Game 718: Indiana humbles “No. 9 Illinois,” 63-10

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Bloomington, IN – In what headlined as a significant early, Big Ten clash for 2025 resulted in a well-coached, efficient No. 10 Indiana Hoosier team (4-0. 1-0) dominating Illinois, 63-10. Indiana came on strong as advertised, but overhyped Illinois showed major weaknesses not indicative of preseason publications reporting. Some dubbed the return of offensive lineman opting out of the NFL draft to come back to challenge for the Big Ten Title. Some mentioned the starting O-line as top candidate for the Joe Moore Award, worthy of the top offensive line in college football.

Far from it, they allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown, gave up seven sacks and led a rushing attack gaining only two net yards. Maybe they opted out of the draft to make some quick NIL cash before college graduation. Many fans we speak with agree, the NIL component has changed the face of college sports qualifying as amateurism.

In addition to the Illini’s exposed weakness on offense, defensively, their tackling in the open field and their inept pass coverage resulted in long a critical Hoosier gains all night long. Missed tackles occurred on multiple big gains. Indiana completed many sideline, slant passes that the Illini coaching staff never figured how to stop. IU QB Carlos Mendoza took advantage completing 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards and five TDs. WR Elijah Surrat caught nine such for 92 yards and two TDs. Omar Cooper, Jr. snagged six for 78 yards and a score. RB Khobie Martin picked up 107 rushing yards and two TDs on 12 carries. Kaelan Black added to the team’s 312 rushing yards. He carried ten times for 89 yards and a TD for the Indiana onslaught.

Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt (13) takes in one of his nine receptions as he did many others - on a flag pattern to the outside.
Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt (13) takes in one of his nine receptions as he did many others – on a flag pattern to the outside.

Despite early mistake, Illinois looked ready to make this a game

After the exchange of punts by both teams, the Illini set up once again to punt away from their 33. However, punter Keelan Crimmins took his time in booting it away. D’Angelo Bonds blocked it for Indiana and scooped it up at the 11 for a 7-0 Hoosier lead. On the third play of Illinois’ next possession, WR Collin Dixon caught a ball down field near a falling defender. He raced 59 yards to even up the score. It looked like this would be the seesaw battle many anticipated. Our Guest Games Analyst (GGA) Dave Hickman (Illinois/NIU alum and 82nd Airborne vet) especially looked forward to it. However, the Illini efficiency witnessed on this series didn’t last. Three of their next four series in the first half lasted for three plays and one for four. All resulted in punts.

Indiana DB halts another three-and-out Illini possession early in the game to force another punt that led to a Hoosier touchdown.
Indiana DB halts another three-and-out Illini possession early in the game to force another punt that led to a Hoosier touchdown.

Illini can’t stop Hoosiers

In between, Indiana possessions resulted in touchdown drives of 75, 69, and 67 yards. Omar Cooper, Jr. caught an 11-yard pass. TE Riley Nowakowski hauled in a pass for 43-yard score. Lastly, Elijah Sarratt scored on the end of a nine-yard Mendoza pass. The best Illinois could muster before halftime came with an eight-play series. It resulted with David Olano’s 46-yard FG to close the first half, 35-10, Indiana. For halftime festivities, the Hoosier marching band performed, and an impressive Drone Light show hovered above IU’s Memorial Stadium.

The Drone Light show displayed the IU logo along with other animated features that hovered over Memorial Stadium at halftime.
The Drone Light show displayed the IU logo along with other animated features that hovered over Memorial Stadium at halftime.

Second half, same as the first

In the second half, the first three Illini possessions resulted in punts after three-and-outs. On the fourth possession, they drove for five plays before Amere Ferrell’s interception (we were on our way out as it started to rain near the end of a very non-competitive game). In the meantime, Indiana continued to score at will. Black capped a 75-yard drive with a 40-yard run. Sarratt caught Mendoza’s fifth TD pass of the game from five yards out. In the final period, Martin scored his two TDs from 31 and eight yards to polish off drives of 69 and 67 yards. Indiana had humbled the Illini, 63-10.

Though literally No. 19 defeated No, 9, it’s difficult to hail this as an upset. The better team definitely won. Preseason hype vaulted the Illini into the Top Ten. Their first three victories against inferior competition did not prove this. Same could be said for the Hoosier’s early schedule, but they will also be called out on greater challenges ahead. We suppose Illinois will set a record now for furthest drop in the Associated Press poll ever (fell 14 spots from No. 9 to 23).

Sarratt (13) throws a block down field to clear the way for TE Riley Nowakowski's (37) 43-yard catch and run for second period score.
Sarratt (13) throws a block down field to clear the way for TE Riley Nowakowski’s (37) 43-yard catch and run for second period score.

New “friends” in Bloomington, IN

Having had frustrating experiences with online prepaid parking previously at the two games attended in Oregon earlier this season (got our money refunded on both accounts with much online debate), we hesitated to do the same going to Bloomington for the first time. All lots around Memorial Stadium we found to be prepaid and basically full. A church lot remained closed until 4:30 and Dave thought we should wait and somehow get into that despite a long line to evolve. Problem: we had a cooler of beer to get started on. So, we sat in snarled traffic near the stadium for a bit. we asked people for suggestions and took guesses at where we would find a space somewhere within stadium walking distance. We eliminated any garage options as we found out none allowed tailgating.

“Seek and ye shall find”

Dave was particularly frustrated, but I forged on knowing that we would fine something, somewhere. Somehow, I figure through the grace of God, I always do! On 11th Avenue a few signs posted in one driveway finally loomed ahead of us. Some resourceful students must live here, we figured. We turned into a lot with a beer-pong game being played by IU students on a permanent, built-in table. These guys had no idea about the parking, but from the porch of the house came another IU student who resided there, Sam.

He welcomed us and two spaces off the street, we got our convenient $40 spot. We set up our chairs and to drink our beers for about three hours before heading down the street to witness the eventual slaughter. Sam and his friends were cordial, and Dave and I admired them for their resourcefulness. Enjoyed seeing that in these young guys.

Indiana University's two-time National dance team, the Red Steppers, performed with the IU Marching band.
Indiana University’s two-time National Dance Championship Team, the Red Steppers, performed with the IU Marching band.

Amateur parking attendants

Later, they said they were heading down to the game and assured us the car was safe there. Maybe we’d see them later. We agreed to take care of their remaining spot if anybody else came along. A little while later, a pick-up truck with a father and his young son pulled up. We helped them park in the tight spot, and they gave us the money. We were happy to catch up with Sam and his friends returning after the game to hand the money over. It was great meeting all the students who lived there. Nice kids and happy to have met such outgoing, friendly IU students.

The Donald of Indiana

We sat next to a die-hard Hoosier fan above the game in section 111 named Donald. He first prodded me regarding my point-and-shoot camera “like his parents used to have.” I hate taking pictures with my phone. What can I say? He gave me a lot of great insight expressing the changes witnessed at Memorial Stadium for this game – our first time here.

First of all, we witnessed the first time in years, probably since his parents went to school at IU, when the majority of the fans this evening wore Indiana colors. Typically, he said, IU tickets generally got scoffed up by other Big Ten fans to see their team come and beat IU. Not so tonight. Also, this season, Indiana brought back mascot Hoosier the Bison who was phased out years before. The revived mascot re-introduced himself at the season opener this year. He parachuted down from a Helicopter and landed for bullseye on the Indiana logo on the 50-yard line. From there, he sprinted directly to the far end of the field into the tunnel. Finally, he re-emerged on his blazing motorcycle which he also arrived on tonight. Pretty impressive. Hoosier the Bison must have joined special ops after IU phased him out.

Bison the Hoosier shown on the IU videoboard here returned to bring back more spirit to the Indiana football program. The fans love him already!
Bison the Hoosier shown on the IU videoboard here returned to bring back more spirit to the Indiana football program. The fans love him already!

Donald and all Indiana fans admire HC Curt Cignetti

Donald told of how HC Curt Cignetti has changed the entire attitude of Indiana football. He just wants to beat everybody and beat them bad. No mercy as displayed on the foe as seen tonight. He insisted that even with a 35-10 lead at the half, Cignetti went into the locker room broiling about the play that put Illinois into position to make their field goal. Almost sounds like a former, successful IU basketball coach who led the Hoosier’s program to the top. He pointed the out the many James Madsion transfers Cignetti brought with him and how they all turned this program around together. He’s got a top defensive recruit visiting Bloomington for his second time, Times are changing for the better for Indiana football.

Now, Donald and all the IU fans enjoy becoming competitive after many years of struggling. From our personal perspective, in the past year since we went on a river cruise in Europe and even today’s experience on 11th Avenue, we’ve met many great, nice people from the state of Indiana. We wish them and their football team all great success. That is until they come visit Happy Valley on November 8 when they meet with our favorite Nittany Lions football team.

Our season continues…

Unbelievable! Next Saturday, Illinois hosts USC in Fox Sports Big Noon Game!!! Can’t someone at Fox call an audible on that one after the Illini’s performance against Indiana? I even hate to say this: Not a Rutgers fan, switch with BTN to put RU vs Minnesota on that show. At least, they’ll catch the NY metro television market. No one from Illinois will be watching the original game slated. Indiana heads out to Iowa (3-1, 1-0) ) who just defeated RU last Friday night, 38-28. As Donald pointed out to us, the Iowa game stands as one of three critical road trips for the Hoosiers. The others being at Oregon and at Penn State.

Speaking of Oregon and Penn State, that is where we’re taking our trip to next Saturday when the Ducks visit the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. The keys to victory will be if PSU can take at least a two-touchdown lead onto the final period. That would indicate that their defense should be up to the task of keeping the high-scoring Oregon offense in check. If not, the Ducks will have an advantage because we don’t see James Franklin having the capability to make good decisions in a tight ball game down to the wire. Either way, this should be a battle, nothing like we saw back in Bloomington

Some historical updates

At our 718th game, IU’s Memorial Stadium becomes our 101st

Memorial became our 101st FBS Stadium we’ve ever attended, 197th college football venue overall. Thirty -five more FBS Stadiums lie ahead as do seven more states to visit to attend a college game. Our Hoosier record stands now at 3-2 with other wins over UMass and Western Kentucky. Both losses at Penn State. Illinois struggles in our presences at 1-5. Conference games attended now at 253. Check out all our Collegefootballfan.com records and achievements and key memoires by clicking here on Milestones.

And our tales keep rolling along but catch our 45 previous seasons of games!

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

According to our new IU contact Donald, the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium is changing. Fans show their enthusiasm before kickoff. The Crimson and Creme was not swallowed up by Illini Orange and Blue at this contest.
According to our new IU contact Donald, the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium is changing. Fans show their enthusiasm before kickoff. The Cream and Crimson could not be swallowed up by Illini Orange and Blue at this contest.

