Starz n Stripes!

 This past Saturday, I arranged for and attended the annual Army–Navy Game tailgate with around 75 of my fellow Frostburg State alumni in Baltimore, MD. We were a party within a much larger tailgate of more than 1,000 people put on by the wildly popular TailGOAT, owned by Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. In addition to the amazing food and open bar, entertainment was provided by country music star Chase Rice.

Our crew definitely got their money’s worth with the libations, chow, and entertainment. More importantly, it was an incredible mix of people from different chapters of my college life—some I’ve known for decades, some I’ve just met—along with many spouses and friends. That’s what these weekends are really about.

Instead of going into the game this year, we opted for a watch party at the legendary Pickles Pub. I’ve been inside the stadium for about ten Army–Navy games over the past 15 years, so I didn’t mind pivoting. The celebrations continued, including a “Chug for Charity” showdown between my fraternity, KZX, and our closest ally fraternity, DPO. KZX took the victory, and DPO was tasked with making a $100 donation to a veterans charity of our choice—Sentinels of Freedom.

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The Game

As is customary every year, it’s the pageantry surrounding the game that makes Army–Navy so special. Parachute teams from both branches, flyovers, the walk-on of the Cadets and Midshipmen, and the coin toss with the Commander-in-Chief all combine to create something uniquely American. Not to mention the teams singing their alma matters, win or lose after the match.

The game itself—what most of America saw—was a tight contest, Army played far better than expected. With Army leading 16–10 midway through the fourth quarter, Navy star QB Blake Horvath tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Eli Heidenreich. With the PAT good, Navy took a 17–16 lead and held on over the final six minutes for the victory.

As I say every year: while these two teams battle fiercely on the field, they will be brothers in arms come spring when the seniors graduate and move on to their respective military assignments. These two schools embody the very best that America has to offer when it comes to the true meaning of a collegiate athlete—especially considering the added responsibility of daily military duty throughout their four years on campus.

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Around the Country

In the FCS quarterfinals, Montana and Montana State defeated their respective opponents and will meet once again next Saturday in the semifinals for Round Two of the “Brawl of the Wild.” Illinois State continues to roll and will play at Villanova, who also advanced with a win. Winners of those two games will meet in the FCS Championship on 1/5/26 In Nashville.

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Heisman

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the first Hoosier to secure the coveted Heisman Trophy. Runner-ups were Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin.

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Bieber

By now, if you’re a college football fan, you’ve heard about the downfall of former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, who was fired for cause early last week. What initially surfaced as an inappropriate relationship with a younger staffer spiraled into an increasingly bizarre and troubling story.

It was documented that Moore got the staffer pregnant, encouraged her to have an abortion, and allegedly increased her pay afterward. Following his termination, he went on what can only be described as a psychotic-fueled journey—first threatening to kill himself at his wife’s house, then traveling to his mistress’s home and threatening her. He was ultimately tracked down by police and arrested.

This is less a “Bieber Award” moment and more a deeply sad episode, but it still needs to be documented given the sheer number of missteps. A young coach with known temptation issues should never place himself in a situation like this. The cover-up was worse than the crime, and the alleged misuse of university funds only compounded matters. Reports indicate others within the organization may have known and did nothing, leading to the termination of the athletic director as well.

Michigan now has a mess to clean up and must find a coach with a squeaky-clean reputation to restore credibility. But since national championships don’t appear to be in their immediate future, we’ll be shipping them a life-size statue of Justin Bieber instead.

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Ginger

The seniors on both the Army and Navy teams who will begin serving our country this May deserve the spotlight. I highlight these young warriors every year because their commitment is meaningful beyond football. Many will serve in dangerous parts of the world, and some will make the ultimate sacrifice.

In an era dominated by entitled NIL-hopping players who believe they are God’s gift to the game, let’s remember who truly matters. These young men and women will be playing the game of life for at least the next five years—and for many, an entire career. We salute you.

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Next Up

Rest and relaxation over the next couple of weeks with the entire extended Tailgate family under one roof for Christmas. I have been on a four month gauntlet and need to recharge a bit. Depending on how Oklahoma finishes, that will determine my next stop back out on the tailgate road.

Happy Tailgating!

Life In A Northern Town

The state of North Dakota has been on my bucket list for a long time for several reasons. First, I’ve been enamored with the North Dakota State Bison football program—they’ve utterly dominated the FCS level for the past 14 years, winning ten national championships in that span. Second, despite all my travels, North Dakota was one of only two states where I had never spent any real time. (Airports and drive-throughs don’t count!)

This past weekend, I finally checked both items off the list. And I’ll admit it: I also kind of dig the movie Fargo with Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy.

I was joined by my old Army buddy, Colonel John “Bourbon Boy” Holter. We scouted out downtown Broadway on Friday night to get a good recon of the locals we’d be amongst on game day. We even connected with the ESPN crew calling Saturday’s game for a beer.

