Game 566: South Carolina Gamecocks continue to dominate Vandy Commodores, 37-14

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South Carolina Gamecocks continue to dominate Vandy Commodores, 37-14

Nashville – For the 17th time in 19 years of SEC play and for the tenth straight game, the USC Gamecocks defeated Vandy, this time  by a score of 37-14,  in what was expected to be a more closely contested game.  After a five-point loss on the road at Notre Dame, Vandy trailed SC at halftime but kept it close down, 20-14.  A balanced rushing and passing attack by the Cocks along with a solid defense allowed them to increase their lead to 30-14 with 4:34 left in the third before officials suspended play due to a threatening storm system tracking over Vanderbilt Stadium.

DB Jaycee Horn (7) and SC defense held Kyle Shurmur to 180 passing yards and one TD.

For Collegefootballfan.com, this SEC East contest marked our first game ever at Vandy’s home field, and the suspended play was the first ever in our 566-game history. The game resumed about an hour later.  The Gamecocks continued to dominate defensively, but their two fumbles terminated drives at the Vandy two and at the 25 before the final TD by Tyson Williams with 2:04 remaining punctuated the 37-14 win for Carolina.

At first glance, I thought I was in Annapolis for my third weekend in a row. No! This is Vanderbilt where they say, “Anchor down!” instead of “Anchors aweigh!” 

Fast Start!

South Carolina covered 75 yards in less than one minute on the opening drive for their first score when Jake Bentley fired a 38-yard pass to Shi Smith (5 catches for 119 yards, 1 TD). The Cocks put up three more on their next possession with Parker White’s 33-yard FG.  An INT by DB Rashad Fenton halted a Vandy drive on the Carolina 18.

Gamecock QB Jake Bentley unloaded 19 completions for 261 yards and one TD to help USC beat Vandy for the tenth year in a row.

 Pick for a pick

In the second period, the Commodores’ DE Dare Odeyingbo returned the favor with a pick of his own putting the ball in play for Vandy at SC’s 23.  VU converted on a fourth and one at the 14 on Kyle Shurmur’s QB sneak.  Ke’Shawn Vaughn followed up with a TD run over right tackle at the three to cut the Gamecock lead.  Rico Dowdle returned the ensuing kick out to the 35-yard line.  Bentley’s 52-yard pass to Smith put his team at the VU two where Dowdle finished the drive he started with a two-yard run for another score.

Rico Dowdle carried 20 times for Carolina for 112 yards and a TD.

The Commodores countered with a75-yard drive ending with a diving catch near the sideline in the end zone by WR Kalija Lipscomb. The play went under review where the thought was that his butt landed out of bounds before his foot did while he had control.  The play stood to cut Carolina’s lead to three. However, on the last play of the first half, White made good on his 35-yard FG to give the Cocks a 20-14 lead.

Vandy WR Kalija Lipscomb hauled this one in for VU’s second score, and we had a better camera angle than did the people with the sideline passes.

And the thunder roared…

To start the second half, SC forced a punt and drove to the 19 where White converted a 36-yarder.  Dark clouds loomed nearby at the time and the weather system map appeared on the stadium’s big screen.  Shurmur (son of the NY Giants new HC) got sacked, fumbled, and Carolina recovered at Vandy’s six.  Mon Denson took it over from one-yard out to go up, 30-14.  Vandy started from the 24 after the subsequent kickoff.  However, the announcement came over the public address system that play needed to be suspended and that all should seek shelter.  The announcer directed everyone to get under the stadium bleachers, or to go into the adjacent gym, or head back to their vehicles for adequate cover.

Mon Denson (34) carries for a few yards for South Carolina before his TD run later on.

And the Lightning struck!

The gym was directly behind section S where I had negotiated for a seat right on the 50-yard line.  The rain began slowly.  The entry into the building was stifling and muggy. The AC had not yet been turned on throughout the building.  Attendants directed me and others to the farthest reaches of a practice gym where the AC had already powered up.  I seated myself against a padded wall when a few hundred other fans joined into the comfortable air conditioning.  We waited it out.   I checked out the latest scores on my cell and got live reports from fellow fans at games around the country.

After lightning and thunder passed through the immediate area, we were invited back into Vanderbilt Stadium where play would resume at 6:08.  I appreciated the fact that this wasn’t a long drawn out suspension similar to Penn State – Michigan State a year ago.  I didn’t think this one would be worth the wait, but I felt obligated to stay the entire game to be sure this one “officially“ counted for Collegefootballfan.com.

Vanderbilt cheerleaders help keep Commodore spirit high during the first half.

Most of the crowd dispersed since the suspension had started.  More SC fans than Vandy fans remained.  Instead of resuming a position at my seat on the visitor side of the stadium where I originally sat, I decided to roam from portal to portal checking out various vision lines while staying as dry as possible. The best view came on the end zone where I could see all the replays on the scoreboard opposite from me.  I’ve had enough rain already this early in the season.

Gamecocks stopped themselves

SC drove to the two where Dowdle fumbled the ball away.  The Commodores could not sustain any long drives against the Gamecock defense at this point.  Carolina drove again, but turned the ball over again on the ground where Vandy took over on its 25.  Late in the game with 2:04 left, Williams sealed the score with his TD to retain Gamecock dominance over Vandy with its 17th SEC victory over the home team in 19 years.

Bentley led the Cocks to a touchdown less than a minute into the game.

  

Same old Vandy, Same old SEC

Vandy played like the Vandy everybody who follows college football expects them to play.  Very unimpressed. SC looked to right itself after its big loss to Georgia two weeks ago and after its cancellation of the previous game versus Marshall.  Basically, things remain status quo in the SEC. Alabama sits at the top, Vandy dwells at the bottom, and everybody else shuffles around in between.

 Next!

USC (2-1, 1-1 SEC) takes on Kentucky in Lexington to try to end its four-game losing streak to the Wildcats (4-0, 2-0).  Vandy hosts its next-door neighbor, FCS Tennessee State (2-0) of the Ohio Valley Conference.  We at CFF.com gear up for another two-game weekend.  All four teams are undefeated.  Friday night, we cross the George Washington Bridge into upper Manhattan to see the awakened Columbia Lions (2-0) under HC Al Bagnoli host the 2-0 Princeton Tigers in their traditional Ivy League opener.  CU posted wins over Central Connecticut and Georgetown.  PU has already outscored its two non-conference opponents, Butler and Monmouth, 101-16.

On Saturday, it’s the best we got all season.  No. 9 Penn State (4-0, 1-0) hosts No. 4 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0) in a White-out at Beaver stadium at 7:30 pm.  The Lions have started slowly in its last three wins and won big.  They most likely can’t do that against Ohio State. They’ll have to get off to a better start defensively to upend the Buckeyes with Urban Meyer back on the sideline.  We’ve been looking forward to this one since the beginning.  It’s finally here!

I thought the purpose of this clock was to minimize the length of commercial time-outs. Maybe it was to see how fast this ref could chug his water bottle.

Extra points:

Enjoyed Nashville as always. Some new places along with the old.  Friend of friends, Randy McCallister, introduced me to the Stillery, nice eatery right next to the good old Benchmark.  Honky-tonked around Broadway most of Friday afternoon to enjoy the sights and sounds coming from all over.