Game 718 today: No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana

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Bloomington, IN – Today, our season really takes off as we go to one of the biggest FBS games of the day- Illinois (3-0) at Indiana (3-0). We apologize as a virus hit our computer this past week and knocked us offline for a few days, but we’re raring to go! Neither team has really been tested as that’s the ways schools schedule now. In this game featuring experiences QBs with experienced casts, we expect this game te be hard-fought. Luke Altmayer leads his Fighting Illini as one of the few returning QBs coming back to lead his team from a year ago. So, the Illini show more cohesive ness than most Indiana racks up big points against lesser competition with Fernando Mendoza, transfer from Cal, under center.

Look for our on-hand game review by Sunday night. First time ever at Bloomington for a football game. New experiences for us as well as many other Hoosier fans to see a game of significances at IU’s Memorial Stadium. Illinois HC Bret Bielema always bring a surprise to his games – good or bad. Expecting the same today. Curt Cignetti has masterminded an Indiana turn-around on the gridiron here in two seasons. A lot on the line for both teams today for a Big Ten title and a possible CFP bid. Can’t wait for kickoff at 7:30 EST tonight.

Game 717: Brevard Tornados beat Sewanee Tigers, 26-10

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Sewanee, TN- The Brevard College Tornados used a diverse attack utilizing three RBs to run for 205 yards in all, and QB Ethan Beamish threw for 115 yards to upend the Sewanee Tigers, 26-10. Defensively, the Tornados held the Tigers to 271 total yards. The Tigers looked to gain yards effectively early to their Tight End. As the game went on, they tended to avoid that strategy as noted by our Guest Game Analys and SU Alum David Oakley (SU class of ’69). Between two QBs, Cam Beasley and Jacorin Thomas, the Tigers could find no offensive solutions to overcome Brevard College. Both QBs completed six passes each for 59 and 53 yards respectively.

Sewanee QB Jacorin Thomas fires a pass to TE Cooper Alford in first quater action. The Tigers moved the ball within field goal rannge on thisdrive. They never attempted many more passes to their tight end against Brevard.
Sewanee QB Jacorin Thomas fires a pass to TE Cooper Alford in first quarter action. The Tigers moved the ball within field goal range on this drive. They never attempted many more passes to their tight end against Brevard.

For Collegefootballfan.com, we attended this game to enjoy the memories of our own college football experience attending a game at the D-3 level. In this game, we watched a game at a new stadium at a somewhat historic school, Sewanee, also known as the University of the South. In a historical sense, and you wouldn’t know by the pictures here, that Sewanee was a charter member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the 1930s.

Our Sewanee alum Guest Game Analyst (GGA)

Attending today came a former alum and Sewanee football player, David Oakley, who’s now a friend from our local gym. We took the opportunity to savor a game together at the DIII level, and with a friend we could share some common memories with. Next week, we step back into the big-time. This was a nice break, however, to watch the guys who play as hard at the lowest level of NCAA football, mainly for just the love of this great game.

Brevard Tornados line up to watche the coin toss. Notas big or as fast ast the FBS nor FCS squads we normally see, but they play this game with as much heart.
Brevard College Tornados line up to watch the coin toss. Not as big or as fast as the FBS nor FCS squads we normally see, but they play this game with as much heart.

Beautiful day and setting to watch a college football game

The Tornados put seven on the scoreboard on their first possession. They drove 78 yards as second-team QB Colson Sigler carried it in from the two. With Thomas at QB for Sewanee, two completions to TE Cooper Alford for 19 yards and another to Dyer Barnes for 12 put the Tigers in field goal range. Levi Dorsey came through with three points from 37. We looked forward to a see-saw battle at this point. Instead, both defenses forced punts midway through the second period.

Brevard WR Jack Spotz gets down close to the goal line to set up a two-yard run on the Tornados' first possession.
Brevard College WR Jack Spotz gets down close to the goal line to set up a two-yard TD run on the Tornados’ first possession.

Brevard takes control

At the Tornado 32, the Tigers went for a first down on fourth and short. Brevard stopped them cold and took over from there. They drove 54 yards on nine plays and Hayden Vandegriff extended the lead 10-3 with a 35-yard FG. The Tornado defense held the Tigers to a three-and out at the Sewanee 15. A short punt started Brevard on offense at the SU 39. RB Jaiden Deaton (88 yards, TD) rambled 21 yards to the four. From there, he took it in to go into the half with a 17-3 lead for the visitors from North Carolina.

Sewanee Women's Conference champion Lacrosse team adorns the field at halftime.
Sewanee Women’s SAA Conference champion Lacrosse team adorns the field at halftime.

Tiger backs to the wall

Brevard’s first possession in the second half resulted in a punt putting Sewanee back on their 11. The Tigers could not move against the strong Tornado defense. The Tornados maintained good field position and Sam Vargas boomed a 60-yard punt to start SU, this time on the one. On the first attempt for breathing room, DL James Laycock made the stop in the end zone for a safety. Laycock dominated at the line today with six tackles, four tackles for loss and two QB sacks. Now he extended the Brevard College lead, 19-3, in the third.

Brevard kept up the pressure all day to hold Sewanee to 271 yards in total offense.
Brevard kept up the pressure all day to hold Sewanee to 271 yards in total offense.

Brevard Tornados still in control

Once again, Sewanee had to punt from its own 12 after a three-and-out. Brevard took over at the SU 48. Zion Fauntleroy-McDaniel (88 rushing yards, TD) sailed 18 yards around right end to put the Tornados up, 26-3. Sewanee finally put together a 65-yard drive with Cam Beasley running it in from the six with 10:17 remaining. David and I gave SU a chance to show us a fight to the finish. They forced a Brevard punt. However, their ensuing drive resulted in a fumble with Brevard starting at their 46. No comeback in the making here. That closed the final score for us at 26-10. David and I headed out for a few cold beers at our tailgate on a nice but hot, sunny day at his alma mater.

Brevard RB Zion Fauntleroy-McDaniel on a long run to set up his team's final score of the day.
Brevard College RB Zion Fauntleroy-McDaniel on a long run to set up his team’s final score of the day.

The good old days

David reminisced about his dad leaving him at the gates of Sewanee back in the 60’s and telling him, “You’re on your own from now on.” David was the first in his family to go to college. His Dad went back home to go back to work. He reminisced about his first beer back in the 60s at the Smokehouse Lodge we passed coming off I-65. He said as long as you could afford it, you could buy it no matter what your age. When he attended Sewanee back then, it was men only. Women matriculated a few years later. Beer was a necessity.

Regarding football, he played tailback in the old Single Wing formation. The ball was snapped directly back to the tailback. The other three backs lined up generally to one side of the tailback. He wasn’t big, but his Tennessee Hall of Fame Head Coach Shirley Majors figured he was good enough and quick enough to handle the position. In those days, Sewanee played schools like Washington & Lee, Randolph Macon, Rhodes, Cumberland and Hampden-Sydney among others. Most still play D-3.

The Sewanee campus scene

Like me, he had to look up Brevard to find out it was just south of Ashville, NC. We tailgated near the well-manicured Sewanee baseball stadium. There was also a goat pasture nearby. The school had an agricultural department and some of the crops grown on campus were served at the school cafeteria when David attended. Beautiful, wooded campus. The school still has about 1,200 students in all, now with women, of course. Hopefully we can get out there again next year as his Tigers start to win some more football games. We hope HC Andy McCollum can lead the Tigers to their first winning record in 25 years!

Sewanee Purple lot tailgating adjacent to Hardee-McGee Field.
Sewanee Purple Lot tailgating adjacent to Hardee-McGee Field.

WEEK Four coming up and moving back up

Brevard (1-1) heads back to its Ives-Lemel Family Field to host D-2 Erskine College for the first time. Located in Due West, South Carolina, Erskine is a member of the new Conference Carolinas. Eight hundred students attend Erskine. Thereafter, the remainder of the BC slate turns to it seven-game USA South Atlantic Conference. Sewanee heads to Rocky Mount, NC to take on the NC Wesleyan Fighting Bishops. Their schedule then starts to heat up in the Southern Athletic Assocation. Both Brevard and Sewanee’s conferences compete for bids in the DIII playoffs in late November.

We at collegefootballfan.com had planned to try to get to the Morehead State at Austin Peay game at 6 pm following the game in Sewanee. It didn’t’ make sense logistically nor logically from our perspective. Thinking more clearly now, aborted the idea after a few beers at our tailgate. Game started too early to even get there in the first half for us. Just as well, APSU blew out the MSU Eagles 56-7.

As a Pioneer League team, the Eagles and other members play without scholarships. We avoided the Stetson (Pioneer member) vs. UT Chattanooga last night also based on seeing them play another Pioneer member, Davidson, the year before. Without scholarships, teams in this FCS conference are close to DIII status. Saturday night, UT Chattanooga beat Stetson in similar fashion, 63-0. Most of the Pioneer League scores Saturday indicated big losses to other non-conference FCS opponents. We have to remember that in the future.

Back to the “big time” next week

However, we step back into Football Bowl Subdivision play next Saturday night with a big one. We head up to Bloomington, Indiana where the No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers host the No. 9 Fighting Illini of Illinois in a Big Ten clash. This should be a blast to start up the first many great competitive games through the end of our regular season before playoffs and bowl games. Follow us and check out the rest of our schedule by clicking here.

And our tales keep rolling along but catch our 45 previous seasons of games!

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

Steveo’s Salvos: WEEK Two Concerned about coaching concerns

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Sewanee, TN – WEEK TWO starts with Brevard at Sewanee, you ask? Who? What? Why? I reach back into my Division-3 roots as a graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. Like the previous week, made a decision to keep costs down early for more enticing trips to big games later in the season. No game tickets on sale for this one. However, a $20 parking fee provides a tailgate spot and a seat at Hardee-McGee Field. Also, works well for a good opportunity to consolidate two local games into one Saturday.

In addition, my Guest Game Analyst (GGA) this week actually played for Sewanee in the late 60’s. David Oakley, I refer to call him “our social director” at my gym, convinced me to join his fantasy football league called GymFriends+. Because of my inability to focus much on pro games, I reciprocated to invite him to see his struggling alma mater play for his first time in years. He returns back on campus this Saturday to join me. Hopefully, the atmosphere that day will conjure up some of his football memories. Maybe his mind will clear during our WEEK Two. Playing halfback at Sewanee, he doesn’t remember wearing a face mask!

A brief Sewanee football History

From 1934-1939, Sewanee played as a charter member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). During those seasons, they won only 16 games. None came against any SEC programs of today. The University of the South left the conference to later bounce around among several conference. Today, even at the D-3 level, they still clamor for success. The Tigers enjoyed their last winning season in 2000 with a record of 6-4. For more about Sewanee football history, click here. In 1899, they defeated Alabama, Georgia and Texas among others and within about a week.

Sewanee 1899- best of all time?
Sewanee 1899- best of all time?

Sewanee: Committed to turn football around

Fed up with losing, to get back on track in 2022, The University of the South hired Andy McCollum as its new HC. McCollum coached Middle Tennesse in nearby Murfreesboro from 1999-2005 leading the Blue Raiders into Division 1A football (now the FBS). We happened to add MTSU as our 64th major football program in 2000 when they visited the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. McCollum’s team blasted the Huskies, our 65th team added that day, 66-10.

