Week Thirteen of Steveo’s Salvos – Baylor at No. 24 Texas; Louisiana at Texas State; Put the “Whammer Jammer Yellow Hammer on Alabammer”; Ivy finishes; D2 and D3 selection highlights from Week 12; Our FCS Round Two revealed

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 Our first of two games this Thanksgiving weekend

   Baylor (6-5, 4-4) at No. 24 Texas 7-4, 5-3) kicks off our Texas Two-step of Week Thirteen on Friday at 11 am CT.  This showdown marks the 650th game attended by Collegefootballfan.com.   The result of this Big Twelve matchup presents implications for not only the Big 12 Championship game, but also possibly on the final CFP format to be announced on December 11.  Baylor fell to overall No. 4 TCU last Saturday, 29-28, leading by eight in the final period.  A three-yard TD run capping a 90-yard drive with 2:07 and a 40-yard field goal by Griffin Kell ended the Bears upset bid, 29-28.  TCU remains at No. 4 in the latest CFP poll.

   The Texas Longhorns avenged last season’s embarrassing loss, albeit to a vastly improved Kansas Jayhawk squad, 55-12.  The Horns dominated on the running of All American RB Bijan Robinson who carried 25 times for career highs of 243 yards and four TDs.  The two teams statistically play pretty even.  Based on common, conference game results and playing at home, we give the edge to the Horns over the well-coached Bears under Dave Aranda  in this one by a touchdown.  If Texas wins and Kansas State loses to Kansas, Texas will face TCU for the Big XII title. The Longhorns fell to the Horned Frogs two weeks ago, 17-10.  

Sunbelt West Saturday

    Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (5-6, 3-4) at Texas State Bobcats (4-7, 2-5) caps our Week Thirteen Texas Two-step.  Watching two teams that didn’t play up to anticipated expectations this year.  Though Billy Napier left Louisiana after last year’s 13-1 season, the team seemed to have solid nucleus returning under former assistant Michael Desormeaux. The Cajuns didn’t compete as well as expected.  They lost to struggling archrival ULM and suffered a big loss to Improving Florida State last week, 49-17.  Though a sixth win here would make them bowl eligible, six Conference foes have already qualified and they could be on the outside looking in once the Sun Belt’s six contracts are fulfilled.

    Texas State HC/OC Jake Spavital surely entered this season on the hot-seat with a 9-27 record coming back for his fifth season as the Bobcats’ mentor.  Not sure if a win here will help him, but a loss certainly won’t.  A mid-season shocker over Appy State, only the Bobcats’ second win over a team with winning record in five years, followed by three close in-conference losses might be consideration for improvement.  Surely, this game result will mean much for Spavital and the Bobcats’ football futures.      

Hungrier team wins

     A late comeback win over Arkansas State last week combined with a flourish here would possibly be a positive to keep Spavital at San Marcos.  This game will be tight. The Cajuns’ incentive to become bowl eligible against a team they’ve beaten the last four years will be the intangible deciding factor in this game.  Never having gone to a bowl in five years will most likely play in Texas State’s decision to give Spavital another season of move on in a different direction.  For Week Thirteen, the final full weekend of the college football regular season, the Cajuns will come out ragin’ in this one.

Last year, we saw Baylor defeat Texas State. This year in Week Thirteen, we will see the Bears play at Texas and the Ragin Cajuns play at Texas State.
Last year, we saw Baylor defeat Texas State. This year in Week Thirteen, we will see the Bears play at Texas and the Ragin Cajuns play at Texas State as our Thanksgiving Texas Two-step!

Time to put the “Yellow Hammer to Alabammer”

   Tennessee gets clobbered by South Carolina, 63-38, in a dominant win by the Gamecocks, who haven’t beaten any team of note this season until now.  Regretfully, Volunteer QB Hendon Hooker left the game with season-ending injury.  However, this didn’t occur until a suddenly revitalized Gamecock offense led by Spencer Rattler had the game well in hand.  Rightfully, Tennessee (9-2, 5-2) drops in the CFP poll from No. 5 to No. 10 eclipsing their hopes to make the CFP.  No SEC Championship game for the Vols having lost two games to SEC foes No. 1 Georgia and South Carolina (7-4, 4-4).  And Vanderbilt suddenly looks to become bowl eligible in Week Thirteen against the Vols!  Who’d imagine?

    The Vols drop. So, LSU, USC, Alabama, and Clemson all step up a notch. Alabama? Why? LSU (9-2) who earlier got drubbed by Tennessee, 40-13, beat 5-6 UAB.  USC (10-1) defeated archrival UCLA in a cliff hanger, 48-45, to advance them into the PAC 12 championship.  Clemson (10-1) derailed Miami (5-6), 41-10 (and they host South Carolina next). After that, Clemson plays UNC (9-2) for the ACC title.  This next discussion within the CFP committed must’ve been intense – NOT!  Alabama beat FCS Austin Peay (7-4), 34-0. 

Saban and big-bad Alabama played Austin Peay last weekend. Why bother?
Saban and big-bad Alabama played Austin Peay last weekend. Why bother?

We speak from our first-hand experience this season

    We watched Alabama murder Utah State earlier this season 55-0. Having seen Austin Peay play twice, surely Nick Saban took it easy on his little pal HC Scotty Walden at APSU.  He tries to follow in Saban’s footsteps.  Walden scheduled three non-conference FCS weaklings ala Saban.  This inflated the Govs record to 7-3.  We saw his Govs lose to FBS Western Kentucky (7-5) and win a good game over FCS Eastern Kentucky (7-4), 31-20.  Saban made it look like he played a fairly good FCS team? He didn’t. Why else would Saban take it so easy on APSU?  Blowing this team out could not and should not make a difference. “Here Scotty, take the money.  I promise not to beat you as bad as I really can.”

    Bama should have been surpassed for playing such a team that can’t beat any of the aforementioned losers of the teams beaten by LSU, USC, nor Clemson.  The committee lets Alabama get away with this.  Why? Seems like they are keeping Alabama, who lost to LSU and Tennessee already, in a position to move up as long as they don’t lose this week to Auburn. An Auburn upset will close this issue.

APSU's Fortera Stadium hosted EKU for a victory to vault to No. 16 in Week Five. EKU
Austin Peay’s victory over No. 20 Eastern Kentucky vaulted them to FCS No. 16 in Week Five. The scenery was quite different when they visited Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 19.

The point of the matter?

       If Auburn doesn’t pull the upset, every team ranked ahead of Alabama has two games left.  Most are competitive. Each team has at least one determining a conference championship.  Bama already has two losses. The close loss to Tennessee doesn’t look as formidable since the Gamecocks dominated the Vols like The Tide couldn’t.  Again, UT beat up on LSU, too, 40-13.   All these other teams can lose at least one game before the season is over.  Bama just sits back and waits with their two losses.  Just like a win over Austin Peay, Bama will gain ground based on other teams losing.  Most only having one at that. Bad timing? Not right from what we see.  We say, “War Eagle! “

Ivy settles on one true champion

      As reported last week in Salvos, The Ivy League had the possibility of their ten-game season finishing in a four-way tie for first place. Instead, the final week determined a singular, deserving champion determined on the field.  Both games, between the four finalists, did not settle until the final periods.

   In their 138th meeting, Harvard (6-4, 4-3) led Yale at the start of the fourth, 14-13.  Finishing a 75-yard drive, the Yale Bulldogs’ Jackson Hawes caught a five-yard TD pass from QB Nolan Groom.  A two-point conversion failed.  With 6:29 remaining, both teams punted twice. Harvard’s last possession ended with an INT by Yale LB Hamilton Moore, his second of the game. Yale (9-1, 6-1) went into a victory formation to seal the win.

Penn Quakers at Princeton Tigers

   Princeton, a loser for the first time the week before against Yale, led archrival Penn, 19-7, at the end of three.  The Penn Quakers ate up clock. They drove 66 yards culminating in Aidan Sayin’s two-yard TD pass to Julien Stokes to close the gap, 19-14. Princeton’s ensuing drive fizzled at the Penn 28.  The Tigers gave the ball back on downs.  From there with 5:15 left, Penn drove the length of the field.  They converted on a fourth and two from their 36 and on a fourth and nine at Princeton’s 38 to stay alive.  With five seconds left on fourth and goal at the Tiger five, Sayin connected with Trey Flowers for a TD pass to win it for the Quakers, 20-19. 

     With the Quaker win, Yale took sole possession of the Ivy League championship. Penn (8-2, 5-2) takes second in the Ivy ahead of Princeton with the same identical record.  The Ivy Leaguers all go now to take final exams.  The winner does not patriciate in the FCS playoffs. Playing ten straight weeks, the Ivy League settles on a football champion even before Week Thirteen of college football mania!

THE GAME - Harvard - Yale game program we attended in 2015. Different world.
THE GAME – Harvard – Yale game program we attended in 1985. Different world now. Can’t even get a real program!

D3 disparities

     Round one results of the D3 playoffs came in. Of 16 opening round games, seven games resulted in competitive scores.  The other results showed the disparity among 239 teams in 28 different conferences across the country.  Talent, competition, and focus vary at the D3 level.  Nine other opening round games lost among teams with conference titles and one undefeated team. Many of these with only one loss, fell by an average of 45.3 points. 

   The D3 format does a good job of separating the wheat from the chaff as they say, but at least all get a chance to step into fray to give it their best shot.  It beats getting voted out based on subjectivity or computer scores. Here are results of close battles fought in the first round:

Wartburg 14 – UW Lacrosse 6; Aurora 33 – UW Whitewater 28; Utica 17 – Susquehanna 10; Randolph Macon 35 – Cortland State 28; Springfield 17 Endicott (10-0) 14; Trinity, TX  14 – Hardin Simmons 7; Bethel 34 – Wheaton 32. 

    Second round games of interest in Week Thirteen: Randolph Macon (11-0)  at Delaware Valley (11-0) ; 1-seed North Central (11-0) vs Carnegie Mellon (11-0): defending champ Mary Hardin-Baylor (9-1) at 1-see Trinity, TX.

Purple Raiders of Mount Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders tend to always go deep into the D3 playoffs annually.
Purple Raiders of Mount Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders tend to always go deep into the D3 playoffs annually.

Week Thirteen D-2 second round games of Interest

    Four one-seeds waited in the wings for First round results. Here are the four Super Region matchups in Round Two vs. No. 1’s:

 No. 4 Ashland (10-1) at Indiana U of Pennsylvania (9-1); No. 5 Wingate 10-2) at Benedict (11-0); No. 5 NW Missouri State (10-2) at Grand Valley (11-0); No. 4 Bemidji State (10-2) at Angelo State (11-0).

Other match-ups in the four respective super regions:  No. 6 Slippery Rock (10-2) at No. 2 Shepherd (11-1); No. 3 West Florida (10-1) at No. 2 Delta State (11-1); No. 3 Pittsburg State (Kansas) at defending champ No. 2 Ferris State (10-1); No. 3 Minnesota State (10-2) a No. 2 Colorado School of Mines (10-2).

Our FCS Round Two game determined

     The FCS starts Round one this weekend.  Click here to view the parings.  Collegefootballfan.com announces our Round Two game to be attended on December 3.  Samford (10-1) winners of the Southern Conference located in Homewood, Alabama get a bye in Round one.  The following week we will venture to Homewood to see them host the opening round winner between Idaho (7-4) and SE Louisiana (8-3).  Looking forward to seeing a playoff game this season.

Please check out our book!

Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!  If you like our stories, read all our tales when we saw all 120 FBS teams (at the time of publication) play for the first time.  Or, start thinking Christmas gifts for your favorite college football fans!  We also encourage you and whoever you buy for to submit a review for us. Please click on the title or copy of the cover on our right sidebar to go to our Amazon page to buy and review.  Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy Week Thirteen!

Game 649: No. 1 Georgia defense holds off Kentucky in the cold

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Lexington, KY – Georgia rolled into Kroger Field on a cold day to face a Kentucky Wildcat team (6-5,3-5) beaten by lowly Vanderbilt a week ago.  SEC fans on line insist that cold, northern playing conditions don’t affect their players.   Both defenses played well, but both offenses sputtered, cold or no cold.  UK came up short on several key plays throughout the game won by the Bulldogs (11-0, 8-0), 16-6.  The UK defense held Georgia to three first-half FGs. However, the Kentucky offense misfired and dropped passes that could have made a difference in the final outcome. A late spark fizzled for the Wildcats in the final period.  UK had chances for greater rankings implications on a day of college football filled with upsets and close calls, especially in the SEC.

Kentucky Cheerleaders dressed for "chill" this Saturday against Georgia.
Kentucky Cheerleaders dressed for “chill” this Saturday against Georgia.

Early game indicators

   On the first possession of the game, Kentucky QB Will Levis (20 for 31 passing, 206 yards, one TD, one INT) missed a wide open WR Barrion Brown on a second and one for a long gain in Georgia territory. Followed by no gain and a loss of one, the Cats turned the ball over on downs at the UGA 32.  Like their offense, the Kentucky defense indicated how they’d play the rest of the game on their first series.  After stuffing QB Stetson Bennet for no gain of third and six at their ten, they held Georgia to a 27-yard FG by Jack Podlesny.