Before the game on Saturday, I parked a few blocks from the stadium for probably too much money (I made up for that with my 50-yard line seat price though). However right around the corner I found a bar called The Local.  Turned out to be a Gamecock pre-game party headquarters. Sat at the bar and watched other games, good food, and drink and a band. Being an SC Dad and thus financial out-of-state contributor, I regretted not wearing my Gamecock tailgate cap in honor of my daughter, the proud USC graduate.  I’ll plan better next time.

Heard a rumor at the Benchmark that the cancelled game South Carolina had with Marshall may be made up with West Virginia whose game with NC State also got nixed.  Both have an open date on October 20, but WVU hosts Baylor the following Thursday.  Unless the TV powers are willing to slide that one back to Saturday, I don’t see that happening. I also don’t believe South Carolina will want to take on that good a non-conference game that late in the season.  I’ll believe it when I see it.

Too bad if they don’t put this one together though.  There were a few good upsets this weekend and a few close games. However, if you check out all the scores,  the vast majority resulted in blow-outs.  Call them mismatches, creative scheduling, teams with off years, there are just too many lop-sided games this year.  They are all on TV, too.  I think and eight game playoff withe five (maybe six) automatic conference winners would entice some more games between better non-conference competition.  Wins in those kinds of game could get the winners one of the remaining at-large bids.

The result of this week’s game gave the Gamecocks a 9-3 record in the annals of our history.  Vandy fell to 1-2. I can say that though this was my first game at Vanderbilt Stadium, I’ve been to Nashville for four other football games. All of them were at Nissan Stadium, however, for four Music City Bowls.  I love Nashville! 

The Gamecocks brought a lot of fans to Nashville for a good time. and their team showed them one.

 

Game # 565: Temple Owl takeaways turn back Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, 31-17

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Temple Owl takeaways turn back Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, 31-17

Philadelphia – In front of a sparse crowd on Thursday evening at Lincoln Financial Field, the Temple Owls soared past the Golden Hurricanes of Tulsa with the aid of two defensive touchdowns in somewhat of a breeze, 31-17.  The Canes stuck pretty much to a short pass and running game never really challenging the Owls for big yards offensively.  Guest Game Analysts Brian Donnelly (Towson), Bill Reilly (Juniata) and his nephew Joey (DT for his middle school team) were befuddled late in the game when the Owls stalled the clock with a lead by throwing the ball while the Golden Hurricanes kept running while playing catch-up.  Neither team seemed to understand how to win this game without any solid clock management strategy.

Grand entrance for both teams in front of a small Thursday night crowd.

 Pick for pick

A tip and an interception of an Anthony Russo pass by LB Cooper Edmiston halted Temple’s initial drive.  However, the Owls got on the board first with Ty Mason’s pick six for 36 yards to give his team the 7-0 lead.  Tulsa recoiled right away with a 75-yard drive ending with Corey Taylor’s three-yard score.  Russo led the Owls after a kick return to the Golden Hurricanes 42 with a 41-yard bomb to Ventell Bryant followed by his one-yard TD scamper.  The Owls drove again from 65 yards away with Ryquell Armstead (24 for 108, 1 TD) speeding around right end for a 22-yard score.  Tulsa struggled to score a TD to get closer before settling for Nate Walker’s 18-yard FG as time expired at the half to favor Temple, 21-10.

Ryquell Armstead (7) races around the right side of Golden Hurricane defense.

Halftime topics

The Temple marching band performed at the half and all night to a Star Wars theme.  That band always comes to have a good time.  Supposedly talks continue for Temple to build a stadium of its own near campus off Broad Street in Philly.  Bill Reilly says he can’t understand where they would have any room for parking. I’m not sure what the advantage will before Temple.  Whatever the decision is it will come down to someone’s analysis regarding what will make the most money.

Temple’s marching units always seem to enjoy putting on a performance during their halftime shows.

 Too many Golden Hurricane Turnovers

The Temple defense struck again in the third period.  DT Michael Dogbe’s sack of Golden Hurricane QB Luke Skipper (22 of 41,195 yards, 3 INTs) forced a fumble.  His fellow DT Karano Dioubate scooped it up and rumbled 50 yards for an Owl score to go up, 28-10.

This Luke Skipper pass went beyond the long reach of TE Cole Neph in the end zone in early action.

Putting it away

In the final period, Edmiston picked off another tipped Russo (7 of 20, 112, 2 INTs) pass to give Tulsa the ball from the 47.  Corey Taylor (23 for 96 yards, 2 TDs) turned this Temple turnover into points with a five-yard TD run.  The Golden Hurricanes forced Temple to punt from its seven and started in great field position at the 31.  Just when it looked like Tulsa could cut the lead down to four, Skipper fumbled again.  LB Chapelle Russell put Temple back on offense from their 49.  Tulsa held to force a punt, but a short snap to blocking back Shaun Bradley resulted in a long run to the Golden Hurricane 15 for a fresh set of downs.  Tulsa’s defense held the Owls to Will Mobely’s 33-yard FG with 4:24 left to play.  The Owls sealed the 31-17 lead for the victory when S Benny Walls came up with his team’s third INT of the game.  Overall, it seemed like a very lackadaisical game played by both teams.

Tulsa WR Jarion Anderson was met by a host of Temple defenders after this short reception.

Next!

Temple (2-2) heads to Boston College who lost it first game of the season to Purdue on Saturday.  Tulsa (1-3) doesn’t play again until another Thursday in Houston on October 4.  We will just happen to be in the neighborhood that night, so we are going.  Of course, we have a few other games we will be attending before then.  Next stop, Nashville for South Carolina at Vanderbilt in an SEC contest.  The weekend before Houston, an Ivy League clash and a big game in the Big Ten.  Stay tuned.

 

Game 564: QB Malcolm Perry leads Navy ground game over out-manned Lehigh, 51-21

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QB Malcolm Perry leads Navy ground game over out-manned Lehigh, 51-21

Annapolis – In a mismatch, Navy led by QB Malcolm Perry who rushed for 223 yards and three TDs, mauled the FCS Lehigh Mountain Hawks, 51-21.  On the other hand, Perry’s passing, two for 29 for 65 yards, left a lot to be desired.  It indicated that the Mids will be in a lot of trouble against better competition if in the future when it needs to throw the football.  Most of his errant passes misfired far from the clutches of his open receivers.

Navy battle flags.

Unexpected start

Perry scored from the five on the seventh play of Navy’s first possession.  Surprisingly, with leading rusher Dom Bragalone out with a head injury, Lehigh scored on the first play from scrimmage on a 75-yard bounce out to the left side by Frosh RB Rashawn Allen. It marked the seventh time that a Navy opponent scored from 30 yards or more in their first three games.  After the sudden tie, the Navy defense got into a take-away mode.  The offense got on track reeling off five more TDs and two field goals before Lehigh got on the board again in the fourth on a 26-yard ramble by Allen (16 carries 142 yards, two TDs).

Jacob Springer’s interception on the Lehigh 28 set up Perry’s next TD run from the 24.  The Navy defense stopped Lehigh on downs at their own 27.  Short yardage QB Zach Abey finished off a run for a Navy 21-7 lead after a Perry completion of 48 yards to SB C.J. Williams to the two.

