Game 512: Navy stop at one-yard line with six seconds tops UConn, 28-24

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Navy stop at one-yard line with six seconds tops UConn, 28-24

Nobody at this game knelt for the Flag.

Nobody at this game knelt before the Flag.

Annapolis – UConn used its final time-out after Bryce Sherriffs completed a pass to Hergy Mayala who caught the pass and landed on his butt out of bounds at the Navy one with 17 seconds remaining.  Then, Bob Diaco’s UConn staff sent RB Ron Johnson up the middle where he was met by a Navy stop by the heart of the defensive interior who turned him away for no gain before the final six seconds ran down, and Navy (2-0) defeated the UConn Huskies, 28-24, in an exciting American Athletic Conference finish.

Navy FB Chris High nears UConn goal line in first half.

Navy FB Chris High carries the ball in from the six for the Mids’ first score.

The Midshipman were in total command of the Huskies late in the second period 21-0 before UConn blocked a low 32-yard FG attempt by Bennett Moehring.  Prior to that miss, Navy chewed up yardage and the clock throughout the first two periods and looked like they would sail on to an easy victory.  The Mids scored on their first two possessions driving 96 yards with FB Chris High scoring from the six in the first, and they followed with an 80-yard drive finished off by QB Will Worth plunging over from the one with 10:55 left in the second.  Navy’s next possession covered 55 yards to the UConn one where the Huskies halted their drive and took over on downs.  However, on the very next play, UConn’s Shirreffs fumbled the ball on a tackle by strong safety Alohi Gilman who also recovered the ball in the end zone for the third Navy score to build the lead, 21-0.  On the ensuing kickoff, Navy caused another fumble and Gilman recovered the ball once again to put USNA at the Huskies’ 22 before Moehring’s attempt was blocked.  With ten tackles, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries and his touchdown, Gilman was named AAC Defensive Player of the Week.  After the block, however, the complexion of the game changed drastically.

UConn QB Brant Shirreffs and the rest of the Huskies' running game were held in check by Navy early in the game.

UConn QB Bryant Shirreffs (4) and the rest of the Huskies’ running game were held in check by Navy early in the game.

UConn opted away from its preferred running game and took to the air waves.  Each time Sherriffs dropped back to pass, Navy blitzed from deep in their secondary, but to no avail. Instead, Sherriffs (23 of 26 for 239 yards, no INTs) hit receivers wide open before much pressure could be applied.  With 1:10 left in the half, Shirreffs connected with WR Noel Thomas for a touchdown on a 34-yard slant pass before the Navy Drum and Bugle Corps presented its halftime presentation to the Navy crowd for the second Saturday in a row.  St. Laurie and I went for some shade under the upper deck of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial and some cold drinks heavy with ice to get out of the sweltering 90 degree temps and bright sunshine.

Shirreffs connected with WR Noel Thomas (5) on this slant pass to put UConn on the scoreboard for the first time.

Shirreffs connected with WR Noel Thomas (5) on this slant pass to put UConn on the scoreboard for the first time.

UConn’s defense adjusted and seemed to have some answers for Navy’s triple option when the second half began.  Not surprising since UConn HC Bob Diaco had faced Navy over the years as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.  They forced the Mids to a three and out on their next possession.  A completion on a fourth and five to TE Tyler Davis set up a three-yard score by RB Ron Johnson to put the Huskies within reach, 21-14.  Navy started to churn out the yardage once again starting from their 25 and seemingly ready to score again at the Husky seven when DT Mikal Myers knocked the ball loose from Chis High and CB Jamar Summers (East Orange HS, NJ) scooped up the ball and raced 93 yards the other way to tie the game at 21-all.

QB Will Worth (15) led Navy on long drives all day long.

QB Will Worth (15) led Navy on long drives all day.

In the final period, Navy punted away and Sherriffs continued to make progress through the air. Navy held their formidable running attack to only 90 yards in this game.  Navy held UConn to a 38-yard FG by Bobby Puyols that gave UConn its sudden first lead of the game, 24-21.  Both teams punted after their subsequent series.  UConn’s punt from its nine was returned by Calvin Cass for 26 yards to the UConn 17.  The Brigade of Midshipman directly across the field from us waved a flag and chanted its famous last words of US Navy officer James Lawrence in a battle during The War of 1812, “Don’t give up the ship!  Don’t give up the ship!”  With 3:08 remaining, Worth (19 carries for 44 yards and two TDs, and 6 of 8 passing for 130 yards) righted his team’s ship with another one-yard plunge to put Navy back in the lead, 28-24. Even St. Laurie noted, “They may have left too much time for UConn to score again.”  Her words seemed prophetic and UConn moved the ball at will.  The Huskies moved down field from the 20 to Navy’s 23 with :45 left.  It didn’t look good for the Navy.  Mayala caught the ball on the seat of his pants literally to stop the clock before Diaco called a play during his last time-out. The Navy stop of Johnson’s run seemed to bewilder UConn, and the Husky offense slowly unraveled with no clue as to what they should do next.  Navy watched the clock run down to “00:00” and the celebration at 2-0 began.

Navy Plebes celebrated with fans after their fourth long drive of the game and then cheered for their defense to stop the Huskies.

Navy Plebes celebrated with fans after their fourth long drive of the game and then cheered for their defense to stop the Huskies.

The Mids in the stands got Liberty call for their spirit in the last second win.  It was a nail-biter for Navy as it won its twelfth consecutive game at Navy-Marine Corp.  Its next game will probably be one of the greatest home challenges ever there when Houston, currently ranked No. 6 in the nation, comes calling.  We’re not sure when the last time a team ranked that high came to play Navy in Annapolis.  With a potent passing attack led by Heisman candidate Greg Ward, Jr, the Mids’ pass defense will need to improve a lot to stop the Cougars based on how they struggled to stop a run-oriented UConn passing attack.  We’ll be there for that one, and the Brigade will be fired up if they can get by Tulane in New Orleans, another run-oriented team next week and against archrival and option-oriented Air Force on October 1 out in Colorado Springs.

The Huskies (1-1) host Virginia next week at “The Rent” in East Hartford.  We will see them play there later this season when they host Temple.  Collegefootballfan.com has three games in our plans for next weekend starting with a confrontation between two other sea-faring programs on Friday night.  The Mariners of the US Merchant Marine Academy (1-0) of Kings Point, NY will travel a few miles east to Throggs Neck to do “battle under the bridge” against the Mariners of SUNY Maritime (1-1) in a local, D3 rivalry that we look forward to.  The USMMA defeated The Coast Guard Academy last week. SUNY Maritime defeated Maine Maritime in their opener and fell 28-24 to Mass Maritime last week. It seems like a D3 round robin for all the maritime schools. Maybe they can get Christopher Newport U in Virginia into some of this action or possibly the guys from “Wicked Tuna!”  On Saturday, we will be at the noon kickoff between Rutgers (1-1) and New Mexico (1-1) at the Birthplace of College Football.  Rutgers thinks they already have this game won (“RU-tude”),  so we know that they will struggle at the very least.  It will be our second time seeing the Lobos play.  We saw then defeat Missouri in 2005.   At least we’ll have Bloody Mary’s and Crumb cake in our fabulous Jersey breakfast tradition, but I’ll probably miss out on Frank’s award-winning BBQ after the game.  I’m planning to head down the road to Princeton for the 5 pm Tiger opener against Lafayette College (1-1).  If this works out as planned, we’ll have already attended eight games over the first three weeks of the college football season. We hope to see a few more like last week’s game in Annapolis.

Navy cheerleaders.

Navy cheerleaders.

Extra points: Great tailgate with Brian, Navy Al, his buddy Dave even though he’s an Alabama and Army fan, and Air Force Jay.  Between a platter St. Laurie and I brought, pizzas that Jay brought, and BBQ Al brought prepared by his son who’s a professional chef, we had a lot to eat.  We were joined by a work colleague of mine, Dave and his son Nathaniel who’s five and attended his first football game.  Later, we tailgated after the game with Dennis and Tracy who are planning to retire in Delaware next year.  St. Laurie and I had a good time with them closing down the Navy parking lot.

Navy CB Tyris Wooten, like Gilman, also had 10 tackles for the Mids. Husky LB Matt Walsh led his team with 12 tackles followed by FS Obi Melifonwu who had 10.

Navy WR Jamir Tillman had four catches for 75 yards. For the few times you get to see him make a play, you can tell he’s an outstanding receiver and would be a cog in anybody’s passing offense.  We look for him to come up with some big catches when Navy needs them later this season.  Noel Thomas had 11 caches for 116 yards for UConn including his 34-yard TD.

 

Game # 511: Montclair State overcomes FDU-Florham, 25-15, as DiStefano totals 350 yards

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 Montclair State overcomes FDU-Florham, 25-15, as DiStefano totals 350 yards

Madison, NJ – D-3 teams Montclair State and FDU-Florham played this past Friday night for the first time in 22 years, and the visiting MSU Red Hawks overcame a surprising first half FDU lead with RB John DiStefano totaling 350 yards of offense and scoring three TDs to give Montclair State a 25-15 win in the season opener for both teams. With the win, the Red Hawks still carry the best all-time record in Collegefootballfan.com history in all divisions remaining undefeated with a 13-0-1 record.   For Montclair HC Rick Giancola, it was the 231st win of his career as HC of the Red Hawks as he enters his 34th season.

The Montclair State Red Hawks took an early 7-0 lead on a short pass hauled in by RB John DiStefano who raced downfield fighting off Red Devil tacklers for a 70-yard touchdown in the first.  Frank Schneeberger tacked on three more points to the MSU lead with a 32-yard FG conversion early in the second period.  However, The FDU Red Devils put up more of a fight than we figured starting with a nine-yard out pass from QB Joe McCain to RB Marquis Wright out of the backfield.  On the conversion, back-up QB Robert Madison stood up pivoted around and raced for the right pylon in the end zone for a two-point conversion.  More trickery followed on the ensuing kickoff as PK Nick Maciejewski tapped the ball forward ten yards before recovering it on the 47 to retain possession for the Red Devils.  The result of the chicanery was a scoring drive capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass from to 6-6 frosh WR John Pellegrini to give FDU Florham the lead at the half, 15-10.

Montclair fumbled the ball away on its first possession of the second half, but after taking a punt and starting from the 26, DiStefano struck like lightning again.  On the first play, he swerved and juked as the Devils missed him with several poor arm tackles to take it all the way for a 74-yard TD run.  A two-point try failed, but MSU retook the lead, 16-15.   On the evening, the senior from Red Bank Catholic set his MSU career-highs carrying 26 times for 184 yards, had a 70-yard TD reception, and averaged 25.5 yards on two kickoff returns. Late in the third, a snap from center for FDU sailed over the punter’s head and through the end zone for a safety to add to the Montclair lead heading into the final period, 18-15.

The resulting punt put Montclair at the FDU 49.  The Red Hawks scored quickly as the rain intensified from a light mist to a steady downpour as DiStefano ran it in from two with 13:23 left in the game to make the final score, 25-15, in favor of Montclair (1-0).  Red Hawk defensive tackle Chris DePalma caused a Devil fumble at the MSU 35 that was recovered by DE Joe Falato with 3:52 left. Montclair ran out the clock to seal the victory.  The Red Hawk defense held FDU to -21 yards rushing.

The first half was competitive as both teams seemed to shake out the cobwebs to enter the season, but as the game wore on, play got sloppy with blatant penalties (MSU – 122 yards; FDU – 82 yards) , numerous injury time-outs, poor pass protection primarily by FDU, as well as the aforementioned poor tackling. I wondered if that is a result of limited tackling in practice. I also wonder if pass blocking suffers from limited hitting in practices as well.  A game with no media time-outs whatsoever, lasted about 3 hours and 25 minutes.

FDU (0-1) plays another Friday night game at Robert T. Shields Field in Madison next weed hosting Widener University in its first Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom game.  All remaining games will be against MAC conference rivals.  Montclair starts its New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule with a trip to play Salisbury in Maryland next Saturday.  Collegefootballfan.com headed to Annapolis, Maryland for the second week in row to see Navy (1-0) open its American Athletic Conference schedule against the UConn Huskies (1-0).

