Seen 'em all – 133 FBS teams in action. Three new members to be added the next two years. All divisions: 712 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.
It’s only February and most FBS and FCS schedules are complete and posted. Our plans are already formulating starting next August. We’ve set up our matrix of schedules and peruse it diligently to determine where we want go, who we want to see, and what we can afford to do. Planning each season is as much fun as getting to these games. Times are not announced until much later. Some games will be moved for the benefit of television schedules from Saturdays to weekday nights. So up until the season actually starts, we may still have some options to weigh, and we’ll continue refer to our slates up until the very beginning as “tentative”.
In Stone
However, certain games loom already that we’ve establishes as priorities, and no matter what other game(s) may be scheduled in conflict with these, or if possibly moved to another date, unless it just doesn’t make sense in respect to timeliness, we plan to definitely attend.
Can’t miss Ohio State at Penn State, of course!
We can say that the ones listed here are “chiseled in stone.” Other dates are being planned. As a matter of fact, we may be relocating our current base in the state of the “Birthplace of College Football” to another state where we will have some options that we never had before. Nothing is definite regarding that yet, so this scheduling season, we work on two plans until we know what’s definite. However, relocation or not, these games listed here are definite. You’ll be reading more about plan updates after we figure out where we will be dwelling this fall. Check us out for this and other updates including our Collegefootballfan.com 2019 All-American teams, draft pick analysis, and other Collegefootballfan.com extra points!
2020 Collegefootballfan.com Schedule
We don’t ever plan to see another Notre Dame game in South Bend, but we’ll go all the way to Ireland to see the Irish play the Midshipman.
The season of 2019 gave us a mark that we’ve never achieved in 40 years despite having attended 610 college football games. We didn’t even plan for for this one. Though we made an effort to see all four NCAA champions as reported previously, we stepped into it though with this effort as we did get to see three players earn the highest award in their respective divisions as the Player of the Year.
Three out of four “ain’t” bad
Three divisions award a trophy to their top player every year named after an individual honored pretentiously for playing in each of those respective levels. Division III names Offensive and Defensive Players of the year, and the prowess of this year’s award winner at that level did not appear before us in person, QB Broc Rutter of D-3 Champ North Central, but having witnessed a competitor he performed against, Muhlenberg, his team’s final result speaks volumes of his talent. In D-III, 247 teams compete making it probably the hardest to achieve with so many players involved throughout the land.
Every college football fan knows that the Heisman Trophy recognizes the top player from among the 130 programs that compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS). On the other hand, fewer fans realize that the highest award bestowed on the best player of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) consisting of 126 teams honors former Jackson State and Chicago Bear running back Walter Payton. Another former Chicago Bear player who played college ball at Florence State Teachers College (now the University of North Alabama) from 1950 to 1953, Harlon Hill, honors the Player of the Year at the Division II level. One hundred sixty-seven football teams compete at this level.
The Heisman
In the FBS, Joe Burrow, QB from LSU, led No. 1 Tigers over No. 4 Oklahoma as we attended The Peach Bowl to see their 63-28 CFP semi-final win. He passed for 493 yards and seven TDs all in the first half. The Tigers led at intermission, 49-14. He also ran for a TD in the second half. He displayed amazing accuracy. We noted one particular play that evening which made him stand out. On a third and two from his 22, under heavy pressure, Burrow rolled right. Nearing the sideline, in one motion falling out of bounds, he fired a submarine pass down field 24 yards to Terrace Marshall hitting him right in the chest for a first down. The drive resulted in his second of four TD passes to Jefferson for a 28-7 lead. That play stands out among all plays we witnessed in that performance, probably the best we’ve seen among all twenty Heisman performances we’ve seen on display over 40 years.
Joe Burrow looks to pick apart Sooner secondary in first period.
To dominate the 2019 Heisman voting, Burrow completed 76.3% of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 TDs, and only six INTs. He led LSU to the CFP Championship in a win over Clemson and a 15-0 record overall. The senior, who sat on the bench at Ohio State for three years, will most likely be the top pick in the NFL in this April’s draft.
The Walter Payton Award
Freshman QB Trey Lance of North Dakota State stepped up in 2019 to not only take the Payton Award, but he led the Bison to their eighth FCS national championship in nine years while setting a modern NCAA record with a 16-0 record. We saw him lead his team in a dominating road win at Delaware Stadium where the Bison defeated the Fighting Blue Hens who finished at No. 25, 47-22.
NDSU QB Trey Lance (5) was effective running as well as passing for the Bison.
That afternoon, Lance completed 18 of 23 passes for 195 yards and three TDs as the Bison got off to a fast start for this win. For the season, he completed 192 of 287 passes for 2,714 yards and 28 TDs. Most impressive, no foe intercepted any of his passes. He kept defenses off balance rushing for 934 yards and 13 TDs. His QB ranking for the season finished at 182.80. Lance became the first frosh to ever win the Payton Award in its 33-year history. NDSU defeated James Madison in the FCS final, 28-20.
The Harlon Hill Award
Slippery Rock senior QB Roland Reese III led the Rock to a 13-1 record. He tied a D-II record this season being responsible for 370 of his team’s points. In eleven of 14 games, he threw three TD passes or more tossing 61 in total for the season. We saw Rivers III perform to his utmost capability completing 28 for 41 passes for 302 yards, four TDs, and one INT in a 17-point come back win over Kutztown in the PSAC title game, 37-35. The victory catapulted the Rock to the No. 1 seed in Super Region One of the D-II playoffs. They fell in the national semi-final game to Minnesota State.
D-II Harlon Hill Trophy
For the season, he completed 322 passes for The Rock, 52 for touchdowns. In voting for the Hill Award, he beat out runner-up RB Jaleel McLaughlin from Notre Dame of Ohio. We also got to see McLaughlin play against the same Kutztown team in a last second 20-17 victory on the second round of the D-2 playoffs. KU QB Collin DiGalbo was also recognized as on of the top QBs in D-II. We saw a lot of great talent at this level in 2019 in three games played at Andre Reed Stadium at Kutztown. Like the Buffalo Bill WR and Kutztown alum for whom the KU Stadium is named for, we may see some of the players from those games making it to the next level. Rivers III received an invitation to play in the Hula Bowl this past January.
Rivers III (14) hands off to DeSean Dinkins in action against tough Kutztown.
We have to wonder, how many college football fans like us got to see some of the best teams of the 2019 season in all four divisions of NCAA football? Our effort toward the end of the season with the addition of one major bowl and several playoff games gave us hopes to see the top team in each. Regretfully, we came up short. Only two national champions ended up in our final tally among 15 nationally ranked teams on our final slate, but how many other fans can say they saw two No. 1 teams this season? We did.