Navy QB Zach Abey (9) bulls his way for a few tough yards against the Mountain Hawks.

And the beat down goes on for Lehigh

In the second, sophomore Myles Fells torched the Mountain Hawks for his first career TD with a 52-yard jaunt.  Following DE Jarvis Polu’s fumble recovery at the Lehigh 44, PK Bennet Moehring nailed a 29-yard FG.  Later in the period, CB Jarid Ryan intercepted and Moehring converted a 37-yard FG with six seconds left in the half to give Navy a comfortable 34-7 lead going into the halftime show.

Navy’s C.J. Williams (20) off on his 51-yard pass play. He had three catches for 104 yards.

The Real Ring of Honor

For halftime entertainment, the Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps performed.  The highlight of their performance honored 44 Medal of Honor recipients in attendance today from all services to actions going back from WWII to the present.  A standing ovation was given by the remnants of 30,011 in attendance while the D&B finished up traditionally with “Anchors Aweigh” and “The Marine Corps Hymn”.

Some of the distinguished Medal of Honor winners in blue watching the action at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Navy QBs maintained the scoring barrage against Lehigh in the third period.  Perry scored on a 30-yard run to polish off an 85-yard drive.  The next Lehigh drive resulted in a forced fumble and recovery by Navy OLB Walter Little.  Third string QB Garrett Lewis, Navy’s best passer, completed a 39-yard pass to C.J. Williams and eventually ran in for the score with a four-yard touchdown to make the score 48-7 at the end of three.

Final Act

With second and third teams getting reps in the final period, Allen scored his second TD for Lehigh.  Moehring booted his third field goal from 45 yards out.  Lehigh finished the scoring in the waning seconds when Tyler Monaco tossed a two-yard pass to Cam Richardson to settle the score at 51-21, in favor of the Naval Academy.

CB Jarid Ryan (2) breaks up a Lehigh pass attempt from QB Brad Mayes who completed 19 of 31 for 158 yards. Navy had three picks off him. 

 CFF.com Navy Scouting Report

This game was truly a case of Navy’s superior athleticism with FBS talent over a sister Patriot League FCS football program.  The Mids dominated others in the past such as Fordham and Colgate from the Patriot as well.  This game made sense as an opener for both as it was originally scheduled to be, but with three games each now under both team’s belts, they prep now for conference play.  Navy HC Ken Niumatalolo looked to find out what he could get from Malcolm Perry when he airs out the football.

GGA Brian Donnelly (Towson) and I didn’t like what we saw.  If Navy’s defense can’t stop an effective passing attack like Hawaii’s and can’t play ball control with its triple option, there will be some long days ahead when they can’t offset those kinds of offenses with a passing game of their own.  These challenges truly lie ahead.  The Mids will find out next week when they travel to SMU (1-2).  They got by the Mustangs, 43-40, a year ago as Perry ran wild.  However, now against conference foes that Navy plays year after year, these teams start planning well in advance for their vaunted triple-option.

Malcolm Perry launches one of his nine pass attempts against Lehigh. He completed two for 65 yards on the day.

CFF.com Lehigh Scouting Report

Lehigh (1-2) heads to Franklin Field in Philly to face non-conference foe Penn in the Ivy League’s first week of the football season.  We will see the Mountain Hawks play on the road again later this season on October 27 when they visit The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts for our first game ever attended there.  If Bragalone and Allen both stay healthy, they could become a dynamic rushing duo for Lehigh in their quest for the Patriot League championship.  Colgate will have something to say about that however.  They loom 2-0 after their game in South Carolina against Furman was cancelled. Lehigh hosts them on November 10.  The winner most likely wins the Patriot League FCS bid.

Extra Points:

While the Carolina coasts got battered by wind and rain on this day, the weather in Annapolis to the north was calm and clear.  During our tailgate, we raised the dried-out canopy from a week ago for cooler shade instead of for dryness from the rain.  Sub sandwiches, Old Bay Chicken wings, and Fred’s brownies and Doritos’ along with various pumpkin ales brought by Navy Al got us ready before and after the game.

This game marked milestones for both teams in our Collegefootballfan.com history. For the Naval Academy, we attended our 75th game.  Their record over the years is now 38-37.  For the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, formerly Engineers whens we started, this was our 25th game.  They stand 16-9 in the annals of our history. We will see both teams play again later this season and hopefully for many more years ahead.

“St. Laurie” and I enjoyed dinner at The Federal House afterward.  We strolled the Annapolis dock which indicated some flooding that had come over the sea wall, but nothing significant to the likes of what was pummeling the Carolina coasts.  “Pappy’s Toy” out of Nashville remained docked along the seawall since last weekend.  Annapolis was a good place to stay away from Hurricane Florence.  Four games scheduled with teams from North Carolina were postponed. The South Carolina vs. Marshall game got cancelled.

Brian, Navy Al, Fred, “St. Laurie”, and I at our pregame tailgate before Lehigh dismantling.

 Collegefootballfan.com remembers

This week, we look forward to two games.  Thursday night, Temple (1-2) hosts Tulsa (1-2) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.  The Owls come off their 35-14 upset win over Maryland while Tulsa recovers from their 29-20 loss at home against Arkansas State.

On Saturday, we will attend our first game ever at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville.  There, we will see the improved Commodores (2-1) after their 22-17 loss at Notre Dame host the South Carolina Gamecocks who are now itching to play after last Saturday’s cancellation.  Twenty-three years ago, we saw both of these team play for the first time against one another in the annals of our history in Columbia, SC.  The Gamecocks thrashed Vandy, 52-14. You can read all about that in my book, Tales from the Tailgate.   Last season, SC beat Vandy at home, 34-27.  We expect more of a challenge from the Commodores this time than we did back in 1995. Looking forward to seeing both teams play and visiting Nashville, the Music City,once again.

Game 563: Navy overcomes Memphis lead late in a driving rainstorm, 22-21

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Navy overcomes Memphis lead late in driving rainstorm, 22-21

Annapolis – The US Naval Academy, not known for late comebacks with their vaunted, triple-option, overcame a 21-9 Memphis lead with two scores in the final period to edge the Tigers, 22-21.  The first American Athletic Conference West Division game for both gave the Midshipman a leg up on the Tigers as the two teams have claimed three division titles since Navy joined the conference in 2015.  Both offenses struggled though a driving rainstorm limiting the anticipated firepower brought by both teams to light up the scoreboard.

Navy QB Malcolm Perry (10) surrounded by Tigers.

Henderson runs away, twice

Navy led at the half, 9-7, as their defense focused on improving after the previous week’s loss at Hawaii, 59-41.  In the second half, Memphis RB Darrell Henderson (13 carries, 214 yards, two TDs) exposed a Navy defensive weakness as he sprinted past the slower secondary on a 78-yard burst.  Later in the period, Memphis extended the lead on Henderson’s 58-yard jaunt to put the visitors up, 21-9.

Malcolm Perry in the middle.

In the final period, the Mids took advantage of the third Memphis fumble of the game. S Juan Hailey forced a Patrick Taylor fumble and DE Jarvis Polu recovered at the Tiger 27.  At the 19, Navy QB Malcolm Perry (166 yards, two TDs) zig-zagged and broke tackles around right end and all the way across the field to cross the goal line for dazzling score with 11:06 remaining.

