United As One

 And so my regular season has come to an end once again with only a glimmer of hope on the horizon for attending a bowl or playoff game this postseason. If this is the end of the road, what better way than to conclude the season by attending the annual Army Navy game in its rightful home of Philadelphia, PA. This was my first time back since 2018 after making seven of the previous nine games. It was not the usual large tailgate run by Ray Carlucci and the Jersey Boys of Cliffside Park. Nonetheless, we made up for those who were missing this year with added enthusiasm, a fighting spirit … and a few extra libations.

DFT Banner once more at Army Navy

Friday night we darkened the doorstep of Moriarty's Irish pub in downtown Philly. They serve wings that are so large they must be from a pterodactyl and are consistently voted best chicken wings in town. On Saturday at 0900 hours, our tailgate consisted of my brother Brian, aka Mr. Struggles, and his wife Lor Scoot along with Lagarius and Michelle Buckley. We had drop-ins from a number of friends throughout the day and linked up with the tailgate right next to ours. The pregame menu consisted of apple cider mimosas, grilled breakfast sandwiches, potatoes and an assortment of foods too healthy for me. The post-game tailgate featured Brian’s signature old bay chicken wings accompanied by a few cold natty bo’s. The weather was sunny and crisp, which is perfect football weather IMHO. 

Clockwise top starting top left: The Buckleys, the brothers Donnelly and the field of battle

Starting clockwise from top left: Buck and Jake Oxendine, Billy Chakwin, Naval Al doing a flag folding ceremony with me and KP Augustine.

Sister in Law Lor Scoot leading us in a toast!

I have written a number of times over the past years about this epic event. And it’s not always about the on-field product of the overachievers on each team. It’s about the pageantry surrounding the game. The cadets and Midshipmen who ”march on” to the stadium, The Navy jets flyover, the Army helicopter flyover, the parachute teams and the overall feeling of patriotism of America united as one! The kids from each academy make this event special as they truly are the best and brightest America has to offer (next to Frostburg State)!

Pre game pageantry

The game went down as a first. Army and Navy battled to a 10-10 tie in regulation with each defense doing its part to prevent the other from any major advancements. This would be the first overtime game in the series history. Caveat: Overtime has only been around since 1996 in college football. Navy did out gain the Army on the ground by a two to one margin, but Army had also completed one pass to none for the Navy. In OT, each team would score on their first play to knot the score at 17. On Navy’s second possession, running back Anton Hall Jr. would unfortunately cough the ball up while attempting to score a touchdown. Army took over and eventually kicked a game winning 39 yard field goal. On another first, the cadets stormed the field to celebrate with their team. The four security guards were outnumbered by 500 to one. While they initially tried to prevent the field rushing, they soon recognized the matter was hopeless. And off to the post game tailgate for us it was.

The previous weekend, I attended the Sun Belt Conference championship where Troy University hosted the Chanticleers from Coastal Carolina university. This was my second time attending a game at Troy in a one month period. The highlight was the Yankee Jambalaya I made and contributed to a communal tailgate. The concoction consisted of chicken, shrimp, spicy sausage, onion, rice and a whole lot of seasoning and flavors. It paired amazingly well with cold yuengling. The game was less interesting than the food. It was a massacre from the onset as Troy brought the energy and Coastal could not find the answer on that dreary, wet, early December day in southern Alabama. Troy captured the Sun Belt Conference ship with a convincing score of 45-26. And in reality, it wasn’t even that close. 

Even the Grinch likes the Troy band!

Around the country - With USC getting upset by a physical Utah squad, the door opened for Ohio State to sneak back into the four-team college football playoff where they will play number one ranked Georgia in the semifinal. On the other side of the bracket, Michigan will face TCU from the Big 12, despite TCU losing their conference championship game to Kansas State. All other bowl games are opportunities for players to showcase their skills for next year or for the pro scouts. Otherwise, there is not a whole lot of meaning these days as so many star players will opt out of the game and coaches will depart for greener pastures.

The Zeisings pre gaming for the MWC championship in Boise.