Took a shot to see national champ #2 and won
Our dream to see four national football champs in one year died with losses by Slippery Rock and Muhlenberg when they fell in their respective playoffs. When the decision was made to possibly see the top four, we followed through on our effort by attending the CFP semi-final at The Peach Bowl in Atlanta to see No. 1 LSU play No. 4 Oklahoma. With an affordable game ticket, a round trip plane ticket down and back from Baltimore the morning after The Military Bowl in Annapolis, and the blessing of St. Laurie, the opportunity presented itself to us. We knew it didn’t guarantee us that we would see the national champs with defending champ Clemson and No. 2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in the other half of the bracket, but we made the right move.
Burrow’s accuracy proved deadly with good protection in front of him versus the Sooners.
As you all know now, LSU 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow led No. 1 LSU over No. 4 Oklahoma in The Peach, 63-28, throwing for 493 yards and seven TDs all in the first half. The Tigers led at intermission, 49-14. Burrow tied the all-time bowl record for TD passes in a game, and WR Justin Jefferson (14 catches for 227 yards) tied the all-time bowl record with his four touchdown receptions, again all in the first half. Burrow ran for another TD in the second half to punctuate his performance.
No guarantee to see No. 1 until the CFP championship
Burrow showed accuracy for sure (click here for our game review), but the Sooner defense rarely challenged him with a rush nor his receiving corps with tight coverage by their secondary. Clemson, winners of the Fiesta Bowl would surely contest the Bayou Bengals with wily Dabo Swinney and his defensive coordinator Max Venable. What we saw from the comfort of our couch that evening, the Orange Tigers provided tight coverage on the White Tigers totally unlike Boomer Sooner. However, Burrow came up just as accurate as he was against tight coverage as he was against lackadaisical coverage. Of course, Ed Orgeron’s team won the national championship in impressive fashion, 42-25.
LSU’s first half Peach Bowl stats tell all there was to know.
We at collegefootballfan.com saw two national champs play by the end of 2019 – LSU (15-0) and North Dakota State (16-0). In addition we saw two national Semi-finalists who finished No. 7 (Muhlenberg) and at No. 9 (Slippery Rock) in their respective divisions. Can any other true college fan lay claim to something better than that in 2019? Will we ever have shot to pursue that again? Not without a lot of luck, but it was a fun pursuit and if the opportunity ever comes up again, we’ll give it our best shot. We love this great game of College Football!
Come back for more best of our 2019 season coming up, including best players, best teams, best games, and other insights about college football before we start focusing on our plans for the 2020 season. To be honest, we’re working on it already, but we don’t want to get too excited yet.
Going for it – D-3
Well since we’d seen North Dakota State play in September knowing they could go all the way, and having seen Slippery Rock and or Kutztown on their way into the D-2 playoffs, we hankered to see a CFP playoff if possible figuring the Peach Bowl CFP could offer us the best of the FBS. Hey, wait a minute! How about D-3? We noted that two schools within reach of us making their moves at that level – Delaware Valley and Muhlenberg – both in eastern Pennsylvania to the 2019 Stagg Bowl for the D-3 title. We paid attention.
Neither team hosted a quarterfinal game on December 7. So DVU traveled out to play North Central of in Naperville, Illinois who conquered perennial D-3 champ Mount Union in the second round in a shoot-out , 59-52. The Mules didn’t have to venture as far and headed to play Salisbury in Maryland where Brian Donnelly, fellow Navy fan living in Frederick, Maryland, joined me. The home team Sea Gulls of the NJAC came in with their high-powered triple option overwhelming SUNY-Maritime in the opening round, 83-0. In the second, they overcame tough Union of New York, 62-41. On the other hand, the Mules dominated defensively blanking MIT, 38-0, in the first game and Brockport State of New York in the second, 42-0. The match-up pitted the unstoppable offense against the unyielding defense. We looked forward to it.
Devastating defense
The Mules stop Salisbury QB John Lanham for a short gain.
In the classic match-up, the Mules’ defensive strategy shut down the Gulls triple-option offense that averaged 343 rushing yards per game to just 127. The Sea Gulls, second nationally in passing efficiency, completed only four of 17 pass attempts. The quick, stifling, well-coached Muhlenberg defense held Salisbury (12-1) to only eight points after averaging 51.1 points per game coming into this game at home. Through the second and third periods, the Mule defense moved well laterally on run plays to either side the offense veered to to quickly plug holes for dive plays. They adequately covered the ends tightly on pitch-outs to keep the Sea Gull running game in check.
Most impressively, Muhlenberg QB Michael Hnatkowsky completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards. His three TDs boosted his career school record to 96 passes for touchdowns with another full season ahead of him. The Mules triumphed, 24-8. They advanced to the semifinals to fall to eventual national champ North Central who defeated them 45-14 before taking down another perennial D-3 finalist, Wisconsin-Whitewater, 42-14. Talk about a high-powered offense, Central averaged 45.4 points in five playoff games. Not only did they score 100 points against two programs who won the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl 15 times in the past 20 years, they defeated a very formidable Muhlenberg defense we watched play shutdown defense in person. The Mules finished No. 7 in the final poll. Salisbury trailed at No. 9.
Added the Bison for the first time
Prior to the season, we targeted North Dakota State in September coming east. Our expectation figured they would be shooting for their eighth FCS Championship in nine years. They didn’t let us down in that respect. However, we like Delaware football and hoped they had a chance for an upset. The Bison handled the Fighting Blue Hens easily with a dominating 47-22 victory on September 14.
No. 1 Bison bull-rushed over and through the Delaware defense early in our season.
Eventual Walter Payton Award winner, Frosh QB Trey Lance, completed 18 of 23 passes for 195 yards and three TDs. Kobe Johnson carried 11 times for 101 yards and one TD. This victory under new HC Matt Entz gave NDSU its third straight win of the early season. For the program overall, the Bison recorded their 24th straight victory. They finished undefeated at 16-0 (a modern NCAA D-1 record) by season’s end defeating James Madison in Frisco, Texas, 28-20, taking their eighth title in nine years. JMU had interrupted their streak in 2016. The Bison carry a 37-game winning streak heading into the 2020 season. Call it a stampede!
D-2 Conference championship
This scenario doesn’t get any better than this at any level of the college football regular season. When this opportunity came up, we abandoned our idea of attending a big Ivy league game on November 16 (7-1 Princeton hosting 7-1 Yale) for a championship game arranged last minute in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The PSAC does this every year to determine its Conference champ. With 16 teams, they determine two top teams among all and establish a legitimate championship game.
This season, Slippery Rock and Kutztown both finished undefeated and ranked in D-2 having never played one another. The title game was slated at Andre Reed Stadium, home of the KU Golden Bears who we had seen open their season there against Assumption of the NEC who they pummeled, 54-16. The two opponents originally on their respective schedules to end their PSAC regular seasons on the final week rescheduled to play one another to leave the two best PSAC teams to in it on the field. We love this plan!
Roland Reese III takes it close to the goal line against the Kutztown Golden Bears.