    UK started to drive from the 25 heading into the second quarter.  At the Georgia 48, Levis lofted a pass far short of his receiver in the end zone.  DB Kelee Ringo who was beaten picked it off and returned it 45 yards to the 47.  Once again, the Wildcat defense halted the drive in the red zone at their six.  Podlesny converted for a 24-yard FG. Kentucky’s next drive ended as a three-and out. Levis threw an ill-advised pass to the flat completed for no gain on third down.

Georgia Safety Kelee Ringo hauled in this underthrown pass and turned to race downfield the spot the ball on the 47.
Georgia Safety Kelee Ringo hauled in this underthrown pass to Barion Brown (2) and turned to race downfield to spot the ball on the 47.

      Once again, Georgia drove down field, but Kentucky stopped them at the 20 where Podlesny converted on a 37-yard FG as the first half ended.  Georgia led, 9-0, but several poor passes by Levis, under no pressure, misfired passes to wide-open receivers and found one with no room to run.

Cold climate a factor for Georgia Bulldogs?

      The temperature this day stayed in the 30s.  After the game, we met with several Georgia fans on the downtown shuttle bus.  They claimed the cold caused the QB Bennet Stetson to have his worst game of the year. This conflicted from what SEC fans on line claim.  Collegefootballfan.com touted Bennett (13 for 19, 116 yards, one INT)  as our leading Heisman candidate coming into this game.  However, we thought otherwise as we watched an errant pass down downfield not even close to his receiver.  UK S Jordan Lovett intercepted it on his knees at the 10-yard line.  The turnover went backwards, and the Cats punted from their five.

Georgia QB Stetson Bennett completes an outlet pass to his leading rusher of the day, Kenny McIntosh (6).
Georgia QB Stetson Bennett (13) completes an outlet pass to his leading rusher of the day, Kenny McIntosh (6).

Blue defense doesn’t melt in red zone

     Georgia drove 58 yards with Kenny McIntosh (19 carries, 143 yards, one TD) finishing the drive with a seven-yard TD run.  Up 16-0 now heading into the fourth period, the Bulldogs seemed to be rolling to put this cold game on ice.  On fourth and goal at the one, HC Kirby Smart’s team avoided another red zone field goal. Once again though, the Kentucky Blue defense stepped up and halted RB Kendall Milton for no gain at the one, and took over on downs.

Kentucky halts Georgia RB on fourth down at the one-yard line for a goal line stand.
Kentucky halts Georgia RB Kendall Milton on fourth down at the one-yard line for a goal line stand.

   The defensive play seemed to light a spark.  Levis scampered for 10 yards on second down for the first of four consecutive plays resulting in first downs.  Included was a pass completion of 42 yards to Brown to the UGA 32.  On fourth and two at the eight, Levis connected with Brown (10 receptions, 145 yards, one TD) on a slant over the middle. Kentucky finally put up six with 9:52 remaining.  A two-point conversion pass fell incomplete. The Wildcats forced Georgia to punt.

Wildcat WR Barion Brown hauls in a TD pass from Will Levis on a slant pattern to trail Georgia, 16-6.
Wildcat WR Barion Brown (2) hauls in a TD pass from Will Levis on a slant pattern to trail Georgia, 16-6.

Shaky officiating in the cold makes players numb

   Levis connected with Brown for 47 yards to start this drive.  An eventual sack by Georgia and then an incomplete pass that sailed out of bounds started Kentucky to set up for a FG to bring them within seven.  But, hold on!  On a delayed call, the referee threw a yellow marker to call for intentional grounding. They started to walk it off.  Two other officials joined the huddle for a prolonged discussion with the referee.  A Wildcat receiver actually slipped in the direction the pass was headed. Surely the supposed infraction came to the ref, who’s back was turned, from along the Georgia sideline. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed among the officials in the huddle.

Too much standing around; “jump around!”   

  The officials reset the ball to be snapped from the twenty.  However, during the delay, the special teams’ players remained on the field.  Surely with cold hands, the snap of the ball came up short. Replays show that the holder could not turn the laces away from the kicker, and the attempt went wide left.  With 4:17 left, and no onsides kick, Georgia went nowhere from the 20.  They punted it away, and UK eventually turned the ball over on downs.  Game over. 

Kenny McIntosh of Georgia rushed for 143 yards and his team's lone TD of the day.
Kenny McIntosh (6) of Georgia rushed for 143 yards and his team’s lone TD of the day.

Georgia No. 1 now but from our view: wide-open

     College footballfan.com attended games this season played by Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, and Penn State, all within the Top 11.  A play here and play there can make a difference.  We say that with these teams and the possibilities of TCU, Michigan, USC, and LSU still pending, all will not be settled until after the conference championship games. We don’t think the eventual winner is clear-cut by any means.

   Next up – Thanksgiving treats!

    Georgia hosts archrival Georgia Tech who hasn’t beaten the Dawgs since 2016. However, they just pulled off a 21-17 comeback win over 9-2, 7-1 ACC Coastal Division Champ, UNC!  Kentucky hosts 7-4 Louisville coming off a 25-10 win at NC State.  As for Collegefootballfan.com, we have two college conflicts on our menu this Thanksgiving weekend. 

We will attend No. 25 Texas (7-4, 5-3) hosting Baylor (6-5, 4-4) next Friday morning in Austin. The day after for dessert, we head for the Sun Belt.  The Texas State Bobcats (4-7,2-5) host the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana ( 5-6, 3-4) in San Marcos.  TSU defeated Arkansas State last weekend, 16-13, while the Cajuns fell to Florida State, 49-17.  Happy Thanksgiving to all our fans!

Speaking of holidays, here’s a gift idea

Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!  . Start thinking Christmas gifts for your favorite college football fans!   It tells our tales how and when we saw all 120 FBS teams (at the time of publication) play for the first time.  We also encourage you and whoever you buy for to submit a review for us. Please click on the title or copy of the cover on our right sidebar to go to our Amazon page to buy and review.  Thanks!

Kentucky cheerleaders danced all game long to fend off the 30 degree temperatures.
Kentucky cheerleaders “jumped around” all game long to fend off the 30 degree temperatures.

Week Twelve of Steveo’s Salvos – No. 1 Georgia at Kentucky; SEC Week Twelve “analysis”; Our three bowl wishes; UConn be surprised; Ivy interactions; D2 and D3 selection highlights for Week 12; Alma mater Dear on coaching carousel

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     Before we preview this week’s game we will attend when No. 1 Georgia goes to Kentucky, we just want to note our sadness regarding the tragedy of the Virginia Cavalier football players who died in the shooting incident at the University last weekend.  WR Lavel Davis and LB D’Sean Perry played last season when we watched UVA defeat Louisville and lose to BYU. WR Devin Chandler also passed during this sad tragedy and two other students, Marlee Morgan and Michael Hollins, suffered wounds.

       It’s so sad that young men with many years of life left ahead of them can die so suddenly in such a senseless act of violence  The fact that it came at the hands of a former teammate, for who knows what reason, makes it even more devastating. Prayers go out to these young men, their families, their team, and their school.  Their game in Week Twelve against Coastal Carolina canceled as expected.  May they all continue to live in the hearts of this who loved them.

Game 626: Virginia team seen entering field last season at BYU's Lavelle Edwards Stadium.
Game 626: Virginia team seen entering field last season at BYU’s Lavelle Edwards Stadium.

Week Twelve of Steveo’s Salvos – No. 1 Georgia at Kentucky; SEC Week Twelve “analysis”; Our three bowl wishes; UConn be surprised; Ivy interactions; D2 and D3 selection highlights for Week 12; Alma mater Dear on coaching carousel

Our Week Twelve:  No. 1 Georgia (9-0, 7-0) at Kentucky (6-4, 3-4)

     Georgia continues to roll with great defense and with steady, reliable QB Stetson Bennett who’s got our vote for the Heisman.  Kentucky results exposed Mel Kiper, Jr. and the Wildcats under Bob Stoops who started off at 4-0.  Kiper exposed himself once again as a poor judge of quarterback talent.  UK QB Will Levis has already faltered unlike some of Kiper’s former prodigies. U. of Washington’s Jake Locker and Liberty’s Malik Wills didn’t get exposed until after being drafted in the early rounds after all his hype. 

      Kentucky suffered losses against Ole Miss, the South Carolina game we attended that Levis missed due to injury, and then a shellacking at the hands of Tennessee, 44-6.  But Vanderbilt?  Come on! Enough said.  When we selected this game prior to the season, we thought this could be competitive.  We will now be pleasantly surprised if it is.  If UK comes in vengeful after this loss, maybe they can keep it close for a while.  What we’ve seen from this UGA defense from a distance (TV), these Dawgs are ferocious.  If we happen to attend an amazing upset, we’d be astounded.  More likely, we’ll be watching to determine how UGA will perform against LSU in the upcoming SEC title game and beyond in the CFP.

Week twelve we return to Kroger Field to see No. 1 Georgia play the Wildcats this time.
Week twelve we return to Kroger Field to see No. 1 Georgia play the Wildcats this time.

SEC Week Twelve: basically, a bye week before rivalry games

    We briefly watched an SEC show Tuesday night where “experts” analyzed SEC games this week.  Week Twelve in the SEC should be called “Cupcake Week”.  We watched two analyses where the experts talked about SEC teams making recoveries from previous week’s victories.  Watching any analyses for these games seemed silly and a waste of time.  It’s obvious the SEC avoids scheduling another conference game to avoid a loss that could make them ineligible for a bowl game.  Instead, they’d prefer to pad their schedules with what should be an “easy” win.

     The SEC and other Power Five teams like to stock their rosters with the best players from around the country and always rise to the top.  So why do they all have to avoid one another and scour to play teams not only among the least of the FBS, but not even in the FBS.  “Our conference is too tough”.  “We like to give the lesser school the benefit of making more money.” Baloney! They want easy wins to avoid a loss of TV bowl revenue. No bowl and the entire conference loses money. They supposedly share bowl revenues within the conferences.

Looking at Austin Peay's football facility here, the difference compared to Bryant-Denny Stadium is remarkable!
Looking at Austin Peay’s football facility here, the difference compared to Bryant-Denny Stadium is remarkable!
Bryant Denny Stadium
Our approach to Bryant-Denny Stadium earlier this season.

Sharing could pose a positive solution, however

    Now if media revenue-sharing could be disseminated by the NCAA among the Power Five, and a similar solution the Group of Five teams, and even to the FCS level, maybe they could conquer these “easy schedule” policies.  If rankings and bowl revenues maintain their status quo to select national champions among these three categories (put mid-majors in their own subdivision) , revenue sharing could improve the overall competitiveness of college football.

       Of course, as pointed out previously in another Salvo, schools need these revenues to support their entire athletic departments.  Problem is, some schools support more intercollegiate athletes than others do.  This differential should be looked into to prorate the benefits to each school.  Too complicated to get into here, but you’d think the world of “academia” would find a few people smart enough to figure this out.

Back to main point:

Week Twelve in the SEC:  FCS Austin Peay at Alabama – we will say this, APSU HC Scotty Walden is a Nick Saban wannabe. Three non-conference teams the Govs played early on now have combined records of 5-25.  You can look it up right here. FCS Eastern Tennessee (3-7) at Mississippi State: not the same 11-2 ETSU team that beat Vandy last year and lost in FCS semis to champion ND State.  5-5 UAB at LSU: game where analyst stated he hopes to see LSU “recover” from last week’s 13-10 win over Arkansas. Texas A&M hosts No. 131 UMass (1-9), everybody’s favorite patsy who should have one foot back in the FCS right now. Experiment over. Go play and recruit against Maine and New Hampshire.

     Auburn plays one of the more legitimate Group of Fives, 7-4 Western Kentucky.  The Tigers can’t look past the Hilltoppers at archrival Alabama.  WKU likes to throw. This could be a close one.  Missouri (4-6) welcomes New Mexico State (4-5). Until the Tigers got blown out by Tennessee last week, they lost a lot of close ones and they did beat Vanderbilt, 17-14.  The Aggies’ four wins came over teams that totaled only six wins combined. You’d think Mizzou would be honed by playing better competition, but revitalized Aggie HC Jerry Kill could have his team ready to surprise. 

In Week Twelve Hilltopper QB Austin Reed will direct his 7-4 team against Auburn. In 2019, he led D-2 West Florida to the national championship.
In Week Twelve, Hilltopper QB Austin Reed will direct his 7-4 team against Auburn. In 2019, he led D-2 West Florida to the national championship.

 Surprise, surprise!  UConn’t believe who’s bowl eligible

    Congratulations to first-year HC Jim Mora of UConn.  The Huskies stand 6-5 and have one game remaining at 3-6 Army in Week Twelve.  UConn goes for a fourth straight win after defeating Boston College, UMass, and surprising Liberty for not only their second loss of the year, but a week after defeating Arkansas of the SEC!  Seven wins should warrant a bowl game for the Huskies somewhere, but with contracts already in place with specific conferences, opportunities seem few for UConn.