McCollum took over a Sewanee Tiger program that won two games during the previous four seasons before his arrival. He now holds a record of 5-15 after his first two. So, progress has been made. Last season, the offense averaged 20.7 ppg while the defense allowed 30 ppg. They finished 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the Southern Athletic Association. Good news indicates that his passing and rushing leader, QB Alcorin Thomas returns for his junior season. Second leading rusher, Dawson White, returns as a sophomore. Also, his leading wide receiver, Dyer Barnes and his leading TE Cooper Alford both come back to SU as juniors. The Tigers stated out on the right foot last week defeating Bethany of West Virginia, 41-6.

Meet the Brevard College Tornados

HC Bill Khayat took over the Brevard program in 2017 that had only one winning season ever prior to his hire. Since then, the Tornados have mounted a record of 42-32. In his third season, his team finished 8-2 including a Bowl win over Carnegie-Mellon. Since then, his teams have challenged for first place in the USA South Atlantic Conference annually. Amazingly for a school of 713 students in Brevard about 35 miles south of Ashville, NC, at least 113 players make up the football roster (15% of all Brevard students). Reportedly, more make up a JV roster. Last season, the Tornados finished 6-3 and 5-2 in conference play.

Brevard looks to rebound

On offense, QB Ethan Beamish returns with 2,093 passing yards and 25 TDs for an offense that averaged 36 ppg. Leading rushers and receivers have moved on. USA Southern Division recognized Beamish as their second team QB last season. At LB, Baylee Ramey returns after earning Honorable Mention and leading the Tornados in tackles. Seniors and graduate students led many stats on both sides of the football for Brevard last season. Many starters from last year need to be replaced. Coach Khayat will invite a lot of competition for open spots in this year’s starting lineup. In their opener last Saturday at Kentucky Christian, the result indicated changes remain ahead. The Tornados fell, 41-20.

After WEEK Two - Sewanee hosts Brevard at historic McGee Hardee Field. We don't expect the fall foliage yet, but we look forward to Tigers and Tornados tangling on the field!
After WEEK Two – Sewanee hosts Brevard at historic Hardee-McGee Field. We don’t expect the fall foliage seen here yet, but we look forward to Tigers and Tornados tangling on the field! (photo from d3football.com file)

WEEK Two: Family Day at Sewanee’s Hardee-McGee Field

Throw out last year’s records. Seems like this could be a fun and competitive football game to watch between these D-3 programs in a non-conference battle for both. Development of new players and strategies by both coaching staffs will weigh heavily in this game. McCollum and Khayat both look to get their teams on a winning track early in 2025. And hopefully, bringing our GGA back to his alma mater on Family Day will stir some memories with some stories about Dave’s “glory days” at Sewanee.

Collegefootballfan.com looks forward to attending this game without TV time-outs and instant replay delays – just flat-out football. We figure this game gets over in time to put us on the road to an FCS game a couple of hours away. Morehead State visits Ausin Peay in Clarksville, TN. The Eagles and Governors kickoff at 6 pm. Even if a little late, we hope to see some good FCS football.

WEEK Two: Austin Peay Rises

Former HC Scotty Walden brought intensity. spirit and energy to the APSU program before taking over as Head Coach at UTEP in 2024. Under Walden, we saw the Governors go 3-2. New HC Jeff Faris comes into his second year with the Governors following a 4-8 season, 3-5 in the new United Athletic Conference (UAC).  Walden took a lot of Austin Peay talent with him to El Paso. Faris gleaned much of his coaching experience at Duke under David Cutcliffe as OC and QB coach.

Austin Peay opened against FBS programs at Middle Tennessee and followed at No. 4 Georgia.  On WEEK One, they handed the MTSU Blue Raiders a 34-14 loss in Murfreesboro. In WEEK Two, they made the mighty No. 4 SEC Bulldogs struggle to a 28-6 win. This Weeks’ FCS Coaches poll vaulted them to NO. 23 in the Top 25. A preseason UAC Coaches Poll predicted they will finish sixth in conference play this season. Things are looking up for the Governors.

Ready to soar over Eagles?

We’ll look for three Governors who earned placement on the UAC Coaches Preseason All-Conference Team.  DB Ellis Ellis, Jr. (that’s not a typo) made 11tackles (8 solo) and recovered a fumble against the Bulldogs. OL Chandler Kirton has logged three solid seasons to be noticed at APSU.  PK Carson Smith impressed on 13 of 20 FGs including his longest from 56 yards in 2024. Last week, he booted field goals of 42 and 43 yards in front of 93,000 at Sanford Stadium.

Facade of Austin Peay's Fortera Stadium in 2021. We hear it has a lobby now. Hopefully , we can get time to check it out.
Facade of Austin Peay’s Fortera Stadium in 2021. We hear it has a lobby now. Hopefully , we can get time to check it out.

Building around his quarterback

Coach Faris developed QBs at Duke.  He continues a work-in-progress here. QB Austin Smith led all Governor rushers last season in addition to stellar performances in the passing game. However, Chris Smith, a redshirt Soph, took over in WEEK Zero of this season. He’s completed 27 0f 43 tosses for 293 yards, two TDs and an INT. Thus far in two games, the Governors average only 97.5 yards per game. WR Jaden Barnes returns as a favorite target snagging 58 passes for 1,083 yards and nine TDs. Defensively, DB Jarden Lyles led the team in 96 tackles and an INT.  Austin Peay will be looking for more aggressive play from its defensive front.

Morehead moving ahead

The Morehead State Eagles play in the Pioneer League.  In 2024 under first-year HC Jason Woodman, they finished 7-5,5-3.  Woodman cut his coaching teeth at LSU under Nick Saban and Les Miles. He coached successfully for ten seasons at Fairmount State (WV), a D-2 program in the Mountain East Conference.  Morehead appears on our schedule here for the first time.  Like the Governors, the Morehead offense will be built around their returning QB, Carter Cravens.

Cravens career thus far totals 4,013 passing yards and 24 TDs. The Pioneer League Coaches selected him as preseason All-Conference QB.  Among other All-Conference selections, they named WR Ryan Upp with his 42 grabs for 573 yards and five TDs.  On defense, LB Luke Bauer garnered 50 tackles in 2024 including 12 for losses and 4.5 sacks. Among other returnees, Issac Stopke leads RBs with his 290 yards and three TDs.  Defensively, Matthew McClelland recorded 109 stops, four INTs, and four pass break-ups.

Eagles downed against FCS Cardinals

Against Illinois State last Saturday, the Eagles (1-1) got stomped, 41-13. They started with the first score, but trailed at the half, 17-6. Cravens completed 14 of 28 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Stopke gained 86 yards on 13 carries. ISU added ten points in the third. After Cravens connected with Montez Green for a 14-yard TD pass, ISU scored two more TDs to finalize the score.

The Austin Peay Governors may look to tip-toe past the Morehead State Eagles, but their offense needs to get a ground game going. MSU isn't UGA, but...
The Austin Peay Governors may look to tip-toe past the Morehead State Eagles, but their offense needs to get a ground game going. MSU isn’t UGA, but…

Austin Peay vs. Morehead State looks entertaining

Rebuilding at the FCS level, both squads look to develop their rosters before their respective conference slates begin.  Both teams seek improvement from returning players and seek to find talent to move up to step in where needed.  With Austin Peay’s performance at Georgia last week, the Governors may have gain some confidence and will be looking to demonstrate that this Saturday.   We hope we found this opportunity to find a much more competitive game than we initially planned (Stetson U. at UT Chattanooga).

Austin Peay cheerleaders lead their fans, "Let's Go Peay!"
Austin Peay cheerleaders lead their fans in their chant, “Let’s Go Peay!”

Looking ahead to Big Ten Coaching concerns

In upcoming games after WEEK Three, we step up into two weekends of critical Big Ten Battles. On September 20, we see No. 9 Illinois visit No. 22 Indiana for our first trip ever to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. Aside from Duke last week against the Illini to some extent, neither B1G program has been challenged. Respectively, they face Indiana State and Western Michigan this week. On September 27, a big one in State College, PA. No. 4 Oregon (2-0) has won games on a combined score of 128-16. Maybe they will find a challenge at Northwestern (1-1) this week or in state rival Oregon State (0-2) the following week. We tend to doubt it.

Seen this Act before

No. 2 Penn State (2-0) on the other hand dominated two foes easily, 76-11. No doubt, FCS Villanova presents no roadblock this weekend before the Nittany Lions have bye week leading up to Oregon. Last week, we questioned the readiness of players teams prepped to meet superior teams after month of early season dominance. Today, we pose the question: are the coaches ready to meet the challenge of coaching games that will be tight? Dan Lanning’s squad defeated James Franklin’s in the Big Ten championship last season, 45-37. With Franklin’s rep for not displaying any profound coaching prowess in any big game, we have a pretty good idea which way will go – White-out or no White-out!

Thus far, Oregon HC Dan Lanning's Ducks have been dominating thus far. How will his team perform in tight games ahead?
Thus far, Oregon HC Dan Lanning’s Ducks have been dominating. How will his team perform in tight games ahead?

Collegefootballfan.com 42 Week Two Records and Rankings

Power Five

2025 – The Collegefootallfan.com 42
Power 5RecordRankOur GameDateResultNext
Arkansas2-0Mississippi StateNov. 1
Auburn2-024MissouriOct. 18
California2-0at Oregon StateAug. 30W 34-15
Illinois2-09at IndianaSept. 20
Indiana2-022IlliniosSept. 20
Kentucky1-1at VanderbiltNov. 22
Mississippi State2-0at ArkansasNov. 1
Missouri2-025at AuburnOct. 18
North Carolina1-1at Wake ForestNov. 15
Notre Dame0-18NavyNov. 8
Oregon2-04Montana StateAug. 30W 59-13Penn State
Oregon State0-2CaliforniaAug. 30L 34-15
Penn State2-02OregonSept. 27
Vanderbilt2-0KentuckyNov. 22
Wake Forest2-1North CarolinaNov. 15

Group of Five (or Six)

Group of 5RecordRankOur GameDateResultNext
Air Force1-0at NavyOct. 4
Arkansas State1-1at South AlabamaOct. 14
Army1-1Navy (Balt)Dec. 13
Delaware1-1at Jack St.Oct. 15
Georgia State0-2South AlabamaOct. 23
Jacksonville State1-1DelawareOct. 15
Missouri State1-1at MTSUOct. 8
MTSU0-2Missouri StateOct. 8
Navy2-0Air ForceOct. 4at ND
Rice1-1at South FloridaNov. 29
Sam Houston0-2at Western KentuckyAug. 23L 41-24
South Alabama1-1Arkansas StateOct. 14at GA State
South Florida2-018RiceNov. 29
Western Kentucky2-1Sam HoustonAug. 23W 41-24

Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)

FCSRecordRankOur GameDateResultNext
Austin Peay1-123Morehead StateSept. 13
Montana State0-16at OregonAug. 30L 59-13
Morehead State1-1at Austin PeaySept. 13
North Dakota State2-01at Tennessee StateSept. 6W 59-3
SE Missouri Stateat Tennessee TechOct. 25
Tennessee State1-1North Dakota StateSept. 6L 59-3
Tennessee Tech1-016SE Missouri StateOct. 25

Division III

D-IIIRecordRankOur GameDateResultNext
Batesat TuftsOct. 11
Brevard0-1at SewaneeSept. 13
Christopher Newport1-0at Castleton StateOct. 11
Sewanee1-0BrevardSept. 13
TuftsBatesOct. 11
VT State – Castleton1-0Christopher NewportOct. 11

And our tales keep rolling along, but catch our 45 previous seasons of games!