Sorting out our best among D-2
The game was a battle. No. 8 Slippery Rock bested No. 15 Kutztown University with 26 seconds left to win the conference title, 37-35. With 2:06 remaining, Slippery Rock started from their 35 . QB Roland Rivers III (28 of 41, 502 yards, four TDs, one INT) got to work running and passing. On a third and ten he completed a pass to WR Jermaine Wynn at the 17 followed by an eight-yard pass to Qaadri Dixon. From there, RB Charles Snorweah took it over to gain SRU the 37-35 lead. Chapla’s conversion failed to lead by only two.
With seconds left, Kutztown HC Jim Clement opted for a 51-yard FG attempt into the wind with his struggling kicker instead of attempting a long pass as time expired. KU had taken a two-touchdown lead into the final period and also opted out of a FG attempt to extend their lead while The Rock (11-0) scored 17 unanswered points to take the title and gain a bye week in the opening round of the upcoming playoffs. Rivers went on to win the Harlon Hill Award that goes to the outstanding player of the year in D-2 football.
Jaleel McLauglin (32 carries for 163 yards) of the Notre Dame Falcons plugged away against Kutztown up until the end of this second round playoff game to defeat the Golden Bears, 20-17, on a last second 30-yard field goal by Tanner Harding.
Final D-2 rankings
Both The Rock and Kutztown entered D-2 playoffs the following week. In a game we attended, Golden Bear QB Collin DiGalbo struggled unlike the two previous games we’d seen him play. The Bears fell to Notre Dame of Ohio at home on a last second field goal, 20-17. SRU advanced past another PSAC team, newcomer Shepherd, 51-30. In the semi-finals, The Rock got slammed my Minnesota State, 58-15. State fell in the D-2 final to national champion, West Florida, 48-40. In the final D-2 poll, Slippery Rock ranked the highest among D-2 teams we’d seen in 2019 at No. 9. The D-2 Falcons of Notre Dame (12-2) came in at No. 11 while Kutztown (11-2) fell in at No. 16. We got to see great, fun, competitive games played among these three in 2019.
Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49’ers seen in action in college make it to this year’s Super Bowl
DE Kevin Givens (30) zeros in on Maryland QB in 2018 in Penn State’s 38-3 win over Terps. In his rookie year for the 49ers, he’s second team DL.
One night in South Bend, Indiana
San Fran OT Mike McGlinchey (68) captains his Fighting Irish on to the field in the November 2016 game versus Stanford where the Irish fell, 17-10. He now leads the ‘Niner offensive charge into the Super Bowl wearing jersey No. 69. DT Solomon Thomas played for the Cardinal against the Irish that evening to make this solid stop here. He’s now McGlinchey’s teammate, second on the DL depth chart.
And in Nashville, in an SEC clash
Speaking of collegiate foes, DB Rashad Fenton of South Carolina Carolina (16) squared off against Vanderbilt and OT Justin Skule (58) last year with the Gamecocks coming out on top, 37-14. They can meet again as Fenton is second on the KC secondary depth chart while Skule stepped into a starting role as OT this season for San Fran.
Then a team from Murfreesboro visited Minneapolis
KC DB Charvarius Ward (2) was seen in action here for Middle Tennessee State against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2017 where U of M triumphed , 34-3. Now, he may get a chance to pop former MTSU teammate and WR Richie James in the Super Bowl. James also returns punts and kickoffs for the Niners.
And in Bowl action…
Now with San Fran, WR Dante Pettis made this tight rope catch for Washington’s only score in its 2016 CFP Peach Bowl loss to Alabama, 24-7. Iowa LB Ben Nieman (44) made it from the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium to the the Super Bowl in Miami in 2020 as a second-teamer for the Chiefs.
Down to the wire!
Georgia Tech’s Harrison Butker, now with the Chiefs, kicked a 35-yard field goal with 54 seconds left to tie FSU, 16-16, in 2015. Tech went on to win this game on the return of a missed FG to pull the upset on the final play. We hope this year’s Super Bowl is as “super”!
To celebrate the 150th anniversary in 2019, ESPN.com selected the first and second greatest teams of all time. With the last 40 years under our belts having attended 610 games thus far, we at collegefootballfan.com got to see our fair share of some of the greatest players in all of college football history play during those years. Below, we remember what we can about those we saw over these many years and some stuff we had to look up, too.
First team, all-time defensive players
DL Reggie White, Tennessee, 1980-1983
In the fourth and final edition of The Garden State Bowl in the Meadowlands in 1981, the most vivid memory of that game until this day was Tennessee’s Olympian WR Willie Gault streaking down the right sideline for an 87-yard kickoff return to give his Vols a 10-7 lead over Wisconsin. The Vols and Badgers drew to a 21-point tie going into the final period, and the Vols scored with 8:43 to take the lead to win the game. On the defensive side of the ball for Tennessee, soph DL Reggie White ended his stalwart season with eight tackle to earn the award as Defensive Player of the game.
About this time, White studied theology and became a Baptist Minister while at UT earning him the name “Minister of Defense” before going on his professional career. His 293 stops over four years in Knoxville including 32 sacks propelled him into the USFL where he played for the Memphis Showboats. He payed there for two season before the league shutdown. He moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles who had drafted him at of Tennessee as the fourth pick of the 1984 draft. White played 15 years in the NFL with the Eagles, Packers and Panthers. The totaled 221.5 sacks in both leagues making him the all-time pro sack leader. In 2005, he passed away too early from cardiac arrhythmia, and in 2006 the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined him on his first ballot. The University of Tennessee, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers all retired his “92” jersey in his memory.
DB Charles Woodson, Michigan, 1995-97
In his junior season, we saw Woodson and his fellow Wolverines bring their 8-0 record to Happy Valley in State College, PA to face 7-0 Penn State in 1997. Working on his second straight season earning first-team All-American honors, the full-time DB and part-time offensive weapon and punt returner left the denizens of the Valley very unhappy decimating the Nittany Lions, 38-3. The dominating Michigan defense held all their opponents that season to a 9.75 ppg average heading to a 12-0 record and the National Championship following their Rose Bowl victory. In 1996 and 1997, Woodson earned Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year Award. In 1997, he garnered the Heisman Trophy award outpacing QB Peyton Manning of Tennessee by 282 votes. He left the college ranks with 18 INTs over three seasons to be taken fourth in the 1998 draft by the Oakland Raiders. Over 15 years with the Raiders and Packers, he picked off 65 passes and scored 11 TDs on returns. His 13 career defensive touchdowns leave him tied with two other players for most ever.
First team, all-time offensive players
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt, 2002-2003
In 2003, I grabbed a few tickets to take my eight year-old son Eric for two late season night games to see the Pitt Panthers play key opponents in the final season of Big East football. Fitzgerald was only a sophomore, but it was one of only two seasons he performed for the Panthers (8-5,5-2). For Pitt fans, his time forged tremendous memories before heading to the NFL.