   Most likely they have to fill in for a conference who does not meet the full quota of bowl eligible teams.  Such bowls await teams from the Group of Five.  However, the Huskies Week Twelve game could loom big for them.  The Independence Bowl targets the AAC and specifically “Army”. With the recent success of the Cadets going to bowls in five of the last six years, the bowl committee made some kind of a commitment.  If UConn defeats Army for win seven, they may be heading for Independence. This would be their first since 2015.   

Collegefootballfan.com bowling wish list

    We pegged three bowls to see for this year.  Again, with an idea that we are trying to keep costs low, we picked three within short distances: the Birmingham Bowl, the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, and the very nearby Music City Bowl.  Looking at conference affiliations, current standings, and wishful thinking, here’s our bowling season wish list. Dear Santa,…

December 27: Ticket Smarter Birmingham Bowl: SEC vs American: 

All with 8-2, 5-1 conference records, the AAC champ will come from among UCF, Tulane, or Cincinnati. UCF has Navy and USF coming up.  The latter two, tied with UCF, meet on the last week of the season. So, the winner between UCF and the winner of the Tulane at Cincinnati game probably goes to a New Year’s Six bowl.  We will take either Tulane or Cincinnati in the Birmingham Bowl as plus!

     Figuring UGA and Tennessee probably going to the CFP, and Alabama filling the SEC New Year’s Six Sugar Bowl slot.  LSU, with three losses matching up against the AAC rep would be fantastic!  We may order tickets now.  However, upon further review, we think it will be Ole Miss. We’ll explain later, but this would be a wonderful contest as well. Can’t see Alabama playing in a stadium for only 47,100 fans!   Of course, as written about earlier, most bowl games look good until opt-outs are announced.

In 2020, Cincinnati at UCF was only one of three games we could attend due to Covid. This season, they may meet in the AAC Championship Game before moving on to the Big Twelve.
In 2020, Cincinnati at UCF was only one of three games we could attend due to Covid-19. This season, they may meet in the AAC Championship Game before moving on to the Big Twelve.

December 28: Auto Zone Liberty Bowl: Big Twelve vs SEC

We’ve rooted for Kansas all season with former D-3 UW-Whitewater HC Lance Leipold selected as our pre-season Coach of the year. The Jayhawks currently 6-4, 3-4, being invited alone makes us excited about this one. They still have Texas and K-State to contend with, and during our history, we’ve only seen the Jayhawks play once.  Last season, 6-6 Texas Tech played in the Liberty and defeated 7-5 Mississippi State. Among possible 6-6 finishers in the SEC, it could come down to South Carolina (where our daughter and money went) or Arkansas.  Not a bad Liberty match either way.

December 31: Trans Perfect Music City Bowl, 11 am: 

The reason we point out the time is because this game precedes the two CFP semi-final games to be played that afternoon and evening. This game on a Saturday will be a great lead-in to the playoffs.  SEC vs. Big Ten.  With our SEC analysis proposed for the Birmingham Bowl, this is where LSU comes into the picture despite three possible losses. With the Ohio State-Michigan winner heading to the CFP and the loser obligated to play in the Rose Bowl, a 10-2 Penn State could meet the Tigers in the Music City. That would be great as far as we’re concerned.  We already have our tickets!  As reported earlier though, the damper on this is who will opt out among the Nittany Lions.  Can’t have everything as they say.

If PSU defeats Rutgers in Week 12 and Michigan State the week after, we hope the 10-2 Nittany Lions come to the Music City Bowl, intact!
If PSU defeats Rutgers in Week 12 and Michigan State the week after, we hope the 10-2 Nittany Lions come to the Music City Bowl, intact!

Ivy interactions

As we like to bring up the “simplification” of a clean 10-game season with every Ivy League team playing one another to determine one champion or at least co-champs, this season disproves that.  Last week Yale (7-2, 5-1) knocked off Princeton (8-1, 5-1) from its undefeated pedestal, 24-20. Harvard (6-3, 4-2) whipped up on Penn (7-2, 4-2), 37-13.  In Week Twelve, known as Rivalry Week, Week Ten, the final week of the Ivy league season, or the start of final exams, two deciding games arise.

      As in traditional Ivy fashion, Harvard hosts Yale. Also, a sensible change was implemented a few years ago. Princeton now hosts Penn, a natural rivalry based on close proximity, on his final weekend of Ivy League football.  If Harvard and Penn both win, all four teams finish 5-2 in League play.  All tie for first?   If both Yale and Princeton win, supposedly the Bulldogs win because they defeated the Tigers in head-on competition despite common 6-1 League records.  If either just Princeton or just Yale wins, the team with the final 6-1 Ivy record is the last team standing.  Fun to see what happens!

D-2 openers in Week Twelve

    First of all, we point out a mistake on our part. D-2 starts with 28 teams among the four super regions, not 24.  The top seed in each super region gets a bye and will host the winner of the four vs. five seed in the second round.  Indiana U. of Pennsylvania (9-1), Benedict of SC (11-0), Grand Valley State (11-0), and Angelo State of Texas (11-0) are the Top Seeds in each region.  We generally pay attention to the east super region where IUP is at the top.  We’ve attended games played by most in that region over the years of course – Ashland, Notre Dame College of Ohio, Shepherd, Assumption, and Slippery Rock.  However, a team from that region has not won the D-2 national championship since Delaware in 1979. We saw them that year, too! UD defeated Rhode Island as our first game on this quest.

Slippery Rock faced the Shepherd Rams in West Virginia when we attended a D-2 playoff game in 2015. Shepherd triumphed, 28-16. They can potentially meet again in this year’s second round. We hear from Slippery Rock Bob, however, that the Rock has a lot of injuries to deal with right now.

  Among the other regions, No. 3 West Florida in Benedict’s South region won it all in 2019.  The QB for WF that season was Austin Reed.  We watched him in action this year for 7-4 Western Kentucky.  Grand Valley State’s greatest challenge will come from No. 2 Ferris State. They are a fellow Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe who GVSU defeated this season, 22-21.  Ferris is the defending 2021 national champion.  Angelo State’s greatest challenge will come from Rocky Mountain AC Champ Colorado School of Mines (9-2). The Orediggers two losses came on the first two weeks of the season by three points each to GVSU and Angelo State.  The Diggers must have revenge on their minds!

D-3: 32 teams open tourney play in Week Twelve

    The “Mount Union Invitational” as we’ve referred to this in the past includes thirteen undefeated teams among 240 in pure college football competition. Mount Union, winner of 13 national championships is one of them as usual. At this level, all student-athletes with financial aid packages, at most, for the opportunity to play football before graduation. No major television revenue. “Let’s just go out and play football!”   Eleven squads have only one loss. Most teams get in by winning their respective conference.

Teams of note in the Midwest

   Northwestern of Minnesota (6-4) enters as the only school with four losses.  It went 6-0 in the upper Midwest Conference and faces tough St. John’s (9-1) of Minnesota. The Johnnie’s get a bid just about annually. In that same eight-team bracket play 9-1 UW Lacrosse at Wartburg (10-0) and six-time D-3 champ UW-Whitewater (8-2). They host 9-1 Aurora.  Whitewater defeated Lacrosse this season, but fell to aforementioned St. John’s in its opener and to UW-Platteville.  These two UW’s finished tied for first in their WIAC conference.

Teams battling in the Mid-Atlantic region

  In Mount Unions’ bracket, three other teams enter at 10-0 – Susquehanna, Randolph-Macon, and Delaware Valley. What we find interesting though is 7-2 Gallaudet opening against DelVal here.  Winners of the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference and located in Washington, D.C., it’s the only school for the deaf and hard of hearing that plays football. Congratulations to them.  We saw them play once at Kings Point. They impressed us regarding how disciplined they could play despite their handicap. Never went offsides on either side of the football. That alone was impressive.

Mount Union starts 13th D-3 Celebration after win over Mary Hardin-Baylor at Salem, VA in 2017, 12-0.

North across the Great Lakes to New England

  North Central of Illinois, ranked first in their eight-team bracket, finished as runner up last season to Mary Hardin-Baylor and won it all in 2019.  They also challenge three undefeated competitors in their bracket – Carnegie Mellon, Endicott, and Ithaca.  Last week, we reported Ithaca faced off against nearby archrival Cortland State both located in upstate New York, and both finished undefeated heading into the final game of the season.  The Bombers defeated the Red Dragons, 34-17, to win the fabled Cortaca Jug in front of 40,232 fans at Yankee Stadium.  Ithaca hosts UMass-Dartmouth (9-1) while Cortland heads to 10-0 Randolph-Macon of Virginia in the Mount Union bracket.   They will only meet again if they both get to the finals. That’s a long shot.

From the Gulf coast to the Pacific to the far North

  In the basically Southern/Western Bracket, Trinity College in Texas (10-0) comes in at No. 1 facing Hardin-Simmons at 9-1. Next in line for the winner is Mary Hardin-Baylor (9-1) defending champ of 2021 and of 2018. Besides Huntingdon in Montgomery , Alabama, the other three in that half of the bracket thrive in Texas. Bethel of Minnesota meets Wheaton in Illinois, and Pomona-Pitzer of California meets Linfield in Oregon.  A low-seeded team can see the country if they win in this bracket. Don’t forget, this year’s Stagg Bowl championship game will be held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland on Friday, December 16.

Final note on D-3: Alma mater dear needs to make a big comeback

    Enough here already. We’ll forgo the Week Eleven review and Week Twelve preview. We’ve covered a lot heading into rivalry week, playoffs, and potential bowl games as upcoming games will impact all of these.

     I’ll end on this note tonight. As reported previously, Alma mater dear Juniata College fell on rougher times than ever imaginable there in football.  The Eagles not only finished 0-10, they lost weekly by an average score of 58-8. They allowed over 50 points six times.  After his second year as HC, Josh Carter, an assistant coach and coordinator in previous years at a very successful D-3 Muhlenberg program, was released.  Surely, he’ll land back in a similar position to be successful in another program.

    The search is on for a new Juniata HC that can hopefully bring some success back to what had been a very proud football tradition in central Pennsylvania.  Among Juniata’s legacies are a 1956 Tangerine Bowl tie, the alma mater of great NFL Head Coach Chuck Knox, a bid into the first ever D-3 Stagg Bowl championship game in 1973, and some great years under former late and great HC Walter Nadzak.  He went on to coach at UCONN and eventually went on to become AD at The Citadel.   During his years, Juniata played at level where wins were common against the likes of Susquehanna, Delaware Valley, Ursinus, Gettysburg, and even against D-2 teams like IUP and Westminster who won an NAIA national championship back in those days.

Time to play catch-up

Well, many of those schools to their credit have surpassed JC on the playing field now.  The college ranks highly among many of them based on independent reports on the academic front.  However, like these competing schools, the admin at JC has to realize that athletic programs like football, which is probably over 12% of the male population on campus, has to supplement the value of classroom education with values learned on the playing field.  We hope that these goals of a small college (1,200-1,400 undergrads) strong in liberal arts and sciences can set its sights on improving football to be great again as teaching lesson for life on the playing field to supplement the classroom.  With that, the school offers even more to potential students than what it can now.  Go Juniata! 

The Alma Mater, Juniata College, played in the first Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

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Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: from the fan who’s seen ‘em all!  Please link on the Title or picture of our cover on the top right sidebar on this or any other page you may peruse to buy your copy and submit a review.  Check out our excerpt for one of our stories about how we saw every FBS team play in person for the first time! Thanks!

In Week Twelve, Clemson faces Miami, but they already won the Alantic Divison title to face Coastal Division winner UNC on December 10 in Charlotte. We'll be at Army-Navy instead.
In Week Twelve, Clemson faces Miami, but they already won the Atlantic Division title to face Coastal Division winner UNC on December 10 in Charlotte. We’ll be at Army-Navy instead.

Game 648: Clemson shakes off lone loss with decisive win over streaking Louisville

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Clemson, SC – No. 9 Clemson shook off their first loss of 2022 to Notre Dame a week later as a well-balanced offense and stingy defense halted Louisville’s four-game winning streak, 31-16.  Leading at halftime, 17-7, the replacement of LU QB Malik Cunningham (10 for 13, 75 yards) injured on the final play of the first half gave the Tigers a distinct advantage.  Cunningham’s loss took away the Cardinal option to run the ball effectively from QB if needed (20 yards for Cunningham; -7 for Domann).  Back-up Brock Domann came in with minimal experience to be effective immediately (13 for 23 passing, 175 yards, one TD, one INT).   Clemson (9-1, 7-0) forced two turnovers in the second half and stopped two late drives on fourth downs. 

Clemson SR OL Will Putnam waves the American flag on Military Appreciation day by "The Rock" before leading the Tiger charge on to the field before the opening kick-off.
Clemson SR OL Will Putnam waves the American flag on Military Appreciation day by “The Rock” before leading the Tigers’ charge on to the field before the opening kick-off.