Malcolm in the end zone.

The Grand Finale

The Navy D forced Memphis to punt after three and out to put the offense in good field position from their 44.  Back up QB Zach Abey, used for his toughness in short yardage situations, (six yards, five carries, one TD) converted a two-yard run on fourth and one at the Memphis 18.  With 2:39 left, he ran over the right side unscathed standing up for a three-yard TD.  A two-point conversion failed and it was up to the defense to stop the Memphis team that scored 66 points the previous week in their win over FCS Mercer.  The Tigers got on the move and looked like they could be within field goal range as Henderson carried six yards to the Mids 34.  Under pressure, QB Brady White misfired on his next two pass attempts to get within range.

Ring the Victory Bell

On fourth down, DE Anthony Villalobos dropped White for a one-yard loss as he scrambled to seal the Navy victory to even their record at 1-1, 1-0 in the AAC. It was a great come from behind victory for the Mids as the Brigade happily sang their alma mater, “Navy Blue and Gold” before heading back to Bancroft Hall and on to “liberty” granted by the Superintendent.

Despite the rain, Navy has something to cheer about!

Next week the Mids return to face Patriot League foe Lehigh (1-1) and we will be back, weather permitting,  based on what Hurricane Florence brings up the Chesapeake.   Memphis (1-1, 0-1 AAC) looks to get back on a winning note at home when they face Georgia State.

Extra Points:

Navy S Sean Williams earned AAC Defensive Player of the Week with nine tackles and two forced fumbles.

A lot of fans decided enough was enough regarding the rain by halftime, but Jim and Brian decided we had better seats and joined us in the front row for a better view of the Navy victory.

Despite the rain, our first time Guest Game Analysts at Annapolis, Les Di Vite (Seton Hall) and Bill Serafin (Montclair State) along with veteran GGA Steve Ciesla (Juniata/ Montclair State), vowed that they had such a fantastic time at the game and in Annapolis, that they will be back again.  As usual, we had a great tailgate, luckily before the skies opened up, with Brian “Old Bay Spice wings” Donnelly, his fiancé Laurie, and our friend and navy vet, “Navy Al” (USS Seattle).

Annapolis in the morning

After a dark drive down on Friday through heavy thunder storms and traffic delays, we headed downtown next morning for breakfast at Chick and Ruth’s. We checked out the fantastic boats down at the Annapolis dock (I gotta meet someone named “Pappy” from Nashville before I retire there after I saw Pappy’s Boat looking like a great place to tailgate).  We walked over to the academy and toured around checking out the sailing center, T-Court, the Crypt of John Paul Jones below the chapel, and Preble Hall, housing the great Navy museum there.  It’s a great place to spend a few hours. Different displays every year when we go there.  Back in town, we did the traditional Bloody Mary at The Anthony House before riding out to meet our fellow tailgaters and heading over to our parking lot at Gate 1.

Annapolis at night

After the game, since our postgame tailgate got washed out, we went downtown and had dinner at Buddy’s Ribs and Claws so we could catch up on Penn State-Pitt.  We skipped our traditional cigars at the Annapolis Cigar Factory since hot showers and dry clothes seemed like the better options to watch the late games back at the hotel.  Three more treks to Annapolis this season. Always a good time and in recent years, great football!

Bill the Goat salutes his team for winning and their fans for staying till the end.

 

 

 

Game 562: Boston College Eagles soar over UMass “Minutemen”, 55-21

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Boston College Eagles soar over UMass “Minutemen”, 55-21

Chestnut Hill, MA – Boston College opened its 120th gridiron season honoring America and its Veterans throughout and proceeded to maul the Massachusetts “Minutemen”, 55-21.  The score does not indicate what truly happened.  The Eagles soared to a 48-7 lead as the first half ended.  The Minutemen under substitute QBs filling in for overwhelmed Andrew Ford late in the game led UMass to two insignificant touchdowns.

QB Anthony Brown on the mend and leading the Eagles to another score.

Boston College came out flying as QB Anthony Brown, returning from his late season leg injury in 2017, passed for 279 yards and four TDS finishing 15 of 21 through the air.  His first TD pass connected with RB AJ Dillon for 15 yards.  The ACC Rookie of the Year last season tallied 98 yards on 20 carries during the first half before sitting out the second.

Fool us once

UMass fooled me and my Guest Analysts Mike Ford (Providence College) and his son Connor (Marist) into thinking they were going to make a game of it.  UMass QB Ford (no relation) led the retaliation with a 72-yard scoring drive capped by Marquis Young’s three-yard into the end zone to knot the score.

The Ford Boys next to Rick’s Chevy Silverado where we tailgated next to BC’s Alumni Stadium.

However, Young would lead his team into the end zone seven times among their nine drives in the first half. The next resulted in a 34-yard pass to Kobay White. RB Davon Jones entered the end zone from one and from two yards on their next two possessions.  Young threw a 33-yarder to TE Ray Marten to make it 34-0 following a missed extra point.  He went back to White (four catches, 102 yards, two TDs) from 27 yards out. Finally, DB Denis Lukas capped the first half scoring with a 59-yard interception return picking up blockers running from the left sideline all the way across the field toward the BC locker room as time expired in the first half.  Extra point was good. Game over, 48-7 – not!

Eagle HC Steve Addazio doesn’t look happy, but he likes what he has to like what he sees on the scoreboard late in the first half.

Break out the practice uniforms

Neither team scored during the third quarter in what seemed more like a scrimmage in uniforms.  The clock continuously wound down.  In the final period, RB David Bailey ran in from the eight to up the Boston College lead, 55-7.  UMass made the score more respectable than what it was as back-up QB Ross Comis threw 16 yards to Jordan Fredericks for a score.  Next QB Michael Curtis scored from the two for UMass with 1:27 remaining while the Ford boys and I had already determined we wanted more beer on this hot summer day.  We headed out of Alumni Stadium back to Bob LeBlanc’s tailgate right outside Alumni Stadium’s main gate.  We waited with our cooler in his truck while he and his other BC die-hards watched until the annihilation was officially over.

Eagle defense takes down WR Anthony Isabella led by LB Connor Strachan.

Next week, too

Boston College will be untested again at home next week by another Massachusetts school, its former longtime Catholic college rival, Holy Cross.  The two last met in their ancient rivalry back in 1986. After winning that one, 56-26 , and after nine straight dominant wins by BC, the two schools parted football ways. Boston College went big time while Holy Cross stayed small.  The Eagles will first get tested on Thursday, October 13, in the ACC at Wake Forest.  UMass heads down to Statesboro next week to meet Georgia Southern (1-0). Collegefootballfan.com head down to Annapolis for a key AAC match between Memphis (1-0) and Navy (0-1). First of five regular season games we’ll see the Mids play in this year.  Good offense as usual for USNA  and struggling defense.  We expect a high-scoring game in this one.

The other Ford, UMass QB Andrew, did not have as much fun as the other Ford boys on this day.

Extra Points:

“Minutemen”?  The name always stood for “Patriotism”. Yet on a day when Boston College continually honored America’s Veterans throughout, the “Minutemen” did not even stand outside along the sideline when the national anthem played.  Glad they got trounced by Boston College who all stood along their sideline for that reason alone.   UMass should change their name to something else if they are not going to emulate what their proud mascot should stand for – Paul Revere, “One if by land, two if by sea”, Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, etc.