We got to see an exciting 31-28 win over Virginia Tech with him hauling in a five-yard TD pass early in the game. In their last regular season game, the Panthers fell to eventual No. 2 Miami, 28-14, when he caught an 18-yarder in the third period to finalize the score. He completed his soph season with 92 catches for 1,672 yards, and 22 TDs. Putting a stamp on his very short collegiate career, he finished No. 2 in the Heisman balloting before being drafted No. 3 overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
OT Orlando Pace, Ohio State, 1994-1996
Pace became a leader in the term “pancakes” during his career as a Buckeye. We got to see him play in a key game in 1995. The memory goes back to expecting to see a good game and to see this junior throw his weight around against the Nittany Lions at Penn State. However, the game turned out to be a one-sided affair as the Lions stormed past the Buckeyes , 63-14, on their way to the Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl win over Oregon to finish undefeated, but only No. 2 in the country.
As for Pace and Ohio State, they finished 11-2 that season. In 1996, his senior season, Orlando received Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Outland Trophy winner among other awards. In 1997, the St. Louis Rams drafted him as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. He finished fourth in the Heisman balloting his senior season, quite indicative of how dominant a lineman he reigned as during his collegiate career.
OT Bill Fralic, Pitt, 1981-1984
A starter at Pitt coming out of Penn Hills High School, we got to see Fralic compete for the Panthers during six games in three of his seasons at Pitt. His team finished No. 4 at 11-1 his first season as we saw the Panthers led by QB Dan Marino defeat Syracuse at home and Rutgers and Temple on the road. During Fralic’s Soph season, we attended the big Pitt-Penn State game which the Lions won 19-10 before going on to defeat Georgia for the National Championship in the Sugar Bowl. Pitt finished 9-3 ranked No. 10.
We didn’t see the Panthers his junior season when they finished 8-4-1. Surprisingly, we watched the Panthers fall to Temple at the Vet his senior season, but they defeated the Nittany Lions in State College. Though they fell on hard times his senior season, Fralic garnered Consensus All-American accolades in both of those season. He also got Heisman consideration finishing eighth and sixth respectively in ’83 and ’84. The Atlanta Falcons selected him at No. 2 overall in the 1985 draft.
Come back to see our 2019 Collegefootballfan.com season in review!
Game 610: LSU humbles
Oklahoma on way to CFP championship, 63-28
Atlanta – 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow led No. 1 LSU
over No. 4 Oklahoma, 63-28, throwing for 493 yards and seven TDs all in the first
half. The Tigers led at intermission,
49-14. Burrow tied the all-time bowl
record for TD passes in a game, and WR Justin Jefferson (14 catches for 227 yards)
tied the all-time bowl record with his four touchdown receptions, again all in the
first half. Burrow ran for another TD in
the second half to punctuate his performance.
Joe Burrow looks to pick apart Sooner secondary in first period.
Take what we can get
We at Collegefootballfan.com achieved what we had hoped for despite not seeing a close, well-fought game that we always prefer to see. First, we sought to see the potential national champ although LSU still has tough, experienced Clemson ahead. It will be a great game, and the Bayou Bengals certainly have a shot against their fellow feline Tigers. Secondly, among 20 performances by Heisman Trophy winners seen over the past 40 years, we just witnessed the best and probably most memorable performance among all winners in games we’ve seen them play in since 1974.
What a play!
Despite the extraordinary stats achieved this evening by Burrow, one play stands out more than any other. On a third and two from his 22, under heavy pressure, Burrow rolled right. Nearing the sideline, in one motion he dove falling out of bounds, but he showed his accuracy to submarine a pass down field 24 yards to Terrace Marshall for a first down. The drive resulted in his second of four TD passes to Jefferson for a 28-7 lead. Jefferson caught this one from 35 yards out to add to his previous score from 19 and soon to be followed by two more from 45 and 30 respectively before the half.
LSU had lots to cheer about in Atlanta from beginning to end in the CFP at the Peach Bowl!
Thanks for the memory
The last scoring pass for Burrow came in a connection for 62 yards on a nice, over the shoulder catch by his TE Thaddeus Moss. No disrespect to Thaddeus, but in 1997, we watched his Daddy, Randy, torch Army twice on short passes for an electrifying 80-yard score and another 90-yarder in one game (LOL! as we say nowadays) for Marshall in a 35-25 regular season win. Both plays appeared in highlight films shown of him on draft day into the NFL by the Minnesota Vikings.
Thaddeus Moss (81) follows in his old man Randy’s footsteps.
Live and learn
CFF.com came away
with two new take-aways from this game.
Last year, we decided not to attend any more CFP semi-finals if Alabama
or Clemson played unless Penn State turned out to be the competition. The same now goes for Oklahoma, but for the totally
opposite reason. The two formers
dominated (guess against who). OU doesn’t
show up.
This bowl
featured our fourth with Sooner Schooner on the field. Our first, the 2011 Fiesta Bowl, was a farce
resulting on a dominant Sooner win over an out-matched 8-4 Big East champ
Connecticut, 48-20. Don’t count this
one. In 2015, Clemson defeated the
Sooners in the CFP Orange Bowl, 37-17, on the way to their first championship
match against Alabama where they fell, 45-40.
Last year, we watched Alabama take a big lead on the Sooners before
taking the CFP Orange Bowl, 45-34. Bama
went on to fall to Clemson, 44-16. Here
we are this year seeing Jalen Hurts, former QB of Alabama, now with Oklahoma
getting held to two rushing TDs among 43 yards rushing and to only 15 of 31 for
217 passing yards and no TD passes. No
more Oklahoma CFP games for us.
LSU put the hurts on Jalen Hurts all night.
Our other take-away
Coincidentally,
in all four bowl games involving OU, CFF.com saw four Heisman Trophy winners
perform at quarterback – the Sooners’ Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield (before he
won it), and Kyler Murray. Now we’ve
seen Burrow from LSU pick them apart. The
other take-away from this game for us, we can see why Saban made the transition
from Hurts to Tua Tagovailoa long term.
We watched Tua against OU last year and he impressed us with his very
strong and accurate arm. Hurts has
skills to lead and run and pass effectively, but as a pure passer, Tua is
definitely head and shoulders above.
First play last Orange Bowl – Tua (13) to Smith for 50 yards vs Sooners.
Sad note
Before the game,
we met up with our friend and LSU fan Joe Rogers, formerly of the Bleacher Report,
who drove to Atlanta from Pennsylvania to see his beloved Tigers play. Meeting for a few beers before the game at the
Atlanta Braves All-Star Bar and Grill on Peach Tree Street, Joe remorsely
noted a small plane with six passengers on board had left Louisiana that
morning but crashed moments later, killing all aboard. Little did anyone know then that among those
that perished included local sports reporter Carley McCord, daughter-in-law of
LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger.
Subsequent reports came out that Steve learned of this from HC Ed Orgeron
before the game and coached his offense from the press box above the field with
a heavy heart, to say the least. The team
found out after the game. Our condolences
to Carley McCord’s family and friends.
What a season!
The 2019 season
over for us. We’re relegated for TV for the
championship game on January 13 between LSU and Clemson. Despite our two blow-out bowl games to finish
this year, we attended a lot of exciting college football games this year
including six straight determined in the final minute – five of them on the very
last play! And in the 150th
anniversary season of college football, we got to celebrate our 600th
game ever at The Birthplace of College football, New Brunswick, NJ, home of
Rutgers, with about 100 friends and fans including 26 who came out from the University
of Minnesota for a great tailgate party during their great season.