Bieber - The drunk guy in our row at the Army Navy game who proclaimed the lady sitting in front of him was not pretty enough to sit there. His comments were nearly responded to with severe violence by the lady and her male friends. We helped diffuse the situation and the inebriated one was escorted out of our section — and hopefully the stadium. He may not even remember the game or the tailgate, but he will have his new Bieber hardware to enjoy.

Ginger - Back in September we lost a friend way too young who was a huge part of our past Army Navy weekends. Sincerely one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, Mikey Carlucci went to be with the Lord. His smiling face, keeping his brother in check, helping with the breakfast cooking … He will be sorely missed going forward. Mikey, you were and will always be one helluva great guy. With that, we honor you with this week’s Ginger award along with the silent toast I held for you Saturday

Next up - Most likely my season is over now. I will enjoy watching those meaningless bowl games and the four-team playoff.

Happy Tailgating!

Never Leave Your Brother Behind

This weekend was one of those hallowed football trips I look forward to every year with my brother, Brian, who was there with me 18 years ago when I started my dft cfb quest. Every season, we connect for a weekend of college football at stadiums we have not previously been to. This year, I purchased tickets for the Thursday night Tulane home game and the Saturday Southern Miss home game. Hotels booked, social plans secured, down time activities planned … it turned out it’s that time of the month for my brother, and he had to pull the ripcord on the trip and call an audible at the last second. More on this later, of course.

Tulane University is a private institution that sits in the middle of the city of New Orleans with a student body of about 14,000. Tulane’s Yulman stadium was built on campus almost a decade ago. Before that, the team played its home games in the miserable Superdome for the previous four decades. Yulman can provide seats for 30,000 fans and is a hidden gem of an autumn cathedral. Prior to their years in the Pooperdump, Tulane played their home games in Tulane Stadium on campus, which was also home of the iconic Sugar Bowl game. A little fun fact about Tulane is that they were an original member of the SEC and played in the conference from 1933-1966. They are currently  part of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and are in the midst of a very strong season with an 8-2 record. Famous alumni include Matt Forte, Tommy Mason and Shaun King.

Despite my brother ghosting me, I would not be alone as I was able to meet up with our old friend, “Coach” Travis Carter, who I last tailgated with eight years ago at Louisiana Lafayette. Serendipitously, Brian’s absence turned into my gain as Coach Carter invited me to join their party bus full of 35 beer-guzzling Cajuns. $40 for all the beer, fresh sandwiches and transport to and from the stadium. Travis’s nephews Randy and Robbie were in tow as well, and we all shared tales of our favorite venues and tailgates throughout the busgating event. I was also able to reconnect with Ben Chase at the game who we met over Labor Day at the beginning of his record-setting college football journey. Ben set out to see 70 college football games this year. The Tulane game was #50, and he was the recipient of Brian’s vacated ticket. When we met Ben on Labor Day, he was full of energy, vigor and enthusiasm. I teased him in Tulane that he’d aged 20 years and was a walking zombie at this point. He is closing in on this amazing feat and he will get rich off of this. He too was disappointed in my brother Brian.

Bus gating in Nawlins!

The legendary Coach Travis Carter

The Tulane Green Wave are having an amazing season and came into the contest with a record of 8-2 and a shot at the AAC championship game. Their foe would be the silver spoon trust fund babies from SMU who had a record of 6-4. SMU is led by former Oklahoma QB Tanner Mordecai who has been stellar for the team from Dallas. But first, I must give my nod of approval to the stadium concessionaires as there were beer stands every 10 feet with multiple choices of flavors, drafts and cans. Of course, I was told five years ago by an assistant AD at Tulane, “Dan, this is New Orleans. We serve beer in our churches.” So with that wisdom, I should not have been so surprised. I also had the best stadium hot dogs I can recall. We upgraded our seats and moved from the end zone to the 37 yard line, 10 rows up behind the SMU bench.

 

With Ben Chase on his 50th game of the season.

An uncanny resemblance with coach Carter and his nephews

Tulane jumped out to a commanding 21-0 first quarter lead. It was apparent they were way faster than their Mustang opponents. The Green Wave defense was constantly in Mordecai’s grill, forcing him into multiple turnovers. Each team would add a touchdown in the second quarter for a halftime score of 28-7. The second half saw more Green Wave dominance as they would rack up over 300 yards on the ground for the night. Tulane thoroughly dominated the match and won by a final tally of 59-24. Back to the party bus for the ride home. 

