 59 yards culminating in a three-yard TD run by Ken Walker III. Five minutes and 35 second remained when Blanton Creque put up another FG for a 17-point Cardinal lead, 55-38. Most of the Wake “faithful” already filtered out. Jim promised to give his frat buddy, “One-Iron”, a ride out to Greensboro and it was well past 11. I had a long ride to Charlotte to catch a morning flight home. I hate these evening kick-offs!
Jim and I sauntered out, made our “pit stop”, and continued out to our disassembled pregame tailgate in the Gold lot close to the stadium. A few of Jim’s friends lingered to share their disappointments regarding their Demon Deacons. A couple of roars let out from the remaining crowd. The Wake band belted out, “Oh here’s to Wake Forest!” And a couple more times! What’s going on? Speed kills, special teams stink, time’s running out! Out came all the cell phones. Updates varied. WTH? 55-52? We missed two Deacon scores? Turned out Wake QB Sam Hartman, the starter from a year ago, hit Scotty Washington for a 22-yard TD pass. Sciba’s onsides kick recovery put Wake at LU’s 47. Three plays later, Hartman completes a 21-yard scoring pass to TE Jack Freudenthal. I’m heading back into BB&T Stadium.
I get inside and easily find a seat. I see a first down challenged and under review for several minutes. The replay video on the scoreboard is frozen showing Conley’s knee definitely down a yard short of the marker to the embarrassment of the refs, who by the way, were horrible all night. Louisville breaks from the sideline with their offense, not their punt team. Fourth and one at the Wake 41 means the game here based on a first down or a stop.
Conley fakes a hand-off to a back through the middle, takes it along the right side of his protection, turns upfield past one defender, and then bolts 41 yards untouched for a TD – unbelievable! It looked too easy. Untouched. 62-52 with 2:15 left. I start walking out. Two more Deacon scores? No way! Leftovers cheer again? “Oh, here’s to Wake Forest!” In only 1:05 and in seven plays, Hartman gets the Deacs back on the board with a one-yard TD run following his 27-yard pass to Surrat. 62-59 Louisville. With 1:10 left, Sciba’s onsides kick gets recovered by the Cardinals. 1:10? If WFU recovered, no doubt they would have won. Again, unbelievable!
For the second year in a row, we saw this same score that set our record a year ago when UMass defeated Liberty, 62-59, but that resulted after three overtimes. Over in regulation, we now officially consider this our highest scoring game. The Demon Deacons (5-1) dropped out of the rankings. Louisville (4-2) overwhelmed them with speed. Wake’s specialty teams stunk. Their defense couldn’t tackle, but “Here’s to Wake Forest!”
WR Seth Dawkins shows the Cardinals speedy advantage over Wake Forest to win this record-setting game for Collegefootballfan.com.
1. November 2 – After 602 games we’ve attended including the previous week’s when Navy’s 48-yard field goal beat Tulane as time expired to win by three, this ending outdid that one. When we said our first game of our next 600 got us off to a great start, we had no idea that the second of our next 600 could conceivably exceed the excitement of the first. TV sport reports highlight only that one unbelievable final play, but they just don’t build up the excitement experienced showing all that happened leading up to that exciting, unexpected, earth-shattering climax!
It’s rare to get a second chance in the Ivy League. They play ten games every year, and there are no post-season contests for the “Ancent Eight”. One loss staggers and the second loss delivers the knock out punch is basically what the Ivy League comes down to. Harvard knew that coming in after last week’s loss. Beat Dartmouth and Dartmouth still has a chance to beat Princeton. Throw in Yale games with Princeton and Harvard remaining to be played and it could come down to anyone of those four or a combination thereof to win it all or share it on the final day of Ivy football 2019, November 23. The only path to the Ivy title is to beat everybody on your schedule. Three-way tie? You share the title. Kiss two sisters, not one. A second Ivy League loss means you’re out of contention. Harvard already suffered their first. Dartmouth rolled into town to win at all costs against a solid foe.
The Crimson defense held the Big Green O that averaged 43.5 points per game this season to only 107 yards in the first half. The Crimson totaled 210, but a missed FG and their final drive before time expired left them with only three points after their longest drive that started the game. Gerbino, their senior starting QB had not recovered from his alleged leg injury in the first half. Kyler started the third period at QB.
Following Dartmouth’s opening three-and out series, a shanked punt put Harvard with the ball at midfield. On a fourth and thirteen, McIntyre nailed his second kick of the day from the 38 to retake the lead for the Crimson, 6-3. This following is the story the big-time media fails to build on before the only highlight of the last second score they show.
After three plays and no yards, Dartmouth punted to Harvard to take over on its 26. The Crimson drove to Big Green’s thirteen for a first down. RB Devin Darrington picks up five yards to the eight. Dartmouth stuffs him for no gain on the next play. Harvard HC Tim Murphy calls for a time-out. The subsequent pass play falls incomplete. To the shock of many, McIntyre misfires on his 25-yard FG attempt, wide right!
Kyler started his team from the 20 to get out to the 44. On fourth and six, LB Joey Goodman picked off his pass with 6:48 at the 30. However, Harvard punted back eventually where Dartmouth took over on its nine. Crimson DL mates Truman Jones and Brogan McPartland met at Kyler simultaneously in the backfield stripping out the football with McParland recovering for the Crimson at Big Green’s ten. Only 1:31 remained in the game with Harvard still leading, 6-3.
Darrington carried twice for four yards with a Dartmouth time-out sandwiched in between. On the next play, he got pinned back for a two-yard loss. Dartmouth HC Buddy Teevens charged his final time-out. A field goal would only put the Crimson up by six. Either HC Tim Murphy did not want to call on McIntyre again, or he thought he would leave too much time on the clock for Dartmouth to come back for a TD and an extra point. He decided to go for the touchdown on fourth and goal at the Harvard four. Darrington, no gain!
One minute remained. Kyler and his teammates used the sideline effectively with only one time-out left. Eight-yard completion to WR Hunter Hagdorn. Kyler ran for four and got out of bounds. Hagdorn completion again for 19. Incomplete. Kyler ducked a would-be tackler on a blitz and fired a completion 22 yards to Estrada at the Harvard 43. Harvard called their final time-out to set up defensively for the long pass anticipated with six ticks left on the game clock.
Kyler scrambled, dodged tacklers, bounced a little left, prayed to Mary and let the ball fly toward the end zone. I had put down the camera thinking that I would relish seeing this myself, but I got ready for in case something special happened here. Bodies leapt, hands went up, the ball bounced, it ricocheted, I thought, but it didn’t fall to the ground. Instead it got bear-hugged by someone in a white jersey. WR Masaki Aerts caught his only pass of the game for the game’s only TD, Dartmouth’s first lead, and a suddenly, exciting 9-6 victory over Harvard to go 7-0 and on to play Princeton at Yankee Stadium next Saturday in a clash of two undefeated teams.
College football doesn’t get better than that! What a season! Games like these on fall Saturdays make me always want to come back for more. Nothing beats attending a competitive college football game in person. I am so happy to have been able to do this for so long. Can’t wait for next season!
It doesn’t get any better than this with “00” showing on the clock. Ball gets knocked into the air before landing in the arms of Dartmouth’s Masaki Aerts, far right, for his only catch and winning touchdown of the game for the Big Green win over Harvard, 9-6.