Our Game 600 tailgate party’s “before” picture.
On top of all
this, we got close to seeing all four NCAA national champs play in the 150th
anniversary season of college football. We
attended games featuring Slippery Rock (D-2) and Muhlenberg (D-3) who both
remained undefeated until losing in their respective national semi-finals. We saw North Dakota State (FCS) play and of
course LSU (FBS) who both remain undefeated and will play for national
championships against James Madison and Clemson on January 12 and 13th
respectively. We’ll settle for two of
four champs and call it a fantastic season.
Team and Individual honors
We have to give notice to a great season of Navy football we followed closely. Finishing 11-2 and heading to the Liberty Bowl ranked No. 21, we watched the Mids win exciting last-minute victories against No. 24 Air Force, Tulane, and previously ranked SMU. In their finale against arch-rival Army, they triumphed 31-7 ending their three-game losing streak against the Cadets. Their record setting QB Malcolm Perry ended a fantastic career with 304 rushing yards in the win, and with over 200 in six games inclining their 20-17 win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl. Fantastic season!
SB CJ Williams trails QB Malcolm Perry on the option in a win over Tulane.
In addition to
seeing the Heisman Trophy winner of 2019 in Joe Burrow, we also had the opportunity
to see this year’s Harlon Hill Award winner – D-2’s version of The
Heisman. QB Roland Rivers III of
Slippery Rock set records including responsibility for 370 points and 52 touchdown
passes for fourth best in D-2 history. He led the nation in passing yards and
total offense while he ranked second in passing efficiency. He became only the fourth to put up total offense
of 5,000 yards in a season in D-2 history.
Harlon Hill winner Roland Rivers III (14) gets great blocking up front on this pass attempt in PSAC championship game against Kutztown.
More post season
analysis to come from our great season!
Already planning for next year.
Check us out to find out more during the off-season.
Next!
LSU plays Clemson for all the marbles on January 13 against Clemson, of course. Oklahoma opens next season on September 5 at home hosting Missouri State. Collegefooballfan.com is already planning our vacation in Ireland in August of 2020 to attend the game in Dublin between Navy and Notre Dame to begin our season on August 29. Counting down the days now! Thanks for following us and Happy New Year!
Game 609: Carolina Tar Heels trample Temple Owls in
Military Bowl, 55-13
Annapolis, MD- Under Head Coach Mack Brown, starting in his second stint at North Carolina since leaving in 1997, the Tar Heels came to Annapolis looking to build for the future clobbering lackluster Temple in the 12th annual Military Bowl, 55-13. Attended by 24,242 with the sky blue stands of Carolina outnumbering the Cherry and White clan, our contingent of traditional tailgaters attending this one together shared surprise at the smaller than usual crowd at this game, but the action left us all totally disappointed by the lack of effort usually given by the competitive Owls (8-5). The lopsided blow-out ended the season for most of us in attendance with a whimper, instead of a bang.
Head Coach Mack Brown (between Nos. 33 and 90) and his staff focus on their young teams development for the future. Their one-point loss to Clemson got them here with a 6-6 record.
True Freshman leads Tar Heels
UNC Frosh QB Sam Howell earned game MVP honors throwing for 294 yards and three TD passes while also being on the receiving end on a well-executed reverse option play. He led the Tar Heels (7-6) to a 20-6 lead by halftime with a first quarter 39-yard TD pass to Dyami Brown and on a 16-yarder to Dazz Newsome in the second. Noah Ruggles added six booting FGs from 26 and 36 yards in the second period. In the mix, the Owls cut the score 10-6 with a 75-yard TD drive capped by Re’Mahn Davis’s four-yard TD run for the Owls set up by a 60-yard pass to Jadan Blue following Ruggles first three.
UNC’s Dyami Brown leaps for Sam Howell’s first TD pass of the day.
Catching up
At halftime, I
went back in time. On the way in on the blue
side of Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, I recognized a former Boonton (NJ) Bomber High
School teammate of mine, Tom Strother, working security at the entrance. Tom retired from the Navy 20 years ago and
settled in the Annapolis area. We shared stories of high school football
memories playing for our late Head Coach Joe Molitoris, a Marine Reserve Colonel
for many years while teaching and coaching at Boonton. Jim Kiick of Miami Dolphin Super Bowl fame
played for him ten years prior to Tom and me.
Ever read Meat
on the Hoof about HC Darrel Royal at Texas, or The Junction Boys about
Paul “Bear” Bryant and his first season at Texas A&M? Our memories with Joe “Mol” could be entitled
something like “Paris Island, Jr.”
We reminisced about early, hot September double sessions; no water
during practices, and in my two years after Tom, maybe at least a squirt on
your face; salt tablets; tackling and blocking drills basically every day;
fumble drills on rocks and glass; Bull-in-the ring; Oklahoma drills; and “gut-buster’s”
after every practice. It was more like
boot camp then football practice. Only
the strong survived to say the least. We
focused on hitting and conditioning significantly more than game execution. Our game results reflected that focus for
sure. And games on Saturdays came as a
relief.
Box-sledding: a long time tradition at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Another book?
We Boonton Bombers always played tough defense and were known as hard-hitters. Our offensive strategy around the area was always diagnosed by local followers as, “sweep left, sweep right, up the middle, punt.” Fond memories. As tough as it was, I think Joe’s intention was to prepare us for life beyond football. Our games were generally close. We never really got blown out even when our school population got cut in half as one sending district pulled out to open its own school and we continued to play much bigger schools. We always ended up generally around .500. Each year had its ups and downs.
Joe’s best year was a 6-0-3 record. No play-offs in those days. Tom reflected, if only Joe could have turned the offense over to somebody else. At the end of our conversation, he suggested that we could write a book about the stories we could collect from among the many players that played for good old BHS in those days. We should think about it. In 2022, BHS will celebrate its 100th anniversary of Bomber football.
Re’Mahn Davis (20) scores for Temple early to cut Tar Heel lead, 10-6.
Back to the future!
In the second
half, UNC finished off an 83-yard drive with Antonio Williams’ one-yard
run. The Heels scored again twelve
seconds later on Storm Duck’s (great name and another freshman) 20-yard INT
return. Later Howell snuck into the end
zone wide open for a two-yard pass reception on a reverse option pass from WR
Rontavius Groves. Davis scored his
second TD on a 45-yard pass from Todd Centeio to trail heading into the fourth,
41-13. I told my fellow tailgaters, Brian,
Jay, Jason, Geoff, Pat, and Dan, all celebrating the end of the season here at the
Military Bowl that UNC was due two more TDs in the final period.
Game MVP Sam Howell (7) looks down field on a touchdown drive.