After every score, the fans chanted this 100 year old diddy

Had Brian joined me as he promised, we were going to see Arch Manning’s high school playoff game Friday night (the surprise I mentioned in last week’s write-up) then make the trip to Hattiesburg for the Saturday game at Southern Mississippi. I elected to return to my new home on the redneck riviera as I do not particularly enjoy doing my quest solo.

Around the Country - All top five ranked teams were unexpectedly put to the test . Tennessee would see their chances of crashing the dance go down in flames at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, SC. The Gamecocks were led by another former Oklahoma QB, the cocky Spencer rattler, who threw for six touchdowns on the night. Michigan and TCU needed last-second, heroic field goals to squeak by with their respective wins over Illinois and Baylor to remain unbeaten. The Ohio State nearly lost in College Park, MD, to the feisty Terps, and Georgia would struggle offensively in Lexington against the Wildcats before securing their win. In the battle of LA, the traitorous Lincoln Riley and USC would best Chip Kelly and UCLA in a high-scoring affair. USC remains in the hunt for a berth in the college football playoff if they beat Notre Dame and win the Pac 12 championship game in two weeks. In South Bend in a blizzard, Notre Dame put up four squared to Boston College’s donut hole in the battle of the Catholics. I did win a bottle of wine on that bet for ND covering the point spread. As for the Bedlam game in Norman, Oklahoma’s offense showed up for exactly one quarter and relied on their defense to hold off their little brother from Stillwater with a final score of 28-13. 

Go Irish!

The Olsons pre-gaming at Bedlam.

The Panos suffering through another Northwestern defeat.

Bieber - The aforementioned Brian Donnelly for not timing his cramps properly and bailing on me last minute. If that wasn’t egregious enough, it was reported that on that very night he was to be at the Tulane game, he was seen stuffing his face at a restaurant in Frederick, MD. To add insult to injury, on Saturday when he should have been at the Southern Miss game with me, he was spotted at a division two game at Shepherd College with his enabler Legarius Buckley. After consulting with the DFT chairwoman of the board (my sister Patsy), it was agreed that an unprecedented DOUBLE BIEBER would be awarded to our brother Brian for his unacceptable treasonous actions. Here is Brian after learning of his new major award:

Double Beebs!

Next Up - Either the SEC championship in Atlanta or the Sun Belt Conference championship which will either be in Troy, Alabama, or Mobile at South Alabama on December 3. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy Tailgating!

Thank You For Your Service!!!

The annual weekend with my high school crew took place partially on the white sugar sands of the redneck riviera at the new World DFT Headquarters. This was followed by a trip to Troy University for their battle against Army. Meanwhile, Mrs. Tailgate was teleported back out to Cali so as to not witness the depravity of these shenanigans The fellas rolled into the riviera on Thursday, and as usual, we got home early that evening as we pledged to take it easy … Early as in 2 a.m. That’s early, right? Friday had us diving in the emerald clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico and partaking in some recovery beverages and tucking in by 10 p.m. This set the stage for our main event, which was the tailgate and game at Troy University.

Village Idiots, the white sands of 30A and someone had to shave their head!

After a two hour drive, we arrived in Troy to a balmy 72 degrees and sunshine only to see the temp drop 25 degrees throughout the day with clouds rolling in. Our menu consisted of protein, more protein and even more protein charred up on the grill, chips and beer, and a few other libations. I brought half of my tailgate belongings in the Florida move, and we put them to use throughout our three hour tailgate. Since it was military appreciation day, we were treated to a helicopter squadron flyover and static machinery displays in the tailgate area brought in by Fort Rucker. We blasted music, played cornhole and told tales that just keep getting more incredulous. After a final toast, we broke camp and headed into the game. Our tickets were provided courtesy of Vet Tix, a great organization that provides free tickets to veterans and law enforcement personnel.