Historical highlights

     Tiger RB Will Shipley (19 for 97 yards, one TD, one fumble) recorded ESPN’s No. 2 of Top Ten plays of the day with a 25-yard TD run hurdling a would-be tackler standing basically upright.  It extended the lead early in the second half.   For collegefootballfan.com, we attended our 648th game since 1979 for the first time at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.  We recorded it as our 78th FBS Stadium.  Overall, we’ve now attended collegiate football games at 170 different stadiums among all divisions and neutral venues.

Pouncing Tigers

     Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei (19 for 27 passing, 185 yards, one TD) took control to start the game guiding his team to a score on a 75-yard drive on 12 plays.  He ran the ball in from the 11 to take an early lead.  Later in Q1, the Clemson Tigers added to the lead with a 19-yard FG by BT Potter.  

    After Clemson forced Louisville (6-4, 3-4) to punt after two three-and-outs in the first, the Cardinals moved the football heading into the second.  Tiyvon Evans put Louisville on the board with a 16-yard run to put the visitors to within three, 10-7. Exchanges of punts and a sack of Uiagalelei resulting in a fumble left the score intact late into the second.

Clemson QB DJ Uiagelalei crosses the goal line for the Tigers 7-0 lead on the opening drive.
Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei crosses the goal line for a 7-0 Tiger lead on the first drive of the game.

Costly effort

      Finally, Clemson got the ball rolling. While eating almost four minutes off the clock, their 80-yard drive got them down to the four.  With 32 seconds left in the half, Uiagalelei connected with Antonio Williams on a slant pass to take a 17-7 lead before the half.  However, the remaining time proved costly to the Cardinals.  Cunningham got his team all the way to the Tiger 14 on the final play of the period with a 26-yard run.  He went into the locker room injured and did not play in the second half.

Great trip, great time at Clemson with great friends

    Our first trip to Clemson became a memorable one as my fellow Juniata friends and Alum, Dave Bender and Roger Arnold, both class of 80, and Dave’s son, AJ (Mt Aloysius alum), joined collegefootballfan.com as this week’s Guest Game Analysts (GGAs).  Dave basically arranged our festivities through the entire weekend.  Of course, he couldn’t have done it without his brother, Dick, who is Clemson assistant men’s basketball coach. 

We were his guests not only at the football game, but also the evening before at the Clemson vs. South Carolina basketball game in Columbia, SC.  In a tooth-and-nail battle down to the wire, the Tigers tied it 58-all on two free throws by Brevin Galloway with 7.8 ticks remaining.   However, with 0.9 seconds, Gamecock Chico Carter, Jr, responded with a turnaround catch and shot to lift Carolina to a 60-58 win.  A last-second, long, Tiger attempt caromed off the backboard as time expired.

     We enjoyed tailgating in the shadows Clemson’s Memorial Stadium on our first trip there. While reminiscing about our days at Juniata, we took in the atmosphere at Clemson.  We shared stores over the many years since we last saw each other.  Sorry though, but we had to lament over our Alma mater’s 0-10 football season ending this day against 10-0 and D-3 play-off bound, rival, Susquehanna.

Juniata tailgates at Clemson!
Yours truly tailgates at Clemson for the first time with fellow Juniata Alum Roger Arnold and Dave Bender. Dave’s son AJ, also a GGA today, took this photo for us.

Dead-eye Dick!

    Of course, Dave is an avid Clemson Tiger basketball fan, and he filled us in on a lot of hoop stories. One included his brother Dick’s career starting with his playing days at Western Maryland University (now McDaniel) before coaching at DePauw University.  His free throw prowess at the D-3 school launched him into his coaching career.  He hit on 123 of 136 FTs his senior year landing him at No. 3 in the nation in free-throw percentage.  The leader requirement needs a minimum of only 50 attempts for top recognition. That year, the eventual FT champ shot only 52 that season to edge Dick despite more than double the attempts! 

     We look forward to following both the Tiger and Gamecock basketball programs during the 2022-23 season.  Great time getting together with good friends once again.  Dave, Roger, and AJ will look to join us at other football venues in the future.

Second-half surprises 

   Brock Domann unexpectedly started at QB for Louisville in the second half. The Cards gained only seven yards on three plays before punting.  Clemson started deep from its own 15.  They drove to the U of L 25 to set RB Will Shipley up for his ESPN Top Ten Moment.  He raced up the middle and hurdled UL Safety MJ Griffin like a track star on his way to a 25-yard TD run.  It was picture perfect!  GGA Roger Arnold exclaimed, “That will be the play of the week!” It was picture perfect!   Wish we had taken one. 

     Clemson now led, 24-7.  With Domann warming up a little as QB, Louisville offense showed signs of life.  They got as far as the CU three, but there, Wade Woodaz sacked Domann for ten yards.  The Cardinals settled for James Turner’s 22-yard FG to trail, 24-10.  The two teams exchanged fumbles before the final period.

Louisville QB Malik Cunningham on a run in second period to put LU in scoring position.
Louisville QB Malik Cunningham on a gain in second period to get LU into scoring position.

     With time running out, Louisville needed touchdowns, not field goals.  One drive ended with an incomplete at the Tigers’ 25. Their next series halted with an INT by LB Barret Carter.  Carter played an outstanding game for the Tigers defensively. The Sophomore had eight stops including two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a pass knocked down.  The ensuing possession resulted with Shipley fumbling.  Once again, however, Louisville surrendered the ball on downs as Clemson held Louisville to four yards on four plays and took over at the UL 39.

Never give up

    On one play, Phil Mafah (10 rushes for 106 yards and one TD) raced the length of the field to cap the Clemson scoring to lead 31-10 with 2:13 remaining.  Give Louisville some credit. With Domann still under center, they fought to the end.  After a sack by Carter, Domann fired a 31-yard scoring pass to Braden Smith as time expired. No extra point was tried.  The purple and orange crowd on Military Appreciation Day celebrated the start of their one-game winning streak, 31-16. 

Clemson DE Tyler Davis drops QB Brock Domann flat on his back on an incomplete fourth down attempt in the final period.
Clemson DE Tyler Davis (13) drops QB Brock Domann flat on his back on an incomplete fourth down attempt in the final period.

ACC title: Clemson vs. North Carolina?   

      With two more games to go for Clemson, one left in the ACC, it looks like a good showdown looming for the ACC title in Charlotte with North Carolina (9-1, 6-0).  No. 13 UNC hosts Georgia Tech and NC State to finish this season. If both schools win their remaining games, their lone losses would both only be against Notre Dame.

  Next in Week Twelve! 

    Clemson entertains Miami (5-5, 3-3) next week in their ACC Atlantic Division finale. They remain here the week after for their traditional intrastate rivalry against the South Carolina Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4).  Louisville hosts NC State (7-3,3-3) to battle for the best bowls available among the ACC contracts.

     As for collegefootballfan.com, the luster is off the game we slated for next week.  We get to see No.  1 Georgia. However, their opponent Kentucky (6-4,3-4) fell to Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5) this past Saturday, 24-21.  Unless the Wildcats were really looking past the Commodores to take on the Bulldogs, we don’t see much of a contest here.   That Dawg defense plays awesome to say the least.  We’ll go anyway hoping for a surprise effort, but not expecting an unexpected result.

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Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!  If you like this story, read all our tales when we saw all 120 FBS teams (at the time of publication) play for the first time.  We also encourage you to submit a review when you do. Please click on the title or copy of the cover on our right sidebar to go to our Amazon page to buy and review.  Think about the college football fans in your life who will enjoy reading about our unique adventure.   Check out this chapter from Tales here.  Thanks!

Clemson end zone pom-pom action!
Clemson end zone, pom-pom action!

Week Eleven of Steveo’s Salvos: Game 648: Louisville at Clemson; “Opt-out season approaches”; UGA defense, QB; “Play-offs?”; Week Ten reviews; Week Eleven previews

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Our Week Eleven contest features two bowl-bound ACC teams who took different directions last week, but both may show up a little hot under the collar.  If Louisville (6-3, 3-3), off a 34-10 victory over James Madison we attended last Saturday, can carry over a little of the anger from that game, they can possibly negate the anger Clemson (8-1, 6-0) brings back from its loss at Notre Dame. Tiger HC Dabo Swinney will stir that pot all week.  The No. 10 Tigers come home for the first of three final home games as seven-point favorites.  Prior to their first loss last week, they struggled to win prior games against Florida State and Syracuse. 

Momentum in Louisville’s favor?

     The Cardinals have ripped off four straight wins. Aside from their opening loss to Syracuse, they’ve been in every game since.  They have a well-balance passing attack and running game with Malik Cunningham at QB.  Their defense shut down a very proficient JMU attack last week.  They have allowed 14.4 ppg in their last four.  HC Scott Satterfield started the season in a hot seat hand has remedied his team back to bowl eligibility. 

With Clemson followed by NC State and archrival Kentucky, his team seems ready to make a statement here.  It could start with the Tigers who seem off-balance at times.  The crowd will be behind the Tigers, but they had issues before with NC State and Syracuse at Clemson Memorial.  If the Cards can get a lead into the second half, they may be able to fend off Clemson in an upset.  Collegefootballfan.com looks forward to our first game ever at Clemson.

Heading into Week Eleven, these Cardinals look angry!
Heading into Week Eleven, these Cardinal drums certainly look angry!

Is anyone excited about “opt-out” (formerly known as Bowl) season?

    An on-line heading on PSU’s “Nittany Lions Wire” this week read, ”Win over Indiana boosts NFL draft stock for Penn State prospects.”  Should Nittany Lion fans, or any other college football fans actually be excited about this?  We at collegefootballfan.com dread this.  No fan of any college football team supplanting “Penn State” in the title should find favor with this.  What we read here is that the half dozen players feature in the article will be on hand to play in the final three regular season games.  A 10-2 record would be great here, but if achieved, most likely, these players won’t stick around for a game they consider “meaningless”.

There should be no “I” in team, but there is in “tennis”

   To fellow teammates who played to get to this level and the fans who cheered them on (and paid for tickets, parking, travel, concessions, etc.)  to get to a great bowl, this comes as the reward to the entire school community.  Instead, all these guys will be looking into their future and only seeing this game as a potential risk to their health.  After all the hard work and team work, all of a sudden, these guys won’t be there.  The coaching staff will sub with generally inexperienced players.  The team they field in a bowl game does not represent the talent they relied on all season to get to this goal.  Solution? Besides taking up tennis instead, a true individual sport.

Answer: Expand CFP invitations

    Like the FCS, expand the playoffs to 24 teams. All others can play in bowl games if they want to continue those traditions, but let’s get a system where players aren’t going to opt-out.  Now, most of these bowls are now totally meaningless to them.   With expansion which should happen sooner rather than later, at least all these players have chance to play for the national championship.  Will there still be op-outs?  Probably, but if these players came to this school just to play pro ball, well? Another solution we suggest here is let the pros pick the best out of high school and let the pros develop them at their expense.

Answer No. 3: Grow up – fast!

     If they are that good, skip college.  It’s coming down to that.  The NFL puts all the risk on the colleges to develop their future product.  Let them draft the best right after high school graduation among the kids who have played college ball for three years. Scholarships should become contracts, especially with the NIL money now.  You don’t play, you don’t get paid. That contract should state a player gets paid, but he has to remain a member of the team.  It’s more complicated that this of course, but they’ve got to negate the sole draw of money somewhere in this entire scenario. Individuals need to be accountable to others throughout life.

    You want to earn a living? A player has to play.  We’re not talking lunch money any more.  These student-athletes are making more while supposedly going to college which most of their families never envisioned.  If they want to be paid like adults, start making commitments as adults.

Pride of Nittany Lions comes to face Michigan in Week Seven
Will PSU’s top DBs like S Ji Ayir Brown (16), CB Daequan Hardy (25) and CB Joey Porter, Jr. (not shown) opt out when the Nittany Lions get a good bowl game if they finish 10-2?

Georgia defense dominates, QB stays steadfast and true

   Watching Georgia’s defense last week on TV impressed us, especially against explosive Volunteer QB Herndon Hooker.  We look forward to seeing the Dawgs in person when we see them play Kentucky and QB Will Levis in Lexington on November 19.  They’re second in the nation in ppg allowing only 10.8.  Equally impressive is QB Stetson Bennet’s game management.  He does what he needs to do to assure his Bulldogs win.  However, since his defense can hold just about anybody down, he doesn’t get challenged too often to turn things up when needed to display skills of urgency.

    Last season, he showed his worth in the CFP final in the 33-18 victory over Alabama.  His stats don’t compare numerically to Heisman candidates CJ Stroud of Ohio State and Hendon Hooker of Tennessee.  However, he’s 13th overall in yards per pass and has only thrown three INTs and been sacked seven times.  These past two season, the UGA offense averages 39.5 ppg under him.  He does what it takes to get the win.