Collegefootballfan.com Week 2

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Collegefootballfan.com Week 2 Steveo’s Salvos

We travel back to Annapolis this weekend for Navy’s American Athletic opener against the UConn Huskies (1-0). The Mids have won 11 straight at home since 2014. UConn defeated FCS Maine last Thursday as PK Bobby Puyols converted a 37-yard FG with eleven seconds remaining for the win. Like Navy, the Huskies are a run oriented team. QB Bryant Shirreff rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries and completed 16 passes for 162 yards. RB Ron Johnson gained 65 yards and scored two TDS. The Huskies ran 50 times for 200 yards. The UConn defense allowed the Maine Black Bears only 40 rushing yards on 19 carries. Will Worth will start at QB for Navy in Collegefootballfan.com Week 2 and replaces Tago Smith who was lost for the year with a knee injury suffered against Fordham. Interesting side note to this game: Shirreff and Navy NG Pat Forrestal both had grandfathers, John and Tom respectively, who played together on the 1957 Navy team that went 9-1-1 and defeated Rice in the Cotton Bowl, 20-7…. Granted the SEC was exposed last weekend opening up with a 6-6 record. However, Tennessee was a 20-13 winner over Appalachian State and favored to win the SEC East. Beware of the Mountaineers of ASU. They were always a perennial FCS power (of course, the win over Michigan). After an 11-2 season last year including an early loss to Clemson and a win in the Camellia Bowl, this program is going to make its mark in the FBS in the Sun Belt conference. We already have them on our schedule next season at their nearby foe, Wake Forest…Christian McCaffrey of Stanford gained 126 yards running, scored two TDs, caught seven passes for 40 yards, returned a kick for 28, and gained 16 on punt returns in the cardinal win over a good Kansas State program, 26-13. He’s the reason we plan to see The Cardinal play at Notre Dame and Cal this year.  We’ve also got Stanford among our Final Four…Michigan State got by FCS Furman, 28-13, getting new QB Tyler O’Connor a start under his belt. He completed 13 of 18 for 190 yards and three TDs. They skip Collegefootballfan.com Week 2 and wait to visit Notre Dame the week after…Alabama hosts a very competitive and confident Western Kentucky team that finished 12-2 a year ago and defeated Rice 46-14 in their opener last week. Then the Tide visits Ole Miss the following Saturday. The Rebels are probably their greatest challenge to the SEC West title this season despite their loss to Florida State on Monday night. USC hosts rebuilding Utah State before going to Stanford who’s owned the Trojans beating them four of the last five seasons. This two-week stretch will answer our question…Big Ten’s best wins among their 14-2 record on week one: Minnesota over Oregon State and Wisconsin over LSU…FCS Albany defeated Buffalo, 22-16. We will see the UB Bulls host Army, upset winner over Temple that we attended, in two weeks. We also penciled in Army vs. Air Force as a potential change on November 5…No surprise, DeShone Kizer was named starting QB for Notre Dame vs. Nevada this week. We called that. There was no way that two QB system was going to last for the Irish. It changed during the comeback led by Kizer despite the 50-47 double OT loss at Texas. We thought it would last a game or two, but it lasted only into the second half…You had to love the Texas’s play-calling in that game though. Frosh QB Shane Buechele’s arm gets the Horns down field and then they bring in 250-lb Tyrone Swoopes when the get inside the ten and put him in the shotgun to get a running start into the line. It’s going to take a big defensive line to stop him in that situation…AAC’s first week went 10-2. Biggest win of course, Houston 33-23 over Oklahoma. They’ll be joining the Big 12 in the future. We look forward to seeing them play at Navy on October 8. They beat the Mids a year ago, 52-31. The Brigade will be pumped for that. The Cougars will be the highest ranked visitor to play at Navy-Marine Corps in a long time…Penn State at Pitt this weekend during Collegefootballfan.com Week 2. Neither team showed everything in their respective wins over Kent State and FCS Villanova respectively. All the stops will be pulled out this Saturday for sure. The revival of this long, lost rivalry will hopefully be renewed to be played every year again…TCU, one of our choices to be among his year’s Final Four, struggled against FCS South Dakota State into the fourth before their 59-41win. And we always think of HC Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs as defense oriented…No. 14 Washington beat up Rutgers, 48-13. Long season ahead for RU. They get a reprieve against the Howard Bison this weekend, 52-13 loser to the other Big Ten team on their schedule, Maryland. We will see the Scarlet Knights at home against New Mexico (1-0) the following week. The Knights have probably notched that game as a “win” already. That means that they will lose. We call it “RU-tude”… Florida struggled to a 24-7 win over UMass leading only 10-7 heading into the final period, and Steve Spurrier was in the House! UMass?…Colorado over Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, 44-7. QB Sefo Liufau went out last year when we saw CU lose to USC. He completed 23 of 33 for 318 yards and a TD. Go Buffs!…Hawaii travelled through what? Twelve time zones to get beat in Australia by Cal 51-31 in Australia and then by Michigan, 63-3, within eight days. There has to be a better way for the Rainbows…Best FCS Wins – Richmond 37-20 over Virginia; Albany 22-16 over Buffalo; Northern Iowa 25-20 over Iowa State; Eastern Washington over Washington State, 45-42…What a difference a coaching change can make. Dino Babers at Syracuse took over and QB Eric Dungey responded completing 34 of 40 for 355 yards and two TDs against FCS Colgate. Let’s see what happens this weekend when they play rising Louisville, who dumped Charlotte, a second-year FBS team, 70-14. We will see what happens…Best SEC losses: Wisconsin 16-14 over LSU; South Alabama 21-20 over Mississippi State; West Virginia 26-11 over Mizzou; Southern Miss 44-35 over Kentucky (Mike Stoops is a goner), and Florida State over Ole Miss, 45-34. We still have the Rebels in our Final Four winning the SEC which may not mean much this year…Enjoy Collegefootballfan.com week 2. We will also see Montclair State and FDU Florham open their seasons in a D-3 game this Friday night.

Game # 510: Navy at full speed ahead overwhelms Fordham, 52-16; starting QB Tago Smith injured

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Game # 510:  Navy at full speed ahead overwhelms Fordham, 52-16; starting QB Tago Smith injured

Talk about the 12th man! One of these Mids in white would be wearing pads before this game was over.

Talk about the 12th man! One of these Mids in white would be wearing pads before this game was over.

Annapolis – Despite the graduation of 10 starters on offense including Heisman candidate Keenan Reynolds, the U.S. Naval Academy recovered a Fordham fumble on the opening kickoff and dominated the FCS playoff team of the last two seasons for a 52-16 victory before 28,238 opening day fans.  However, on the short end, starting QB Tago Smith, a senior who waited patiently as Reynold’s sub the last two seasons, left the game in the second period with leg injury.  No update has been released yet as of Monday on his status.  During his short stint on the field, he ran 10 times from the triple option for 109 yards scoring two touchdowns from six and eleven yards.  He completed all three of his pass attempts for 78 yards.  Defensively, Senior LB and co-captain Dan Gonzales led all Navy tacklers with ten stops.

Navy starting QB Tago Smith scores early from the six-yard line.

Navy starting QB Tago Smith (2) scores early from the six-yard line.

Overall, the Mids’ offense totaled 550 yards with 427 on the ground.  The running game was bolstered by 224-lb. FB Chris High who amassed 176 yards and two TDs on ten carries.  A 30-yard Fordham FG by Makay Redd was followed by Smith’s second TD of the first period.  On the Rams’ next possession, Fordham QB Kevin Anderson (26 of 45, 302 yards, 1 TD) connected with 6′-8″ TE Pahzahn Odom for a 34-yard scoring pass.  Navy led at the end of the first, 21-10.

USNA LB Brandon Jones (3) got pressure on Anderson before he released this pass.

USNA LB Brandon Jones (3) got pressure on Ram QB Kevin Anderson before he released this pass.

Smith left the game after a long gain on the next series. Will Worth subbed for him and finished this drive with an eight-yard TD run.  He would complete his day with nine rushes for 28 yards and a TD along with one pass completion on his only attempt for a 45-yard TD pass to SB Toneo Gulley.  Navy’s defense next forced FU to punt from the one and Navy started its drive at the Ram 22.  High punctuated the short drive with a five-yard TD run up the middle.  Navy stopped Fordham’s star RB Chase Edmonds (18 carries for 83 yards) at the line of scrimmage on the last Ram possession before the heading into the locker room with a 35-10 lead.  Despite one of the lowest rushing totals of his three-year career, Edmonds showed what a tough runner he is against Navy.  He runs hard and is tough to bring down. He bounces off people and more than one tackler always has to take him down.  He earned many of these yards on his own.  We’ll watch for him to play on Sundays for somebody in the future.

Fordham All-American RB Chase Edmonds worked hard for his 83 yards today.

Fordham All-American RB Chase Edmonds, to the right of QB Kevin Anderson,  worked hard for his 83 yards today.

 

We tailgated this day with Navy stalwarts Al and Mickey, good friends of Brian Donnelly who was here after the night before at Army-Temple, but with his girlfriend, Laurie, this time.  They planned a short vacation after the game down in Ocean City, Maryland.  I brought along first-time Guest Game Analyst George Lazarides (Catonsville CC and Johns Hopkins).  A colleague from work and a Maryland native now living in central Jersey, this was George’s first game at Annapolis.  He expects to attend games here regularly in the future as his niece has been accepted at USNA next year and was recruited by the Women’s La Crosse team.  After his experience this weekend going to the game and tailgating with us, he will definitely be back.  We noted the parking configuration for season ticket holders is a bit tighter this year.  It’s due to the success of the Navy football program.  Because of the program’s success, there are more Admiral Row members – contributors to the Naval Academy Athletic Association – who get a reserved parking space.  They take up more spaces.  Go Navy! But don’t take away our spaces in the parking lot.

The Naval academy Drum and Bugle Corps performs at halftime.

The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps performs at halftime.

Fordham scored first in the second half with Redd’s 23-yard FG, but on Navy’s next play from scrimmage, High rambled 70 yards for his second touchdown and a 42-13 lead.  Navy stopped a desperate Fordham offense again on downs on its next series at the Navy 39.  That’s when Worth eventually connected with Gulley down the left sideline for a 49-13 lead.

Navy FB Chris High (33) gains some of his 176 yards on this run.

Navy FB Chris High (33) gains some of his 176 yards on this run.

 

In the fourth, Bennett Moehring put up a 23-yard FG for Navy and Redd converted his third for a 31-yarder to close out the games score at 52-16.  The big story during this part of the blow-out belongs to Midshipman Fourth Class (Freshman) Malcolm Perry.  The 5-9, 185-lb QB marched on the field before the game, but was summoned from the stands to go down to the locker room during the game to suit up when Tago Smith left the game with his injury.  He came into the game during the final period and ran the option adeptly carrying seven times for 30 yards.  He’s supposedly the first Midshipman in USNA history to march on to the field before a game and end up marching with the team down the field!

Based on seven TDs, seven PATs, and one FG totaling 52 points, most plebes performed 248 push-ups at last Saturday's game. Malcolm Perry only did 42 before being called in to run Navy's triple option later in the game.

Based on seven TDs, seven PATs, and one FG totaling 52 points, most plebes performed 248 push-ups at last Saturday’s game. Malcolm Perry only did 42! He got called in to run Navy’s triple option later in the game.

Next week, we return to Annapolis and meet up with Brian and Al among others to tailgate and watch Navy play UCONN (1-0), winners over the Maine Black Bears last Thursday, 24-21, in an American Athletic Conference game. The question is will Worth still be at QB for the Mids, or can Tago Smith return?  The night before that one, Collegefootballfan.com will attend a D-3 game near home.  We will see Montclair State (12-0-1 in our annals) visit FDU-Florham, a perennially struggling D-3 program, in Florham Park on the FDU campus.  Fordham returns to The Bronx to host Elizabeth City State (0-1 loser to Norfolk State, 20-12).

Game 509: Improved Army looked sharp defeating Temple, 28-13

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Improved Army looked sharp defeating Temple, 28-13

Philadelphia – In the season opener for both teams, the Cadets of Army looked sharp in defeating Temple, 28-13, nine months after their latest defeat on the same turf where they lost to Navy.  For Army coming off a 2-10 season from a year ago, it was a stimulating victory.  For the Owls coming off a 10-4 season in 2016, the loss was a tragic letdown.    For Collegefootballfan.com, this was our second game of the very young season and our first FBS game of 2016.