Tailgating in Lot 5 at Troy

Troy University resides in the town of Troy, AL, which is in the southeastern part of the state. Troy is a university of over 18,000 students, and they compete in the Sun Belt Conference. Demarcus Ware and Virgil Seay are two of the most famous alumni to play at the next level. The team nickname is the Trojans, and their mascot is, you guessed it, a Trojan.

The stadium was relatively full to start the game with active duty soldiers from Fort Benning and Fort Rucker along with many veterans filling the stands. Fittingly, the stadium is nicknamed the Vet, short for Veterans Memorial Stadium. It was built in 1959 and originally only held 5,000 seats. Today, the beautiful Troy Colosseum holds 30,000 fans who love their team as much as Bama and Auburn fans do in the Yellow Hammer State. The Troy University band, named the Sound of The South, belted out many great songs but were also competing with the piped in music. They more than made up for it with an amazing patriotic halftime performance. We also witnessed history as sixth year Troy senior, Carlton Martial, set an NCAA record by recording his 546th career tackle.

Inside the Vet!

Army, in the midst of a disappointing season, came into the contest with a 3-5 record, while Troy was sitting at 7-2. Army jumped out to a 9-0 first half lead behind a touchdown run by Tyheir Tyler and a field goal. Army’s fortune would change as the Troy defense tightened up and their offense added a field goal. With eight minutes left, Troy would take the lead on a touchdown pass from QB Gunnar Watson to Tez Johnson for a score of 10-9. Each team would trade punts, and then came Army’s chance to earn a victory. However, they would fall short as they missed a 42 yard field goal attempt with time expiring. Off to our choice lodgings in Troy to begin our recovery process.

Around the Country - In the PAC 12, both UCLA and Oregon dimmed the chances of their conference getting in the CFP by both suffering their second losses of the season. This leaves only USC with an outside chance of crashing the dance. In the Big 12, TCU continues its Cinderella story, knocking off Texas to improve to a record of 10-0. All went as expected in the Big Ten with Michigan and Ohio State continuing on their collision course in two weeks, both winning and preserving their undefeated seasons. Down South in the SEC, Alabama left the Grove in Oxford with a close win, and Georgia and LSU both won, solidifying their collective grip on the SEC championship game. In the ACC, both Clemson and North Carolina improved to 9-1 creating a path to meet in the ACC championship with the winner perhaps getting in the playoff. Since it was Veterans Day on Friday and Military Appreciation Day on Saturday, let’s see how our other academies performed. The Midshipmen from Annapolis put up a courageous fight but were ultimately sunk by the Fighting Irish from South Bend. Air Force bombarded the Lobos from Breaking Bad land 38-3. 

Brady's Navy pregaming for Notre Dame- Navy game

 

 

The Colonel and his chicken

Condolences - To the three UVA football players who were murdered by a former UVA player over the weekend. This is a tragic loss of life and we do not know the reason as to why this happened. Please pray for their families.

Bieber - ESPN Gameday is this week's honoree. I still have no idea why they picked the University of Texas. Yes, TCU is worthy this year, but they were not the home team. Other than the shellacking the Horns gave the Sooners earlier this year, they have had a most forgettable season. Shame! There were many other worthy venues to promote, but you were lazy and picked Austin again. Maybe you can place the Bieber trophy on the desk where Lee Corso should be until his return. Honorable mention for the people in Reno who were afraid of a little weather — and a really bad home team — and bailed on the Boise beat down of their boys. 

Ginger - Coach Jim Mora of UCONN. UCONN has been the laughing stock of the FBS for over a decade now. There has even been talk of the program being jettisoned. They consistently were referred to as UCANT and found themselves in the ESPN bottom ten each week. Now in his first season as the man at the helm, Mora just secured the Huskies’ sixth win of the season with an upset over Liberty University. This makes them bowl eligible which is an incredible feat. Hats off to Mora for pulling this relic of a program out of the depths of despair and bringing respectability to Storrs, Connecticut. You, sir, are a badass.

Next Up - A double banger with my brother Brian for games at Tulane on Thursday and Southern Miss on Saturday. We might even pull off a surprise third game on Friday. Stay tuned.

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Happy Tailgating!