Now these are how Minutemen are supposed to act as seen at UMass’s first FBS game ever at Gillette Stadium versus U. of Indiana.

Bob “Pops” LeBlanc, a Boston College alum, hosted our tailgate party as mentioned.  He got us great seats 18 rows up behind the BC bench.  Can’t thank him enough.  He and his friends Rick, Nick (Wentworth), John and their wives among others have their BC tailgating down to a detailed great time!   We plan to be back up in Chestnut Hill again when Boston College hosts the Miami Hurricane on Friday October 26.  We plan to catch up with them again.

Through a connection met on an Alaskan Cruise back in May, I got put in touch with a former grammar school and high school classmate originally from Boonton, NJ.  Lynn (formerly Ventrice) Kish lives up in New Hampshire now.  She and her husband Kevin,  a UMass grad, came by and tailgated with us.  It was great to see Lynn and to meet Kevin who is a great sports fan and avid golfer.  Lynn hopes to get revenge now for Kevin’s alma mater later this season when her alma mater, Virginia Tech, hosts the Eagles down in Blacksburg!

WR Kobay White (9) scores one of two TD catches on the day for Boston College.

Time to step down?

I asked Kevin if there was any inkling that UMass would step back into the FCS.  Like myself, he thinks it would be good fit and revitalize the interest in the program playing in the Colonial Athletic again with likes of New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, James Madison, etc.  However, he thinks they have too much invested already in going into the FBS.  I think it will be reconsidered.  UMass can’t find a conference, scheduling is difficult, they haven’t invested an inordinate amount in their home stadium, they aren’t drawing big crowds, they have no major TV contract, and a few more pastings like this will set them back. They could lose a lot of money, and let’s not kid ourselves. That is what a move like this is all about.  Their HC Mark Whipple led them to then 1-AA championship back in 1998.   I think they will follow the lead of Idaho and march back into a level of football that makes more sense (cents?) for this program.  They’re biting off more than they can chew in the FBS.

BC band at the half.

 

 

Game 561: Made in the Shade for Springfield Pride, 42-21

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Made in the Shade for Springfield Pride, 42-21

Springfield, MA – Junior QB Chad Shade made his debut as a starter for the Pride and both overwhelmed visiting crosstown rival Western New England, 42-21, in front of over 5,000 fans at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field. The two teams play annually in their Pynchon SAW Game rivalry.  Offensively, the Pride gained 445 yards this evening, all on the ground.  Shade was 0 for 3 in passing, but he burned the Golden Bears running the option for 247 yards and six TDs on 22 carries.

Pride QB Chad Shade (11) pitches out to RB Nick Rajotte during an early drive.

Shade leads devastating comeback

Western New England opened the scoring on Peter Hoff’s touchdown in the first. Shade and the Pride retaliated with four more scores running the option before the Bears knew what hit them in Q3.  Ryan McCarthy returned the ensuing kickoff out to SC’s 43.  Shade ended this drive with a six-yard score.  On The Pride’s next possession, Shade side-stepped a would-be tackler near the line of scrimmage and ran for a 24-yard TD.

Pride defense hotly pursues Western New England’s Peter Hoff approaching end zone on a early drive.

Leading 14-7 in the second, The Pride halted WNE QB Alec Coleman (22 of 40, 204 yards, 1 TD) on a fourth and short to take over on downs.  A FG attempt by the Golden Bears misfired on their next possession.  Thereafter, Shade proceeded to finish off an 81-yard drive on a 32-yard option keeper to the right side to extend the score 21-7 for halftime.

And The Pride rolls on

In the third, Pride FB Josh Thomas from Saratoga Springs, NY, bolted out of the gate up the middle for a 58-yard gallop up the middle down to the WNE five.  Shade carried it in from the one.  A kick return to the 44 finally got the Golden Bears rolling again.  WR Jared Wolfe grabbed a three-yard TD pass from Coleman to cut the Pride lead in half, 28-14.  Springfield recovered a fumble with their backs on their own eight. However,  The Pride responded with a 75-yard option left by Shade to go up, 35-14.

Pride’s Josh Thomas (90) bulls closer to Western New England goal line to set up Shade’s next TD .

In the final period, Shade polished off an 81-yard drive on the 12th play with a 42-yard jaunt to cap his outstanding debut.  A late TD by the Bears Brendan Smith finalized the score at 42-11.   It was great to attend a good D-3 clash well attended at the very well kept and historical Stagg Field.

Extra Points:

I was able to attend a women’s volley ball match right before the game during the Springfield Invitational Tournament. The Pride hosted Westfield State.  Being the senior member of my company’s co-ed volleyball team, there has to be a minimum of at least where three women among six players to be on the court the entire game.  I think I could have taken any of five women from either team and we (me and the five young ladies recruited) would win the Boston Properties Championship of Princeton, NJ next season. I have to talk to HR about recruiting and internships for next season.

SC Freshman LB Anthony Benscombe led all tacklers for the day with 11.  Pride All-American DE candidate Nick Giorgio wrangled eight tackles, but was slowed by leg cramps late in the game.  Both squads reached the D-3 playoffs last season.  Springfield of The New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conference and the Golden Bears of the Commonwealth Coast Conference could both win automatic bids again by winning their respective conference championships.

The winner of this local crosstown rivalry takes home the Pynchon SAW Trophy.  Named for William Pynchon who founded the city as a fur trading post a few centuries ago, the site was named after his birthplace in England.  SAW is derived from the first letters of both schools – Springfield And Western.

Not far from the Springfield campus, we passed the Smith and Wesson Corporation campus, makers of the original Springfield rifles.

Next week Springfield visits Kean University of the NJAC while WNE hosts Westfield State, non-conference games for both once gain.  Collegefootballfan.com heads east to Chestnut Hill step up into the FBS when Boston College hosts UMass.

It was great to see avid fan interest by both schools at the local, crosstown D-3 rivalry at Stagg Field.

 

 

Game 560:  Maine Black Bears eat up UNH Wildcats, 35-7

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Game 560:  Maine Black Bears eat up UNH Wildcats, 35-7

Orono, Maine – In our 560th game kicking off our 2018 season, the Maine Black Bears ate up the pre-season No. 16 FCS New Hampshire Wildcats in dominating fashion, 35-7.  In our 40th season of attending at least one college game every weekend, this game started a three-game weekend attending all in New England.  It started with our first trip ever to Maine to watch an annual rivalry played 107 times between the two FCS teams located in the farthest northeastern reaches of the U.S.

The Black Bear cheerleaders donned shirts in memory of Freshman WR Darius Minor who passed away this past summer during a freshman workout.

The Black Bears build momentum

After a scoreless first quarter, the Black Bears scored in the first minute of the second period of play with a five-yard TD pass to the left pylon from QB Chris Ferguson to WR Micha White.  The home team followed up with 22 unanswered points to take a 29-0 lead midway through the third period.