Army's defense truly impressed us this evening. The stop here is made by LB Hayden Haupt (30).

Army’s defense truly impressed us this evening. The stop here is made by LB Hayden Haupt (30).

The keys to Army’s win over the Owls were the toughness and quickness of its defense led by Senior LB Jeremy Timpf who garnered eight tackles.  Army effectively stopped runs around both ends throughout the game and held TU to 105 net yards on the ground.  Four sacks and significant pressure on QB P.J. Walker (12 of 26 for 168 yards) along with tight coverage in passing situations resulted in three INTs for the Black Knights of the Hudson.  Offensively, the Cadets seemed to have an answer to a much needed power runner.  Soph FB Andy Davidson rambled through the Owl line 22 times gaining 121 yards and scoring two TDs.  Army totaled 329 yard on the ground while its two QBs combined to complete one pass each for a total of 15 passing yards.  Junior QB Ahmad Bradshaw started ahead of Soph Chris Carter, a surprise to us as we saw Carter lead the Cadets against Rutgers and Navy in a close one at the end of last season. The Junior added 64 yards and a touchdown on his 16 carries.  Temple all-American Athletic conference RB Jahad Thomas sat out the evening with a hand strain injury suffered in an earlier practice and was replaced by Soph RB Ryquell Armstead.  He led the Owls in rushing with only 77 yards of their 105.

David Hood (24) carries early in the game for the Temple Owls.

David Hood (24) carries early in the game for the Temple Owls.

Neither team scored until 28 seconds into the second period when Armstead put the finishing touch on a 78-yard Owl drive with a six-yard scoring run off left tackle to lead 7-0.  Army countered right off the bat with a 75-yard drive with Bradshaw finding room up the middle for a seven-yard TD run to even up the score.  Carter replaced Bradshaw for the next and his only series of the game. The Cadets booted the ball away from their 16, but it was partially blocked and rolled out of bounds at the Army 23. The defense displayed its staunchness at this point holding Temple to a 41-yard field goal by Austin Jones.  The score stood at 10-7 in favor of the Owls at halftime before the Owl Marching Band and Dance Team put on another one of their entertaining performances in front to the 34,005 in attendance.

Army FB Andy Dickinson rambles through the Owl defense for a few tough yards.

Army FB Andy Dickinson rambles through the Owl defense for a few tough yards.

The first score of the second half came much more quickly than the first one even though Army was very methodical with its triple option.  The Cadet drive started from its 23 and Davidson scored from the three with 8:18 left in the third to take a 14-10 lead.  Temple got into FG range on its next possession as Jones converted a 27-yard FG to put Temple within one before the game entered the final 15 minutes.

Again staying on the ground and converting on a fourth and one at the 25, the Black Knights drove 81 yards culminating in a TD as Bradshaw pitched to Taylor Campbell on an option right for a 12-yard scoring play.  With a 21-13 lead, a FG attempt by Army PK Mitch Howard failed wide right and Temple took back over from their 30.  On the next play, Walker was sacked by DT John Voit for a four-yard loss. With more pressure up front, LB Ken Brinson intercepted to give Army possession at Temple’s 36.  The Black Knights extended their lead as Davidson’s 17-yard charge through the middle made it into the end zone with only 2:28 remaining and only a possible Miracle for the Owls to comeback.  Again under pressure, Walker threw into tight coverage and this time CB Mike Reynolds intercepted to seal the upset victory for Army (1-0) with 1:39 left.

Army LB Alex Aukerman was among the Army defenders who applied the pressure on QB PJ Walker most of the evening.

Army LB Alex Aukerman was among the Army defenders who applied the pressure on QB PJ Walker most of the evening.

It was quite an unexpected defeat for the Owl fans who only a year ago filled Lincoln Financial Field for the Owls opening day upset over Penn State, their first victory over the Nittany Lions since 1941.  That game and a good showing at home losing to Notre Dame on their way to a 10-4 season left the Temple fans optimistic for another good season and an improving program overall.  I believe there is still hope for them when Jahad Thomas returns, and we will see them again on other Friday nights this season hosting South Florida and at UConn in what should be key AAC Eastern division battles.   Temple came in as two-touchdown favorites against an Army team off a 2-10 record in 2015.  Army impressed Guest Game Analyst Brian Donnelly and me.  It should be an even greater battle when we see them play Navy in December in Baltimore.   Davidson got better as the game went on running through around and over people for some tough yards.  Bradshaw, however, needs to get out of his “catcher’s crouch” position quicker under center, and slot backs need to run harder or avoid contact better before contact is made by defenders.  Both teams will surely improve as the season continues.

The "L" in TEMPLE definitely does not stand for "losers."

The “L” in TEMPLE definitely does not stand for “losers.”

The Cadets go back to West Point to host Rice (0-1, losers to Western Kentucky, 46-14) next Saturday.  We will see the Cadets again at Buffalo on September 24.  Temple faces FCS Stony Brook (1-0) next week back at the Linc before heading up to Happy Valley for a shot to knock off the Nittany Lions for a second year in a row.  Staying in Philly on Friday night, Collegefootballfan.com headed to Annapolis to watch Navy and Fordham open their seasons the next morning.

Extra Point: Dan and his sister Eileen met me at an offsite lot to tailgate before the game at a local food distribution logistics center.  They had gotten a couple of Famous Philly cheese steaks from the well-known Patsy’s establishment north of the stadium on their way in.  None of us were as impressed as we had been before.  Eileen also said that the person working there was kind of nasty.  We’ll go to Gino’s next time.

Though our parking lot was convenient near the stadium and cheaper than others, a tank truck pulled up to fill up a load from a storage tank right across from us.  It was loud and hard to have normal conversation.  As we left for the game after eating and a few drinks, the loading was finished and it got a lot quieter.  The driver apologized and said he was surprised that we’d stayed.  Nice guy.  Live and learn, until next time.

Despite 329 rushing yards, we think Army's run game can be even more effective I QB Ahmad Bradshaw (17) can start more quickly from under center.

Despite 329 rushing yards,  Army’s run game can become even more effective if QB Ahmad Bradshaw (17) can start more quickly from under center.

Game 508: First State Rivalry? Turnover Town Blow-out!

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                                 First State Rivalry?  Turnover Town Blowout!

Newark, Delaware – Four Delaware State Hornet intercepted passes and a fumble added fuel to the fire for the Fighting Blue Hens of Delaware who burned the Hornets’ nest early in a 56-14 blow-out in the seventh game between the two Delaware FCS programs in the First State Rivalry. It was the opener of our 2016 www.collegefootballfan.com season and our first of three college football games within a 72-hour period.

Hornet RB Brycen Allenye returned kicks and scored a TYD late in the game.

Hornet RB Brycen Allenye returned kicks and scored a TD late in the game.

Blue Hen RB Wes Hills rushed for a career best 212 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns.  Thomas Jefferson of Passaic (NJ) Tech added 70 yards on the ground, and workhorse Jalen Randolph got the tough yards scoring two TDs on 11 carries for 55 yards. The home team Hens drove 74 yards on the opening drive for Randolph’s two-yard run.  A pick by UD DE John Nassib got the ball back on DSU’s first series, and QB Joe Walker’s one-yard plunge capped the 48-yard drive for a quick 14-0 Delaware lead before the first stanza ended.  The Hornets could not move the ball without turning it over.  Starting QB Dan Epperson was replaced by Kobie Lain who fumbled the ball away on his first series.

QB Joe Walker (3) bulls over from the one for a 14-0 lead.

QB Joe Walker (3) bulls over from the one for a 14-0 lead.

In the second period, Hills ran up the middle for 13 yards before lunging over the goal line for another UD score. After a DSU Hornet punt, Hills started with the ball from the wildcat formation and raced around the left for a 59-yard TD run. So much for this First State Rivalry. The Turnover Town Blow-out continued when LB Anthony Jackson picked off another Epperson pass to preserve the 28-0 lead entering the halftime intermission.

DSU's band, "The Approaching Storm", put on an exhibition during halftime.

DSU’s band, “The Approaching Storm”, put on an exhibition during halftime.

In the third, DSU’s offense had no answer in the First State Rivalry turned into the Town Turnover Blow-out.  After receiving a punt, neither did the defense.  Randolph capped a 70-yard Blue Hen drive with a four-yard scoring jaunt. Jackson’s second INT resulted in a 25-yard TD pass to Diante Cherry from Joe Walker ( 6 of 9,66 yards, 1 TD). The game was basically sealed at 42-0 with 9:38 left in the third,  Ho-hum.  The Hornets finally sustained a drive with Epperson tossing a six-yard pass to Mason Rutherford.  Second team QB Blake Rankin filled in for the Blue Hens’ Walker and led them 48 yards before finding TE Chris Scarff in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard TD pass.

Delaware cheerleaders had plenty to cheer about in this season's opener as the Blue Hens scored early and often!

Delaware cheerleaders had plenty to cheer about in this season’s opener …

To start the fourth, this Hornet offensive series ended quickly as LB Troy Reeder picked Epperson and closed out the UD scoring with a 13-yard interception return.  The practice scrimmage began and DSU scored for the second time as Epperson (13 of 26, 4 INTs, 118 yards) completed a 13-yard pass to Bryceon Allenye in the end zone to close out the score at 56-14 with 11:49 remaining.  I’d seen enough along with my niece Kassie and her friends Kelsey and Cassie, all Delaware grads class of 2015.  We left for beers and ice cream at the UD Cremery near where we had parked.

...and plenty to smile about, too!

…and plenty to smile about, too!

It was a letdown of a game for what’s titled the First State Rivalry. Delaware State was 1-10 in 2015 and evidently still has a lot work ahead of them.  A UD fan, Lutz, that I got to meet during the game, was asked by his son whom he had call to give an update, “Was Delaware that good, or was DSU that bad?”  He answered, “Yes.”  Good answer.  It will be a few games before anyone will really know how good UD is.  They play at Lafayette, another 1-10 team from last year, next Saturday.  A bigger test for them will come a week later at FBS Wake Forest before settling into their Colonial Athletic Association schedule at James Madison, a perennial conference contender.  Delaware State will host the Monmouth Hawks next week. I am meeting up with friends Brian Donnelly and his sister Eileen in Philadelphia for the Army-Temple game at “the Linc”. Hopefully, the Cadets and Owls will both be up for a battle.

Delaware State's Dance Team performed with The Approaching Storm at halftime.

Delaware State’s Dance Team performed with The Approaching Storm at halftime.

Extra points:  DE John Nassib’s early INT confirmed we’d now seen four Nassibs play intercollegiate football. His brother Ryan at Syracuse now with the Giants, his brother who graduated Penn State last year now with the Browns, and his father Gil who we saw in our first of all 508 games when he played for the Delaware national champs in 1979 as a tight end with the Blue Hens in a 49-14 win at Rhode Island.  I went to that game with Kassie’s parents – my sister Mary Kay and then boy friend Gunther – when they were attending URI as students.  You do this long enough…

Soph Vinny Papale, son of Vince, the former Eagle WR who the movie “Invincible” was about, returns punts for the Blue Hens.

Steveo’s Salvos – Collegefootballfan.com Week 1 Preview 2016

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Steveo’s Salvos – Collegefootgallfan.com Week 1 Preview 2016

     Here we go college football fans. Four days from now our college season kicks off on Thursday night with our FCS opener, the Delaware State Hornets vs. the Fighting Blue Hens of Delaware in the First State Rivalry. We look forward to meeting up with so many current fans and some new ones in 2016. In case you missed the official FCS opener on Saturday, No. 1 North Dakota State defeated No. 6 Charleston Southern, 24-17, in overtime.   On Friday, we will open our FBS schedule at 7 pm in Philadelphia where the Cadets of Army face the Temple Owls in “The Linc”. Down Under, in the land of Australia, the FBS already kicked off there as California defeated Hawaii, 51-31. We will see the Cal Bears host Stanford on November 19. Welcome to our Collegefootballfan.com Week 1 Preview 2016…Cal QB Davis Webb, who transferred from Texas Tech, completed 38 of 54 for 441 yards and four TDs against the Rainbow Warriors…

Dan Donnelly of Dan's Tailgate blog got a jump start on the season as he attended the Cal-Hawaii game played down under on August 27.

