For the second time this season, I made my way down to "The Gulag" at San Jose State. The Spartans were hosting one of my beloved teams in my polygamy of fandom: the Boise State Broncos. Boise State is led by All-American and Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty, who currently leads the nation in rushing yards.
Joining me for our pregame soiree were several of the Dons of Danville, a DruBaca sighting along with part of his Dru Crew, and we were even graced by an appearance by the Yeti in the tailgate lot.
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| When you lose a bet to an Eagles Fan, Yeti and Crazy George and the classy pre game parking lot soiree attendees. |
For the first time in perhaps forever, the newly redesigned Spartan Stadium (aka The Gulag) was sold out. However, in their infinite wisdom during the redesign, they reduced seating by about 13,000, leaving the total capacity at just 21,000. In fact, the price of the ticket was 3 x higher than I have ever paid at a SJSU game.
Despite Boise State being favored by 14 points, San Jose State came out of the locker room ready to play. It was evident this team spends a lot of time perfecting their tackling. For the first half, they effectively bottled up All-American Ashton Jeanty and went toe-to-toe offensively with Boise State. San Jose State’s own All-American, Nick Nash, who leads the nation in receiving yards, put on quite a show with some acrobatic catches.
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| Jeanty takes a handoff, the harvest moon over San Jose and the Gulag on display. |
Through almost three quarters, the teams traded blows until Jeanty broke free for a 36-yard touchdown, giving Boise State the lead for good. The game remained competitive until Boise stopped San Jose State on a critical fourth down, preventing them from cutting the lead to seven. Boise finished the game with a pick-six for a final score of 42-21. Jeanty finished with 159 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Nash had nine grabs and a touchdown.
Around the Country
In the SEC, down in the Swamp, the Florida Gators handed LSU an upset defeat, eliminating LSU’s playoff hopes. In Athens, Georgia, the Dawgs held off the Tennessee Volunteers 31-17 in the ABC Game of the Week.
In Big 12 action, a mediocre Kansas squad upset previously undefeated BYU 17-13 bringing more chaos to the playoff picture. A surging Colorado Buffaloes team forcibly dismantled a free-falling Utah squad at Folsom Field, 49-24 (say that five times fast).
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| #3 and her wing girl taking in their last home Buffaloes game. |
In the Big Ten, No. 1 Oregon squeaked past lowly Wisconsin 16-13. Meanwhile, in ACC action, Louisville traveled to The Farm at Stanford and left with their red tails between their talons, losing to the Cardinal 38-35. A couple of boneheaded defensive plays by Louisville gifted Stanford the upset.
In FCS play, No. 2 Montana State edged out No. 4 UC Davis 30-28 in a thriller.
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| The Donnelly Boys at Navy Tailgate |
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| Members of the SJSU 1990 Raisin Bowl Champions |
Bieber Award
This week’s Bieber goes to yet another "I'm taking my ball and going home" quitter. At the start of the season, Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos was on fire, playing exceptionally well. Over the past month and a half, however, a mix of injuries and subpar play led to him being benched two games ago. When informed he’d no longer be the starter, he promptly quit the team and entered the mythical transfer portal.
Boston College superfans were so thrilled to see him go that they threw a celebration party for his backup, now the new starter. It’s another example of this generation expecting the world on a silver platter. When adversity strikes, what will they do? In Castellanos’ case, the answer is clear: celebrate with his new Bieber hardware!
Ginger Award
This week’s Ginger Award recipient shall remain nameless to preserve HIPAA medical privacy laws. Let’s just say one of our crew was on a hospital gurney in the ER less than 18 hours before the tailgate. When he heard we were going to tailgate and go to the Boise State/San Jose State game, akin to a European soccer flopper, he made a miraculous recovery, joined our group, and even took charge. He picked up the chow, drove the bus, and bought the tickets (OK, we reimbursed him, but it makes for a better story). Here’s to you, unnamed tailgate bro!
Next Up
I’m headed back to the Palace on the Prairie in Norman, Oklahoma, to watch the Sooners take on the mighty Crimson Tide from Alabama.
Happy tailgating!
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