With the help of a safety through the end zone on a snap sailing high above the punter’s head for a nine-point lead, the Black Bears went to their key playmaker, Earnest Edwards on a reverse 17-yard end around for a TD to take a 16-0 lead.  As ten seconds remained in the first half, Ferguson (21 for 31, 199 yards, two TDs) connected with Edwards with an 11-yard TD pass at the left pylon to lead, 22-0, as the PAT went wide.  In the second period, Soph Christian Lupoli replaced UNH starting QB Trevor Knight who never returned.  The Black Bear defense hit hard and dominated with twelve tackles for loss. LB Sterling Sheffield (Mullica Hill, NJ) led with three sacks and two TFLs.

Black Bear DE Jalik Heyward closes in on UNH QB Trevor Knight early in the game.

Second half

In the third, the Black Bears extended their lead 29-0 on a well-executed flea-flicker when 253-lb TE/QB Drew Belcher fired a 52-yard scoring strike to WR Jacquin Blair.  The Bears continued to shut down the Wildcats as UNH HC Sean McDonnell, in his 20th season, paced up and down the sideline totally frustrated waiting for his Cats to get something going.

Maine QB Chris Ferguson gets good protection to look long for an open receiver.

In the fourth, Lupoli found RB Carlos Washington open down field for a 62-yard TD to put New Hampshire on the board trailing, 29-7.  The Wildcats seemed to have a chance to challenge once again when they forced the Black Bears to punt from their 15, but a muffed punt by Evan Horn put Maine back in possession on the 50.   Later in that drive, Maine work horse RB Joe Fitzpatrick (17 carries, 80 yards, one TD) hurdled a would-be tackler on the right side taking the ball in from the nine to seal a 1-0, 1-0 CAA record for the Black Bears.  The extra point was blocked.

Celebration time!

The Black Bear fans celebrated their first win over UNH since 2010.  They happily took back the Brice-Cowell Musket, the coveted trophy in this rivalry played since 1903.   Next season, the rivalry reverts back to the final game of the season.  Glad to have attended this one as it was played on a cool late August evening as opposed to a cold, snowy afternoon in November!

Extra points: 

Maine travels to play the FBS Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-1), losers to Wisconsin, next Saturday.  They then travel to play another FBS team, Central Michigan, two weeks after.  The Black Bears do not play another home game at Alfond Stadium until October 6, and subsequent to that, they play only two more home games including the finale versus Elon on November 17.  As a matter of fact, the Maine hockey team opens on Oct. 8 and plays five home games before the last football game of the Black Bear’s four-game home season. Shows what the big game is on the Orono campus.

Bear WR Earnest Edwards (81) snags a Ferguson pass near the left pylon for his second TD of the game and a 22-0 halftime lead.

UNH (0-1, 0-1)  goes back home to Durham to host Colgate (1-0).  The status on QB Trevor Knight is up in the air according to post game reports.  A shoulder injury took him out of our game in Q2.  The Cats seek their 15th straight FBS playoff bid this season, but other Colonial Athletic teams may have a say in this.  Not only did the Black Bears pull this big upset, but so did Rhode Island by defeating No. 8 Delaware on the road, 21-19.  UNH visits Rhody for the last game of their season.

We next drive down to Springfield, MA from Orono for a D-3 opener between Springfield College and Western New England University, two cross-town rivals. Maine HC Joe Harasymiak, a native of Waldwick, NJ in his third year as Black Bear HC, captained the 2007 Springfield College team.  That year on September 15, we saw his Pride team beaten by Montclair State, 33-30. We’ve evidently been doing this for a long time.

Harvest Moon settles over Maine’s Alfond Stadium as Bears take The Musket from the Wildcats for the first time since 2010.

 

Kickoff Collegefootballfan.com’s 40th season!

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Two wake-ups to go to kickoff Collegefootballfan.com’s 40th season!…

To continue with notes on games for the rest of Collegefootballfan.com’s 40th season for which we have plans now for at least 29 games, we start with a step backwards from our “fifth” game of 2018 we already previewed.  Before Lehigh at USNA, we’ll venture over to Throggs Neck, NY to see two D-3 locals collide under the bridge spanning from The Bronx to Long Island for the second time with the Merchant Marine Academy visiting SUNY- Maritime.  We enjoy the setting there to watch a game on the Long Island Sound in the midst of shipping traffic and a view of the Freedom Tower out in the New York City skyline. Last season, the SUNY Privateers sailed a few miles along the LI coast and defeated the Mariners, 38-31, on their way to a 9-2 season.   The Kings Pointers went on to a 6-4 season. This should be another exciting game in this rivalry between two Maritime institutions…

The Privateers and the Mariners will be honoring America’s Heroes before their rivalry once again.

On Thursday, September 20th …

We head down to the Linc in Philly to watch the improving Temple Owls with Frank Nutile at QB host a Tulsa team that finished 2-10 a year ago in an American Athletic clash.  Funny thing is we live closer to Philly than Tulsa.  We will see one Temple game this season, but we will attend three Tulsa Golden Hurricane games during Collegefootballfan.com’s 40th season against some of the best competition in the American Athletic… Next morning, we fly to Nashville, Tennessee, one of our favorite cities, with a couple of options depending on kick-off times yet to be determined.  Once announced, we will decide what to do.  South Carolina visits Vanderbilt at the Commodores’ stadium where we’ve never attended a game yet.  Possibly, we may be extended an invitation to attend Florida at Tennessee three hours east in Knoxville.  If either is a played at mid-day, we may turn the day into a double-header by heading down to Chattanooga to see the UTC Moccasins host the Samford Bulldogs that evening, two FCS teams we’ve never seen before.  Last season, Stamford finished 8-4 to the Mocs’ 3-8, but at home the Dawgs could only edge UTC, 23-21…

WR Ventell Bryant returns to Temple for his senior season to improve his standing to impress to get to the next level.

The next weekend

starts with an Ivy League rivalry in New York City on Friday night when the vastly improved Columbia Lions, 8-2, 5-2 in the Ancient Eight under fourth-year HC Al Bagnoli,  hosts the Princeton Tigers, 5-5, 2-5 in 2017.  The Lions came out on top 28-24 last season, but both teams are expected to challenge defending champ Yale for the League title.  We love it that a suggestion we made on this site in the past becomes reality in the Ivy this year.  All teams will finish their seasons with a more natural rivalry game based on proximity adding to the allure of Harvard vs Yale in The Game that same weekend.  Princeton will play Penn at home – two schools 40 miles apart.  It will be New York City vs. Upstate New York when Columbia hosts Cornell. The two remaining New England schools, Brown and Dartmouth, will square off to finish their 10-game Ivy League schedules in climactic fashion to stir more interest in Ivy League football…

Our last Ivy League clash featured Brown at Princeton in 2014. This year we will attend Friday Ivy League contests at Columbia and Penn to watch key Ivy contests.

Saturday

we attend one of the two biggest games of our season when pre-season No. 9 (AP) Penn State hosts No. 4 Ohio State.  As of tonight, Urban Meyer will be there.  However, our inside information says that The Nittany Lions HC James Franklin, known for his superior recruiting skills, has some talented freshman ready on the defensive side that may be ready to step up and be well known entities when the Buckeyes show up to what seems to be a traditional White-out every two years in State College.  PSU QB Trace McSorely comes in surrounded by an experienced line, a plethora of talented receivers, and RB Miles Sanders ready to step in for Saquon Barkley.  OSU is counting on Dwayne Haskins to emulate J.T. Barrett at QB and relying on RB J.K. Dobbins to pick up big yards on the ground.  The DL features Nick Bosa to stop everybody up front, but this will be their first Big Ten East challenge in a very Happy Valley early in the season.  We’re fired up for this one already…

The No. 5 pre-season Buckeyes will be coming to State College with Urban Meyer along the sideline on week 5.