Dan Donnelly (left) of “Dan from the Tailgate” blog got a jump start on the season as he attended the Cal-Hawaii game played Down Under on August 27.

Delaware State HC Kenny Carter, in his second year with the Hornets, brought a great resume to Dover to rebuild this team. He will be relying on lot of freshman and sophomores at key positions. Kobie Lain and Daniel Epperson are his top two QBs and both will probably see action as he deems them as “two No. 1’s.” Soph RB Brycen Alleyne returns as his top RB, but Frosh Mike Waters should see some action after leading Imhotep Charter HS of Philadelphia to a 15-0 record for the PIAA Class 3 title in 2015. He ran for over 3,000 yards and 51 TDS during his HS career. LB Malik Harris is on the FCS preseason All-American team. He racked up 104 tackles last season…

UD HC Stan Brock is on the hot seat in Newark. He hopes to turn the Blue Hens’ fortunes around this year and get them back into the FCS playoffs. Soph QB Joe Walker will start. Deonte Cherry looks to be his favorite WR. Soph LB Troy Reeder leads the defensive charge. Beyond that, Brock has some strong football pedigrees he’s brought the Blue Hens. WR Vince Papale should see more action this year. His father is the former Philadelphia Eagle by the same name whom the movie “Invincible“ was based on. Soph DE John Nassib is the younger brother of current NY Giant QB Ryan Nassib and DE Carl Nassib, recently graduated from Penn State and now with the Cleveland Browns. Their father, Gil, played TE on the Fighting Blue Hen national championship team in 1979. That unit under legendary HC Harold “Tubby” Raymond was the first we ever saw play to start this long journey, our first of 507 games thus far, when we saw them defeat Rhode Island for their first win of that championship season, 49-14. If John sees action in this game, we will be able to say that we saw all four family members play during their collegiate careers…

My niece Kassie and some of her fellow UD grads will help us kick off our season for the second year in a row!

My niece Kassie, between me and St. Laurie pictured here, and some fellow UD grads will help kick off our season for the second year in a row!

Penn State announced Trace McSorely will get the starting nod at QB for Penn State who we will see play later this season against Ohio State and Michigan State. Word is that back-up Tommy Stevens looked good also. We look forward to seeing what new offensive coordinator Mike Moorhead does with the up-tempo offense he’s bringing to the Lions from Fordham where he was HC… Congrats to Cousin Frank Scarpa’s BBQ team out of Packanack Lake, NJ where they took 3rd place overall of 30 teams at the Northeast BBQ completion held in New Paultz, NY. The four categories included Pizza, Rack and Bacon, Wings, and Apple Dishes. Looking forward to tailgating with him on September 17 for the noon kickoff at The Birthplace of College Football where Rutgers will entertain New Mexico. Sounds like Bloody Mary’s and crumb cake for the pregame meal with that early start…

The primary reason we're going back to see Rutgers play this year- Frank's pizza!

The primary reason we’re going back to see Rutgers play this year – Frank’s award-winning pizza!

Regarding the second game of Collegefootballfan.com Week 1 Preview 2016, Army played their last preseason scrimmage last Friday night at Michie Stadium to prep for Temple this Friday evening. Third-year coach Jeff Moncken has many new recruits over the last few years ready to go. He just didn’t seem very confident to us though during his interview in Armysports.com. They will rely on the triple option to move the chains as they did adeptly last season.  We expect to see Soph QB Chris Carter, who we saw play against Rutgers and Navy last season, get most action with Junior Ahmad Bradshaw getting some reps as well. Senior WR Edgar Poe returns as their leading receiving target. The Cadets lost eight games last season by a TD or less. Their running game was efficient, but their defense is going to finally have to stop the other teams after allowing 27.8 ppg last season. Moncken will be looking for defensive leadership from his two senior LBs, Andrew King and Jeremy Timpf…

Many of my SEC friends join our 500th game celebration last season when we say Rutgers play Army at West Point.

Many of my SEC friends and family  joined our 500th game celebration last season when we saw Rutgers play Army at West Point.

The Temple Owls return from a successful 10-4 season with senior QB PJ Walker and RB Jahad Thomas, both from Elizabeth (NJ) HS. A lot of spirit pervades on the TU campus after last year’s success, and HC Matt Rhule seems to be building a solid foundation for the Temple Owl program. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow has his team preparing for the triple-option run by Army. He needs to get used to it as Navy will appear on their slate during the next two seasons. He plans to rotate his defense throughout this game.  Snow figures that he will probably have to make some early adjustments.  Army will probably bring more speed than what they see during practice. He is prepping his team to build more depth as they play ten straight weeks to start the season including three Friday night games we plan to attend. Army will get their rushing yardage, but TU will have to force them go to the passing game as they approach the end zone…

Stanford HC David Shaw announced that his starting QB against Kansas State will be Senior Ryan Burns who edged out Junior Keller Chryst. Both are big and strong-armed. They have good weapons retuning around them, but they will be relying on three new starters on the O Line to protect them. We will see if Burns or Keller will be starting when we see them play Notre Dame on October 15 in South Bend. Regarding the Irish QB situation, Brian Kelly appears to be saying that he will split QB duties between his two experienced starters, Junior DeShone Kizer and Senior Malik Zaire. We’re interested to see if that strategy changes even if both stay healthy. It seems like a competition on the field. I’m sure if there is an issue with consistency by sharing reps, one of the two will have to take over the reigns as the number one signal caller….

Sean Maguire seemed to be the incumbent QB at Florida State before breaking his foot two weeks ago, He returned, but Jimbo Fisher made the call to start Redshirt Freshman Deondre Francois next Monday night when the Seminoles play Ole Miss in Orlando, Francois’ home town…On Saturday, September 3, we will be tailgating at our third game in three days to wrap up our Collegefootballfan.com Week 1 Preview 2016 when FCS Fordham visits Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Despite one returning starter on offense for the Mids, WR Jamir Tillman, many Navy players have played key back-up roles the last two years and have pretty solid experience starting with Senior QB Tago Smith. HC Ken Niumatalolo looks for the guys who’ve been waiting in the wings to step up. SBs Dishan Romine and Toneo Gulley both get to show what the can do with more playing time during their senior year. FB Shawn White has the frame at 255 lbs. to pound the ball up the middle from the FB position like Chris Swain did for the Mids the past two seasons. With seven starters on defense returning, the Mids should be ship-shape for another bowl season in 2016….

We'll be seeing a lot of Brian Donnelly (Navy ship hat) with family and friends in Annapolis with four games on our slate there this year.

We’ll be seeing a lot of Brian Donnelly (Navy ship hat) with family and friends in Annapolis with four games on our slate there this year.

Fordham’s offense will be a good test for Navy in its opener. Not only do the Rams have FCS Junior All-American RB Chase Edmonds coming back with his impressive stats, but All Patriot League QB Kevin Anderson comes off his first season as a starter where he threw for 3,183 yards and 32 TDs, fifth best in the FCS. HC Andrew Breiner is the new HC for the Rams taking over for Mike Moorhead who left Rose Hill to become OC at Penn State. A 2006 graduate of Lock Haven University, Breiner served the past four season as OC coordinator under Moorhead who turned this program around with the implementation of scholarships. Their defense will struggle with a very well-tuned Navy triple option, but their offense could challenge Navy if their line blocks well to give Anderson time to throw. Last season, this squad out-gunned Army’s triple option in their season opener at West Pont to win, 37-35…

Of course we will be catching up with John Massimilla and the usual suspects when we're up at Happy Valley this season!

Of course we will be catching up with John Massimilla and the usual suspects when we’re up at Happy Valley this season!

Speaking of the Navy, we heard from our great friend, Tom Ables, San Diego State’s No. 1 fan of all time. Now at the age of 90, here’s some great news from Tom,  “In August 1946 I was still in the Navy, in the main engine room of the battleship USS Alabama, BB-60, The Mighty A. A month later, in September, I was a Freshman at San Diego State, sports editor of The Aztec, and saw my first Aztec football game. I had seen a few as a kid with my older brother, but don’t count those. Now, 70 years later. I will be on the sideline with my Aztecs when we play the University of South Alabama on October 1 in Mobile, in Ladd-Peebles Stadium. And, a short distance away in Mobile Bay, just happens to be where my old ship, The Mighty A, is now anchored as a Naval museum. So, on that very same day, I will see my Aztecs play for the 774th time and go on board for a nostalgic visit in my old engine room on the Alabama! Talk about closing an emotional 70-year loop! I think you can see why this trip will be so special for me. I am at 770 games right now, and have just published a new updated edition of my book GO AZTECS! “  

Tom Ables is still going strong into the 2016 season after catching up with him at Beaver Stadium last season.

Tom Ables is still going strong into the 2016 season after catching up with him at Beaver Stadium last season.

Meeting great new friends like Tom over the years at different places across the country is what really makes this entire adventure really worthwhile. We look forward to meeting up with so many current friends and some new ones in 2016.  In the meantime, here’s our shot at picking the final four teams for this season’s College Football Playoff. We want to be different as pre-season polls are often put together based on the final result of the previous season.  Things change, old players move on, new players move in, and stuff happens:

Clemson – Ole Miss – Stanford – TCU

 

A Brief History of Beloved College Football Fight Songs

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Penn State's Blue Band always gets Beaver Stadium roaring for the Nittany Lions when the enter the field.

Penn State’s Blue Band always gets Beaver Stadium roaring for the Nittany Lions when they enter the field.

Fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team. College football fans in particular love fight songs. A college football fight song is an instant way to get fans charged up to almost a fever pitch. Almost every college has a college football fight song. I have a CD I recorded of my 31 favorite college fight songs (more than one from some schools) that I listen to in my car primarily to fire up on my way to a game – drives my wife especially nuts but not in a positive way.  I’ll also play them on the way into work once in a while to get fired up for some meeting or a tough day that I may be anticipating. I even like some fight songs from schools that I would never root for, but I just love to hear them because they are so moving and create such a great atmosphere! It’s part of that “electricity in the air!’

One of the great pregame band traditions in college football as Ohio State forms Script Ohio as they play "Le Regiment".

One of the great pregame band traditions in all of college football as Ohio State forms Script Ohio as they play “Le Regiment”.

I didn’t know this, but the oldest one is Boston College’s “For Boston.” It was composed in 1888 by T.J. Hurley. I like the fact that “Anchors Aweigh” was originally composed as the U.S. Naval Academy’s official fight song in 1906.  The music was composed by USNA Bandmaster Charles A. Zimmerman and Midshipman First Class Alfred Hart Miles wrote the lyrics. It was first sung at the Army-Navy game of 1910 where Navy won that game for the first time in 10 years, 10-0. Later, George D. Lottman changed the lyrics to represent the entire Navy at large, and not just the academy, to use it as the primary U.S. Navy March.  Every college football fight song has its own unique history. I don’t have the time or space to go through all of them so I’m going to take a look at seven other special college football fight songs, give you their origins. Five of these seven are on my CD.

  • University of Michigan, “The Victors”. It was Thanksgiving Day 1898. Michigan beat the University of Chicago 12-11 in a nail biter that topped off University of Michigan’s undefeated season. It also secured the school’s first conference title. Music student Louis Elbel was so inspired by the win that he wanted to do something special for his school. He believed that Michigan needed an epic song to capture the feeling. So, “The Victors” was born. With its recognizable chorus, Elbel got John Philip Sousa, the man behind “Stars and Stripes Forever” to play it at a concert stop in Ann Arbor in 1899. The following May, the school band played the song for the baseball team after they returned from a successful road trip. President Gerald Ford, who played football for Michigan, loved this college football fight song so much that it was played at his funeral in 2007. This is definitely a “must-have” in any collection of fight songs.
The Michigan Marching Band performs during halftime at The Big House.

The Michigan Marching Band performs during halftime at The Big House.