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

It's one thing to delegate to your assistants for a time-out, but does it make sense for PSU Head Coach James Franklin not to work with his players during a critical time-out as shown here in the third period of last year's 24-15 loss against Michigan? He did the same last Saturday vs. Ohio State.
For Penn State, this is what we hope not to see – James Franklin not jacking up his team during a critical drive lie seen here against Michigan in a 24-15 loss in 2023.

Game 716: Nothing but North Dakota State, 59-3

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Nashville, TN – The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and No. 1 and perennial powerhouse North Dakota State visited Tennessee State and picked up right where it left off against the Tigers for a 59-3 victory. Last year in Fargo ND, they entertained the Tigers to the tune of 56-3. At Nissan Stadium, the Bison scored on every first half possession to lead 45-0 at the half. As for Tennessee State in the first half, they never converted a first down. In addition, they never much advanced beyond their 25-yardline.

As Guest Game Analyst Al Tatum and I left midway through the third quarter, we saw TSU pick up two consecutive first downs. On the way out on a TV monitor, we saw against the NDSU second team defense. The game turned out to be more one-sided than hoped for. An even bigger disappointment came for the two of us. The Tennessee State Aristocrat of Bands did not perform on the field at halftime. They played from their lonely, end zone seats!

North Dakota State Bison couldn’t be stopped

Tennessee State deferred the ball until the second half and North Dakota State went right to work with QB Cole Payton calling signals. Their first two possessions resulted in a 10-yard TD scamper and eight-yarder by RB Barika Kpeenu to cap drives of 71 and 80 yards. Before the end of the first, Eli Ozick put up a 22-tard FG to lead, 17-0. Before the second, FS Taylen Eady recovered a fumble at the Tennessee State 35. A Bison fan nearby exclaimed, “Tennessee State hasn’t gotten past the 40!” In reality, the 25.

North Dakota State RB Barika Kpeenu starts the slaughter with his first of three touchdowns against the TSU Tigers.
North Dakota State RB Barika Kpeenu starts the slaughter with his first of three touchdowns against the TSU Tigers.

Five plays later, Kpeenu scored his third TD – from six yards out this time. TSU punted away again from its 13. Cole Payton connected with TE Reis Kessel for 41 yards. DJ Scott ran it in from five yards out for North Dakota State to lead, 31-0. First-year Tennessee State HC Reggie Barlow inserted QB Byron McNair for Johnathan Palmer. Progress – TSU got out to their 28. On McNair’s second pass attempt, LB Donovan Woolen leaped high to pick off his pass. He returned it 34 yards for a North Dakota State TD. Once again, the Tigers punted from their 25. With 1:21 left in the second quarter, Coleman connected with Raja Nelson. They finished off a 67-yard drive with a three-yard TD pass.

Bison DE Toby Anene displays one play to show how QB Jonathan Palmer couldn't lead the Tiger past their 25-yard line.
Bison DE Toby Anene displays one play to show how QB Jonathan Palmer couldn’t lead the Tigers past their 25-yard line.

We hope to avoid this the rest of the season

Didn’t we see this last week in Eugene, Oregon? In our 714th game, the Ducks gave up three to the Bobcats as time expired at intermission to lead, 38-3. This first half expired even worse at 45-0. To disappoint Al and me even more, The Tennessee State Aristocrat Band stayed in the stands. They entertained the 8,569 in attendance, mostly clad in Bison Green and Gold, in cavernous Nissan Stadium. Al and I figured to make an exit sometime in the third, and we did. The final score of this game marked the second highest margin of victory ever attended in a non-FBS football game. In our Milestones, our top game remains going back to 1987 by one point. Holy Cross’s 63-6 victory over Lehigh at old Taylor Stadium in Bethlehem, PA still holds at a 57-point differential.

Kpeenu (8) and QB Cole Payton (9) get ready to widen the North Dakota State lead late in the second to 45-0.
Kpeenu (8) and QB Cole Payton (9) get ready to widen the North Dakota State lead late in the second to 45-0.

A tour of the TSU campus and yesteryear

Al, a retired police officer at TSU, drove us over to the campus a few miles away to give me a tour. We saw the Tigers’ former home field, Hale Stadium. Empty and relegated as a practice facility, it struck me that today’s crowd of 8,569 would have been perfect for this venue. And on the large sprawling, picturesque campus with very few students around enjoying it on a nice afternoon, playing home games there could not only stir more interest to the football program, but the campus could use some more life and school spirit. Maybe the draw of football games back on campus with the Band of Aristocrats and the student body of 10,000 would draw more interest and school spirit to the campus.

To bus players, students, and spirit organizations away from campus on a fall, Saturday afternoon just seems disheartening. Playing games downtown at the big pro stadium just takes away the energy of an important aspect of student life from a college campus. Surely, there are advantages and disadvantages to the school for different reasons playing on campus or downtown. Too bad whatever the weight is has swayed for the FCS football program to get somewhat lost in the shuffle of college life at Tennessee State. Maybe it didn’t work well with games at Hale in the past for some reason. However, school spirit and youthful energy seem to disperse in the atmosphere at a big stadium built for professional football.

The sound from the Band of the Aristocrats came pot loud and strong but note the members marching in place at their seats. Also note the energetic dancers sitting still before each gets up one at a time for a dance routine. Where' the energy? Where's the spirit? Drum Line it wasn't.
The sound from the Band of the Aristocrats came oot loud and strong, but note the members marching in place at their seats. Also note the energetic dancers (in red) sitting still before each gets up one at a time for a dance routine. Where’s the energy? Where’s the spirit? Drum Line, it wasn’t.

WEEK THREE: Bison and Tigers both play at home

FCS No. 1 North Dakota State (2-0) heads home after opening with two games on the road. In Fargo, they host another non-conference team from the Big South/OVC, the SE Missouri State Red Hawks (1-1). We will see the Red Hawks later this season at No 20 Tennessee Tech. As far as NDSU, they look to keep rolling along to find their way back to Nashville to play once again for the FCS Championship to be held at First Bank Stadium on January 5. Tennessee State (1-1) will return to Nissan to face Alabama A&M (1-1), fresh off a 41-31 victory over Alcorn State (1-1).

For Collegefootballfan.com: A D-III / FCS double-header

In Collegefootballfan.com action, for old times’ sake, we start off with a D-III bout. We’ll head to Sewanee, Tennessee to see the Sewanee Tigers (1-0). Also known as The University of the South, the Tigers host the Brevard Tornados (0-1). Looking forward to going with my Planet Fitness friend David Oakley. He played for the Tigers in the late ’70 under Tennessee Hall of Fame Coach Shirley Majors.

David can’t remember wearing a face mask in those days, so a visit back to his alma mater may stir some memories from him. At the time, the school only had males. Times have changed there since. We’ll see what else he notices. His Tigers won big last week over the Bethany Bison, 41-6. Brevard fell to Kentucky Christian, 41-21. We look forward to the 1 pm CT start to this one to get enough time to head up to Clarksville, TN to see our second game for the nightcap.

In another FCS match-up, we head the Fortera Stadium, home of the Austin Peay Governors (1-1). Thus far, the APSU record comes against two FBS foes. They defeated Middle Tennessee in their opener at MTSU, 34-14. Last Saturday, they gave the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs more than they expected in a lightning delayed contest in Athens, Georgia. In the fourth period, the Bulldogs stopped them a with goal line stand at the one. Then, they proceeded 99 yards to score to at the end to settle for a 28-6 win. Coach Jeff Faris was proud of his team’s effort. Morehead of the Pioneer League comes to Fortera with a 1-1 record. They fell at Illinois State last week, 41-13.

Austin Peay cheerleaders "chase the Lion" along with their football team. AT APSU, we've seen spirited crowds.
Austin Peay cheerleaders “chase the Lion” along with their football team. AT APSU, we’ve seen spirited crowds.

Check out our tales as we roll along in 46th season!

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

Steveo’s Salvos: WEEK ONE Pedestrian starts to college football 2025

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Best Photo of WEEK One

In WEEK ONE, Oregon deflected a punt and blocked a punt for a 31-0 first half lead. MSU PK xxxx nailed this field goal to give the Bobcats their first three, but look at the effort by this Oregon special teamer to block it!
In WEEK ONE, Oregon deflected a punt and blocked a punt for a 31-0 first half lead. MSU PK Miles Sansted nailed this field goal to give the Bobcats their first three, but look at the effort by this Oregon special teamer to block it!

Week One – A “Pedestrian” start to the future of college football

After this WEEK One, I spoke with my long-term Penn State buddy, John Massimilla, to get his assessment of the Nittany Lions in their opener. Together, we’ll be seeing them host Oregon in a key Big Ten battle in Happy Valley on September 27. He described the PSU running game as “pedestrian.” Despite the Nittany Lions dominating the Nevada Wolf Pack, 48-11, their top-notch running game churned out only 135 yards. All- Big Ten/Preseason All-Americans Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 62 yards on16 carries. They scored three TDs: Allen on two one-yard runs and Singleton picked up 12 of his 19 on a touchdown jaunt. These two are playing behind a big, solid, experienced offensive line. John’s analysis concerns me.

It sounds like no fire, hustle, intensity. All those intangibles, fans would look for in the opening day of any season. It sounds like this team went through motions. I blame this on non-conference scheduling – not only by Penn State, but by many teams. In their next two games, the Lions host Florida International and then FCS Villanova. Then, they face a bye week before the big, meaningful game against Oregon. I don’t care what James Franklin thinks. A team should be challenged early after months of practice and planning. This kind of slate may cause any team to become lethargic over the next month. I would hope coaches recruit the best talent they can, to compete against the best. That’s how to win championships.

Teams need a spark to kick-off the anticipation of the season

When the Lions played as Independent, years ago and even in the Big Ten, they played the likes of Alabama, Texas, Miami and Nebraska early before the balance of their schedule. Most then competed as Eastern Independents during those years. Early games like this geared the players and fans up for their entire season. The Lions should be going out of their way to play a natural rival like Pitt or another Power Four program in their first month They easily won this game and will do the same most likely in the next two. At least the Ducks meet Other Power programs like Oklahoma State and Oregon State, not powers pr se, but team seeking talent for the same level of competition. Which team will be more tested before the September 27th meeting.