On a Thursday night October 4 in Houston

Tulsa appears on our slate for the second time this year taking on the Cougars for our first visit to TDECU Stadium.  HC Major Applewhite’s team will look to throw the football and extract revenge from their 45-17 loss to TU last season.  DT Ed Oliver, an outside Heisman Trophy contender, returns with his numerous awards to shut opponents down…Since we miss a Saturday game during CollegeFootballfan.com’s 40th season to attend our Niece Maggie’s wedding to Kevin (Can’t miss it. She did give plenty of notice. Kevin is a PSU fan, so we are going. ), we re-emerge the following Friday at a local, D-3 game to watch Wilkes try to knock off FDU-Florham.  It will be a struggle between two struggling Middle Atlantic Conference programs.  FDU finished with their typical 3-7 record last year while the Colonels suffered at 0-10. However, they scored the most points of their winless season against the Red Devils in a 49-31 loss.  We hope to attend a see-saw battle to keep us interested…

IN 2016, WE WATCHED NAVY DEFEAT HOUSTON IN A CLASSIC BATTLE, 42-40. THIS YEAR’S AAC CLASH IN ANNAPOLIS WILL BE JUST AS INTENSE!

On Saturday October 13

We head down to Newark, Delaware to tailgate with family and friends to see the Fighting Blue Hens host the Elon Phoenix in a key CAA match-up featuring two FCS playoff contenders. They did not meet in 2017 and finished 7-4 and 8-4 respectively with the Phoenix getting a nod into the playoffs.  Both teams are on the way up under second-year head coaches.  Danny Rocco took the reins over at UD and Curt Cignetti is bulking up Elon.  In addition to a great match-up on the gridiron, we hope to see UD Senior RB Thomas Jefferson in action and meet up with him after the game this season as well, but this time on a winning note for the Blue Hens.  They dropped a close one to James Madison when we saw them last season…More Salvos on the way.  Stay tuned before our three-game recap for our Week One slate of Collegefootballfan.com’s 40th season a week from tonight.

Hoping to see Delaware RB Thomas Jefferson get some key yards in this year’s game against Elon.

Collegefootballfan.com previews games 560-564

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Collegefootballfan.com previews games 560-564

Let’s get this tailgate party season started!

Game 560 on August 30, New Hampshire at Maine, Orono, Maine:

This will be our first college football undertaking ever in Maine where we will start our 40th season of this wonderful, crazy, fun, unique adventure.  The UNH Wildcats will be shooting for their 15th straight FCS playoff bid this season coming off a 9-3,5-3 (CAA)  record a year ago.  QB Trevor Knight returns with 26 TD passes and 3,433 yards a season ago.  Neil O’Connor returns as his favorite WR amassing 97 receptions for 1,396 yards.  Lindy’s Sports selected him on their first team preseason FCS team.  Lindy’s rates the Wildcats at No. 6 overall in 2018 and Street and Smith’s has them pegged at No. 12.  The Black Bears, 4-6,3-5 last season will counter mostly with experienced defense.  The Bears have a formidable linebacking corps and DL Kayon Whitaker wrangled 8.5 sacks in 2018.  O’Connor will be challenged by CB Manny Patterson who led the CAA with 17 pass break-ups. On Manny! Offensively, the Bears lost their leading rusher Josh Mack who transferred up to the newest addition to the FBS, Liberty.  Soph QB Chris Ferguson will have to step it up for Maine.  Last season the Cats pulled this one out, 24-23.  Looking for another good one in this far north New England rivalry. CFF.com history:  Maine 1-0, UNH 2-2

Last time we watched UNH play, they thumped Fordham in a 2015 playoff game at home, 44-14.

Game 561 on August 31, Western New England at Springfield, Springfield, MA:

We see two D-3 playoff teams from a year ago clash in what is becoming a bitter cross-town rivalry.  The Springfield Pride finished 10-1,7-0 in the NEWMAC last year winning the championship before dropping a close one to Husson of Maine, 23-21, in the first round.  The Pride is rated at No. 7 in D-3 by Lindy’s and at No. 21 by Street and Smith’s in their respective preseason polls.  Defense is the name of the game for Springfield.  DE Nick Giorgio is a D-3 first-teamer for Lindy’s after ranking second overall in tackles for loss nationally last year. The Golden Bears finished 8-3, 5-0 (Commonwealth Coastal Conf) as conference champs before a drubbing by Delaware Valley in the first round. Junior RB Peter Hoff returns as last season’s leading rusher in their run-oriented attack as they break in a new QB to take over for graduated Anthony Service.   In last season’s opener, these Bears totaled the most points in the regular season against the Pride in a 35-21 loss. Springfield returns more experience, but expect the Golden Bears to know what they are up against.  They took the three previous meetings between the two before last season.  We see a true D-3 rivalry in this one to start  our season.  CFF.com history:  Springfield 1-0, WNE – first time.

Despite the efforts of Springfield and WNE this season, it’s pretty much a lock that the Purple Raiders of Mt. Union will be playing in this year’s D-3 national championship for their 14th title.

Game 562 on September 1, UMass at Boston College at Chestnut Hill, MA:

UMass started off last season for us with a 38-35 loss at home against Hawaii.

UMass Minutemen optimism persists as they finished off last season winning four of their last six games for a 4-8 record as an Independent. Four of their losses were within a TD.  HC Mark Whipple received a contract extension.  Senior QB Andrew Ford returns six of its top seven receivers after completing 63% of his passes in 2017, the O-line basically stays intact, and top RB Marquis Young returns to the fold.  Defensively, their secondary can impress with Isaiah Rodgers and Lee Moses at the corners, but up front they will be plugging in some gaps which may make them better.  For Boston College coming off a 7-6, 4-4 ACC season, optimism also prevails with the return of Soph RB A.J. Dillon who returns after gaining 1,589 yards. He will carry the workload once again for the Purple Eagles. Last season he carried the ball 211 times during their last 300 rushes.  QB Anthony Brown steps back in  at QB after recovering from a knee injury.  Look for TE Tommy Sweeney to be an effective target after hauling in 36 passes last season.  Defensively they will be tough and physical as that is the rep HC Steve Addazzio wants to build upon.  LB Connor Strachan returns after sitting out last season with an injury and having some experienced returnees along side him.  Stalwart Zach Allen leads at DE and Safety Lukas Denis led the nation in INTs last season.  The Eagles have defeated the Minutemen twice since they joined the FBS. We expect the same result, but UMass probably has a little more fire power entering the season to hang in for a while here.  CFF.com history: BC 7-7, UMass 0-3 (FBS only).

Last season, BC started off our bowl season with a loss to Iowa in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.           DE Zach Allen (#2) returns for the Eagles.