Called it
Newsome caught a 29-yard pass from Howell, and Williams scored again following a drive from the two to finalize the score, 55-13. We continued our tailgating at nearby Germantown Elementary School afterward. Basically, the only ones hanging after the game, a group of Temple fans dropped by with two young ladies telling us that the guy they were with scored the only two TDs for Temple that day. We met Re’Mahn (Ray) Davis. Showered and looking dapper in a nice suit, he seemed like a nice kid. I noted that he played prep ball not far from me at Blair Academy though his hometown is listed as San Francisco. He said he was only there one season. The thing that struck me later though, that I never recovered that quickly from a loss. It would sit with me for days. Used to bug the hell out of my Mother. I always wrestled with what I should have / could have done better to get the win. Didn’t matter if I played well or not. I guess that’s another difference between playing back then and now, too.
Next!
Both of these squads travel to Florida to open season in 2020. The Heels go to the Land of Disney to play Central Florida. Should be interesting. Temple goes to Miami. Two competitive openers. As for collegefootballfan.com, we travel south as well but not as far and not next season. Leaving next morning for Atlanta to see No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma in the CFP Peach Bowl with much anticipation to get to see No. 1 and hopefully a more competitive game than this one.
Carolina sky blue dominated the stands at Navy-Marine Corps.
Game 608: Navy blasts
Army, 31-7, in traditional regular season finale as Perry runs for 304 yards
Philadelphia – In traditional fashion, Army and Navy battled in the final game of college football’s regular season as Navy Senior QB Malcolm Perry rushed for 304 yards and two TDs to top arch-rival Army, 31-7. Perry carried 29 times and never threw a pass. The Mids passed only once and for one yard and a touchdown at that. For Perry and his classmates, the victory came in their senior season to snap a three-game losing streak to Army and to avoid going winless against the Cadets during their four years at USNA. For Collegefootballfan.com, this twelfth meeting we’ve seen between these two traditional marked our final regular season game as we now plan to attend two good bowl games right after Christmas.
Greatest rivalry in college football!
Army breaks the ice
Army scored first
late in the first quarter as sub-QB Christian Anderson finished a 78-yard drive
with a five-yard touchdown run. Navy
came right back with Perry’s 55-yard TD run to start the second period. With six ticks left in the half, Navy threw
its only pass as Perry pitched the ball to SB Chance Warren on a reverse and he
lofted a pass in the right corner to Soph FB Jamale Carothers for a one-yard score. The Mids went into halftime with a 14-7 lead.
QB Malcolm Perry (10) crosses the goal line on his 55-yard TD run.
Mr. President
President Donald Trump presided over the coin
flip which Navy deferred to start the game.
His presence raised cheers from
throughout the packed stadium of 68,075. The President changed seats at
halftime crossing the Lincoln Financial turf from the Army side to the Navy side.
Trump continues to press for the opportunity to allow Cadets and Midshipmen that play football to start pro football careers right after graduation and to defer and shorten their military service afterward. He believes that it would be a great public relations ploy for the academies. Collegefootballfan.com thinks the service academies should continue what they do to graduate military officers first.
Mission Statement
Besides, what better way is there than to promote the academies than to recruit true student-athletes to compete among other programs and win at a high level as Navy does today? In addition, with the very liberal transfer rules now in place, what would stop other programs from trying to pry away top players the academies may get? Temptations would be too great to lure away disgruntled student-athletes in a high-pressured environment to say the least to a less-demanding focus primarily on football. Sending players to go on to pro football should not be an academy’s primary mission.
President Trump, in his red “Keep America Great” cap, crosses the field at halftime.
Navy dominates
Carothers scored on
a five-yard run after the Mids started at the Army 45 in the third. The Navy defense which knows the triple
option well but can struggle against a top passing attack, held the Cadets
averaging 331.7 rushing yards per game to only 123. The Mids (10-2), who lead the nation in rushing
average finishing at 363.7 ypg, corralled 395 against their similarly familiar foe
coached by former Navy assistant, Jeff Monken.
In the final
period, Navy PK Bijan Nichols booted a 37-yard FG and Perry capped the scoring with
a 15-yard run with 1:42 remining to settle the score, 31-7. The Mids captured the Commander-in-Chief’s
Trophy for Academy football supremacy in 2019 with wins over Army (5-8) and
over No. 24 Air Force (10-2) who we watched the Mids defeat on October 5 in an
exciting last-minute victory, 34-25.
Broken records
USNA HC Ken Niumatalolo
became the winningest HC in Army-Navy history with his ninth win exceeding
eight wins by Army’s Earl “Red” Blaik. Perry,
the game MVP, became only the fourth QB in FBS history to run for over 300
yards in a single game. He set the
individual mark for the most rushing yards in this greatest of rivalries that
was played for the 120th time this afternoon.
Perry on his way to 304 rushing yards.
Next!
Army who had high expectations entering the season stumbled at 5-8 losing surprisingly to some lightly regarded competition. Their season is over. Perry and company head to the Liberty Bowl to face Kansas State (8-4), a team we saw fall to Texas on November 9, 27-24, on a last play, game-winning FG. We saw Navy defeat three bowl teams this season in the final minute of play in each game at home versus Air Force, Tulane, and SMU. Navy will be seeking its 11th win of the season and a chance to finish in the Top 25 for only the third time in the last 56 years. Their game in Memphis will be on December 31 at 3:45 EST.
Follow us
For Cff.com, we’ll
be back in Annapolis with some of our usual tailgate suspects on December 27 to
see North Carolina (6-6) play Temple (8-4) in the Military Bowl under
respective first year but experienced Head Coaches in Mack Brown and Rod Carey. The next day, we’ll be in Atlanta for our
final game of the season in the CFP semi-final game at the Peach Bowl between
No. 1 LSU (13-0) and No. 4 Oklahoma
(12-1). In our CFP history, we saw the
Sooners come up short against Clemson in 2015 and against ‘Bama last season. Sooner QB Jalen Hurts will make it
interesting here, but we’ll look for a stalwart performance by Heisman winner
Joe Burrows of LSU in this one.
Temple’s Re’Mahn Davis (20) fights for few yards in Temple’s win over Georgia Tech earlier this season.
Oh well…
We had a short-term goal this past week to eventually have seen all four NCAA football champs play this season, but we’re now down to only two possibilities, LSU being one of them. No. 1 North Dakota State (14-0) of the FCS defeated Illinois State last week 9-3 and hosts Montana State (11-3) this weekend in the semi-finals. Winner plays the winner of James Madison and Weber State. We saw the Bison defeat Delaware early this season.
Our D-2 and D-3 possibilities both lost badly at home in respective semi-final games on Saturday. Slippery Rock (13-1) defeated Kutztown in the PSAC championship game we attended a few weeks ago, but they were no match for Minnesota State in their semi losing, 58-15. State plays West Florida in the championship this Saturday. In D-3, Muhlenberg (13-1) who we saw a week ago triumph impressively over Salisbury, fell handily to North Central of Illinois, 45-14. NC plays UW-Whitewater for the D-3 title this Friday night.
The North Dakota State Bison prepare to defend their title of FCS champs once again.