And in WEEK ONE this doesn’t just pertain to Penn State, of course

Look at all the non-competitive scores in wins by other Power Four schools in WEEK One over inferior competition. Examples: Missouri 61 Central Arkansas 6; Kansas 46 Wagner 7; Pitt 61 Duquesne 9; Boston College 66 Fordham 10; Arkansas 52 Alabama A&M 7; Florida 55 LIU 7; USC 73 Missouri State 13; Texas Tech 67 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7; BYU 69 Portland State 0. These games aren’t about competition! They’ve become glorified practices with uniforms, cheerleaders and bands with television coverage. What’s the sense?

Make these Spring games and avoid them from being considered in the final rankings. At least players get to block and tackle players from other schools. That is all most WEEK One games have become. The argument is always more money for the lesser programs. In the past, I’ve said this, and I’ll say it again: Play another more competitive opponent and give the windfall profits to your “favorite FCS” program.

Frustrated fans

It doesn’t make sense that fans want to pay money to attend these games. Nick Saban used to complain that Alabama students left Crimson Tide games by halftime to party elsewhere. Why? The outcome was determined by then. Another friend texted me in Oregon to say he was watching the Navy game against FCS VMI. However, he said nobody could be seen in the stands besides the Brigade of Midshipmen. Navy is no perennial power, of course, but real fans who speculate an overwhelming outcome don’t want to waste money to watch a 52-7 debacle. The Academy sent numerous promotions weeks before this game. As a Blue and Gold Member, I receive all their promotions online. Navy fans would rather wait to see their team compete for a hard-fought victory, especially against the likes of Notre Dame. Maybe all fandoms don’t feel the same.

One of the most competitive WEEK One games we ever attended: August 31, 2019; Boston College35 Virginia Tech 28.
One of the most competitive WEEK One games we ever attended: August 31, 2019; Boston College35 Virginia Tech 28.

The Future of College Football?

Weekly, posts released display Power Four schools announcing their future non-conference schedules for the next few years. More often than not, against several FCS programs or some Group of Five programs. Already, they’re racking up automatic wins toward bowl eligibility. What has to really be questioned, if there is truly a move to consolidate the SEC, Big Ten, Notre Dame and a few other Power Four outliers into two major conferences, with all that TV money and a quest for separate entity amongst the self-proclaimed-powers-that-be, do they still need to play against inferior competition to bloat their records?

With all the money and NIL contracts, they entice the best talent among 136 FBS programs already – a huge disparity of talent among at least 13,600 college football players. And they seek teams with talent less than the 136 playing, supposedly, for the same national title? They should split into four regional divisions, play full schedules amongst themselves and have the top four-eight compete in their own play-off for a championship.

Changes underway?

If this does happen, hopefully this leads to a split where that Top 40-50 programs compete just among each other as Super Conferences. Then, the programs remaining from Group of Fives, left-out Power Four members and maybe a few stronger FCS programs now form the “new Football Bowl Subdivision.” With about 90 teams playing in the new FBS, keep the competition amongst each other and play for a separate national championship. Just like some forms of FCS, D-2 and D-3 would remain intact. It could stir more interest from fans of these programs and the media.

However, the other thing that needs to happen is the initiation of contractual agreements for players to commit to their programs under contract. The move is underway to narrow the portal to ten days in January every year. Believe it when you see it. However, player commitments to play for a school and work toward an education become the most critical for the survival of college football.

The Collegefootbalfan.com 42

Here’s a new feature of Steveo’s Salvos. Each week, we will update the records and rankings of teams we will see play this season no matter what level of play they compete in. The “42” represents the number of all NCAA teams we will see play on the college gridiron in 2025. For now, we’ll continue to refer to the Power Five as such until we see what actually happens with the new proposed Pacific-?? Athletic Conference. Here’s our update following WEEK One:

Power Five

Group of Five (or Six)

Football Championship Subdivision

Division III

Check out our tales as we move forward into 46th season!

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

Best Sideline Photo of WEEK One

Great seats, hey buddy?
Above the End Zone at Autzen Stadium on WEEK One. Great seats, hey buddy?

Game 715: Sagapolutele guns Cal-Berkely past OSU’s “Big Arm” Murphy, 34-15

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Corvallis, OR – In the night cap of our Oregon, FBS Double-Header, we traveled to Corvallis to watch the Cal-Berkeley Bears open against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Of special interest to us, we wanted to observe OSU’s QB Maalik Murphy. Last season, we saw him quarterback Duke to three wins. Originally transferring from Texas to Duke, Murphy possessed at reputation for being a ‘big arm” QB. Despite the yards and success, we never noted the big arm that many tout him for. He primarily threw short out passes to receivers. He rarely launched accurate, long balls. We looked forward to seeing if his skills under a new staff and new program would allow him to do so. Based on last season’s seven TD passes and 11 INTs achieved by OSU QBs, the Beavers sought improvement in this area.

Cal-Berkeley Frosh QB impressed us more

The Golden Bears featured eight new transfers starting on offense. In particular, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele surprised us at starting QB moving in ahead of Ohio State transfer Devin Brown. The lefty looked polished and calm for a first-time starter. Cal-Berkeley’s first possession got extended after a fourth down punt by a penalty. At 11:23 into the game, he connected with TE Mason Mini for a nine-yard TD pass. Murphy and company lost five yards on their first series to punt from the 20. Sagapolutele started his team from his 13. He finished his second drive with another TD pass. This time he connected with WR Trond Grizzell for a 32-yard score. Oregon State’s next series turned the ball over on downs at Cal-Berkeley’s 38.

Cal-Berkeley RB Brandon High, Jr (50 takes hand off from QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (8) for a short run on team's first drive.
Cal-Berkeley RB Brandon High, Jr (5) takes hand off from QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (8) for a short run on team’s first drive. Beaver CB Sailasa Vadrawale III (8) moves in for the stop.

Murphy hits the bench in second period

The Beavers finally put up three points with 9:32 in the second with Caleb Ojeda’s 52-yard FG. Later, a pass break-up forced Cal-Berkeley to punt from the 50. It put OSU back on their 10-yard line. Murphy remained on the bench while Gabarri Johnson stepped in. Beaver HC Trent Bray may have been getting Murphy to settle in, or maybe he wanted to see what his other transfer QB could do. Wasn’t much. Murphy returned to play in the next series. However, a fumble by TE Bryce Caufield turned the ball over to Cal-Berkeley at their 41. Following a time-out with 0:01 remaining in the half, Abram Murray booted a 49-yard FG. The Bears took the lead into halftime, 17-3.

Cal-Berkeley RB LJ Johnson knifes through Beaver defense a first quarter gain.
Cal-Berkeley RB LJ Johnson knifes through Beaver defense a first quarter gain. LB Dexter Foster (7) begins to wrap him up.

Waiting for the Big Arm to be displayed

Oregon State lost eight yards on their opening possession in the third and punted from the 18. Cal-Berkeley took over at the Beaver’s 40. Sagapolutele connected with wide open TE Landon Morris on the left side for a three-yard TD pass. Trailing 24-3, we waited to see OSU let Murphy open up and throw the long ball to get back into this game. From the 16, he finally did – too far and offline for an incomplete pass. Not even close to his intended receiver, Trent Walker. The Beavers settled into a short passing game – six yards, seven, eleven, five and four to get to the 49. Next, two catch-and-runs of 19 and 29 yards put them at the Cal-Berkeley three. Anthony Hankerson ran it in for a two-yard TD. A conversion for two points failed. The Golden Bears led, 24-9, heading into the final period. With 0:08 left in the quarter, they punted the ball back to the Beavers.

Cal-Berkeley TE Landon Morris (81) hauls in Sagapolutele's third TD pass of the day to extend the lead in the third, 24-3.
Cal-Berkeley TE Landon Morris (81) hauls in Sagapolutele’s third TD pass of the day to extend the lead in the third, 24-3.

Beavers go out with a whimper, not a bang

Cal’s punt started the Beavers from their one-yard line. Two runs and three short passes got them out to the 20. It was time to put that Big Arm to work with just over 12 minutes to play. Murphy looked for a receiver down field. However, CB Hezekiah Masses jumped his pass and returned the ball 41 yards to the OSU 2. One play later, Brandon High, Jr took it in for the Cal-Berkeley score. The game was basically over. On his ensuing possession, Murphy led the Beavers on a 78-yard scoring drive with him carrying the ball over from three. Only a 28-yard pass and a roughing penalty on the play to get to the eight can be considered as anything close to a “big arm.” Another two-point conversion failed. Cal-Berkeley closed the evening’s score with Chase Meyer’s 23-yard field goal to win, 34-15.

OSU QB Maalik Murphy (6) at bottom right watched his two-point pass attempt knocked away for the second time in this game.
OSU QB Maalik Murphy (6) at bottom right watched his two-point pass attempt knocked away for the first of two failed conversions in this game.

Big Arm overhyped

Maalik Murphy does not possess the big arm others have hyped. Oregon State brought him in to erase the paltry seven TD/11 INT team QB stat from a year ago. In his Beaver debut, he started this season with 0 TDs and one INT. Maybe Johnson or Devin Brown will get more reps in upcoming games. We envision Murphy leaving OSU after this season for his fourth program. He will probably extend his collegiate career as long as he can because he does not have the arm strength nor accuracy to perform at the professional level. If he can win more games collegiately, it will be based on managing a short passing game strategy with a balanced running attack and a defense that can hold the opponents to low scores. This doesn’t look achievable at OSU this year based on what we witnessed Saturday night.

Next for WEEK 2

Oregon State hosts Fresno State who will be joining them in the new PAC-12(?) or whatever they will call the realigned conference in 2026. The Bulldogs (1-1) defeated Georgia Southern last Saturday, 42-14. Cal-Berkeley will host FCS Texas Southern of the SWAC who lost to Prairie View, 22-21. Golden Bear QB Sagapolutele impressed completing 20 of 30 passes for 234 yards and three TDS. No interceptions. Trond Grizzell caught five passes for 83 yards and a score. Sagapolutele could be the key to Golden Bear success this season.

We at collegefootballfan.com step back down to the top of the FCS and a game close to home. We anticipate it being one-sided. No. 1 North Dakota State (1-0) visits Tennessee State (1-0) in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. NDSU defeated The Citadel in their opener, 38-0. The Bison have dominated FCS football for years. We expect to see them in Nashville again later this season when the championship battle will take place at First Bank Stadium, refurbished home of Vanderbilt Commodore football. Tennessee State defeated Norh Carolina A&T in their opener, 24-21. Last season, NDSU defeated TSU in Fargo, ND, 56-3. We look forward to seeing the TSU Tigers Marching Band!

Perennial FCS contender North Dakota State comes to Nashville early this season on our 2025 college football schedule when they play Tennessee State at Nissan Stadium. The Bison can come back to play for at the 2025 title when the championship game will be played at Vanderbilt Stadium on January 5.
Perennial FCS contender North Dakota State comes to Nashville early this season on our 2025 college football schedule when they play Tennessee State at Nissan Stadium. The Bison can come back to play for at the 2025 title when the championship game will be played at Vanderbilt Stadium on January 5.