Charles "Buck" Arbuckle and his ESPN Crew having a beer with me and the Colonel.

With Saturday morning temperatures below zero and a noon kickoff, we were up early and at a very hearty tailgate by 9:30 a.m. We joined the famous Herd Attack Tailgate, one of the original Tailgate Connect partners, and their partner tailgate the Silent Z, Tim Hagar, Moonshine Mandy, Bear, Pyle the Marine and Andy the unofficial Mayor of Fargo were just a few of the characters who took great care of us and ensured we had an amazing time. They have a tricked out ambulance as the centerpiece of their set up,

With the Arctic chill, the tents were fully flapped, heated, and sitting at a toasty 75 degrees inside. Shots of all kinds of concoctions were served on a communion tray—with crackers in the middle—so naturally we had to indulge in this religious experience. Great stories were shared on how this group came together and some of their epic tales.

The Herd Attack and Silent Z tailgate crews

The Frozen Tundra, we come bearing gifts and the Silent Z crew

Inside the FargoDome

Once inside the FargoDome, the elements were no longer a threat. The Mighty Bison faced Illinois State in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Bison were favored by 22.5 points, and because of that, many fans didn’t bother showing up—the Dome was maybe 65% full.

On their opening drive, NDSU connected on an unreal 78-yard touchdown pass. I turned to the Colonel and said, “Sheez, I hope this isn’t going to be a blowout.”

Well… I got more than I bargained for.

Illinois State ended up statistically dominating the game on offense, and defensively shutting down the Bison after that opening drive. What kept things close was that the Redbirds QB threw five interceptions, two of which resulted in Bison touchdowns. Redbird star wide receiver, Daniel Sobkowics, scored three touchdowns—I even met his dad Sunday morning at the airport and discussed the game.

With NDSU ahead 28–21 and one minute left, Illinois State scored. In the gutsiest move since Maverick wowed Viper, they went for two and the win. They converted, took a 29–28 lead, and held on—stunning Bison Nation.

Illinois State now moves on to face UC Davis in the next round.

The venerable Fargo Dome, the final statistics and the Redbirds celebrating their biggest victory in school history

Conveniently, after the game we crossed the street and posted up at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the SEC Championship and the rest of the action around the country.

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Around the Country

ACC Championship

Duke shocked the conference and beat Virginia in OT 27-20, knocking the Cavs out of playoff contention. With five losses, Duke did not qualify for the playoff.

SEC Championship

Georgia physically dominated Alabama in the Mercedes-Benz Dome, winning 28–7, getting revenge for the loss they suffered early in the season in Athens,.

Big 12 Championship

Texas Tech went full “Guns Up” and blasted BYU 34–7 proving they are one of the best teams in the country.

Big Ten Championship

Curt Cignetti just wins—Google it. Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes found this out firsthand as Indiana knocked off the No. 1 team in the country, 13–10, in a bruising contest.

American Athletic Conference Championship

Tulane topped North Texas, securing the Group of Five playoff spot.

Sun Belt Championship

James Madison defeated Troy on Friday night and secured their spot in the 12-team playoff.

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College Football Playoff – First Round (Dec. 19–20)

• Alabama at Oklahoma
  
  

• Miami at Texas A&M
  
  

• Tulane at Ole Miss
  
  

• James Madison at Oregon

First round Byes - Indiana, UGA, Texas Tech and Ohio State

Bieber Award – Penn State Coaching Search

Penn State fired James Franklin back in October, just one season after he took the Nittany Lions to the Final Four of the College Football Playoff. You’d think they had a replacement lined up. If they did, it didn’t go well.

While other big programs were locking up top candidates, Penn State stalled. National Signing Day arrived and they still had no head coach. They ranked 150th in recruiting—behind 14 FCS programs, for crying out loud.

It became a full-blown soap opera as the Penn State faithful demanded to know what the administration was doing.

Ultimately, they lucked into Matt Campbell from Iowa State, who has done an excellent job during his decade in Ames. It’s safe to say he was not their top choice—the very public rejection by BYU’s Kalani Sitake said enough.

So now in Happy Valley, PA, we can hear the chant "We Are!" Bieeeeeeberrr!

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Ginger Award

Easy one. I give it to myself for being crazy enough to come to Fargo in the winter with temps below zero for a football game. I humbly accept this honor for such an act of bravery, courage and stupidity!

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Next Up

I’ll be heading back to Baltimore for the annual Army–Navy weekend festivities, joined by 75–100 of my closest Frostburg State friends. We’ll be pregaming at the famous TailGoat tailgate at the Horseshoe Casino parking garage.

You can join us here:
https://www.tailgateconnect.com/army-navy-tailgate

Happy Tailgating!