     Too bad the Heisman selection comes before all the bowl results.  If Georgia repeats as champs, we would envision the former walk-on’s game management skills along with his 29-1 record in consideration for the Heisman.  Granted, his team counters with a great defense to keep his opponents in check. However, he’s accomplished much including performances that allowed him to beat out other top QBs thought to be better than him.  He didn’t transfer. He shows great inspiration as a leader, as a competitor, and as a teammate for college football to display what college football should be all about.

Tennessee QB Herndon Hooker (1) put together to good years in 2021 and 2022, but his counter part at Georgia, Stetson Bennett, may come away with tow national championships. Who deserves the Heisman more?
Tennessee QB Herndon Hooker (5) put together two good years in 2021 and 2022, but his counterpart at Georgia, Stetson Bennett, may come away with two national championships. Who deserves the Heisman more?

D-3 playoff selection show this Sunday

    Thirty-two D-3 schools will be selected this Sunday for the 49th annual tournament with the final game, The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, to be played on Friday, December 16 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.  In the past, we’ve referred to this as the “Mount Union Invitational Tournament” as the Purple Raiders won 13 titles since 1993.  Not to take anything away from Wisconsin-Whitewater who also took the title six times under current Kansas HC Lance Leipold, but all six Warhawk wins came over Mount Union. 

    Week Eleven is the final week of Division III play with some interesting games.  Ithaca and Cortland will both be 9-0 coming into their season finale known traditionally as the Cortaca Bowl in upstate NY.  In the last six years, finals were played among Mount Union, current No. 1 North Central (ILL) who took the title in 2019 over Whitewater, and Mary Hardin-Baylor of Texas. MH-B took the title in 2021 and 2018 respectively over North Central and Mount Union.  No championship took place in 2020 due to Covid.

  All games will start on Week Twelve and the full tournament will be played weekly until the championship game on December 16th.  Heading into Week Eleven, the six top rated D-3 programs in the six designated regions include:  Delaware Valley (8-0) of Doylestown, PA; Carnegie Mellon (9-0) of Pittsburgh; Belhaven (7-1) in Jackson, MS; Albion (8-0) of Michigan; Aurora (7-1) of Illinois; and Bethel (7-1) of Minnesota.  Too bad the FBS can’t opt out of their bowl structure and determine a playoff format like this one. 

After week eleven, D-3 announces its 32-team play-off teams. Regretfully, Alma mater der Juniata , shown here in 2013, will not be part of it. They will finish 2022 0-10. With an average losing score of 53-9 this season, they play undefeated Susquehanna this week who will most likely be part of this field.
After week eleven, D-3 announces its 32 play-off teams. Regretfully, Alma mater dear, Juniata , shown here in 2013, will not be part of it. They will finish 2022 at 0-10. With an average losing score of 53-9 this season, they play undefeated Susquehanna this week who will most likely be part of this field. Hopefully they can start turning this disappointment around. JC played in the first Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl Championship in 1973 under the late , great HC Walt Nadzak, who passed away this year.

D-2 Playoff selections this Sunday, too!

   Week Eleven also closes the final Week of the D-2 regular season.  Recent upsets have started the wheels churning to determine the final 24 teams.  The D-2 playoffs like the D-3 series, are all held at the home of the higher seed until the Final which will be hosted at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas on Saturday, December 17.  With 24 seeds, unlike D-3, the four top seeds receive byes.  The Division is divided into four Super Regions.  Each super region consists of four conferences making this rating system very pragmatic.  Going into Week 11, these four teams rank first in their respective Super regions: Shepherd (9-0) of West Virginia though in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference now; Benedict of Columbia, SC; Grand Valley State (10-0) of Michigan where Brian Kelly of LSU got his head coaching start; and Angelo State (10-0) of Texas. 

  The FCS plays its final regular season in Week 12. Its playoff schedule will be announced on November 20.  The FCS Championship is held in Frisco, Texas.  More information on this next week.  

Review of Week Ten and Preview of Week Eleven among our top teams

    Of course, heading into Week Eleven, the Top 25 upsets changed the rankings.  More to come for sure.  No. 1 Georgia looked solid defeating Tennessee last week, of course, 27-13. They’re at Mississippi State (6-3) this week.  No. 2 Ohio State (9-0) got by Northwestern, 21-7. No concern though.  In high winds and on a sloppy field, the 1-8 Wildcats are “mudders”.  Penn State beat them in similar conditions, 17-7.  Speaking of the No. 14 Nittany Lions (7-2), they beat Indiana, 45-14, and return home to take on Maryland (6-3) in a Big Ten East clash.

    Bama (7-2) dropped to No. 10 after losing in OT to LSU, 32-31. This week Nick Saban visits his former OC Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss (8-1) ranked at No. 11.  Another nail-biter in the SEC West?   Clemson’s at No. 12 with Louisville and us for this “mad” weekend. Texas at No. 18 comes home off a 34-27 win over Kansas State, 34-27, to host now No. 4 TCU (9-0). Longhorns face Baylor (6-3) when we see them collide on Friday after Thanksgiving.  The Bears host K-State and TCU before Austin. Things could be either interesting or all finished in the Big Twelve when we see them meet.

Other teams in Week Eleven action on our 2022 slate

    Air Force defeated Army (3-5), 13-7, to win the 2022 Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.  Navy (3-6) lost to Cincinnati, 20-10.  With Notre Dame and UCF up next for the Mids, they will bring in a lot of pent-up energy when they meet Army in Philly on December 10.  Houston (5-4) of the American Athletic put up 63 points vs. SMU, but the Ponies put up 77 combining for the most points ever in a non-OT FBS, final score.  Purdue could not generate enough offense, but Iowa did in their 24-3 victory over the Boilers.  No. 21 Illinois (7-2) awaits the Boilermakers’ visit for Week Eleven.

In Week Ten, the Houston Cougars and QB Clayton Tune, lost a record-breaking game to SMU for most total points in their 77-63 loss.

SEC fodder

   Kentucky (6-3) eked out against Mizzou, 21-17, with doormat SEC Vandy (3-6) looming next before their visit from No. 1 Georgia.  South Carolina (6-3) did the Dores in, 38-27.  So much for VU HC Clark Lea’s brash talk about a national championship soon.   Auburn (3-6) put points on the board once again in their 39-33 loss to Mississippi State (6-3). They might match up well this week with disappointing Texas A&M, also 3-6.  Aggies seem to be considering time to look for Jimbo Fisher’s replacement soon. 

   Wake Forest (6-3) fell to NC State, 30-21, a week after a 48-21 loss at Louisville.  Demon Deac alum/fan, “Bugalug” Harton, reports that QB Sam Hartman has to start throwing the ball to his own receivers.  He’s thrown three INTs in each of those last two games.  Week Eleven gets no easier when No. 15 North Carolina (8-1) comes calling. Like Clemson, their lone loss is to ACC “killer of dreams”, Notre Dame.

Wake QB Sam Hartman warming up prior to Boston College last season. Once a Heisman candidate, the Deacs struggle as defenses pick him off more the last few weeks.

Belt it out!

  Troy, now attracting votes at 7-2, defeated Louisiana in a Sun belt contest 23-17.  They welcome Army at home this Saturday. The Trojans two losses came against at No. 11 Ole Miss and in a last second, “Hail Mary” pass at Appalachian State.  In other Sun Belt action, Texas State 3-6 fell to UL Monroe (3-6). 31-30. The loss may have sealed the fate of Bobcat HC Jake Spavital.  Next, the Bobcats head to South Alabama (7-2).  We see them host Louisiana in their final game on Saturday, November 26.

C-USA follies

    Regretfully, maybe popular HC Rick Stockstill at Middle Tennessee has concerns as the Blue Raiders (4-5) fell to Louisiana Tech (3-6), 40-24.  He can possibly get his team to .500 starting with 2-7 Charlotte in Week Eleven followed by two 4-5 teams, FAU and FIU, all in Conference-USA play.  MTSU’s rival, Western Kentucky (6-4) plastered Charlotte last Saturday, 59-7.  They look to fry Rice (5-4) this weekend in their final home game of 2022.

Please purchase our book as a great gift idea!

Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!  If you like our stories here, read all our tales when we saw all 120 FBS teams (at the time of publication) play for the first time.  Or, start thinking Christmas gifts for your favorite college football fans!  We also encourage you and whoever you buy for to submit a review for us. Please click on the title or copy of the cover on our right sidebar to go to our Amazon page to buy and review.  Thanks!

Memphis Tiger Belles! We plan to go to the Liberty Bowl among three bowls we’ll attend this year. At 4-5 now, the Tigers look to be a long-shot to get a crack at that local bowl. Too bad.

Game 647: Cunningham passes and Evans rushes lead riled-up Louisville past James Madison

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Louisville, Kentucky – The weather cooperated this evening, and the return of James Madison QB Todd Centeio from injury indicated what had been hoped for, a competitive game, but several penalties against Louisville late in the game, though correctly called, riled-up the Louisville crowd.  The energy behind the team to spurred the Cardinals past James Madison, 34-10. 

The Louisville Cardinals charged out between burning flares to start teh game, but the intensity on the field ignited hotter tempers than these flames.
The Louisville Cardinals charged out between burning flares to start the game, but the intensity on the field ignited hotter tempers than these flames.

      The teams, playing for the first time fought to a well-played 10-10 halftime struggle. However, somewhat controversial penalties in the final period fired up the Cardinals.  Their defense played stingier and big plays overcame a very strong, hard-hitting JMU defense to earn their sixth victory to make the Louisville Cards (6-3) bowl eligible.  For collegefootballfan.com, the James Madison Dukes (5-3) became our 131st FBS teams seen in action in our 657th game attended.   They joined the Sun Belt Conference this year after many successful seasons at the top of the FCS level.

 Defense, Defense!

   The return of QB Todd Centeio to JMU bode well after having lost in an upset to Marshall last week, 26-12.  However, the Louisville defense held Centeio far below his passing stats holding him to only four completions for 15 attempts and only 45 passing yards.  The Dukes, a nickname derived from their President from 1919-1949, Samuel Page Duke, scored on their first possession to take a 3-0 lead on Camden Wise’s 34-yard FG.  Louisville overcame the lead on the next series with Cunningham hitting TE Isaac Martin on a one-yard sprint out pattern to finalize a 75-yard drive.  Fourth down stops by both defenses took back possession on downs.

Louisville TE Isaac Martin carries over a catch from the one to give his Cardinals a 7-3 lead.
Louisville TE Isaac Martin carries over a catch from the one to give his Cardinals a 7-3 lead.

     Not until 1:49 remained in the second period, did JMU score with Percy Agyei-Obese (24/102 yards, one TD) running it in from the nine. Malik Cunningham (14/20 passes, 253 yards, three TDs) tossed a 44-yard pass to Tyler Hudson (6 catches for 142 yards) to get to the JMU four on the next Louisville possession. The Duke’s defense sacked Cunningham for six yards and dropped him back a yard on two subsequent runs.  Louisville settled for a 28-yard FG by James Turner to even the score as the first half ended, 10-10.  The JMU lived up to its reputation in the first half standing up to a Power Five school for the first time ever.

JMU defense takes down Louisville QB Malik Cunningham for one of ten tackles for losses on the day.
JMU defense takes down Louisville QB Malik Cunningham for one of ten tackles for losses on the day.

A Full Salute to the US Military

     U of L celebrated Military Appreciation Day honoring veterans and local bases from nearby.  The US Army band performed at the half with the LU Marching band and Alumni as well as local high school marching bands.  Commanders of Units from nearby Fort Knox were introduce as well as a flight crew of Air Force reservists who flew over prior to the game.  It was fitting celebration nearing Veterans’ Day this Friday, November 11 when the team travels for its next game.

Honor our Veterans for all they've done for us this Friday, Veteran's Day.
Honor our Veterans for all they’ve done for us this Friday, Veteran’s Day.

Louisville takes charge

     Louisville drove from its 25 on the first series of the second half resulting with another FG by Turner, this time for 37 yards.  After a three and out, the Cardinals started the next drive taking a punt from their 29.  Suddenly, Louisville overcame the very tough JMU defense on one nap of the football.   RB Tiyvon Evans ( 10 runs for 126 yards, one TD) took the ball over left tackled, broke past the line and sped 71 yards down the left side for a TD burst to put the Cards up, 20-10.

Louisville WR Tyler Hudson led all receivers in this game with 126 receiving yards on six catches.
Louisville WR Tyler Hudson (0) led all receivers in this game with 126 receiving yards on six catches.

Tempers flare

    Momentum started to build for Louisville.  However, a controversial call came about turning this basically well-played, hard-fought games into one heated contest.  Louisville forced the beleaguered James Madison offense to a punt following another three-and-out.  Fielding the punt on a fair catch, a Duke defender got blocked and pushed running into the returner.  He touched the ball and JMU recovered.  The officials initially threw the flag for interference, but upon their review, they reversed the call noting the defender had been blocked into the receive on the play. 