  • Florida State University, “The Marching Chiefs.” In the October 6 edition in the year 1950 of the Florida Flambeau, FSU’s school newspaper, a poem, written by grad student, Doug Alley appeared. Tommie Wright, a very capable musician, saw the poem and put the words to this college football fight song to music that very afternoon. Wright put the original score in his office drawer, where it remains to this day. The song will become part of the public domain in 2025. I love the “Seminole War Chant” myself.  That gets me fired up in the company parking lot before heading into the office.
  • Louisiana State University, “Fight for LSU.” Huey P. Long, a very popular Louisiana governor, loved LSU. He and Castro Carazo, the university’s bandmaster, collaborated on “Touchdown for LSU” in 1934. Long wrote the lyrics and Carazo did the music. After Long was assassinated the very next year, Carazo wanted to honor him. He teamed up with swim coach W.G. Higginbotham and co-wrote “Fight for LSU.” The song is so well-loved that when assistant band director Eric Melley went on the field for the SEC opener, the crowd was so loud, he could hardly hear the band. Now, that’s a college football fight song you can be proud of!   Not on my CD, but I did have chance to hear the LSU band practice in their indoor facility in Baton Rouge when a colleague of mine from work, Diane, was able to invite me in since her kids were in the LSU Marching Band when I attended their game against Mississippi State in 2008.
  • University of Alabama, “Yea Alabama!” The school held a fight song contest in October 1925. The winner was Ethelred Sykes. Sykes won $50 for his effort. A noted writer at the school, Sykes was also The Crimson-White editor. Sykes didn’t keep the money he won, however. Instead he gave it to the band to arrange the song. The resulting, “Yea Alabama!” replaced “The Alabama Swing” and “Glory, Glory Alabama.” To this day, if you just hear the first five notes of this classic college football fight song played by the band in what’s called “The Teaser,” the crowd goes wild. The first time I heard it in person was at Legion Field sitting with my Auburn friends. They left out the “Yea” and replaced it with something else.
Alabama's hated rival Auburn marches down field to their fight song, "War Eagle!"

Alabama’s hated rival Auburn marches down field to perform their fight song, “War Eagle!”

  • University of Oklahoma, “Boomer Sooner.” You can trace the origin of this college football fight song back to Yale’s “Boola Boola” and North Carolina’s “I’m a Tarheel Born.” In 1905, Arthur M. Alden, an OU student, put Yale’s tune to new words. The following year, he adapted the lyrics of UNC’s fight song. The combination is a winning one. In fact, in 1983, when the Sooners were down and almost out – 20-3 in the third quarter – the band played the song over and over for more than an hour. The Sooners fought back from sheer force of will and the guidance of this song to win 21-20. They even gave the game ball to the band for their help. I love this song. It still always makes me think of OU when they ran the wishbone while I was watching Sunday morning highlights on Sunday mornings on ABC’s College Football Report during the 70s. They would show highlights of five games and do some feature as Bob Murphy, New York Mets broadcaster, read the script for each. I remember they even once did the Delaware vs. West Chester game. It was a great hour of college football highlights before the pro games kicked off. Never saw much of Minnesota play on TV, but I got to love hearing “Minnesota Rouser” as a soundtrack during highlights.
Minnesota Rouser played before the 2015 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

“Minnesota Rouser” played before the 2015 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl by The Golden Gopher Marching Band.

  • University of Georgia, “Glory, Glory to Old Georgia.” In the 1890s, Georgia’s band started to play the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” but switched the words “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah” to “Glory, Glory, Georgia.” In 1915 Hugh Hodgson, who eventually became music chair at the University, wrote the arrangement Georgia uses to this day. Georgia’s college football fight song is shared with songs performed by both Auburn and Colorado. When they face Auburn, the bands join together in the halftime show, playing the fight song conjointly.
  • University of Wisconsin, “On, Wisconsin!” This college football fight song’s history began in a boardinghouse parlor in Chicago in 1909 when two friends, William “W.T.” Purdy and Carl Beck, a UW student, wrote the song together. Purdy wanted to enter it into the University of Minnesota competition because there was a $100 prize, but somehow Beck got his way and the song made its’ appearance in Wisconsin. The song is so popular that over 2,500 schools in Wisconsin use it. It also is Wisconsin’s official state song, having been so adopted in July of 1959. I think about 50% of high school bands in New Jersey play this as their fight song.  All the Catholic schools play the “Notre Dame Victory March“.  My school was unique. Our band played the “Princeton Cannon Song“, but with better lyrics -“There is a banner in the sky, The streaming red and black…”  I can hear the band playing and the voices singing it now. At Juniata College, the Alma Mater, our small band, when it came to a game, would play a rousing version of the Budweiser Beer Theme song.   That says it all!
Princeton and Brown bands play nicely together at halftime. The Ivy Leaguers are proud to differentiate their band from the big-time football schools.

The Princeton and Brown bands played nicely together at halftime in 2014. The Ivy Leaguers are proud to differentiate their bands from the traditional big-time college football schools.

 As you can see, college football fight songs have interesting histories. They are created by people who love the school and love their school’s fight songs. If you’ve got a college fight song history or anecdote to share, please let me know. I’d be happy to hear it.

Favorites from among teams we will see play this year:

Army – On Brave Old Army Team

Michigan State – Falcone Fight

Navy- Anchors Aweigh, The Goat is Old and Gnarly

Notre Dame – Victory March; Hike, Hike, Hike!

Ohio State – Script Ohio; Le Regiment; Across the field

Penn State – Fight on State!

The Navy and Air Force Academies' Drum and Bugle Corps combined to play at Navy - Marine Corp Memorial Stadium at last year's game.

The Naval and Air Force Academies’ Drum and Bugle Corps combined to play at Navy – Marine Corp Memorial Stadium at last year’s game.

Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season

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Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season

Fifteen years ago: We reviewed our Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season 15 years ago to get us hankering for our exciting 2016 season less than two weeks away!

Rather than analyze the remaining teams on our 2016 schedule that we haven’t previewed yet, we’d like to first take you back to some of our five to ten year anniversaries of seasons following up with our 2011 season memories with these from our Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season. We’ll share some great memories and for this season some significantly tragic ones off the field that impacted this particular season. The memories tie together with some of our plans for the upcoming season as our historical trek continues. It’s a trip back along our historical path of college football games 15 years ago to get ready for 2016 by remembering a small sampling over our 37 college football seasons spanning some of the 507 games we’ve attended before we start our new season.

On Sunday, August 26, 2001 we kicked off the Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands with the 19th annual Kickoff Classic played in the venue that was leveled and replaced by MetLife Stadium (we liked the original, demolished stadium much better) in 2010. Preseason No. 10 Georgia Tech, off a 9-3, 6-2 record from the previous year, started the season looking forward to challenging powerful Florida State for the ACC championship at least. The Syracuse Orange, coming in at 6-5, 4-3 from the previous year, came to represent the late Big East filling in an obligational berth to fulfill the Classic’s requirement to be assure each major conference was represented within agreed to time constraints to be represented. The Orange weren’t expected to amount to much that season. Tech got off to a 10-0 lead by halftime, but the Orange finally came up with seven half way through the third period. The SU defense led by Senior DE Dwight Freeney held the Yellow Jackets to a FG late in the same stanza. Tech RB Joe Burns helped control the balance of the game keeping the ball on the ground in the final period eating the clock and taking the win back to Atlanta in a very uninspiring “classic”. The Tech season did not land them in the 2001 Top 25 as anticipated. They finished 8-5 including a loss to Florida State late in the season who only finished at 8-4. The Jackets played their final game in the now defunct Seattle Bowl where they defeated Stanford.   Surprising Maryland took the ACC with a 10-2, 7-1 record and a trip to the Orange Bowl where they fell to Florida. As for Syracuse, they were a surprise team in 2001 finishing 10-3, 6 -1 overall to finish the season ranked at No. 14. They lost the following week to Tennessee and late in the season to the eventual national champion (read further below), but they came up with a win in the Insight.com bowl over Kansas State. The Orange and the Jackets play each other every few years now as members of the ACC in two different divisions. This year we will see the Orange back in the New Jersey Meadowlands at our Big Tailgate against Notre Dame on October 1st.

DE Dwight Freeney makes a stop vs. Georgia Tech in the 2001 Kickoff Classic.

DE Dwight Freeney makes a stop vs. Georgia Tech in the 2001 Kickoff Classic.

The following Thursday night, I took the family to the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field to see the Temple Owls host Navy. I won’t bore you with the details of Temples 45-26 win, but the highlights we remember with the kids (Alex, age 8 and Eric, age 6) came at halftime with some stunt bike riders putting on a show for the crowd. The next day we went for some thrills of our own on water rides at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA. Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season was a nondescript season for the Temple Owls finishing 4-7. That was a much bleaker season for the Navy football program who finished the season 0-10. We attended a close but sloppily played game by both teams in the Mids’ 23-17 loss when they played Rutgers Scarlet Knights, but for the Mids, the worst occurred as they fell to Army to end their pitiful season, 26-17 (we did not attend). The Rutgers game on October 20 was an embarrassment for both teams as Rutgers entered 1-5 on a five-game losing streak as did the Mids. Despite the win, the Scarlet Knights totaled 18 penalties which didn’t account for five that were declined or offset. HC Greg Schiano’s team also had two costly turnovers by Frosh QB Ryan Cubit in the second half that cut their 20-0 halftime lead late in the game to 20-17 before a 30-yard FG with 57 seconds left finished the scoring. More on RU’s ineptitude that season later. As for Temple and Navy, in 2016 they come off banner seasons with 10-4 and 11-2 records respectively. Both lost key players such as Temple LB Tyler Matakevich who was the American Athletic Defensive Player of the Year now with the Steelers, and Navy QB Keenan Reynolds who was voted fifth in the Heisman balloting and selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL draft. We look forward to seeing both squads play multiple times this season under who we think are two of the best head coaches in the business and for their respective programs – Temple’s Matt Rhule and Navy’s Ken Niumatatolo. Despite the graduation losses, we look for these teams to compete with everyone on their schedules. We will see the Temple Owls host the Cadets of Army on Sept. 2, South Florida on October 21, and then visit the UConn Huskies on November 4 (all Friday night games). As for Navy, we will attend four home games – Fordham on Sept. 3, UConn on Sept. 10, Houston on October 8, and Tulsa on November 12. We will attend Army -Navy for the 11th time (fifth in a row), in Baltimore on December 10. We’re rooting for both to play one another in the AAC championship game, if not this year, in the near future.  Recently, we added another game.  On Saturday, September 17, we will see the Rutgers Scarlet Knights under new HC Chris Ash play the New Mexico Lobos at 12 noon at The Birthplace of College Football in New Brunswick, NJ.

QB Keenan Reynolds (#19) graduated from USNA in 2016, but HC Ken Niumatalolo returns after turning down an opportunity to become HC at BYU after leading the Mids to an 11-2 record.

QB Keenan Reynolds (#19) graduated from USNA in 2016, but HC Ken Niumatalolo returns after turning down an opportunity to become HC at BYU after leading the Mids to an 11-2 record.