Collegefootballfan.com milestones

At the conclusion of this past weekend, we have now attended games at 100 of 136 FBS stadiums. The state of Oregon hosted both games to become our 42nd that we have seen a game played in. Reser Stadium turned out to be a good, clean comfortable venue to watch a game in. Good concessions and we found parking available at a local Marriage Counseling facility. That’s a first for us. We will continue to build on these numbers during the course of our 2025 season.

Reser Stadium, Home of OSU football. They should call it "Reser Dam- Home of the Beavers." Gives it a little more passion to defend their home.
Reser Stadium, Home of OSU football. They should call it “Reser Dam- Home of the Beavers.” Gives it a little more passion to defend their home.

Check out our tales as we move forward into 46th season!

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

We hope the Oregon State cheerleaders will have much more to cheer about in future games this season!
We hope the Oregon State cheerleaders will have much more to cheer about in future games this season!

Game 714: Oregon Ducks overwhelm Montana State Bobcats, 59-13

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Eugene, OR – With new QB Dante Moore in his first U of O start, the Oregon Ducks scored 17 points on their first three possessions. Defensively, held the FCS runners-up from last season, Montana State, to three-and-outs on their first three possessions.  Despite the great Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) reputation of Montana State football, Oregon and other top 25 programs just have so many advantages now with NIL money and open transfer portals. The talent disparity among 136 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams alone is substantial enough. The Duck dominated leading 38-3 at halftime and went on to win in the opener for both, 59-13. Granted, Oregon loaded with talent, displayed its superiority.  On the other hand, Montana State, who we saw win their opener last season over FBS New Mexico, 35-31, displayed poor blocking and tackling capabilities early and never recovered.

Collegefootballfan.com moves the chains

Not only did this contest mark our 714th (“Babe Ruthian” number) game since 1979 , but Oregon’s Autzen Stadium became the 99th FBS venue we’ve attended.  In addition, the state of Oregon became the 42nd (Washington, D.C. included) that we’ve seen a game played in. Due to distance from our original home in New Jersey, this contest became our third Oregon Duck encounter. Others include vs. PSU in 1995 Rose Bowl loss, 38-20; last year’s 16-13 win over U. of Wisconsin in Madison, WI). Regarding Montana State, as stated, last year was our first seeing the Bobcats.  A home game at Bozeman looms for us in the future. We need to add the state of Montana to that particular goal of ours.    

Unlike their mascot before the game, the Oregon Ducks did not lose their heads playing the Montana State Bobcats.
Unlike their mascot before the game, the Oregon Ducks did not lose their heads playing the Montana State Bobcats.

Oregon Ducks off to flying start

Montana State deferred the opening coin toss to kick off to Oregon. First mistake but probably didn’t matter.  The Oregon Ducks started from their 26 and drove the length of the field. RB Jayden Limar swept around left end for an 11-yard TD three minutes and three seconds into the game.  Montana State picked up five yards after the ensuing kickoff and punted.  Duck Jeremiah McClellan deflected the punt out of bounds to start the Oregon Ducks from the MSU 40.  QB Dante Moore connected with TE Kenyon Sadiq on a short route in the left flat. He bounced easily off a poor tackling defender and raced the ball into the end zone for a 20-yard scoring play. 

Once again, the Bobcats punted after a three-and-out.  This time, the Ducks did not just deflect the punt, they blocked It.  Oregon took over at the Montana State 10.  Give credit to the Bobcat defense here.  They held to force the Oregon Ducks to a 23-yard FG by Atticus Sappington.  The subsequent MSU possession resulted in a turnover on downs. U of O stopped a fourth and one run on their 40 to take possession once again. They gained ten yards before the period ended. leading, 17-0.

TE Kenyon Sadiq enroute to the end zone after shaking off a feeble tackle to put the Oregon Ducks up, 14-0.
TE Kenyon Sadiq enroute to the end zone after shaking off a feeble tackle to put the Oregon Ducks up, 14-0.

Blow-out city unfolds before our eyes

Oregon had driven to the 30 to start the second.  At the 11:08 mark, Jordon Davison ran it in from two for a 24-0 lead with 11:08 left in the first half. The next Bobcat possession resulted in no yards. Another punt (unblocked) put the Oregon Ducks at the MSU 49.  With 4:34 left, RB Noah Whittington scored from the one. Montana State finally showed some life primarily with completions to WR Taco Dowler (12 receptions for 107 yards).  From 42 yards out, Myles Sansted put MSU on the board trailing, 31-3, with 1:03 to play in the half.

Revised rule regarding Blow-outs

 At this point, if the Oregon Ducks score again before the half, I’ve seen enough. Sure enough, the home team drove once again.  WR Malik Benson did the damage hauling in an 11-yard pass from Moore, and I decided, time to go.  To attain the initial goal to see every team play at least once, the self-imposed rule required to stay to the very end.  No more.   A blow-out is a blow-out.  The second half becomes a waste of time – try-outs or game experience for the non-staters. Better things to do.  Today, I had to walk 40 minutes back to the car parked off campus in case of a quick escape if necessary. To get to the nightcap in Corvallis, no idea what to expect about this trip – first time in Oregon for any reason ever.

Oregon Ducks RB Noah Whittington scores from the one to extend the lead 31-0 late in the second quarter.
Oregon Duck RB Noah Whittington scores from the one to extend the lead 31-0 late in the second quarter.

Finishing touches by Oregon Ducks

Not that I stayed, but the Oregon Ducks continued to dominate the Bobcats on a hot sunny day. Sansted opened the scoring in the third for Montana State with another 42-yard FG. Dante Moore capped a 70-yard drive with his third TD pass of the game to WR Gary Bryant. Davison scored again at the end of a 65-yard drive to make the score 52-6 at the end of three. In the fourth, Davison scored his third rushing TD of the day with only six carries for 26 yards. Montana State closed out the final score with an Adam Jones two-yard run with over two minutes left to play. At 59-13, we were already on the road to Corvallis.

Autzen Stadium altitude

The wide-open bowl has one mezzanine level leading to stairs going down and stairs going up. Going up, you start in around row 40. Then it’s a long way up to row 82. Many Oregon fans, like me were not regulars sitting in that area. Probably had gotten tickets from others online who figured saving their climbs for more critical Big Ten encounters. Few fans this day in Section 36 were familiar with the long ascent. A lot of people came up huffing and puffing or a little dizzy. Some even carried young children or grandchildren who couldn’t lift their legs high enough. Long hike up for all ages. Work out on those stair masters for Autzen ascending.

Didn’t want to even venture going down. At some point in that climb, it would be nice to have another level to break the ascent and offer services not too far below. Luckily, I keep in pretty good shape, but the stair climbing can be a challenge for many. Make sure you make a pit stop prior to taking your seat because it’s long trek back down and back up again. Can’t imagine walking up all those steps on a cold day and bundled up in layers. Oregon fans must be avid mountain climbers to sit in those upper seats.

Autzen Stadium - a long climb up and back down.
Autzen Stadium – a long climb up and back down.

Buyers beware

Returning to my car parked off campus a 30-minute walk away, tickets were issued on my rental and many others on the parking site that we had prepaid.  Like others I met there before the game, we had purchased parking passes on the StubHub website.  Fishy though, the address I was given by an affiliate, Park Whiz, was in a two-car driveway across the street.  Others had questions like I had as they had prepaid as well. No attendant there two hours prior to kick-off, but there happened to be one wondering the lot when we returned with a ticket pad. 

The big office building adjacent seemed vacant. Only significant parking lot around the neighborhood. Many people came from out of town, both Oregon and Montana State fans. Only response we got regarding our complaint was to e-mail the address on the back requesting $50-$100 more depending on when you respond.  I’m addressing this through StubHub who’s insisting on feedback with many messages I have from them. They will hear alright. I was wary on the way to Corvallis – different issue there that will also be addressed as arrangements are made through this Park Whiz group. Be aware of them. I would not use their service at all based on what happened parking near both university campuses in Oregon.

Corvallis parking issue

 Later, again through StubHub/Park Whiz, I had an issue at Corvallis for the Oregon State game.  The directions for my prepaid lot brought me to a desolate, free public parking lot.  I have a bone to pick with StubHub on both counts.  Double check any “parking deals” with StubHub.  I am going to question them about their relationship with Park Whiz who arranged both. Charged me and requested the plate number to confirm my acceptance. Now a third party wants to charge me even more I’m fighting both.  Heads up!

College Football Week 2 Coming up

Oregon hosts Oklahoma State (3-9 in 2024) next week.  The Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions will collide before us in State College on September 27. Neither will be challenged in their three games before they meet.  Most likely, they will start focusing on that date well before they play.  It will be a critical, early Big Ten brouhaha!

Oregon Duck QB Dante Moore runs out of bounds during a first quarter scoring drive. We look forward to seeing the Ducks meet the Penn State Nittany Lions in State College on September 17.
Oregon Duck QB Dante Moore runs out of bounds during a first quarter scoring drive. We look forward to seeing the Ducks meet the Penn State Nittany Lions in State College on September 27.

Montana State steps back into their world of reality

Next week at home, they play against FCS South Dakota State, another perennial power at that level. Without QB Tommy Mellot who graduated from MSU last season after starting for four years and now playing for the Las Vegas Raiders, they will find out if they can still compete at the FCS level or not.  As well as the Bobcats compete at the FCS level, the Oregon Ducks play at a much higher level.

  The FBS New Mexico Lobos we saw the Bobcats beat last season, play nowhere near the No. 7 Oregon Duck level. Basically, the FBS teams no longer recruit many high school players. Now, they open the portal and take any player they want from another program at any level. Do these players even have to go through the transfer process that other students do for academic acceptance? It doesn’t seem to be part of the process anymore. Students play a sport. That’s all that seems to matter now.

Our next game, a nightcap

We at collegefootballfan.com left Eugene and motored about 50 minutes north to attend California at Oregon State. It will be our second game in Oregon, of course, and another new venue to see a football game – primary reasons we planned for this weekend. Look for our California vs. Oregon State wrap Tuesday night. Even though retired, still had to enjoy Labor Day with some working friends.

Check out our tales of yesteryear as we start up our 46th season! Unbelievable?

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

Great seats, hey buddy?
Great seats after all, hey buddy?

WEEK 1 Previews: Oregon, Montana State, Oregon State, Cal

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Montana State at Oregon, 1 pm PT, Eugene, OR

Eugene, Oregon – On Saturday, August 30, we hit the Oregon Trial for our first time starting with Montana State Bobcats at Oregon Ducks. The TV scheduling couldn’t have worked out better for us than this! Following this game kicking off at 1 pm Pacific Time, we venture 48 miles north from OU’s Autzen Stadium to Oregon State’s Reser Stadium in Corvalis. In our 7:30 pm nightcap, the OSU Beavers host their former PAC-12 rival, the California Golden Bears, now in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Universities now take the lead to confuse our sense of geographic reality through conference realignments. Heading west to the Pacific Ocean to see an Atlantic Coast Conference team. Unbelievable.