    The call fell on deaf ears among most the 42,157 in attendance clad in Cardinal garb.  They saw the tackle as a cheap, illegal shot and either didn’t want to know or hear what the referees (and collegefooballfan.com) saw.  The booing, jeering, and name calling continued as JMU tool possession back at the Louisville 30. The intensity mounted. It made the game fun to be honest. To the vindication of the Cardinal faithful, the subsequent 52-yard FG attempt by the purple and white visitors fell short. The Dukes got what they deserved from their perspective.

One of four receptions Louisville game up to JMU this evening for only 52 passing yards.
One of four receptions Louisville gave up to JMU this evening for only 52 passing yards.

Heat turns up in Louisville

    Leading 20-10 going into the final period, the Cardinals started a drive from the 30 once again.  Cunningham, who carried 15 times for “0” yards (JMU totaled ten TFLs), reared back and fired a pass 44 yards to WR Tyler Hudson (10 catches, 126 yards, one TD) for a TD and an expanding 27-10 lead.  JMU gained two yards on its next possession and punted putting the Cardinals’ start from their 35.  Five plays moved Louisville to the James Madison 12. They next play was even more physical and controversial than the previous punt interference call.

    Cunningham ran five yards where he got shoved and eventually pushed into the stadium wall by LB Taurus Jones.  The two attracted a crowd from the JMU sideline and Louisville players who came to Cunningham’s aid.  Security officers and coaches along the sideline intertwined with players. Right below our seats in section 203, we could not see the entire melee.  The refs sorted the teams out and huddled in between both sidelines to figure things out.  JMU HC Curt Cignetti seemed adamant that the officials check the replay.  Initially, they called for a late hit out of bounds and ejected Jones from the game to the favor of the home patrons. 

The Cardinal defense limited the Dukes' running game to only 141 yards. The longest run resulted in only 21 yards and one rushing TD. We'll see what they can do next week when we follow them to see them play at Clemson.
The Cardinal defense limited the Dukes’ running game to only 141 yards. The longest run resulted in only 21 yards and one rushing TD. We’ll see what they can do next week when we follow them to see them play at Clemson.

Upon further review…

      After many minutes, the Referee stated the next controversial call. One local Card fan said they were intentionally looking for one.  Don’t know that it was intentional, but when they finally showed the replay on the video board, Cunningham was seen grabbing Jones’s face mask and pulling him along as the went farther out of bounds. Offsetting penalties. Do over!  Of course, the Louisville fans could not agree.

      The boos came down as did some thrown objects (no golf balls, however).  Jones, No. 44, came back on the field to play.  That didn’t sit well with Louisville fans. He was ejected, they thought.  JMU held Louisville to a fourth and four at the 11.  HC Scott Satterfield, possibly off the proverbial hot-seat now, decided to forgo a field goal.  From there, Cunningham fired a TD pass to Ahman Huggins-Bruce for the score to make it 34-10 with 6:28 left.

Next up!

   For the first time in the second half, the Dukes picked up two first downs before punting. The Cardinals proceeded to run out the clock.  Conferring with several Louisville fans nearby regarding the out-of-town scoreboard showing the Notre Dame win over Clemson, they chagrined.  Next week, the Cardinals and collegefootballfan.com will be visiting Clemson Memorial Stadium.  Collegefooballfan.com attends a game there for the first time.  Louisville fans fear going there against the now, once-beaten Tigers having lost to the Fighting Irish this week, 35-14.  Maybe Satterfield should just show his players the films from this week to get them heated up.  Maybe that will charge his Cardinals up to face the charged-up Tigers.

  JMU, loser of three straight after starting 5-0, heads to Old Dominion in Norfolk, VA next week.  The Monarchs are 3-6 and also riding a three-game losing streak.  Dukes beware though, they’ve beaten Power Five Virginia Tech (2-7 though), but even more so, 8-1 Coastal Carolina.

Please check out our book!

Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!  If you like this story, read all our tales when we saw all 120 FBS teams (at the time of publication) play for the first time.  We also encourage you to submit a review when you do. Please click on the title or copy of the cover on our right sidebar to go to our Amazon page to buy and review.  Thanks!

JMU cheerleaders started out the game happy!
JMU cheerleaders started out the game happy!

Week Ten of Steveo’s Salvos: James Madison at Louisville; SEC in CFP determined this week; Make way for “new” Ivy rivalry; Potential playoff weekend options; Review of Week Nine and Preview of Week Ten

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We look forward our Week Ten matchup as James Madison (5-2) becomes the 131st FBS team on our schedule when they visit the Louisville Cardinals (4-3) this Saturday.  Though we’ve seen the Dukes of JMU over the years play Delaware, South Dakota State, and Colgate, the latter two in the FCS playoffs, we now get to see how quickly they ‘ve adapted to FBS.   This week’s game takes us beyond the foes among their ConferenceUSA competition.  They get a dose of the Power Five with the ACC Cardinals, a team hot off an upset over No. 20 Wake Forest, 48-21. On the other hand, the Dukes, who reached No. 25 a few weeks ago, fell in their last two games vs. Georgia Southern and Marshall. 

   The Dukes go to Louisville with an incentive few FBS teams have known before.  Even if they win their conference, not only do they not win the official title, they can’t even go to a bowl game.  For some reason, this is another stupid NCAA statute.  The Cardinals come to play with a totally realistic incentive.  Currently at 5-3, their next win makes them eligible for bowl berths.  Pretty good as HC Scott Satterfield sat on a hot seat entering this season. 

Week 10: James Madison officially becomes our 131st FBS team seen in action
Week 10: James Madison officially becomes our 131st FBS team seen in action. Seen here: JMU faced South Dakota State in the 2016 FCS Semi-final we attended. We asked, How close will they ever get to the CFP?

The Duke’s devastating” D” 

       JMU’s defense ranks near the top in many FBS categories in its inaugural season. Their 293.3 yards allowed per games ranks them 10th.  Their 54.9 in rushing yards allowed ranks them first. Their average of 3.00 sacks per game rates them 16th, and their 8.9 tackles places them third.  They’ll be facing a tough Run/pass QB in the Cardinals Malik Cunningham.  We saw him defeat Wake in OT in 2019, 62-59, and watched him fall last season to Virginia, 33-32. This season, he’s tossed for 1,254 passing yards and 5 TDs while rushing for 541 yards as the team leader and crossing the goal line 11 times. This should be an interesting battle.

Missing in action?  

     When the Dukes go on offense, they average 480.7 yards and 38.7 points per game ranking 18th and respectively.  In six games of their seven contests, QB Todd Centeio has completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 1,780 yards and 17 touchdowns with four INTs.  Rushing, he’s gained 333 yards and scored five touchdowns. JMU averages 194.1 yards per game on the ground ranking at 31st in the FBS. Leading rusher Percy Agyei-Obese accounts for 556 yards and four scores.

     However, in last week’s 26-12 loss to Marshall, Centeio did not play.   A pulled oblique muscle worsened from an injury against Appy State earlier.  Redshirt Frosh QB Billy Atkins filled in.  No report yet from HC Curt Cignetti about who will play versus the Cardinals. The Dukes had two weeks to practice with a bye last week.   

     Louisville’s defense looks pretty formidable with 32 sacks and 14 INTs to date.  DL YaYa Diaby leads in sacks with 5.5. Five players each have two INTs including LB Yasir Abdullah who’s second in sacks with 4.5.  Not knowing if Centeio participates makes it difficult to predict with the Cards favored by 7.5.  All we can say is if he plays, this will be an exciting game.  If not…?  If anything, JMU realizes how important depth matters playing at the FBS level.

SEC in CFP: one, two, or three?

    The big game this weekend pits No. 1 Georgia hosting No. 2 Tennessee (tied with Ohio State in AP).  Think about this: last season one-loss Alabama defeated undefeated Georgia, 48-21, in the SEC Championship.  The teams finished one and two respectively in the CFP. Georgia won the CFP taking revenge over Bama, 33-18.

     Fast forward to this weekend. Georgia wins and finishes 2022 as outright No. 1.  UGA, Tennessee, and Bama win their remaining regular season games.  Then, Bama defeats UGA in SEC Championship.  All three SEC teams have one loss. We know Ohio State and Michigan will lose at least one game. If the winner of their game and Clemson and TCU all finish undefeated, the three SEC schools will all still claim to have the right to go the CFP having lost one and won one against each other. 

    What will the selection committee argue?  How? Will one-loss teams take a back seat to three undefeated teams?  Makes sense, possibly, but who knows what goes on behind those closed doors of the selection committee?  Who argues? Who rants?   Who threatens? Who complains? Who backs off? Who reasons?  Who takes control? Who listens? Who interrupts?

Three one-loss SEC teams possibly, one way or another

   If Tennessee defeats UGA and loses to Bama in the championship, the SEC will still make that argument with three one-loss teams among top teams nationally.  UT would have wins over both UGA and Bama to get the nod to the CFP.  If all others remain undefeated as suggested, there will be major outcries from all eliminated.  Rightfully so?  This justifies expansion of course, but it can’t come soon enough.  The hope calls for some more upsets if fans want to see other conferences represented instead of having three SEC squads. Best thing for final clarification is if UT or UGA wins all their remaining games.  One team remains undefeated, and the others have two or one and get sorted out among all the others.   

Alabama is still ranked No. 6 going into Week Ten. They still have to beat LSU, Mississippi, and Auburn to play in SEC championship this year.
Alabama is still ranked No. 6 going into Week Ten. They still have to beat LSU, Mississippi, and Auburn to play in SEC championship this year.

What surprises are in store for the CFP?

    If Austin Peay can’t knock off Alabama and if Georgia Tech can’t off the Bulldogs in non-conference games (just kidding), fans of the non-SEC variety will have to root for the likes of SEC teams such as LSU, Ole Miss, Mizzou, Kentucky, Auburn, or Vandy to spring the surprises. Maybe one or two can.  Of course, there could be some surprises awaiting The Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 out there as well.  When it comes to hoping who wins the Saturday clash between the Bulldogs and Volunteers, neutral fans can feel free to pick their” poison” when it comes to the SEC. When the dust settlers, the action in the selection room may be more intense than what happens on the gridiron. Maybe they should televise that in “pay per view”!  Should be fun to watch.

Changing gear – Week Ten among the Ivies

    In a more simplified version of college football, eight members play ten games including all seven conference foes, or in this case, “League” members for the championship. It’s a very clean model to determine an Ivy League championship when two or even three members tie for first in the end.  No playoff game ever happens.  After their Week Ten, traditionally the third week in November, all Ivy League players stop practice and prepare for final exams.  An undefeated, ranked FCS team will not even be considered for the playoffs. Traditionally, football has no precedence over final exams among the Ancient Eight.

TV jumped the gun, however

    ESPNU announced that it will televise the 138th edition of THE GAME on November 19 at noon when Harvard (5-2,3-1) hosts Yale (5-2, 3-1). Lovely, but did anyone at ESPNU realize another Ivy League rivalry can be more significant that day?  Princeton (7-0, 4-0) hosts archrival Penn (6-1,3-1) that same day at 1 pm.  Penn fell to Brown last Saturday, 34-31, to mar their prefect record. They already defeated Yale, 20-13.  On November 12, Penn hosts Harvard and Princeton visits Yale.  If the non-New England teams both triumph that day, ESPNU will be missing the more significant rivalry among the Ivies. 

    Hopefully, the network management will have the foresight to get that game moved to the evening that Saturday for the people who care. Otherwise, switch among the many ESPN networks to give precedence to the true Ivy League title game.  You’d think the Ivy Leaguers at the top there would plan for this.  Of course, as Thurston Howell III on Gilligan’s Island would begrudge, “They must be Yale men!”

It’s not as pretty as SEC and Big 10 football, but Harvard and Dartmouth still blocked and tackled in the Ivy League when we last watched them play. Fun football as they play all conference members for a championship every season.

Our current FCS playoff picture

   We keep Week Fifteen open all season for FCS playoff possibilities. D-2, D-3, or even FBS championship games may be considered.  We give the FCS games priority.  We look for games withing easy travel distance and preferably day games.  Here are options we foresee today based on current “local” conference standings. Of course, the December 3 date this season offers the second round of games. A possible team we target could be eliminated the week before, so we have to remain flexible.

Southern Conference possibilities

   Among the SoConn, No. 10 Samford (7-1, 5-0), No. 11 Mercer (7-1, 5-1) and No. 12 UT Chattanooga (6-2, 4-1) fight for first and will most likely two survivors will earn a bid in the 24-team pool.  Down the stretch, Samford visits UTC (6-2, 4-1)  on November 12 and hosts Mercer on the next and final regular season Saturday. UTC already defeated Mercer, but fell to No. 19 Furman (7-2, 5-1), 24-20 last week.  Any combination of these four can possibly get in. Our hopes rest in Samford and UTC to make it that weekend as both are within driving distance for us.  Been to UTC twice last year, but never to Samford in Homewood, Alabama. 

