Week 12 - Cupcake Saturday

The Causeway Classic

The Causeway Classic has been played 64 consecutive years between UC Davis and Sacramento State in the FCS, D1 AA level of college football. The genesis of the name is due to a causeway that connects the town of Davis to the city of Sacramento, thus the name of this rivalry.  Davis holds a large lead in the series 45-19, however it is the type of rivalry that brings out all the spirit and festiveness one would expect in college football from two teams within the same area code. This year’s rendition would be played at Hornet Stadium on the campus of Sacramento State. Hornet Stadium was constructed in 1969 and has a seating capacity of 21,000. With the track around the playing surface, it gives the appearance of a large high school stadium. I was joined by one of the Dons of Danville, Dave Quilici for the 90 mile trek up the road. We enjoyed another postcard perfect California Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 PM kickoff and a 12:00 expedited tailgate. 

The atmosphere outside the stadium during the two hour block allocated for sanctioned tailgating was vibrant and spirited. The home green and yellow and the away blue and gold tents lined the parking lots outside of Hornet Stadium. A live band belted out tunes. Meats were grilled and spirits swilled.  Despite the limited time and ample rules on tailgating (I thought of giving the Sac State Administration the Bieber for their politburo like tailgate rules, see Link:  http://hornetsports.com/sports/fball/tailgate ). We did the literal “tailgate thing “ by lowering the tailgate on my F150 and putting a cooler of refreshments and a bag of pretzels on it. We were joined by one of #2’s old friends who is a student at Sac State and tolerated us seasoned vets. As far as chow goes, we waited to hit the food trucks inside the stadium where we had mac n cheese and bacon slider burgers.

UC Davis is now coached by former Boise State and Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins. Davis has climbed back into respectability under his guidance. They have several notable alumni including former Jets QB Kenny O’Brien, Bo Eason and current UW coach Chris Petersen. Sac State is also experiencing one of their strongest seasons in years. Notable Alumni for the Hornets include Joh Gesek who played in two Super Bowls and current 49er McLeod Bethel -Thompson. This year’s victor would have an outside shot at an invitation to the FCS playoffs (it turns out they did not get the invite).

Sights and sounds of The Causeway Classic

The game was one of the most exciting matches I attended all year. The first half belonged to Sac State behind the arm and feet of UNLV transfer QB Kevin Thomson. Thomson’s precision passing and ability to run were reminiscent of Baker Mayfield, sans the crotch grabbing. The Hornets inspired by their largest crowd of the year, raced out to a 17-7 first quarter lead. In addition to Thomson’s contributions, the Hornet run game was stout as three backs shared the load and were equally successful. By halftime, Sac State held a 38-14 advantage. Speaking of halftime, we were treated to performances by both bands with UC Davis doing a tribute to Led Zeppelin. Their clarinet player killed it! The UC Davis Aggies started clawing their way back into the game by winning the third quarter and narrowing the gap to 52 -34. The Davis pass and run game was in full force as the momentum clearly shifted in their favor. In the fourth quarter, the Aggies would score two more touchdowns to pull within 5 points. Star wide receiver Keelan Doss would lead the way with 13 catches for 173 yards. With less than 2 minutes remaining and possession of the ball, the Aggies had a chance to take the lead. However, it was not to be as the Hornet Defense made a critical stop on fourth down and held on for a 52-47 win and the (916) bragging rights.

Around the country – while many of the power five conference schools scheduled guarantee games or faced lesser opponents, there were several games of note that took place: College Gameday found itself back in Mad Town as the Badgers hosted the Meechigan Wolverines. The Badgers remain perfect on the season defeating the Wolverines 24 -10 under the guidance of their outstanding coach Paul Chryst. Notre Dame squeaked by Navy in rainy/windy South Bend 24-17. The biggest upset of the day took place in Stillwater as “Ancient Bill” Snyder and the K-State Catz knocked off the OK State Cow Pokes. Virginia gave Miami everything they could handle for all but the last few minutes of the game as the Canes pulled away and won at Hard Rock. In The Rivalry, Lehigh topped Lafayette and in the process won the Patriot League in the FCS. Yale beat Harvard in The Game and won the outright Ivy League crown for the first time since 1980. Columbia finished their finest season in decades by beating Cornell and finishing 8-2. Out west in The Big Game Stanford prevailed over Cal to keep their Pac 12 North title hopes alive. In the most colorful game to watch on TV, Sam Darnold and the USC Trojans scored more points than Josh “Cutler” Rosen  and UCLA resulting in the firing of Coach Jim Mora.  Oh, and I would be remiss without mentioning that my Frostburg State Bobcats dismantled Wittenberg 35-7 in the first round of the Division 3 playoffs. Next week they play Washington & Jefferson. 

 

Navy fans at Penn. Mooch Byom and gang in Mad Town.

Joltin Joe Rogers in Knoxville. The Ingrams in Bloomington.

#2 and friends at Camp Randall. Frostburg pride!

The Desimones and friends at The Big Game.

Bieber – Tennessee State Criminal Justice Major Latrelle Lee may get an opportunity to use his future degree sooner as opposed to later. During the middle of the Tigers game versus SEMU last week, apparently Lee was agitated that the “get back coach”, TJ Greenstone told him to move away from the sideline as he was too close to the playing field. Lee opted not to comply with the command and proceeded to punch Coach Greenstone twice in the head knocking him down. Greenstone did not fight back, although he looks like he could have if Lee was not a student. So, for Mister Lee’s actions he gets the triple whammy: 1. Kicked off the team 2. Kicked out of school. 3. Faces potential felony charges. However, wait for it…….he does get to brag to his future cell mates that he has a new trophy in the image of a troubled pop star from Canada. 

Next Week – We will be celebrating Mrs. Tailgates 29^th birthday at none other than a college football game at San Diego State as the Aztecs take on the New Mexico Lobos! I have not forgotten the kneeling Biebers from UNM as promised earlier this season.

Happy Tailgating & Happy Thanksgiving!