Our third game of Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season on Saturday, September 1, marked a significant list of “firsts” in the opener at the new Beaver Stadium in State College, PA between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the visiting Miami Hurricanes fresh off an 11-1 season including a 37-20 win over Florida in the previous season’s Sugar Bowl. Penn State was coming off an atypical 5-7 losing season, but had two big firsts to celebrate this evening in front of a national TV audience. The Beaver Stadium expansion was now complete and they filled it to capacity in front of 109,313 fans anxious to get the season started and turned around by defeating a strong Hurricane program. The next big thrill for everyone in the stadium occurred before the game when injured DB Adam Taliaferro took his first steps on the Beaver Stadium turf since his spinal column injury suffered almost a year before against Ohio State that originally left him paralyzed from the waist down. But with hard work, tenacity, and lot of good people around him, he recovered in time to walk back on the field in front of his team and a packed house on this emotional evening. As for the Miami Hurricanes, it was their first game ever under new HC Larry Coker who had been an assistant under former HC Butch Davis who left to coach in the pros. After finishing at No. 2 at the end of 2000, this would be the Hurricanes first win on their way to the 2001 national championship. QB Ken Dorsey would complete 20 of 27 for 344 yards and three TDs to Najeh Davenport and Jeremy Shockey while Clinton Portis ran for 164 yards on 17 carries. Willis McGahee rushed for 77 yards on 17 as well. On the defensive side, the Canes were stingy with the likes of LB Jonathan Vilma, S Ed Reed, and DE William Joseph on defense. Had I been watching this game on TV, I would have turned it off by halftime to watch Wisconsin vs. Oregon on another channel. It was a 33-7 blowout in the end. If you look at the score of the first ten Miami Hurricanes’ games of 2001, it was one of the closest scores of their season. They would finish 12-0 and defeat Nebraska in the Rose bowl, 37-24, for the National Championship. For the proud Penn State Nittany Lion program, the season was a struggle resulting in its second losing season in a row, the first time in the 36th year of Joe Paterno’s career there as head coach, and only his third overall. Many PSU fans started to question if the old coach was still up to the task of leading this program.   In the second game I attended at Beaver Stadium in 2001, the Lions faced their greatest Big Ten nemesis since they had joined the conference, Michigan. The Wolverines won five of eight against the Lions since they started play in conference since 1993. U of M triumphed at Happy Valley as QB John Navarre threw two TD passes and the defense shut out the Lions, 20-0, for the first home shut out in Happy Valley since Paterno started coaching in 1965. At 0-4,0-3, the loss marked the worst start ever in the history of Penn State football dating back 115 years. The season looked bleak. I had tickets to the Ohio State game in three weeks. I started to consider selling them to someone who might want to go the game, specifically an Ohio State fan. However, after the bye week, the Lions went on the road and surprised No. 14 Northwestern, 38-35. With the win, Paterno tied the career mark of Paul “Bear “Bryant” with the 323rd win of his career. Ohio State was coming to town with a 4-2 record under Jim Tressel. What the heck, I decided. Rather than sell the tickets and go to another game, I had a chance to see history. It didn’t look like that was going to happen as the Buckeyes took a 27-9 lead early in the third on and interception return by CB Derek Ross. PSU QB Zach Mills turned things around suddenly with a 69-yard TD jaunt as he hurdled one would-be tackler on his route. Mills used his arm for the last two scores firing a 26-yard pass to Tony Johnson just over the goal line and a 14-yard TD pass to Eric McCoo early in the fourth before the two defenses shut each other down until the Penn State Nittany Lions led at the final whistle, 29-27. Paterno was the all-time winningest coach and the celebration was on. Despite what you may think about what transpired at Penn State since, it was memorable moment for us having witnessed an historic game in college football that day.

Miami Hurricanes - 2001 National Champs

Miami Hurricanes – 2001 National Champs

September 8 marked another historic event in the annals of our history during our Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season. I contacted my good Auburn friend Charlie Murren whom I hadn’t attended an Auburn Tigers game with in 16 years. Not only was the opportunity then to add Ole Miss as the 67th team toward my goal to see ‘em all, but I figured that I would be attending the SEC debut of QB Eli Manning, son of Archie and brother of Peyton, so that if he ever amounted to anything I could say that I saw him play for the Rebels in his SEC debut. I remember that not only when I watch my favorite pro team, the Giants, play, but I certainly figured I called it right after he led them to two two NFL titles. Like the Ohio State-Penn State game I just reported on, things did not start well for Eli and his offense. They never crossed the 50 against the Tigers on their first ten possessions. An Auburn interception in the third period gave the Tigers a 20-0 lead over the Ole Miss Rebels. Eli displayed next what we’ve seen many times since since that point on. The Rebels actually were denied six points on the next possession as his heave into the end zone caught by Omar Rayford was called out of bounds. Replays on Sports Center all weekend showed Rayford had control in bounds, but in 2001, replay reviews were a thing of the future! Auburn got the ball back and led 27-0. Manning led Ole Miss to three consecutive 80-yard scoring drives including a 50 yard out pass to Rayford, but they fell short, 27-21 in and exciting finish. A few years later, his pass into the end zone would have been six more. Eli was making his mark early. It was fun to be there. My trip to visit Charlie and family and see Eli in his debut ended on a down note flying back home the next day as my flight returned to Atlanta shortly after take-off due to mechanical issues that got me home very late in the evening. Two days later, we were all upset and shocked by three devious air disasters none of us ever could have imagined.

When we aw Eli Manning in action in 2001 for Ole Miss, we figured two things; Eli's coming and so were instant replay reviews.

When we aw Eli Manning in action in 2001 for Ole Miss, we figured two things; Eli’s coming and so were instant replay reviews.

The weekend of September 15 was void of all sports here in the US as we mourned the losses of many people in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania as our country and our ways of life were attacked by a bunch of cowardly, hateful hijackers. Our lives have all changed since with sacrifices by many that went to war and new rules for air travel and precautions as the threats continue throughout the world today. It was very eerie the following weeks. My dentist attended the first NY Jets game at The Meadowlands a few weeks later and talked of how the entire stadium fell silent as the first jet overhead started its approach into nearby Newark Liberty Airport. The games scheduled for the weekend of September 15 were generally rescheduled late in the season depending on whether two teams could find an open weekend. I saw the effects around the country during the rest of my Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season. Games were marked by patriotic events and rallies to show that we were not going to give into fear and terrorism these people thought they could control us with. That isn’t happening – ever.

At the 2014 D3 Mass Maritime vs. SUNY Maritime game in Throggs Neck, NY, first responders and military were honored at the 9/11 game with the new Freedom Tower seen high above New York City a few miles away.

At the 2014 D3 Mass Maritime vs. SUNY Maritime game in Throggs Neck, NY, first responders and military were honored at the 9/11 game with the new Freedom Tower seen high above New York City a few miles away.

On September 22, Band Day at Delaware Stadium was marked by patriotic music and The Fighting Blue Hens carrying American flags as they raced on to the field before the game against Atlantic Ten Conference foe UMass who also brought their band along. You could cut the patriotism with a knife as they say that evening despite both teams entering with 0-2 records. The home team would win big that evening, 35-7, in what was the final season of long-time HC Harold “Tubby” Raymond’s illustrious career coming into this game with 296 wins. UMass would finish the 2001 season with a 3-8 record three season after winning the 1AA national championship under current HC Mark Whipple. We would see the Fighting Blue Hens in their final game of the season, and they will open our 2016 season with a Thursday night game for the third time in four years. This year we will see them host in-state rival Delaware State on Thursday, September 1, in what is now called ” The First State Bowl”.

Our 2016 season will open with the Delaware State Hornets who we will see play for only the second time.

Our 2016 season will open with the Delaware State Hornets who we will see play for only the second time.

In 2001, I stayed close to home on the last weekend of September taking my son Eric and nephew Ben (ages 6 and 7) to a night game at Princeton to see the Tigers host Ivy League foe Columbia. Both were 0-1 entering the weekend. Columbia took an early 3-0 lead, but it was all PU QB David Splithoff after that. In the first half he ran for two scores and in the third period he threw TD passes of 78 and 30 yards to build a 44-3 lead before a final Lion TD for a final score of 44-11. It wasn’t a competitive game (a rare occurrence with Columbia) but over the years, the Tigers play in many thrilling finishes in the Ivy league, win or lose. We usually like to get to at least one Ivy League game a season. Just a few days ago, we change our plans for September 17.  After we see the Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on the Lobos of New Mexico for a 12 noon kick off at High Point Solutions stadium, we plan to venture down to Princeton Stadium to catch the 5 pm Tiger opener when PU takes on Lafayette College in an FCS contest.   I appreciate now more than ever with all the growing FBS commercialism of college football, the experience to see teams playing football on ten consecutive weekends a year to determine one true league champion or co-champs, and that’s the end of it. The total focus is on winning football games – not rankings, commercial time-outs that create three and a half hour games, recruiting violations, juniors leaving for the pros, etc. However, we do hope for the day when the stuffy Ivy league presidents allow their championship football team to enter into the FCS playoffs. Final exams are supposedly the determining factor, but other Ivy League sports champs have access into their post season competitions. Maybe they’re right. Probably are. Damn, I wish they would try it though!     It may not be the best of college football, but most teams are competitive with one another. We enjoy seeing them play. Their games can be as fun to watch as any others, and they are only about winning – what college football should be about.

Our last Ivy League encounter was in 2014 when we saw the Brown Bruins defeat the Princeton Tigers, 27-16.

In our last Ivy League encounter in 2014 when we saw the Brown Bruins defeat the Princeton Tigers, 27-16.

The first travel experience after 9/11 during Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season was harrowing (read about it in Tales from the Tailgate) as I flew across the country in mid-October for my first PAC10 game where No. 7 UCLA Bruins and No. 10 Washington met at the Rose Bowl with identical 4-0 records.   The Huskie’s starting QB Cody Pickett was sidelined with an injury which didn’t bode well for the visitors, but UCLA’s offense got off to a quick start with a two TD runs and a returned fumble recovery for a 21-0 lead late in the first. Bruin RB Deshaun Foster exploded in the second half finishing the day with four TDs and a school rushing record of 301 yards for a school record in the 35-14 win over Washington. This year, we will see our second all PAC12 game when we go to Berkeley to see the Bears host Stanford on November 19.

November 2001 started with a game sitting atop Maryland’s Byrd Stadium looking out toward where I could see our nation’s Capitol Building in the distance reminding me of the devastation attempted there on 9/11. Below, the Maryland Terrapins took care of business hosting the Troy State Trojans as I added them as my 70th team toward my eventual goal to see ‘em all. In the first half, the 7-1 Terps raced out with 509 yards of offense to a 34-0 lead in the first half over Troy in their first season of FBS play. QB Shaun Hill passed for 228 yards and PK Nick Novak booted four FGs before Troy scored two late TDS for a 44-14 Maryland victory. Showed us though that you never know: while the Maryland offense dominated Troy, two Troy defenders eventually became household names later at the pro level – Junior DE Osi Umenyiora and Freshman DE Marcus Ware.

In another game where I was able to add another team toward my goal, a week later with extended family members we went to Storrs, Connecticut to see the UConn Hus host Utah State as my 71st team. The Huskies were in their second season of FBS play as an Independent and started Connecticut native Dan Orlovsky as a freshman as their starting QB. On a cold, snowy Saturday, the Aggies took advantage of the Huskies’ inexperience and led at half time, 28-10. It looked like another disappointing blow-out on hand to add Utah State as a new team. USU extended the lead to 38-10 in the third. However, Orlovsky threw a 34-yard TD pass to Wes Timko. The Husky D held the Aggies. Orlovsky threw another pass for a score. With five minutes left in the game, Orlovsky plunged over from the one to cut the Aggie lead, 38-31. USU’s RB Emmitt White removed an ice pack from his knee and came back in to help eat up the clock before UConn got the ball back for a last minute drive. The inexperience was in evidence though as Orlovsky’s low pass was intercepted by DT Jorge Tapia. The potential blow-out turned out to be a fun, competitive game in the end. We return to see the UConn Huskies play at Rentschler Stadium in East Hartford this season to seem host the Temple Owls on Friday, November 4 in an Eastern Divison American Athletic Conference game. It should be a good one.

In 2015, the Huskies hosted Navy. We'll see UConn visit the Midshipmen this season on September 10.

In 2015, the Huskies hosted Navy. We’ll see UConn visit the Midshipmen this season on September 10. As a Third Class Mid in 1975, UConn came to Navy-Marine Corps as a D2 program.  Their two fans in attendance draped a homemade sheet from the visitor’s side reading, “Navy sucks bilge water.” Navy football won that day,  55-7.  LOL!

On November 17, we attended the final regular season FCS game between Villanova and Delaware. It would be UD Head Coach Tubby Raymond’s final game. Eventual No. 19 Nova defeated the Blue Hens, 19-14. Raymond finished his career though with 300 wins over 36 years that included national championships in 1971, 1972, and 1979. The Wildcats finished 8-2, 7-1 while UD finished with a losing season of 4-6. Despite VU’s 8-2 finish, they did not make the 1AA playoffs, but we did. On 12/1, Eric and I attended the Hofstra-Lehigh game at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem. In it, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks defeated Hofstra’s Flying Dutchman, 27-24, in an exciting game (Hofstra discontinued football since). The following week, LU fell to Furman. That same weekend, I happened to stayover from a business trip to Savannah, Georgia to attend the quarterfinal round between Appalachian State and Georgia Southern. What was of particular interest to me was that GSU HC Paul Johnson was coaching his final season with the Eagles where he ran the triple option. After the season, he would be leaving Statesboro, Georgia to become the head football coach at Navy in 2002. I got a great preview of what was to come for the struggling Navy football program. His Eagles won that day 38-24 to move on to the next round. Like Lehigh, they fell to Furman the following Saturday by a score of 24-17. Furman would fall to Montana in the finale, 13-6, for the 1AA championship. We love the FCS playoffs and will go to a game if one lands conveniently within driving distance to attend this season. We will see other FCS games this regular season including our previously mentioned opener on Sept. 1 between UD and Delaware State and the recently announced game featuring Princeton vs. Lafayette. In addition, we will see Patriot League contender Fordham on September 3 at Navy, and Lafayette at Bucknell in a Patriot League contest on November 21.