A first for collegefootballfan.com in our 714th game

For us, we always revered the number “714” for Babe Ruth’s HR prowess. For Collegefootballfan.com, we display some prowess marking our first adventure ever of any kind in “The Beaver State” and beyond. We add the state of Oregon as our 42nd to ever attend a game in. The two stadiums this Saturday will become our 99th and 100th FBS stadiums attended among the 136 venues playing at this level today. Montana State (15-1 in 2024) will be visiting Eugene as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) runner-up from a year ago. Like last year, we will be seeing the Bobcats open their season on the road against an FBS program. Last season, MSU pulled a late, 35-31, upset over New Mexico. The No. 3 Ducks (13-1 a year ago), seek to again win The Big Ten and grab a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) for the national title.

Montana State players celebrate with their fans at UNM's University Stadium after the last-minute 35-31 victory to open our 2024 season. They will play in front of us again at Oregon and maybe later at home in our 2025 Schedule.
Montana State players celebrate with their fans at UNM’s University Stadium after the last-minute 35-31 victory to open our 2024 season. They will play in front of us again in Oregon.

Our Montana State and Oregon Histories

Both are short and sweet. The Bobcats won the only game as mentioned when we saw them last season at New Mexico. One personal note regarding an MSU connection. Former Bobcat HC Rob Ash coached the program there from 2007-2018 to a record of 70-38. He won three Big Sky championships in Bozeman and led them into four FCS playoffs. Twice, his team made it as far as the quarterfinals. Prior to this, from 1980-88, a year after I graduated from D3 Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, he coached the then Indians to a 56-31-3 record before moving on to Drake. In 1980, I watched him coach my Juniata buddies in a game at CW Post in Greenvale, NY. CW Post prevailed, 28-10. Since then, CW Post upgraded to the FCS now known as the LIU Post Sharks of the Northeast Conference.

Compliments of Kermit the Frog, I saw the Oregon Ducks play Penn State in the 1995 Rose Bowl. You can read this story in my book, Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly. The Ducks stand 1-1 in the annals of Collegefootballfan.com history as we didn’t see them play again until last season. At Wisconsin, they held off the Badgers to a 16-13 win. They finished the regular season at 12-0 before defeating Penn State in the Big Ten Championship, 45-37. Like the other three CFP teams with byes in the first round, they fell in the next round. Eventual champion Ohio State dominated them, 41-21.

Bobcats’ huge hole to fill

Montana State returns some key talent after their great season a year ago. However, the biggest void to fill comes at quarterback. Last year’s starter, Tommy Mellott, moved on to the next level selected by the Las Vegas Raiders. Under HC Brent Vigen the last four years, MSU with Mellott at QB, went 33-8. He completed 63.7% of his passes. He threw for 6,016 yards and ran for 3,517. Fifty-five passes and 43 runs resulted in touchdowns. He threw only eight INTs. Pretty big shoes to fill for sure. As of this writing, JR Chance Wilson probably has an early start as his replacement. Among others, Grant Vigen, son of Brent, joins the roster as a freshman.

Bobcat RB Adam Jones looks for room here for short gain. He would follow this up on the left side for a 93-yard touchdown jaunt against New Mexico.
Bobcat RB Adam Jones looks for room here for short gain. He would follow this up on the left side for a 93-yard touchdown jaunt against New Mexico.

Despite the graduation of Mellot, the Bobcats loom as favorites once again to win the Big Sky championship in 2025. RB Adam Jones returns with 1,172 rushing yards and 14 TDS from a year ago. WR and punt returned Taco Dowler caught 38 passes for 597 yards and 11 TDS. OL Tilan Fleischman and DL Kenneth Eiden IV return as preseason All-Big Sky first team selections.

Oregon up for the FBS hunt once again

HC Dan Lanning’s team also lost well-travelled, Heisman candidate QB Dillon Gabriel (3,857 passing yards, 30 TDs and 6 INTs) from last season. To replace him, Dante Moore, a UCLA transfer who joined OU last season steps in. He’ll reap the benefit of having eight returning starters around him. Defensively, the Ducks return six starters. At RB, Noah Whittingham replaces Jordan James who went to the SF 49ers last year as the number four draft pick overall. Whittingham trudged for 540 yards and six TDs and looks to be the key cog for OU in the rushing department. WR Evan Stewart and TE Kenyon Sadiq return as leading receivers as key targets for Moore. Four starters from their OL moved on including two first round picks. Transfers from reputable programs step in, but they will be learning to work together for the first time.

Defensively, Oregon returns Key EDGE rushers in Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti. ILB Bryce Boettcher returns as leading tackler, and Ole Miss transfer Jadon Canady reinforces the BUs. However, they lost four starting DBS, although two transfers join in from other Big Ten schools. It’s hard to bet against all that Nike money financing all that talent in Eugene.

Oregon EDGE Teitum Tuioti (44) in pursuit versus Wisconsin in 2024.
Oregon EDGE Teitum Tuioti (44) in pursuit versus Wisconsin in 2024.

Banking on Oregon

Despite losses at key positions for the Ducks, this program just seems to have too much momentum in this new NIL / transfer portal age to step down too much. A great FCS Bobcat program, but with a totally new QB filling in for a lot of Tommy Mellot’s production over the past four years, it seems like a steeper learning curve for the Bobcats. Both teams will have the same issue.

However, under these circumstances, we’ll look for this game to get off to a slow start for both teams. A home game for OU itching to get back into the CFP should give them the advantage here. We look for them to gain momentum in the second half. Both teams will face lesser non-conference foes and stiffer competition against conference foes thereafter. Development during the early learning curves should right both of them to challenge for titles in their respective conferences after this one.

The other Oregon Duck EDGE, Matayo Uiagalelei (10) mixes it up against the Wisconsin Badgers in OU's 16-13 win.
The other Oregon Duck EDGE, Matayo Uiagalelei (10) mixes it up against the Wisconsin Badgers in OU’s 16-13 win.

On the Oregon Trail

As we head out to Eugene and on to Corvalis for the night cap, we won’t have much time for any stops along the way. We’ll have to study some more about opportunities to find out what’s going on before and between these games. Looking for an adventurous day during our first visit to Oregon. This game should get off to a slow start but big finish for the Ducks over the Bobcats.

Look for our preview next Monday. Happy Labor Day!

Since we have a full day of football with two games on Saturday followed by a long flight arriving home Sunday evening, our Game Reviews probably won’t hit the web until Monday night. We’ll provide you with our game updates after enjoying your Labor Day parades, BBQ’s and family outings before settling into more college football on TV to finish the nice, long holiday weekend. Great start into football season!

Click on the title of buy my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the page and get your copy today! As you’ve read here, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years and please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure to see every FBS team play over the years!

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

Game 2: California Golden Bears at Oregon State, 7:30 pm PT

Corvalis, Oregon – When catch California at Oregon State for our second of two FBS games on this day. Last time we did this came back in 2021. On that Saturday, we recorded our first two games in the state of Utah. At our early afternoon game in Logan, Utah State defeated Hawaii in a Mountain West contest, 51-31. The Aggies of USU finished their season ranked No. 24. Afterward, we trekked down I-15 to Provo. There, we attended a game determined to be Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s final season. As an appropriate farewell, he brought his Virginia Cavaliers to Provo to face his former charges, the Cougars of BYU.

The Cougars and Cavs went at it hard with the home team winning, 66-49. BYU finished the season at No. 19. Funny though. It did not turn out to be Mendenhall’s’ final season as a collegiate HC after all. Matter of fact, we saw him start up again in his return debut in 2024 as new HC for the University of New Mexico. After a 5-7 improvement at UNM last season, Mendenhall left for – of all schools – Utah State! Oh, what a tangled web we weave! And we seem to get entangled without even trying.

Bronco Mendenhall bade farewell to college coaching when we saw him lead his Virginia Cavaliers against his former team, Brigham Young. in 2021. Three years later, we saw him making his coaching debut leading New Mexico in its opener in 2024.
Bronco Mendenhall bade farewell to college coaching when we saw him lead his Virginia Cavaliers against his former team, Brigham Young. in 2021. Three years later, we saw him making his coaching debut leading New Mexico in its opener in 2024.

We plan to get back to Provo eventually to see a day game there to enjoy the impressive scenery surrounding Lavelle Edwards Stadium. Of course, we plan to pull it off by attending a Utah Ute home game in Salt Lake City afterward for our first game there! Timing is everything.

Four games with Cal and OSU in all; almost five

Combined, we’ve seen these two programs play four times. The Golden Bears participated in three. Our first came in late 2001, as the game was postponed until the final week of that season due to the horrific attacks on the World Tade Center on September 11. Read about my personal experiences regarding trips before and after 9-11 from Atlanta and to the West Coast for a game a few weeks later in my book, Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

In that final game of 2011, Cal avoided a winless season defeating Rutgers, 20-10. In 2007, my 12-year-old son Eric and I saw them defeat Air Force in a thrilling game at the Armed Forces Services Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, 42-36. It was one of four bowl games we attended in Texas in five days. Finally in 2016, I attended a game at Berkeley compliments of a Stanford friend, Karen Croft, who refuses to step foot on her rival’s campus ever. In the Big Game, the No. 12 Cardinal defeated the Golden Bears, 45-31.

We last watched California play in "The Big Game" at home against Stanford in the ???th edition of their rivalry.
We last watched California Golden Bears splay in “The Big Game” at home against Stanford in the 119th edition of their rivalry.

Cross Country challenges from and to Oregon football games

Regarding Oregon State, in September 2002, they came all the way out to Philadelphia to meet Temple at historic Franklin Field, home venue of the University of Pennsylvania. With Juniata friend and former trainer for our football team, Ned Ehrlich, we watched 6′-5″ Beaver QB Derek Anderson and team crush the Owls, 35-3. Anderson went to the NFL for a few years. Ned stayed around the NFL much longer, as a Lawyer. In 2008, I was on my way to see Oregon State at Penn State. While crossing the Delaware River into PA from New Jersey, a bolt in the wheel well of my recently purchased, pre-certified Malibu let loose and locked up my front wheels. With my then 13-year-old son, got towed, gave the dealership “hell” and missed the game. Never had another problem with the car after repairs, thankfully.

Funny thing, with my son Eric once again, another road trip to see a team from Oregon got waylaid by a car problem. With Eric strapped into a back seat at the age of 5, we hopped on to the Jersey Turnpike in November 2000 on our way to see Portland State at Delaware in an 1AA playoff game. After the Ford Escort stalled in a toll booth, we got it pushed off to the side and towed back home for service. UD won the game we missed, 49-14. Hope we don’t run into any car problems on our Oregon Trail this season.

California Golden Bears face mass exodus

Last season, the Golden Bears won six games for the second year in a row. They played their best with Fernando Mendoza at QB. After a season with 3,004 yards and 16 TDs starting the first ten games, he jumped ship for a better opportunity supposedly. We will see him play in another game this season for Indiana. Enter Devin Brown, a QB from an overloaded but talented Ohio State Buckeye QB contingency. He performed primarily as a running QB at Columbus the last two years. The question is, how good will the new players around him be? Certainly, HC Justin Wilcox in his ninth season here starts from scratch to build an offense in 2025.