 

Game 563 on September 8, Memphis at Navy, Annapolis, MD:

This early season AAC West clash has significant bearing on the division championship.  The Memphis Tigers come back after a 10-3,7-1 division-winning title with all key components but former QB Riley Ferguson back.  As they develop his replacement, they will find themselves relying on RB Darrell Henderson for more than his 1,154 yards and nine TDs a year ago. Defensively  year ago, they gave up a lot of yards on the ground.  Navy will take advantage and control the football if the Tigers don’t find a passing game quickly.  Memphis got by the Mids last year, 30-27, with Riley picking apart the slow Navy secondary. Navy QB Malcolm Perry took over for Zach Abey late last season and rushed for 646 yards and seven TDs including two for over 90 yards.  HC Ken Niumatalolo has two QBs to run the triple option for the long haul and for the short yardage situation with Abey taking over near the goal line.  FB Anhony Gargiulo will be the battering ram up the middle to give the Mid a tough physical presence in the running game.  Defensively, the Mids have to learn to stop the pass more effectively and will rely on S Sean Williams to be a ball hawk and OLBs Hudson Sullivan and Nizaire Cromartie to step up pressure in their 3-4 defense to limit the passing yards.  The Brigade of Midshipman will be fired up for this home opener.  This will be a good one with the winner looking good to advance to the title game early on as long as they don’t let down.  Cff.com history: Navy 36-37, Memphis 1-0.

Junior QB Malcolm Perry will be expected to make a lot of long TD runs piloting the triple option for Navy this season.

Game 564 on September 15, Lehigh at Navy, Annapolis, MD:

Navy hosts Lehigh as its traditional Patriot League football foe as it’s done in the past against Colgate, Fordham, and Holy Cross, schools it competes with in its other major varsity sports programs.  Lehigh won the Patriot last season with a 5-7, 5-1 record to gain an automatic FCS bid before taking it on the chin from Stony Brook in the opening round.  The Mountain Hawks return RB Dominick Bragalone who led the FCS in rushing last season with 1,388 yards and 22 TDs. He is a preseason Lindy’s All American selection.  The year before last, we saw a similar scenario when Fordham came to Annapolis with record-setting FCS RB Chase Edmonds.  The Rams were no match for the Mids as Navy won, 52-14.  We plan to see Navy’s triple-option bewilder the Lehigh defense and for the Lehigh offense to be no match against the Mids. The result should be similar.   It will be a pleasant weekend in Annapolis for tailgating and heading downtown before and after the game. Cff.com history: Navy 36-37, Lehigh 16-7.

We plan to unfurl our Collegefootballfan.com flag over Annapolis during four games in Annapolis this season.

 

 

Parity – thy name is not college football

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Parity – thy name is not college football

Steveo’s Salvos July 2018

Ok fellow college football fans, with less than two months until kickoff, we have to start getting focused here at Collegefootballfan.com.  We’re “bearing” down already on our opener on August 30 when we plan to see the Maine Black Bears host New Hampshire’s Wildcats in a Colonial Athletic Association FCS tussle! First trip to Orono, Maine, home of the Black Bears and the first of three consecutive days of college football in New England to start the 2018 season.   We’re starting to salivate, but I have to calm down a little.  As I’m anxious to start reviewing and reporting on more,  I have to leave on a work trip overseas that gets me back in mid-July.  Work allows me to buy my game tickets.  My long flights will get me caught up on some of the other preseason pubs I still have to review, but I have gotten started peruing some key periodicals already…

The UNH Wildcats will be looking for their 15th straight FCS playoff berth when we see them open our 2018 season at Maine, our first college game in the Pine Tree State.

New England? We aren’t seeing the Patriots play!

Some fans might react, “Three college games in New England- big deal!”  Reading the preseason reports on-line and in the magazines, of course we’re all reading about the continuing dominance of a few major programs winning year in and year out with no end in sight.  We basically know that the CFP brackets will most likely include combinations with Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Oklahoma among the final four if not all of them, for instance. As we’ve pointed out in the past here, this is happening not only in the FBS, but look at all the other divisions, too.   North Dakota State has won five of the last six FCS Championships.  Mount Union dominates D-3 with 13 national titles since 1993. From 1996-2017, they’ve played in the championship game 19 times. From 2006-2014. the Purple Raiders battled the Wisconsin -Whitewater Warhawks in the title game nine times with UW-W winning six.  D-2 titles seem to be won in streaks. NW Missouri State is the most recent having garnered three championship in the last five years.  The argument can be made that there is no parity in college football at any level.  We believe it comes down to three things: head coaching, developing a talented coaching staff,  and recruiting.  The first provides the momentum to the second to the third.  Look at Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney, and Urban Meyer as your prime examples of perennial winning head coaches.  However, when a HC leaves and can provide some continuity with the former program by leaving behind key elements of the coaching staff, that dominance can continue.   Mike Riley took over for Bobbie Stoops at Oklahoma. It may be one year so far, but pay close attention despite a 54-48 CFP loss to Georgia last season.  The Sooners continue where Stoops left off. Saban defeated former assistant Kirby Scott of Georgia last season in that dramatic comeback.  If and when Saban retires, Kirby Scott could be back at Alabama.  Don’t bet against it.   At North Dakota State, Craig Bohl left for Wyoming after winning three consecutive titles, but his assistant Chris Klieman continued his ways since with a 54-6 record garnering three more titles while losing in 2016 in the semi-final to eventual champ, James Madison.  After 11 national D-3 titles won by Larry Kehres at Mount Union, he handed  the reigns over to his son and assistant Vince in 2013.  In the four years since taking over, the younger Kehres led the Raiders to three title games, winning two of the last three.  Since Lance Leipold left Wisconsin-Whitewater to try to breathe some life into the Buffalo Bulls program ( watch what he does there this year), the Warhawks only made the FCS playoffs a year after and none since.  There is a methodology for dominance in college football. It starts with finding the right head coach at the right time, hiring and developing assistants, and building a reputation that makes the best of the best players want to play for your program…

HC Dabo Swinney reloads his offense with more quarterback talent to get ready for the 2018 season.

Why they play all these games

We at CFF.com don’t let this enlightenment discourage us from the game of college football.  Despite having different rooting interests than the fans of the top programs, we take every game we see during the course of the season as the reason to see two teams play. Neither may be headed for a national championship, but we enjoy the action and the competition that takes place during the course of any game whether we see Ohio State at Penn State (September 29), or New Hampshire at Maine when our season opens up.  For that matter, we’ll even enjoy Western New England at Springfield in a D-3 clash the night after our opener, and if you can believe this, we look forward to that one also. Two local schools located in the same little city coming off winning seasons a year ago. Who will win that game?  The 10-1 host Price or the 8-3 Golden Bears?  The Pride won last season’s opener between the two, 35-21.  Both won bids to the D-3 playoffs at the end of last season. Competition – playing to win. That’s what we enjoy about the games we go to, and why we continue to go on our quest “to see ’em all.”   This will be the second of the three games we’ll attend in New England before we finish up with UMass at Boston College.  For us at CFF.com, the competitiveness displayed on the field during any game we see is what college football is all about. Let’s get started!

Soph RB AJ Dillon looking for room here in the 2017 New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Iowa, returns to Boston College after ACC Freshman of the Year honors with 1,589 rushing yards. BC will open our FBS season against instate rival UMASS.