We witnessed seven Delaware wins under Tubby Raymond, and the we attended the ceremony after his retirement when the school named their playing filed after the coach who posted 300 wins for the Blue Hens.

Our final regular season game of Collegefootballfan.com 2001 season was the postponed game of 9/15 between the California Golden Bears and Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Former RU Head Coach Terry Shea used his California connections to set up a home and home with Cal before he was fired. Cal made the trip east for the game on Thanksgiving weekend with a 0-10 record as I looked to make them my 72nd team toward the goal to see ‘em all. Some family members and I were among the 18,111 that day to bask in the unusually warm, sunny day that time of year drinking lemonade in the stands to see the Bears challenge the 2-8 Scarlet Knight on their home field. Cal surrendered a school record allowing 421 points already that season. RU’s offense established the lowest scoring point total in school history – 109. Something had to give here. In Tales from the Tailgate, I referred to the action on the field as “a classic game of ineptitude.” In the third, RU closed the score trailing 17-10. In the final 19:14, Rutgers played horribly and California Golden Bears not much better. On a shanked 21-yard punt by RU, Cal at least got a field goal for a 20-10 lead. Rutgers’ sub QB Ted Trump tried to bring the Knights some new life, but threw an INT with 1:33 left. Cal sealed their only win of the season and their last game under lame-duck coach Tom Holmoe. They carried him out on their shoulders. We look forward to seeing the California Golden Bear’s final regular season game of 2016 when we fly the 3,000 miles to Berkeley to see them host Stanford. We may see someone get carried of on their team’s shoulders in this one, but not for avoiding a winless season. We expect this our 2016 season to be fantastic from beginning to end.

RB Christian McCaffery is one of the reasons we expect to see Stanford challenge for the College Football Playoff this year. We will see the Cardinal play at Notre Dame and at Cal in 2016.

RB Christian McCaffery is one of the reasons we expect to see Stanford challenge for the College Football Playoff this year. We will see the Cardinal play at Notre Dame and at Cal in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season

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Five years ago: A look at our past before our exciting, upcoming 2016 season

Rather than analyze the remaining teams on our 2016 schedule that we haven’t previewed yet, we’d like to first take you back to some of our five to ten year anniversaries of seasons past starting with today’s Salvo reviewing our memories of the Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season. We’ll share some great moments and memories that we’ll also tie to some of our plans for the upcoming season. It’s a fun way to get ready for our season by remembering back over 37 college football seasons spanning some of the 507 games we’ve attended entering this season.

We kicked off the Collegefootballseason.com 2011 season with a blow-out of Villanova by Temple, 42-7, on Thursday, September 1. Despite an inter-division game looking unattractive as the opener, the previous season started with the same two teams at “the Linc” in Philly with a last minute win by the Temple Owls in an exciting 31-24 finish. We attended last season’s Temple home opener in 2015 to witness their 27-10 upset over Penn State, their first win over the Nittany Lions since 1941. We’ll attend this season’s Owl opener on Friday, September 2 when they host the Cadets of Army. In 2011, we followed up two days later in 2011 to see LB Mike Groome from our Lenape Valley (NJ) Regional HS lead his Lehigh Mountain Hawks to their first win of many this particular season with a 49-24 win over the Monmouth University Hawks in Long Branch, NJ for our first trip there to see the up and coming FCS program. To finish off our first weekend, we went to the University of Maryland on Labor Day for a night game to watch The Terps under new HC Randy Edsall, formerly the HC coming from UCONN to replace Ralph Friedgen, host the Miami Hurricanes under new HC Al Golden, the former Temple Owl mentor. The Terps came away with a 32-24 win. The result was not indicative of the rest of either team’s season. Maryland won only one more game to finish 2-10 while Miami under probation finished 6-6. How well have these two done with these programs? Well, five years later neither coach will be leading these or any other FBS programs entering the 2016 season.

Three Temple games this season.

Three Temple games this season.

There was a new twist to my schedule planning process for my Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season. My son Eric was playing his junior season on the offensive line as a second teamer for the aforementioned Lenape Valley Patriot football team. So some Saturdays and Friday nights were prioritized by following this great high school football program instead. In general, the combined slates allowed me to enjoy both Eric’s schedule and my annual favorite pastime. On the particular weekend following Labor Day, Eric’s Saturday game limited my collegiate experience to a D3 Thursday night game. I drove up to Danbury, Connecticut to see two D3 programs play for the first time. SUNY Maritime clubbed Western Connecticut, 48-0. I came away with two impressions that still last: 1) The Colonial’s Stadium known as the Westside Athletic Complex was a neat little stadium; and 2) that WCSU was the most unprepared college football team I had seen at any level. They would finish the season winless for the second year in a row. Since then, a new coach and a new conference have righted the program. They’ve won 20 games over the past three years. As for SUNY Maritime, I got to see a home game of theirs two seasons ago. Their stadium sits under the Throggs Neck Bridge connecting The Bronx with Long island in New York City. We look forward to seeing them play again this year on a Friday night when they host their nearby maritime rival, the Merchant Marine Academy from Kings Point, NY. Should be fun and interesting to see a local, seafaring rivalry like this one.

Going back under The Throggs neck.

Going back under The Throggs Neck.

One of the great thrills of the Collegefootballseason.com 2011 season was closely following the Lehigh University football program with a special rooting interest as I and close friends and family of Mike Groome, a senior coming off an all-conference season at linebacker his junior year, played great FCS football. We attended five Lehigh Mountain Hawk games that season including the opener at Monmouth, and we saw the team land five victories against good competition. Home at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, they defeated Liberty of the Big South, 27-14, Yale of the Ivy league, 37-7, fellow Patriot League foe Holy Cross in their closest win of the season, 14-7, and their archrival Lafayette in the most played rivalry in college football history, 37-13. The intensity was brewing in the parking lot before that game played in front of a packed house. Regretfully two Saturdays later, I could not attend their second round FCS playoff game at Towson because of a previously scheduled overseas business meeting. The Mountain Hawks soared to a 40-38 win over the Tigers (still don’t know why they didn’t play this one at Goodman). The following weekend, they lost their second game of the season to eventual FCS champion North Dakota State, 24-0. It would be the first of five straight championships by the Bison since. It was a truly memorable season enjoyed by all of us who followed Lehigh that season. Lehigh (11-2) finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally in the FCS. We recommend the tailgating aspect at Lehigh as well. We especially had a great time with families and friends of the team after most games. In 2014, we attended the 150th edition of the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry played at historic Yankee Stadium. The Leopards came away with that win, 27-7. There’s a lot to be said about the fun and excitement of following great FCS football. I highly recommend it for fun and low cost family entertainment.

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Another twist to my scheduling during my Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season was to attend a few games at the University of South Carolina – Parents Weekend in particular. My daughter Alex was into her freshman season as a dyed in the wool Garnett and Black South Carolina Gamecock fan already. She and new roommates had their picture taken with fellow Frosh and DE Jadaveon Clowney at their big freshman welcoming party. Because of Eric’s football schedule, my wife, Saint Laurie, went to Columbia to be with Alex while I attended Eric’s high school game at home Friday night. On Saturday morning, he and I flew down Saturday morning and the women picked us up at the airport. Laurie, Eric, and I would drive back on Sunday after a brunch held at Alex’s sorority house. What I was truly excited about was that the Cocks were hosting one of my favorite teams and “partial” alma mater, the United States Naval Academy. I went into this game with somewhat mixed emotions seeing my daughter’s school to whom I was footing the out of state tuition bill against a team and a school I had rooted for since I was a Midshipman there from 1974-76 (buy a copy of my book Tales from the Tailgate to learn more). Though I would eventually transfer for other callings, I am still a big Navy football fan. I don’t think it really struck me that hard until that game that Saturday evening. I especially looked forward to seeing SC RB Marcus Lattimore play. The previous season in my first game at The Swamp in Florida, he impressed the hell out of me in a great Gamecock win. Not only was he strong, tough, and fast, but I don’t ever recall seeing a back use his blockers as effectively as he did. What was this future shoe-in NFL RB going to do against this Navy defense? Eric and I sat in the upper deck surrounded by South Carolina Gamecock fans. I wore my red Collegefootballfan.com #119 jersey and a Carolina Gamecock ball cap I had bought the day at the bookstore. I saw the Carolina spirit before the game. I could hear the cheering for the Gamecocks and how good they were and how they would beat up on this Navy team.  Hell! I couldn’t take it anymore. I was rooting for Navy! How could I not? The Navy D stopped them, I stood up and cheered. Navy scored, I stood up and cheered. Navy led them going into the final period. I cheered as they reversed field. Navy shut down Lattimore for most of three quarters and led with over three-minute remaining in the third period. However, the SC defense finally caught on to Navy’s triple option that held the Mids to three three-and-outs in the final period.   Lattimore eventually rushed for 246 yards on 37 carries with most of the yardage picked up in the second half. He scored the winning TD with 12:45 left. A pick of a Navy pass in the final minute sealed the Carolina victory. Eric just sat there quietly next to me the entire time. I didn’t make eye contact with anyone else or speak to any one nearby. They had their team and I had mine. I wasn’t going to challenge anyone, I just wanted my team to win. In the end, the Gamecocks came from behind to prevail over what was a defensively tough Navy football team. The Gamecocks won it, in an unexpected, close call, 24-21. I was exhausted for rooting for a Midshipman team that came up short but played much tougher than those Carolina fans could’ve imagined. Eric said nothing until he met up with his sister the next day. He said, “Alex, it was weird. Everyone was rooting for South Carolina in our section except for Dad. They were totally confused. Here he was wearing a Carolina baseball hat and a red jersey and he was rooting for Navy. No one said anything to him because they couldn’t figure it out.” Camouflage, I thought. Not that it was intended, but it helped. I had a great time cheering for Navy against South Carolina, and they almost pulled it off in that hostile environment. I didn’t know what would have happened if the Mids had won. I would have been happy, but I would just be sure not to piss off too many people nearby. I knew I was outnumbered.  I probably just would have sat there until they all left. Later in the season, I got to join the Gamecock ranks, however. Our whole family went back down for Thanksgiving to be with Alex. We went to Georgia to have Thanksgiving dinner with our Auburn friends, Charlie and Lynda Murren and extended family and friends. On Saturday, we were back in Columbia for the big Clemson game. Both teams were ranked highly, and I rooted for the school I was investing my daughter’s future in and they triumphed over the visiting Clemson Tigers, 34-13. I blended in this time against the South Carolina Gamecock’s biggest rival and gloated that my team had won.

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Game day at Columbia, South Carolina

I got to see Navy football two more times during that year on consecutive weekends. On October 15, the Rutgers Scarlett Knights squeezed by them at the Birthplace of College Football, 21-20. Rutgers took the lead at 21-17 in the fourth on a 20-yard TD pass to Tim Wright.   Navy then drove to the 15 but could not advance the ball further and settled for a 41-yard FG by Jon Teague. A Navy INT put the Mids at the RU 21, but again the Scarlet Knight defense held and Navy settled for a 34-yard FG, only this time it was blocked. Navy football fell to 2-4. A week later, we were down in Annapolis to see the Mids host East Carolina. Trailing 24-21 into the final period, backup QB Trey Miller subbing for starter Kriss Proctor injured in the first half tried to end the Navy losing streak. However, they could not deter ECU QB Dominique Davis who set NCAA records that day for consecutive pass completions – 36 straight over the course of two games and 26 straight during the first half of this game. The Navy D was weak against the pass. Davis completed 40 of 45 on the day with two TDs and 372 yards. Miller fired two TD passes in the final period to give USNA a 35-31 lead. After that, the Pirates sustained a drive resulting in a three-yard scoring run by Reggie Bullock. On Navy’s final drive, Miller looked like he had connected with his diving WR Matt Aiken who crossed the goal line with the ball in his hands before coming out after hitting the ground. The catch was called incomplete. Navy challenged the call, but it stood per Conference USA officials. With 18 ticks left, Teague came in to tie the game. His kick was high enough and long enough, but it hit the upright and dropped to the ground. Game over. It was the fifth straight loss for the Mids. Of the five, two were by three and two were by one. They’d lose another by three later to San Jose. Southern Miss and Notre Dame would clock them. Finishing 5-7, eight points in all made a difference in four games. It would be the first time in ten years that the Navy football program would not be going to a bowl game. We will attend five Navy games this season including our 11th Army-Navy game against the Cadets of Army, greatest rivalry in college football.