Game 607: Muhlenberg shuts down high-flying Salisbury
to gain D-3 semi-final, 24-8
Salisbury, MD – In a game between two undefeated playoff teams, the Muhlenberg Mules (13-0) of the Centennial Conference raced out to a quick start. They shut down a potent Salisbury Sea Gull offense to move on to the D-3 national semi-finals with a 24-8 victory. In a classic matchup between a leading defensive unit against a formidable offense, the Mules’ defensive strategy shut down the Gulls triple-option offense averaging 343 rushing yards per game to just 127.
Sizing them up before the game, the Sea Gulls looked like they had bigger players across their lines who we thought may dominate, but the Mules proved quicker up front.
The Sea Gulls of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, second nationally in passing efficiency, completed only four of 17 pass attempts. The quick, stifling, well-coached Muhlenberg defense held Salisbury (12-1) to only eight points after averaging 51.1 points per game coming into Saturday’s game at their home field. They scored 61 the previous week in their win over Union College of New York and 84 in the play-off opener against SUNY-Maritime.
A college footfall first for anyone?
For Collegefootballfan.com, the Mule’s win offers us a very unique opportunity. Previously this season, we watched No. 1 North Dakota State of the FCS knock off Delaware, 47-22. Three weeks ago, we attended the PSAC championship game where undefeated Slippery Rock got by Kutztown, 37-35. They entered the D-2 playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Super East Region. Muhlenberg hosts North Central of Illinois in their semi-final game next to get a crack at the D-3 national championship a week later. Today, we just booked a trip to the Peach Bowl to see No. 1 LSU (13-0) play No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1) to play the winner of Clemson and Ohio State for the FBS championship on January 13 in New Orleans.
If all these teams seen continue to win their remaining games until the very end of the 2019 season, we at Collegefootballfan.com could say that we attended games played by all four NCAA football champions this season. If LSU wins it all, all four champs seen will be undefeated. What a fantastic season it’s been for us during the 150th season of college football in which we also attended our 600th game since 1979!
Early action
After recovering a fumbled pitch by Salisbury ending their opening drive at the Muhlenberg 11. The Mule offense drove the length of the field for a 22-yard TD pass from QB Michael Hnatkowsky to Max Kirin (6 catches, 88 yards, two TDs) for a quick 7-0 lead. The stifling, quick Muhlenberg defense forced a Salisbury punt after the next possession ending in a three and out. Kirin caught a 28-yard pass to keep their possession alive on a third and two, and then caught a nine-yard TD pass to build a sudden 14-0 lead for Muhlenberg.
Well-prepared Mule “D”
Through the second and third periods, the tough Mule defense moved well laterally on run plays either side the offense veered to to quickly plug holes for dive plays. The adequately covered the ends tightly on pitch-outs to keep the Sea Gull running game in check. Guest Game Analyst Brian Donnelly (Towson) who has Navy season tickets with us, did not see the strategy nor the execution skills of the triple option run by the Gulls as effective as do the Midshipmen.
The Mules stop Salisbury QB John Lanham for a short gain.
As Brian stated, we’ve been spoiled by watching the likes of Keenan Reynolds and Malcolm Perry run the triple option the last eight years. On the other hand, Muhlenberg came in with a defensive scheme that was working, and Salisbury never adapted. The Sea Gulls also seemed to quickly abandon the offense that got them this far. They never developed a rhythm nor ran the QB on the fake option to the outside. It seemed way too early for a team whose success was built on this run-first offense to go to the air as quickly as they did.
On pass attempts,
the Mules sacked QB Jack Lanham five times.
CB John Washington broke up four Sea Gull pass attempts including a
fourth down attempt into the end zone to stop a drive in the second. The takeover on downs resulted with Todd
Spirit launching a 34-yard FG to take a 17-0 lead by halftime. By the end of the
third period, the Mule defense had not allowed a point through eleven quarters in
the D-3 playoffs.
Record-breaker
In the third period, Muhlenberg drove 80 yards in 14 plays to extend their lead 24-0 on Hnatkowsky’s third TD pass, this time from 22 yards to Mitch Daniel (6 catches, 64 yards, one TD). The left-handed, Junior QB completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards. His three TDs boosted his career school record to 96 passes for touchdowns with another full season ahead of him.
Threat quashed
An interception by Salisbury in the fourth put the Sea Gulls at the MU 34. Six plays later, Salisbury got on the scoreboard. With Lanham’s six-yard run and his subsequent run for the two-point conversion, they trailed 24-8 with 6:49 left. The onsides kick attempt failed as WR Ryan Curtiss (Franklin Lakes, NJ) recovered. RB Mark Riggio (Verona, NJ) ran the ball 43 yards before sliding down at the Salisbury two. With 2:46 remaining, the two teams exchanged handshakes before Hnatkowsky took a knee four times as the game clock wound down.
Playoff action heating up
Next Saturday, the Mules return home to Scotty Wood Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania to host North Central of Illinois (12-1) in the D-3 semi-final. The Cardinals defeated the Delaware Valley Aggies at home on Saturday, 31-14. The week prior, the Cardinals pulled of the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating ten-time D-3 champ and top-seeded Mount Union, 59-52. The only North Central loss this year was to their conference foe, Wheaton, who fell for the first time on Saturday to St. John’s of Minnesota, 34-33. The Johnnies will play Wisconsin-Whitewater on the other side of next week’s D-3 playoff bracket.
North Central averages
53.2 ppg. Delaware Valley of Doylestown, PA, held them to their lowest score of
the season. This could be a good signal for the Mules whose defense prepared well
for a style of offense they had never play against last week and yet held the
Sea Gulls to only eight points. There should be some great action the next two
weeks in the final games of Division III football.
Next!
We at collegefootballfan.com would love to attend the Muhlenberg-North Central game a short hour and fifteen-minute drive away. However, CFF.com looks forward to attending the traditional end of the 2019 regular college football season in Philadelphia. We will attend our 12th Army-Navy game, the 120th meeting in this great, storied rivalry. The Midshipmen of Navy (9-2) ranked No. 21 in the nation will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak to the Cadets of Army (5-7). Throw out the records. GO NAVY!
And then
Besides the addition of the Peach Bowl on December 28 between LSU and Oklahoma, we will be attending the Military Bowl the day before in Annapolis. At noon, North Carolina of the ACC will be duking it out with Temple of the American Athletic. We’ll be up to 610 games at end of this season.
Game 606: College of
Notre Dame advances in D-2 with 20-17 victory over Kutztown as time expires
Kutztown, PA – Tanner Harding’s 30-yard field goal split the
uprights as time expired in the second round of D-2 play, and his Notre Dame
College Falcons (Ohio) defeated the Kutztown Golden Bears to advance to the
quarter finals, 20-17. The Falcons meet No.
1 seed Slippery Rock next Saturday for the Super East Regional final. Needless to say, for Collegefootballfan.com,
we attended our sixth straight game decided in the final minute of play in
which five of those final scores were determined on the last play of each
game.