We hoped Austin Peay had a shot to get to this year's FCS playoffs. At 5-3. 1-2 this season, chances are now nil entering Week Ten.
We hoped Austin Peay had a shot to get to this year’s FCS playoffs. At 5-3. 1-2 this season, chances are now nil entering Week Ten.

 Ohio Valley options

  In the Ohio Valley, No. 15 UT Martin stands (5-3, 3-0).  SE Missouri though 6-2, 2-0 ranks lower at No. 20. And very unusual in this seven-team conference, these two teams don’t play each other. Both have common conference opponents Eastern Illinois (2-6, 1-2) and Tennessee State (3-5, 2-1) left on their slates.  The SE MO State Bears play Murray State (1-8, 1-3) to finish their conference play.  The Skyhawks of UTM play Kennesaw State (4-4) in Week Ten.    We’re not sure either will warrant a home game if they win heading into round two.  But if either, we hope UTM since the Skyhawks are closer to us. 

    We look forward to seeing some FCS playoff game this season. If not, we’ll see something else at another level.  ACC championship maybe.

Review of Week Nine and Preview of Week Ten among our top-ranked teams

No. 1 Georgia defeated Florida, 42-20, and of course we saw the other No. 2, Ohio State come to life with 9:26 reaming to defeat No. 16 PSU we reported on, 44-31.  Other top teams had bye weeks to get ready for Week Ten. No. 4 Clemson visits Notre Dame and No. 6 Alabama readied for Saban to coach against Brian Kelly at No. 15 LSU. One or two of those possible upsets we mentioned looming here? 

Power Five teams on our slate playing in Week Ten

Auburn (3-5,1-4)   lost to Arkansas, 41-27, and Bruce Harsin received a $15.5 MM payoff from Auburn to go find another job while they search for new HC.  The Tigers go to Mississippi State this weekend. Kentucky (5-3, 2-3) got walloped by No. 2 Tennessee, 44-6, looks to recover when they travel to Mizzou (4-4) Saturday.  So much or an upset bid when we see them host No. 1 UGA on November 19.

     Purdue (5-3, 3-2) got knocked off course to the Big Ten West title by Wisconsin, 35-24. Next for the Boilers comes Iowa with no offense to West Lafayette (4-4, 2-3).  Iowa is the perfect barometer of the B1G.  The Hawkeyes have beaten B1G cellar dwellers Northwestern and Rutgers, and have fallen to Ohio State, Michigan, and Illinois with combined records of 23-1. Among our Big Twelve participants this season, Texas (5-3, 3-2) lost to No. 18 Oklahoma State two weeks ago, 41-34. Next, they travel to Kansas State (6-2, 4-1) who just annihilated these same OSU Cowboys in a big surprise, 48-0. Baylor (5-3, 3-2) who we will see tussle with Texas on November 25, defeated Texas Tech, 45-17. The Bears roam into Boomer Sooner territory this weekend.

Groups of the Other Five in Week Nine and Week Ten

     Army (3-4) had a bye to get up to play Air Force for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy in Arlington, TX in Week Ten.  Navy went to 3-5 with a win over Temple in OT, 27-20. Now, they start a tough three-game stretch with Cincinnati who fell to UCF last week and out of the Top 25, 25-21.  The Army Navy game in 2022 will be another low scoring slugfest.  Hope it’s freezing in Philly on December 10.

    Ball State’s now (5-4, 3-2) with a 27-20 win over Kent State this past Tuesday in MACtion. Ohio U (6-3,4-1), who we plan to see Ball State host on Tuesday, Nov. 15, did the same that night with a 45-24 victory over Buffalo.  In American Athletic play, Houston (5-3, 3-1) defeated USF, 42-27, and head into SMU (4-4, 2-2) in Week Ten. 

With their one loss to Tulane in the American Athletic, with a favorable schedule and Tulane's unbeaten mark to be challenged going forward, the Cougars might still be playing for the championship.
With their lone loss to Tulane in the American Athletic, with a favorable schedule and Tulane’s unbeaten mark to be challenged going forward, the Cougars (5-3, 3-1) might still be playing for the conference championship.

C-USA and Sun Belters

    In C-USA, Middle Tennessee State (4-4, 1-3) finally won their first conference game of 2022 upending UTEP, 24-13.  HC Rick Stockstill’s Blue Raiders will try to keep that momentum going when they meet Louisiana Tech (2-6, 1-3) in Ruston for week Ten.  MTSU rival Western Kentucky (5-4, 3-3) comes off a loss to North Texas State, 40-13.  They head to play Charlotte, (2-7, 2-3) fresh off a 56-23 win over Rice.  UTSA (6-2, 4-0) stayed in first alone last week defeating North Texas, 31-27. They head to UAB to meet the Blazers (4-4, 2-3) to defend their 2021 championship.

   In the Sunbelt, Texas State (3-5, 2-3) lost to Southern Miss, and they will play ULM (2-6, 0-4) in a must-win for TSU HC Jake Spavital to survive his hot-seat once again.  The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (4-4, 2-3) who we will see TSU host on November 26, also fell two weeks ago to Southern Miss.  Saturday, they host Troy (6-2, 4-1) on a five-game winning streak.  Their last triumph on October 20 came over 6-2 South Alabama in a defensive battle, 10-6.

Please check out our book! 

Ed. by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!  If you enjoy reading Steveo’s Salvos, read all our tales when we saw all 120 FBS teams (at the time of publication) play for the first time.  We also encourage you to submit a review when you do. Please click on the title or copy of the cover on our right sidebar to go to our Amazon page to buy and review.  Thanks!

We enjoyed the Blue Raider pregame Homecoming festivities performed by the MTSU Dance Team now ranked as on of our favorites!
We enjoyed the Blue Raider pregame Homecoming festivities performed by the MTSU Dance Team now ranked as on of our favorites!

Game 646:  Ohio State Buckeyes surge past Penn State with 28 points in final 9:46

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State College, PA – The Penn State Nittany Lions capped a 75-yard drive on Kaytron Allen’s one-yard run with 9:46 in the fourth quarter to take a 21-16 lead over the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes.  After that, the Buckeyes roared back with the help of two turnovers. They outscored the Lions 28-10 to seal their eighth win, 44-31.  In the final period, Buckeye DE JT Tuimoloau strip-sacked Sean Clifford to set up TJ Henderson’s second TD. Next, he picked off Sean Clifford’s pass thrown directly to him for a 14-yard TD return for the last Buckeye score. 

Late Buckeye rally

     OSU QB CJ Stroud completed 26 of 33 passes for 354 yards and one TD.  PSU QB Clifford recorded 32 for 47 passing, 371 yards, and three TDs.  However, the Buckeyes picked him off three times and knocked the ball loose from his grasp to convert into 21 points.  Those made the difference in this game.  Despite mistakes and inept execution by the Lion offense, they stayed toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes until 9:46 remained.  WR Parker Washington’s play with 11 receptions for 179 yards and one TD impressed in this game.  Allen ran hard and effectively for 76 yards and one TD on 12 carries for PSU.

    The Nittany Lion defense shut down the Buckeyes running game most of the day holding OSU to only 50 yards. RB TreVeyon Henderson then bolted for a 41-yard TD in the final period.  The deadliest weapon offensively for the Buckeyes came in WR Marvin Harrison, JR.  Many of his ten receptions for 183 yards resulted in key first downs in third and long situations.  The Buckeye strategy cleared the middle and opened him up on quick slants into the wide-open field throughout the contest. 

Tuimoloau to the defense!

     A strip of Clifford by Tuimoloau who also recovered it gave OSU possession at the PSU 24. With a 23-21 lead in Q4,  Stroud completed the next pass to his TE Cade Stover who crossed the goal line to increase the Buckeye lead, 30-21.  The Lions countered with a drive for Jake Pinegar’s 44-yard FG to keep within six of the second-ranked Buckeyes.   

    Starting from their 25, however, Ohio State struck again.  A 42-yard pass to WR Emeka Egbuka put the visitors at the two.  Following a five-yard procedure penalty for Ohio State, Henderson scored from the seven to put the Buckeyes up, 37-24.  Clifford fired his next pass from scrimmage directly to Tuimoloau who raced 14 yards to extend the Buckeye lead, 44-24.  The Lions drove one more time to score as Clifford connected with Allen for a five-yard TD with 1:12 left to lock in the final score at 44-31 in favor of the now tied No. 2 Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0).  Tennessee who dominated Kentucky Saturday night jumped to No. 2 to tie OSU in the AP poll.

The now No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes staged a fourth quarter rally to defeat Penn State at Beaver Stadium, 44-31.
The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes staged a fourth quarter rally to defeat Penn State at Beaver Stadium, 44-31.

Seasoned veteran?

    Earlier in the first period, Tuimoloau blocked a Clifford pass attempt. It landed in the hands of teammate DE Zach Harrison to stop a Penn State drive.   It resulted in no points due to a missed field goal.  Throughout this game, however, Clifford threw low passes easily batted down by the Ohio State defensive front.   One of our Guest Game Analysts, Ty, mentioned that all season, Clifford has displayed no authority to put the right touch on his passes to his receivers.  The knockdowns and INTs by Clifford proved that today.  He has little touch to get his passes beyond arms of outstretched defenders.  These turnovers greatly impacted Penn State offensive effectiveness against Ohio State.

     Many Penn State fans question why HC James Franklin persists on playing Clifford while keeping five-star, frosh QB Drew Allar on the sideline.  Many think, including us, it will help Allar’s future and nudge Clifford to play more effectively.  Franklin, according to reports and online articles, feels Clifford’s experience makes him the best option for his now NO. 16 Lions, (6-2, 2-2) for this season’s success.  With no chance now for the CFP, questions linger if he will possibly start to give Allar some more playing time. Since many Blue and White fans think Allar projects as the PSU QB of the future, reps will benefit him.  Clifford’s future beyond PSU is questionable.  Ty quipped; he’ll be heading for the CFL at best.

   Not what we expected

     Our pre-game analysis for Penn State raised concerns about HC James Franklin’s lack of game-day coaching capabilities.  His plan seemed to be better than expected.  However, most of the time along the sideline, he seems very un-involved with arms akimbo during play or standing outside of huddles when assistants meet with players during time-outs.

      Today’s issues seemed more in regards to physical mistakes made by Clifford. However, you would hope that a player in his sixth year of college experience would be coached better to improve his passing skills by this time.  Not that we think Clifford will be a prime QB as a pro prospect, we hope that he will consider Franklin’s commitment to him when it comes to bowl season.  Would Clifford dare opt-out to preserve whatever chances he has beyond college play?   Would Franklin have no option other than to finally start Allar? Bowl games are basically no longer interesting, competitive games among players that competed for the participating teams all season.

Week Ten coming up

  The now No. 16 Nittany Lions head to Indiana (3-5, 1-4).  No. 2 Ohio State (8-0, 5-0) hosts Northwestern (1-7, 1-4). Collegefootballfan.com will see 5-2 James Madison of Conference USA visit Louisville (5-3) of the ACC. JMU becomes our 131st FBS team seen in competition.

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Penn State fights on despite its loss to the Buckeyes!
Penn State fights on despite its loss to the Buckeyes!

Week Nine of Steveo’s Salvos:  Game 646: Ohio State at Penn State; Frying pans; Review of Week Eight; Best of Week Nine

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In Week Nine, collegefootballfan.com travels to State College, PA to see No. 2 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0) play the No. 13 Nittany Lions (6-1, 3-1).  As much as we hope to see a competitive game, we think we would have to go with OSU giving the points.  Having seen The Lions unprepared for Michigan, we see this as a James Franklin shortcoming.  We believe he relies too much on the talent of the players he recruits.  He doesn’t react or adapt during games to the schemes or strategies of his opponent.  When it comes to playing other teams with strong recruiting capabilities, it comes down to coaching on the field to win.

In Week nine, we will see Ohio State and Penn State go at it for the eighth time.
In Week Nine, we will see Ohio State and Penn State go at it for the ninth time. Here, Ohio State QB TJ Barrett feels pressure from the Nittany Lions in 2016. PSU won 24-17, but OSU finished No. 6 ahead of No. 7 PSU.

Week nine frying pans become hotter seats

Entering Week Nine, we see significant challenges ahead for coaches on several programs we will see to continue with the current schools they coach.  This Saturday, Scott Satterfield of Louisville (4-3) starts the first of five games against teams with a combined record of 29-7. No. 13 Wake Forest (6-1) with QB Sam Hartman comes to town.  The following week, we will see the Cardinals host the Dukes of James Madison (5-2).  Again, we will see Satterfield’s squad the next week when we head to No. 5 Clemson (7-0) for our first game there ever. NC State (5-2) calls on the Cards next looking to challenge for a top ACC spot. LU goes back on the road to finish with No. 19 Kentucky (5-2). Tough slate ahead for Satterfield.

    Texas State (3-5) HC Jake Spavital needs some wins to build on his 12-32 career record in San Marcos.  He probably needs a winning season to show things are turning around.   His four games remaining include ULM (2-5), South Alabama (5-2), Arkansas State (2-5), and Louisiana (4-3) who we will see the Bobcats play on November 26.  Some challenges ahead, but he’ll have to have his team prepped every week.