Another Army-Navy battle coming up!

Another Army-Navy battle coming up!

Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season was unique indeed and ended an era, sadly, for Collegefootballfan.com, something that was not planned for or that could even be imagined. Since 1982 when I made friends with my good buddy and Penn State grad John Massimilla, I had attended multiple Nittany Lion football games every year whether they be the played at Beaver Stadium (most were), on the road, at some neutral stadium, or at some bowl game. On average, I’d see three to four games a year mingled among many of the other venues I would plan to go to “see ‘em all”. This season was very different in that I attended only one Penn State game and it wasn’t by design. Their 13-3 win over Iowa wasn’t memorable, but for me it marked the end of an era that I wasn’t aware of at the time. The reality was that It would be the last time I attended a game coached by long-time Penn State Nittany Lion head coach, Joe Paterno. I had also planned to attend the Illinois game on October 29, but due to a very early, unexpected, heavy snow storm in the northeast that brought a foot of snow and crackling, falling, breaking trees and branches making driving and walking all over very treacherous. I refrained from the four-hour drive to State College due to the dangers and replaced my weekly, fall obsession with a local D3 game still challenging the weather. Before reminiscing about that, let me get back to Penn State.

Iowa was my only PSU game attended that season and the very last I would ever see “JoePa” ever coach. There were a lot of great, fun, exciting memories he gave me and other Penn State fans over the years. I attended my first PSU game in 1979 when they “visited” Syracuse at The Meadowlands. He more often than not seemed to do things with his best intentions done with class. Think what you will about Joe Paterno from the distance you can perceive him from now, but for so many years we’d attend those games and always wonder why Joe did this or Joe did that or what was Joe going to do. He built that program into what it was and had a lot to do with the growth and reputation of the great university in the middle of nowhere. He was Penn State despite what others with that school might say. He was an icon of the good things about college football. He was an icon among coaches. He was as proud of his teams’ successes in the class room and life after football as he was about achievements on the gridiron. I can only say now in the aftermath of the crimes that transpired, it’s still hard for me to believe that with all the good he did in public, I can’t believe or understand how he let these things happen under his watch without taking steps to prevent them from continuing, if he truly knew about them. I understand he was dedicated to his team, the school, the program, the players, the PSU students etc. He was “JoePa” for those reasons, but I’m at a loss that he could have let his love of these things blind him from such atrocities had he known about them. It’s all still such a sad enigma to me for him to have let something transpire as it did without doing the right thing. I can’t judge and it’s hard to for so many of us to envision this over the years having watched him seem to do many right things over the years. He wasn’t perfect. None of us are, but I have a hard time believing that he could have been so blinded by the love of the Penn State Nittany Lion football program not to stand up and do the right thing for kids being sexually assaulted. It just doesn’t make sense to me. It’s hard to write about this. Sorry for the kids who had to suffer through the ordeal of Jerry Sandusky. It’s still all so tragic and unbelievable to me. One individual is paying for his crimes. Maybe others should. It’s a shame. We’ll let the courts figure all this out. This season, we will be at State College to see Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans try to get past Penn State as pre-season favorites in the Big Ten to get into this year’s CFP Championship.

Well see Penn State and Michigan State go at it on November 26

Well see Penn State and Michigan State go at it on November 26

In place of the PSU-Illinois cancellation, I drove about 35 miles back to Union, NJ near my old neighborhood in Elizabeth to see a D3 game between No. 18 Kean University and New Jersey Athletic Conference foe Rowan University. The two teams were tied for first in the conference with 5-1 records along with perennial conference power Montclair State. The Kean Cougars were 6-1 overall while the Profs of Rowan came in at 5-2. At least the substitute game I was able to get to had some “juice” to it though it was at the lowest level of intercollegiate football. The teams were fighting for a championship. I drove slowly on unplowed roads with fallen trees covered in ice across highways to get Kean Alumni Stadium to sit on snowy bleachers. During the game, a transformer exploded somewhere in the neighborhood near the campus shutting down power for many homes. The game was lightly attended by families and friends and a few Kean students who remained on campus for the weekend along with yours truly watching in a complete blanket of white. Kean led at the half 13-6 as both teams struggled on slippery footing. The kicking games struggled. No doubt, it was very sloppy game due to the elements. At halftime, I went to my car to take my wet rain gear off and turn the heater on in my car in the parking lot adjacent to the stadium. As I stepped out of the car to get ready to go back with some hesitation, a huge tree branch on an evergreen in front of my car snapped off and fell to the ground a few feet in front of my car. Was this worth it? The roads were going to be as bad on the way home as it had been to the game. Plows weren’t ready for all this snow and ice. I decided to call it a game and get home before more trees fell, power went off, and whatever else was going to happen. I was glad I did. Driving on ramps on to interstates were like driving though ice caves formed by bending trees that could snap at any minute. It turned out though that I did not miss a thing after I had left the game. The score stood as I had left it, 13-6, in favor of the Kean Cougars. They would go on to win their final two regular season games including their season finale over Montclair, 27-14, to win the NJAC championship outright. In the first round of the D3 playoffs, they defeated Christopher Newport of Virginia, 34-10. They fell in the second round in a high-scoring game at Salisbury State, 49-47. Evidently there was no snow on the ground at that game. Salisbury would fall a week later to Wisconsin Whitewater who went on the defeat Mt. Union, 13-10, for the D3 national championship in 2011. Kean finished the season 10-2 overall and ranked No. 10 in the D3 Top 25 for their highest final ranking ever. My back up game was a very good choice, but it couldn’t have happened had the weather not surprised us with an early surprise winter storm in 2011. This year, we will see these two teams play again only this year at Rowan in Glassboro, NJ. This year, we look forward to seeing former LVRHS football player and one of my former Little League baseball players, Matt Hill, play at NT for the Kean Cougars in his senior season. As for Penn State, the ride wouldn’t have been worth it as they also prevailed in a low-scoring contest over the Illini, 10-7, in what truly was Joe Paterno’s very last game on the sideline.

For an unusual Wednesday night game, I ventured down to Philly to see the Temple Owls host Miami of Ohio in a Mid-American game at the Linc. The MAC had contracted with ESPN to show their games during prime time, mid-week evenings to get more national exposure. They prevailed over the Red Hawks 24-21, under new HC Steve Addazio in a light drizzle most of the game. His offense converted three turnovers forced by the defense into 17 points. Seven sacks kept Red Hawk QB Zac Dysert under pressure most of the game despite throwing for 364 yards and three TDs. He led two long scoring drives finding WR Nick Harwell in the end zone for two scores, the final one with 3:55 left in the game. TU ran out the clock behind the ground game led by RB Matt Brown who ran for 123 yards and on 24 carries including the final Owl TD.   The win ended a two-game losing streak for the Owls and was the first of four consecutive wins giving them a berth in the New Mexico Bowl where they triumphed over Wyoming, 37-14, to finish a successful season at 9-4. The airwaves on my way home after the Miami win were intense about the breaking news out of State College, Pennsylvania, a sad night after watching a good college football game. This year, we will see the Temple Owls visit UConn and host the South Florida Bulls in addition to their home opener against the Cadets of Army.

As stated before, the Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season coincided well with my son Eric’s high school football schedule. On Friday night, I headed up I-81 to Syracuse to see the Syracuse Orange host South Florida Bulls in a Big East game at the Carrier Dome to be back home on Saturday to attend a Lenape Valley playoff game. I remember a lot of drops by the Orange on catchable balls in this game despite QB Ryan Nassib completing 23 of 46 for 297 yards and two TDs. He was outshone that evening by South Florida’s B.J Daniels who threw for 254 and ran for 127. The Bulls won the game 37-17 and both teams finished their seasons with records of 5-7. On September 17, we will see these two square off again in the Carrier Dome. However, this is no longer a Big East Conference game as the conference has dissolved since. The Syracuse Orange now play in the ACC and the South Florida Bulls are members of the American Athletic Conference. We look forward to this being a much more competitive game with offenses that will be able to move the football up and down the field under Head Coach Willie Taggert of the Bulls and first-year HC Dino Babers for the Syracuse Orange. In addition, we will see the Orange clash with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame at The Meadowlands.

The scenery in upstate New York is brilliant in the fall!

The scenery in upstate New York is brilliant in the fall!

For the Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season, I planned three bowl games. Two were within driving distance and the other at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The first was great one played at cavernous RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. where the crowd of over 25,000 looked sparse. With his season over, Eric was able to join me. The Military Bowl turned out to be an exciting matchup between the 8-4 Toledo Rockets and 7-5 Falcons of Air Force. Long plays for TDs were the norm for this game between two top 25 scoring teams. Toledo led 42-35 with 5:01 left. Air Force scored a TD with 52 seconds left to close to one. The Air Force Falcons lined up to kick the extra point, but the holder ran the option to the short side of the field and his pitch out to the trailing kicker was low and went out of bounds to end the scoring for Toledo’s 42-41 thriller of a win.

Two days later, Eric and I were at Yankee Stadium for the Pinstripe Bowl between Rutgers Scarlett Knights and the Iowa State Cyclones. We sat in what are the right field bleachers for a baseball game, but it was the perfect sight line to see the clinching score of the game before it even happened right in front of us. The Scarlet Knights’ 6’ 6” WR Brandon Coleman split wide left near us at his own 14-yard line against t a 5’7” defender right in front of him one on one. I saw the touchdown before it happened as Coleman just out leaped the much shorter defender and outraced him 86 yards to extend the RU lead over the Cyclones, 27-13, with 5:47 left in the game. That made it the final score as Rutgers won its fifth straight bowl. They finished the season 9-4 and HC Greg Schiano left after the season to coach the Tampa bay Buccaneers. The final Iowa State Cyclone record was indicative of how saturated bowl season had become as they finished their season on a losing note to finish 6-7.

We plan to go back to the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee stadium again in 2016.

We plan to go back to the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee stadium again in 2016.

The Discover Orange Bowl was played on the fifth of January, 2012 on a Wednesday night. The bowl famous for its New Year Day conclusion of the holiday over the years was now an also-ran bowl because of the BCS format between the top two teams selected at the end of the season. Not only that but my Auburn pal Charlie Murren and I went to the game figuring this was warm weather Miami in January away from the cold weather farther north. Instead, we ended up shopping at K-Mark for extra layers of clothing we didn’t bring to ward off freezing, unexpected temperatures. Well the game started off pretty hot any way. The Clemson Tigers were knocking at the goal line looking to take back a 21-17 lead by the West Virginia Mountaineers when suddenly RB Andre Ellington was stripped of the ball on a dive play by LB Darwin Cook who took the ball and raced 99 yards toward the other goal line to instead extend WVU’s lead, 28-17. From then on, it was all WVU Mountaineers. Clemson QB Tajh Boyd fumbled and threw an interception. West Virginia capitalized both times and took a 49-20 led at the half. Mountaineer QB Geno Smith, the game MVP, passed for 401 yards, six TDs and ran for a 7-yarder himself (he did more in that game than he has in his entire NFL career thus far, kidding). In the end, WVU crushed the Tigers, 70-33. It was not only a record setting combined point total for the Orange Bowl, but the WVU Mountaineer’s 70 points turned out to be the highest point total in all of bowl history. Well we saw a different Clemson Tiger team last season as they defeated Oklahoma in the CFP semi-final in that same Orange Bowl venue. We would like to see Junior QB Deshaun Watson play for the Tigers one more time. Clemson’s not on our regular season schedule, but if they can win their division to play in the ACC championship, we have December 3rd marked on our calendar for a possible trip the Charlotte to see what he and the Tigers are doing to get back in this years’ “Football Four”.

Our Collegefootballfan.com 2011 season was spectacular although for that season for some major disappointments were laced among the highlights. We look forward to a lot more highs than lows in our upcoming 2016 season. Be sure to keep up with us throughout.

We'll wait for the ACC Championship hoping to see Clemson paly again this season.

We’ll wait for the ACC Championship hoping to see Clemson play again this season.

–Steve Koreivo, editor