Though the Falcons
trailed throughout this game until the very last play, their defense came up
big with four INTs and a fumble recovery lost by Bear QB Collin DiGalbo in the end
zone to stay within striking distance throughout. The Golden Bear offense moved at will in the
first quarter, but they scored to no avail while the defense stymied the Falcon
offense. However, a missed FG attempt by
struggling PK Dean Krcic and a pick at the goal line by Falcon DB Davionn Johnson
keyed a scoreless first quarter for both teams that averaged over 35 points per
game during the season.
QB Collin DiGalbo (17) of KU goes down in third quarter action. The Notre Dame Falcons shut him down this game.
Breaking the ice
Kutztown got the scoring started on its first drive in the second on a double reverse pass from WR Jake Novak to fellow wide-out Jerry Kapp from 15 yards out. The Falcon offense came to life on its ensuing possession when RB DJ Greene (16 carries for 130 yards, one TD) burst through the middle for a 52-yard touchdown jaunt. Likewise, KU wasted no time responding. On its next play from scrimmage, DiGalbo (19 of 43, 266 yards, one TD, four INTs) hit WR Diego Torres in stride for an over-the-shoulder 80-yard scoring play for a 14-7 lead. It looked like the offenses got warmed up now to start up a back and forth shoot-out.
DJ Greene (5) picks up tough yards for the Falcons in the second quarter after he broke free on his 52-yard run later earlier.
Something, not right?
On the contrary, no more scoring took place in the first half. Before the second expired, Notre Dame College intercepted DiGalbo on two consecutive drives. DiGalbo, who displayed a strong arm and a penchant to run the first two times we watched the Bears play this season, definitely lacked zip on any of his passes and tended to hang long passes up in the air, many for overthrows, and some just off target to get tipped into the air for NDC picks. Watching him warm-up at one point along the sideline, he seemed to intentionally keep elbow lower than his shoulder when he threw. I anticipated that HC Jim Clement might remove him for strong-armed back-up Junior Eric Nickel we’d seen play before to enter the game.
DiGalbo attempts a long pass under pressure in the first half.
Guest Game Analyst
Tim Potopa (Kutztown alum and today’s official game clock operator) who I met
many years ago through our mutual Altoona friend John Massimilla, met with me
briefly at half time and again after the game.
Tim mentioned he was also surprised that DiGalbo, who usually ran as
much as he passed, didn’t seem to call his own number as he usually does. Coming into this game, team stats indicated he
totaled 690 yards on 131 carries. He
totaled only 23 yards on 10 carries, but most weren’t results of plays called. The Falcons defense held him in check.
Falcon defender puts hit on Golden Bear receiver after reception.
Third period coming up three’s
Expecting to see
some offensive adjustments in the second half, KU’s first possession ended with
DiGalbo’s fourth INT snagged by DB Jeffrey Thomas. The NDC Falcons drove 58 yards to set up Harding’s
30-yard FG to close within four. Later
in the period, Bear DL Earl Volz recovered QB Chris Brimm’s fumble at the Kutztown
47. Things took a step in the right direction for the Golden Bears when Krcic
booted a 24-yard FG to put the home team into Q4 with a 17-10 lead.
Sound strategy
The visitors
drove heading into the final period from their 25 to the KU four. There, on fourth and one, Notre Dame HC Mike
Jacobs opted to at least get a first down if not a touchdown, or if not, hopefully
hold the Bears to get the ball back with decent field position. The Bears Volz stopped RB Jaleel McLaughlin for
a one-yard loss where the Bears took over on their five. Jacobs’ strategy paid off probably better than
he expected. On third down from the seven,
DiGalbo dropped back into the end zone looking for a receiver and 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.
Following an exchange of punts and a turnover on downs by Kutztown at the Notre Dame College 40, a Harding FG attempt from 44 yards sailed wide right and KU took over with 1:27 left in the game. It looked like overtime for sure. I wondered how my seat would be based on which end of the field each team would select in a bleacher-seat stadium inhabited by only 1,638 fans, about 90% of them wearing Kutztown maroon and gold. However, after a KU first down, DiGalbo threw three straight incompletions stopping the clock each time before punting to start NDC from its 40 with only 41 seconds remaining on the clock.
Work horse
Jaleel McLaughlin (32 carries for 163 yards) 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 KU seven. Following a delay of game and a one-yard loss, Harding’s kick sailed through the uprights from 30 for the Notre Dame College victory. Their band played the fight song which is not as stirring as the other ND’s we all know. Their hundred or so fans celebrated with a muffled roar across the field as the home side of Andre Reed Stadium sat in silence. Season finished, they stay home now.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin (20) was called on to carry the heavy load to put the Falcons in field goal position to win the game on the final play of their playoff win.
Moving on and up?
The Notre Dame College Falcons move on to the next round to face No. 1 seed Slippery Rock in the Super East Regional finale. We last saw the Rock defeat KU here two weeks ago 37-35 among the games of our final-play, winning streak. We still say the Bears had a better chance of scoring on a “Hail Mary” instead of a long field goal kick into the strong wind that day. Last Saturday, SRU defeated Shepherd, 51-30. I see the Falcons and The Rock playing one another close into the final period with The Rock finding a way to win to move on to the semi-finals for the D-2 National Championship. Kutztown finished a fantastic season with a 11-2 record. They fell short of still being undefeated by only five points with both losses coming at home in games Collegefootballfan.com attended. Sorry, Golden Bears.
Slippery Rock QB Roland Rivers III gets great blocking up front on this pass attempt against Kutztown. The Rock awaits to do battle next Saturday against Notre Dame.
Next – D-3 fun!
Collegefooballfan.com
looks to go a D-3 quarterfinal next Saturday when we will see the No.1 seed
Salisbury Sea Gulls (11-0) host the No.
2 seed Muhlenberg Mule (12-0) in Maryland. In the final D3Football.com
poll published prior to the parings; Muhlenberg finished No. 4 nationally ahead
of Salisbury at No. 6. There’s extra incentive for both squads in this
game. The host Gulls of the New Jersey Athletic Conference
come in off of a 62-41 win over Union College (NY) while the Mules of the Centennial
Conference dominated Brockport State of the Empire Eight, 42-0. They have outscored both opponents thus far
(MIT the other), 80-0. On the other
hand, the Gulls opened up the first-round trouncing SUNY Maritime, 84-0. We predict a fight to the finish, but we think
it will be low scoring as defenses will step up in this one. We’ll give the
edge to the Mules.
Good news to the winner, Mount Union will not make it to the championship game. Mary Hardin-Baylor and Wisconsin -Whitewater, perennial contenders, still loom. Looking forward to seeing two undefeated teams meet this time of year no matter what level of NCAA football we see!
In 2017, Mt. Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor (in Yellow) played for the D-3 title in Salem, VA. In 2019, the D-3 Championship will be played in Shenandoah, Texas. Mount Union fell to North Central Saturday, 59-52. UMH-B might make it there, but Mt. Union definitely will not.