Since last season, Wilcox’s roster basically fled from Berkeley. Only WR Trond Grizzell returns among the top 12 receivers from a season ago. As for their top ten rushers, none also no longer play for the Bears. Three experienced offensive linemen replace open spots upfront. Several transfers look to step in, but will they mesh in time to play as one unit early this season? In addition, Cal hired Bryan Harsin to take over as OC. Previously, he coached at Boise before getting booted from Auburn as HC. A lot of meshing needs to occur in summer camp to have this offense ready for this game. Last season, the Golden Bears had the Beavers number evidently, as indicated by their 44-7 thrashing at Berkeley.

Bear question marks in secondary

Defensively, eight experienced staters return. Several transfers among them will need to step up. MLB Cade Uluave returns from last season as the second leading tackler with 71 stops. DE Aidan Keanaaina and DT Nate Burrell contributed upfront for the Bears last season. The secondary will be looking for good coordination among transfers from Florida International, James Madison and Montana. Should be interesting to see how well this team full of players who have never worked together before will perform in their first game together.

QB Maalik Murphy, Oregon State – Deja vu

Last year, we witnessed the improvement of Duke football under new HC Many Diaz, his defense, and QB Maalik Murphy – transfer from Texas. We head 2,400 miles west early this year, and once again, Maalik Murphy shows up at QB. With a reputation as a strong-armed quarterback, we never witnessed that in the three wins we watched Murphy perform in last season. He threw for 2,933 yards, 16 TDs and 13 INTs for the Blue Devils. However, his penchant seemed relegated to a very short passing game. “Big arm” to us means one has the arm to go long effectively. We never saw that. Will this change at Oregon State under HC Trent Bray and OC Ryan Gunderson?

They will be depending on Murphy to turn around a passing game. Last season, OSU totaled only seven TD passes and 11 INTs. Should be attainable, but will they show that Murphy has the capability to put up the long ball more often? WRs Trent Walker and Darrius Clemons return as primary targets gaining 901 and 292 yards respectively. Both led the team in TD receptions recording only two each.

Duke QB Maalik Murphy lofts a long pass to set up a third quarter score against Elon last season. We also saw him in wins at middle Tennessee and in Duke's first win over Florida State in 19 years.
Murphy lofts a long pass to set up a third quarter score against Elon last season. We also saw him in wins at middle Tennessee and in Duke’s first win over Florida State in 22 years.

Oregon State seeks defensive strength upfront

The Beavers (5-7 in 2024) welcome back RB Anthnony Hankerson who ran for 1,113 tough yards and 15 scores. Upfront, only C Van Wells returns, and the transfers coming in alongside him possess little experience. Defensively, leading tackler Skyler Thomas returns at SS. LBs Nikko Taylor and Dexter Foster finished third and fifth overall. Some newcomers need to step up. Others transferring in need to make stops before their secondary gets called on to lead in making tackles.

Down to the final minute or the final mistake

Both teams seem to bring back comparable experience in the numbers of returnees and transfers. The defenses will be ahead of the offenses in this game. Both O-Lines undergo major personnel changes, and this determines how the game will be won. Whoever blocks better upfront will have the advantage. However, with experience at the skill positions surrounding Murphy, we see the Beavers possessing the edge at home.

The vocal OSU fans have a solid reputation for filling 35,000-seat Reser Stadium to the hilt. Against a former PAC-12 rival they meet for the 78th time, they seek revenge following last season’s 44-7 loss at Memorial Stadium. Key Golden Bear players from last season moved on during the off-season. Devin Brown and company will have lot of on-the-job-training to figure out how the Bears can work together offensively. Brown will not have the skill sets surrounding him he had at Ohio State. It should be a fun and competitive meeting. However, we expect it to be filled with mistakes by both squads in the opener for both.

In case you didn’t read Oregon vs. Montana State above: Happy Labor Day!

Since we have a full day of football with two games on Saturday followed by a long flight arriving home Sunday evening, our Game Reviews probably won’t hit the web until Monday night. We’ll provide you with our game updates after enjoying your Labor Day parades, BBQ’s and family outings before settling into more college football on TV to finish the nice, long holiday weekend. Great start into football season!

Check out our tales of yesteryear as we start up our 46th season! Unbelievable?

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

Three 2nd half TDs put Western Kentucky past Sam Houston, 41-24

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Bowling Green, KY – After an expectedly shaky opening start, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers totaled 501 yards on offense and overcame a 24-20 deficit in the second half to defeat Sam Houston State, 41-24. Not only did we witness the opener for both, but they collided in their first Conference USA game of the season. WKU QB Maverick McIvor debuted throwing for 401 yards and three TDs. The 25-year-old senior transfer from Abilene Christian also took it in from the four to cap the scoring for the day. His prime target, WR Matthew Henry, grabbed seven strikes for 148 yards and a diving TD to put up the first score. Freshman Marvin Parrish also gained 58 yards through the air and caught a TD. He led Western Kentucky in rushing with 52 yards.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers charge into Houchens Industries - LT Smith Stadium to start up our 46th season of this great adventure!
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers charge into Houchens Industries – LT Smith Stadium to start up our 46th season of this great adventure!

Longo Learning Curve at SHSU

For Sam Houston State, this game marked the first game under new HC Phil Longo. Last season, we attended Oregon at Wisconsin. Longo, then offensive coordinator under Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell, was fired the Monday after the 16-13 Badger loss. As a pass-oriented offensive coach, he looks to convert the run-oriented offense at Sam Houston to his style with players relearning the system. Bearkat QB Hunter Watson finished with mixed results regarding the transition. He completed 19 of 30 for 209 yards and tossed one INT. On the other hand, he ran for 91 yards, 55 of them on a keeper up the middle.

Sluggish but close first half

Western Kentucky drove 87 yards on its second possession. The highlight came on McIvor’s pass to Matthew Henry with a beautiful diving, twisting catch at the right-near pylon. It opened our 2025 scoring at Collegefootballfan.com’s 713th game. The Bearkats got on the board next with RJ Lopez’s 40- yard FG to end the first quarter down, 10-3. Guest Game Analyst Allen Tantum (US Air Force vet of 22 years) noted the Bearkats penchant for trying to run left against the Hilltoppers. But the WKU defense would not yield to that side.

WR Matthew Henry makes diving, twisting catch for first Western Kentucky score.
WR Matthew Henry makes diving, twisting catch for first Western Kentucky score.

SHSU finally found a hole right up the middle on Watson’s 55-yard jaunt. Once past the line of scrimmage, nothing but a wide-open field ahead. Right after that, Western Kentucky pieced together a 75-yard drive. La’Vell Wright took it over from the one. A 23-yard hard-fought reception by WR K.D. Hutchinson put the Toppers there. Later in the second, Western Kentucky got into position for John Cannon to attempt two FGs. He nailed both – the first from 49 and the second from 42. The Hilltoppers seemed in control at the half leading, 20-10. Momentum building for the visiting Bearkats?

Western Kentucky halftime celebrations

Western Kentucky introduced teammates and family members of deceased players from the 1979 national runner-up 1-AA football team. Under HC Jimmy Feix, the Hilltoppers finished 11-2 and tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 6-1 record. In the Camellia Bowl for the 1AA championship, they fell to Northern Michigan, 16-14. The playing field at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium is named in his honor. During his 16-year career in Bowling Green, his teams won 106 games. WKU’s Big Red Marching Band also celebrated its 100th anniversary playing songs of the past from Elvis and others before him in their tribute.

The WKU Dance Team excited about the celebration.
The WKU Dance Team was excited about the opening game celebration.

Bearkats bounce back to start second half

Sam Houston State came out smoking on its first possession to start the second. Alton McCaskill soared downfield for 52 yards to the two. From there, he took it over to get the ‘Kats within seven of the Hilltoppers. Next possession, Western Kentucky’s subsequent drive ended abruptly. A reception but a lost fumble resulted in a scoop-and-score by Bearkat DE Jamair Diaz. He raced 43 yards unchallenged to suddenly put Sam Houston up, 24-20. Seemingly unphased, the veteran WKU quarterback led his team back with an 87-yard drive. In this game, like other in the past, we sometimes wonder why kick returners challenge from deep in the end zone when the can get the ball automatically on the 25.

Sam Houston QB Hunter Watson sails past the WKU defense for 55-yard TD demonstrating his running skills honed in the past under former HC KC Keeler.
Sam Houston QB Hunter Watson sails past the WKU defense for 55-yard TD demonstrating his running skills honed in the past under former HC KC Keeler.

A key pass play from McIvor to Henry again for 37 yards put Western Kentucky at the SHSU nine. On a wheel left pass to KD Hutchinson, the Toppers retook the lead, 27-24. The defense held the Bearkats to punt from their 38 and a start again from their 13. This time, McIvor connected with WR Moussa Barry for 48 yards to the 22. Once again, McIvor finished off a scoring drive with his 22-yard pass to Marvis Parrish to widen the lead, 34-24. The score stood going into the last quarter.

Western Kentucky applies finishing touches

WKU’s Cole Maynard boomed a 71-yard punt to put SHSU back on its four to head into the fourth. The drive did not last long. DB Jaylen Lewis intercepted a Watson pass to put the Toppers at the Sam Houston 19. With 10:17 left to play, at the four McIvor bounced through the middle for the final score of the game. Following two punts and two turnovers on downs by both teams, Sam Houston started to move the football starting from their 33. They drove to the Western Kentucky nine. A sack and a few short gains later, Sam Houston turned the ball over on downs once more. WKU won the opener to seal its first victory and first CUSA win of the season, 41-24.

WR KD Hutchinson catches ball to set up Western Kentucky's second TD of the victory.
WR KD Hutchinson catches ball to set up Western Kentucky’s second TD of the victory.

WEEK 2 coming up next Saturday

Western Kentucky will host FCS Northern Alabama. Sam Houston returns home to take on a good UNLV program. We at Collegefootballfan.com head west to attend our first two games in the state of Oregon. The 1 pm PT start kicks off in Eugene where the Oregon Ducks welcome FCS No. 2 Montana State. In our night cap, we drive over to Corvalis to see the Oregon State Beavers play the California Golden Bears. Looking forward to our trip that will add our 99th and 100th of FBS stadiums to attend. The state of Oregon becomes our 42nd that we’ll visit to see a college football game.

Check out our tales of yesteryear as we start up our 46th season! Unbelievable?

Click on the title of my book about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about. In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a kick out of our great adventure having seen every (well 134) FBS team play over the years! Two newest to be added later this season.

Edited by and photos taken by Steve Koreivo – Member of Football Writers Association of America and Author of Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun and the Ugly.

The Hilltopper cheerleaders had much to cheer about in the home opener. They look forward to more cheer the rest of the season starting with North Alabama next week.
The Hilltopper cheerleaders had much to cheer about in the home opener. They look forward to more cheer the rest of the season starting with North Alabama next week.