Even a favorite of ours

     Navy HC Ken Niumatalolo’s Navy team (2-5) looks like it’s on a losing course. Temple (2-5) shows up at Navy’s Homecoming this Saturday which can help start to right that direction.  The rest of the road ahead, however, goes through No. 20 Cincinnati, Notre Dame (4-3) in Baltimore, Central Florida (5-2), and the Mids’ key game in Philly against archrival Army (3-4) on December 10 which we will attend for the 13th year in a row. A loss to Army with any other loss(es) could seal the end of the great Head Coach’s 15-year career in Annapolis.

HC Ken Niumatatolo has a career record of over his first 12 years at the Naval Academy. However, sine c teh covid-19 season on 2020, his record sits at .
HC Ken Niumatatolo has a career record of 98-60 over his first 12 years at the Naval Academy. However, since the Covid-19 season of 2020, his record stands at only 9-20.

     Of course, almost every week, Bruce Harsin rumors begin that he’s out at Auburn (3-4). Games with Arkansas (4-3), at Mississippi State (5-2), vs. A&M (3-4), vs. Western Kentucky (4-3), and at No. 6 Alabama loom ahead.  Even an upset win over archrival Bama probably can’t save him at Auburn for the long -term.  It might be a fond farewell if that happened, however.

 Keep an eye out here

    Believe it or not, despite a long-term contract, James Franklin at Penn State needs to start winning games against the better teams in the Big Ten and probably needs a bowl win to his long-term in Happy Valley. After No. 2 OSU, the Lions face Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, and Michigan State.  If they falter in any combo of the last four and don’t challenge the Buckeyes, his status will remain under a microscope heading into next season and beyond.

Week Eight and Week Nine: Teams in the Top 25 on our 2022 slate

     No. 1 Georgia comes off its bye week to play their big rival, the Florida Gators (4-3) this week in Jacksonville.  Talk going on ending the neutral site and going to a home and home rivalry.   No.2 Ohio State walloped disappointing Iowa, 54-10, before coming to State College to meet No. 13 Penn State, winners over Minnesota, 45-17.   No. 5 Clemson won a tough tilt with No. 16 Syracuse who led most of the game, 27-24.  The Tigers are off in Week Nine before visiting Notre Dame (4-3).  Bama (No. 6) defeated Mississippi State, 30-6, to knock them out of the Top 25.  The Demon Deacons of WFU, ranked at No. 11, blasted Boston College at home, 43-15.  No. 19 Kentucky and QB Will Levin had a week to heal before playing No. 3 Tennessee in Lexington.  No. 25 South Carolina (5-2) hosts Missouri (3-4) in an SEC East clash.

Alabama is still the highest raned team we see at No. 6 entering Week Nine. However, No. Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Clemson all loom ahead on this season's schedule.
Alabama is still the highest ranked team we’ve seen at No. 6 currently entering Week Nine. However, No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 5 Clemson all loom ahead for us on this season’s schedule.

Other Week Eight and Week Nine games amongst our schedule

    Troy extended a five-game winning streak by defeating South Alabama, 10-6.  Western Kentucky (4-3, 3-1) knocked off UAB, 20-17, at home to move up to second place in Conference USA. Army (3-4) mashed ULM, 48-24, while we watched Navy (2-5) fall to Houston (4-3) in Annapolis, 38-20. USNA has won 42 games we’ve attended now and lost 40. We will attend our 18th Army-Navy game on December 10. Ohio U, (5-3) defeated Norther Illinois 24-17 while Ball State (4-4) fell to Eastern Michigan, 20-16. We will attend the Ohio U at Ball State game on Tuesday, November 15. Long johns needed?  UTSA (6-2, 4-0) defeated North Texas (4-4, 3-1) to maintain first place in C-USA while the Mean Green are now tied with WKU for second. James Madison (5-2) lost for the second week in a row, this time to Marshall 26-12.

   Wisconsin (4-4) won their second game under new HC John Leonhard defeating Purdue (5-3), 35-24. Vandy (3-5, 0-4) maintained its doormat position in the SEC East falling to Mizzou, 17-14.  Southern Miss beat Texas State, 20-14. Louisville surprised Pitt, 24-10, and Utah State (3-5) lost to Wyoming, 28-14.

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The Blue RAiders of MTSU (3-4, 0-3) hope to defeat UTEP this seekend to get their first confeence win and evene the recod a t 4-4 to turn this season around.
The Blue Raiders of MTSU (3-4, 0-3) hope to defeat the UTEP Miners this weekend to get their first conference win of 2020 and to even their record at 4-4 to turn this season around.

Game 645: Houston Cougar passing attack leaves Navy Midshipman in wake

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Annapolis, MD – The Houston Cougars got off to a quick 14-0 start scoring on passes their first two series.  QB Clayton Tune connected twice in the first with Nathaniel Dell (8 catches, 93 yards, two TDs) on their way to a 38-14 victory.  Tune (21/30, 261 yards, five TDs) took apart the Navy pass defense. With minimal pressure on him, his receiving corps got wide open with plenty of time.  On the defensive side, the Houston line penetrated the Navy offense at will often. Their rush resulted in one sack, seven TFLs, two hurries, and two INTs. 

Houston WR Nathaniel Dell hauls in first TD of game on first series to lead, 7-0.
Houston WR Nathaniel Dell hauls in first TD of game on first series to lead, 7-0.

       Effective at neither the triple option (16 carries for 30 yards) nor passing, QB Tai Lavatai (6/13, 125 yards, one TD, two INTs), the Navy ground game totaled 201 yards on 50 carries. Houston halted Midshipman drives twice, blocked a field goal, and Navy misfired once.  HC Ken Niumatalolo’s triple option offense does not click on all its cylinders like it did over the first 12 years of his 15 in “Crab Town”.

Plays like this by Houston's NG Jamykal Neal (95) brole through often to keep Navy's running game in check.
Plays like this by Houston’s NG Jamykal Neal (95) broke through often to keep Navy’s running game in check.

Key to victory

   As we pointed out in last week’s Salvos, whoever scored first would have the advantage in this game.  With Navy’s best defense being its offense keeping its opponents on the sideline, we were surprised, Navy deferred to kick the ball to start.  Houston scored on its first two possessions. Tune connected with WR Nathaniel Dell (8 for 93 yards, two TDs) from the six and 22.  The second came after an interception by DB Jayce Roberts. He was literally all alone near the left hash.  Guest Game Analyst and all our other eight GGAs could not believe the errant pass thought intended for a streaking WR down the middle of the field.  Tune’s second TD pass covered 22 yards to Dell for the 14-0 lead.

  In the second, Houston took over on downs after a fourth and three stop at their 32. They traveled the length of the field and came close to scoring again.  However, on a 28-yard pass reception by WR Brandon Campbell, he fumbled approaching the end zone.  Navy DB Joe Hutson recovered as his momentum carried him into the end zone for a touchback. Lavatai completed a 52-yard pass to WR Jayden Umbarger to the Houston 28.  From the 25, frosh Daba Fofana, the one bright spot for the Mids running game (28-89 yards, one TD), broke loose and put the Mids within striking distance, 14-7.   

FB Daba Fofana (45) races toward end zone for 25-yard Midshipman touchdown.
FB Daba Fofana (45) races toward end zone for 25-yard Midshipman touchdown.

The defense giveth, and the offense taketh away

   However, the Houston offense started from the 25 and could not be denied.  Clayton passes to TE Matt Byrnes (2/34 yards, one TD) and the running of Stacy Sneed (20 /100 yards) allowed the Cougars to score not once, but twice, really.  On fourth and three at Navy’s six, Kyle Ramsey put up the kick for three. Despite an offsides call, the officials signaled the penalty was declined and the kick good.  GGA Paul Fraley wondered why. With 5:18 left, the Cougars could have a first down and with plenty of time for another TD. 

     Finally, someone along HC Dana Holgorsen’s sideline realized Houston could get half the distance for a first down at the three.  Tune connected from there with Byrne, his 6’6” TE who towered over the Navy secondary, for the TD.  With Houston leading, 21-7, the ensuing Navy drive resulted in a blocked FG by DE Nelson Caesar through its porous offensive line.

Houston Cougars swarm to block FG attempt by Navy PK Dan Davies late in first half.
Houston Cougars swarm to block FG attempt by Navy PK Dan Davies late in first half.

Party in the parking lot!

    Under a hot, bright mid-day sun, our Navy tailgate partiers decided to get some shade.  With mobile tickets, this the first time in our memory that Navy allowed fans to head to the parking lot at halftime and return.  We all took advantage for shade, food already paid for, and cold beverages.  During our pre-game tailgate, we met with USNA graduate friends from our past like John Semcken, Rick Yasky and his wife Rebecca, Mike Malinack, and Alden “The Rock” Williams.  We also met with regular tailgaters and Navy fans from Buffalo, NY who we enjoyed meeting for the first time. 

John Semcken and Rick Yasky ,both USNA '78 with yours truly at pregame tailgate.,
John Semcken and Rick Yasky ,both grads of USNA ’78, with yours truly at pregame tailgate.

     Jill, a possessional chef, had cooking equipment set up and shared some of her recipes with us that were delicious!  She was featured on the TV program “Chopped” in an episode.  We have to find a way to meet up with that group again at future Navy tailgates. At the post-game party, The Rock and I defeated Notre Dame/ Navy fan Bill Serafin and brother- in-law Frank Lorito in a prolonged game of “Janga” to wrap up the festivities.    

    The tailgating, travels, and meeting other fans from around the country make college football a great part of the fun.  As Chris Schenkel always said, “College football: what better way to spend an autumn afternoon?”

2022 Navy Tailgater friends from over the years coming together for a great time from NJ, Delaware, Florida, and Tennessee.
2022 Navy Tailgater friends from over the years coming together for a great time from NJ, Delaware, Florida, and Tennessee.

Back to football

    Only a few of us returned after our halftime break to see if the Mids could get back into this game.  It seemed many of the 32,443 of the announced attendance didn’t return.  Navy closed the score by seven with a five-yard fumble recovery return by LB Jianni Woodson-Brooks.  Good sign. However, Houston responded with a drive resulting in a 24-yard FG by Ramsey.  The Cougars turned over Navy’s next drive with an interception by CB Art Green to put Houston at Navy’s 17.  A 14-yard pass to Sam Brown to extend the lead basically put the game away. They led 31-14.  The Mids looked as if they could not sustain any drives on offense.

Houston WR Sam Brown came down with this pass from Tune for a 31-14 lead.
Houston WR Sam Brown came down with this pass from Tune for a 31-14 lead.

Justcollegefootball.com

     In the final period, we met with Stephen Hiegel of JustCollegeFootball.com whose preseason podcast we were interviewed. He met us in section 127.  Stephen’s goal is to attend games in every FBS Stadium (134 in total now).  He’s up to eight, most in within driving distance of Maryland where he lives.  We’re up to 76 such (160 stadiums in all to see all levels of play since 1979).  It’s not easy balancing time and budgets to accomplish this, but we wish him luck and hope to cross paths sometime again in the future.

 “Tuned” in and out

    Houston turned back the next Navy possession on a fourth and three.  Later in the period, the Cougars drove 63 yards to score on Tune’s fifth scoring pass.  He connected a second time with Brown for a four-yard pass.  Navy went to the air on its next drive.  Lavatai completed four of six passes with the final one to Umbarger for a 41-yard score.  Maybe Navy HC Ken Niumatalolo has to consider going to a more pass-based offense with the personnel he has.  The blocking would have to be improved from what we saw. Also, the tools like quickness afoot and with the hands that don’t seem to meet the standards of skill players for the option he had in the past. 

Brown comes down with Tune's fifth and final TD pass on the day.
Brown comes down with Tune’s fifth and final TD pass on the day.

    An onsides kick ensued, and Houston ran out the clock.   The Cougars joined up with the Brigade to stand with the Navy to the traditional singing of “Navy Blue and Gold”.  I encouraged Stephen Hiegel to remain to hear this as we think it’s one of the best traditions in all of college football.  We just hope to see the Mids turn it around, especially when we see them play Army on December 10. 

A tradition second to none: Navy sing "Navy Blue and Gold" at end of game joine by their guests- win or lose.
A tradition second to none: Brigade of Midshipman sing “Navy Blue and Gold” at end of game joined by their guests – win or lose.

Week Nine next!

     Navy (2-5, 2-3) plays at home for the last time this season when Temple (2-5, 0-3) comes calling for Homecoming. Houston (4-3, 2-1) heads home to face South Florida (1-6, 0-3). Collegefootballfan.com hopes to see something more competitive at noon on Saturday when No. 13 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) hosts No. 2 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0).  Hopefully, PSU HC James Franklin preps his team better than he did for the Michigan game.

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Navy cheerleaders remained postitive on a beautiful day despite their team's inability to catch the Cougars.
Navy cheerleaders remained positive on a beautiful day despite their team’s inability to catch the Cougars.