Prime Time Rise n Shine!

We coming!

 The DFT Express returned to Boulder for my sixth game at CU. The occasion this time was Dad’s Weekend for #3’s sorority. Friday night was low key, but I finally had the famous fried chicken dinner at The Post in Boulder. With a 10 a.m. Mountain Time kickoff, this meant an early start for our pregame festivities. #3 and her roomies at “The Chateau” threw an epic pregame breakfast tailgate consisting of bottomless mimosas and my patented eggolini breakfast concoction. Mother Nature provided us with a chamber of commerce day: blue skies, temps in the 70s, and the spectacular Flatirons as our backdrop.

The gang at "The Chateau" for an early morning tailgate.

After our early morning tailgate, we made the trek over to beautiful Folsom Field on campus. A new vibe was in the air in Boulder, courtesy of Coach Prime and the excitement he has brought to the Rocky Mountains. Prior to kickoff, we were treated to an air-force flyover and Ralphie the buffalo running the field. The stadium was packed for the Buffs’ matchup against #7 USC and their sleaze ball coach Lincoln Riley. There were a decent number of Trojan fans in the house; however, they were overshadowed by the Buff faithful all wearing white for a daytime whiteout. Each team had a number of celebrities on their respective sidelines amping up the intensity of the game.

In the first half, USC Heisman trophy winner and QB1 Caleb Williams owned the Buffs’ D and had his way by throwing for four touchdowns. The Buffs were without their star two-way player Travis Hunter once again as well as starting safety Shilo Sanders. Williams made sure to exploit the holes their absences left. Colorado seemed to be a step behind but showed more life than they did the week before when they got throttled by the Oregon Ducks. This gave the home team fans some hope that the game was not out of reach yet. The two teams headed into the locker room for a halftime break with USC up 34-14.

For the halftime show, we were treated by the CU band as they performed hits from many of the big concerts that have been played at Folsom Field over the last 50 years. Ralphie of course ran again to commence the second half. 

In the second half, the Buffs made a miraculous comeback led by their QB1 Shedeur Sanders. In fact, Shedeur led the Buffs to four touchdown drives and 27 second half points with 1:43 seconds left on the clock. Aside from  half the students leaving in the third quarter, the buzz in the stadium increased with each Colorado possession. The game came down to an onside kick attempt by Colorado that was recovered easily by USC. With no timeouts to stop the clock, USC simply snapped the ball and took a knee three times to end the game. Final score USC 48, Colorado 41. Caleb WIliams threw for 403 yards and six touchdowns, and his opposite Shedeur Sanders threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns. Apparently there were over thirty NFL scouts on site to watch these two future NFLers. NostraDANus did predict a one score game, so please hit me up before your next draft king's bet.

Beautiful Folsom Field with my beautiful #3!

After departing the stadium, we made the half mile trek back to the Chateau for drinking games on the front lawn the rest of the afternoon. 

Post game festivities

Around the country: Both Oklahoma and Texas each tuned up for next week by dispatching their opponents with ease. Ole Miss won in a shootout with LSU by a score of 55-49 in Oxford. Notre Dame recaptured their magic by beating Duke on a game-winning touchdown with less than a minute on the clock. Maryland improved to 5-0 by beating Indiana handily behind little Tua. And our current “Group of Five” darling Fresno State improved their record to 5-0 by defeating the Wolfpack from Nevada. 

#2, Squatch and friends enjoying another Sooner beat down.

Bieber: This week’s Bieber goes to Louisiana Tech’s Brevin Randle for one of the dirtiest actions seen on the field this century. Randle, a defensive player for LT, was captured on video shoving an injured UTEP lineman into the ground as the lineman was laying on his stomach. Well that wasn’t very nice, but what he did next was far outside the lines of competition. Randle stood up and then stomped down on the defensive player's head leaving him in agonizing pain. Unbelievably, the referees did not see this as there was no penalty called. However, it did not go unnoticed as Randle has now been suspended from the team — hopefully for good. Randle may not have shoulder pads and cleats to strap on any time soon, but he can take pride in owning his first Bieber.

Classless act

Ginger: This week’s winner is Notre Dame QB1 Sam Hartman. After Hartman led his Irish to a stunning drive late in the fourth quarter to give his team the lead, Duke had another chance as there were still 31 seconds left on the game clock. Duke’s QB Riley Leonard, who carried the Blue Devils to two second half touchdowns, was badly injured on the second play of the drive and turned the ball over to seal the game for Notre Dame. Leonard was helped off the field into the injury tent on the sideline. During the postgame on-field interviews, Hartman was filmed waiting outside the injury tent for several minutes to check on his opponent. Leonard finally came out on crutches and Hartman was seen walking up to him and giving him the bro hug before trotting off the field. I have liked this kid since I first saw him as a 17-year-old high school star on Netflix’s QB1 series. This act of true sportsmanship just made me like and respect him even more. For this Slinging Sammy, you win this weekend’s Ginger award for being such a badass.

Classy act

Next up: Off to UC Davis as they take on the Montana Grizzlies. 

Happy Tailgating!

Couch Potato Saturday

 After attending six games throughout the first four weeks of the season, the DFT Board of Directors insisted I take the weekend off from attending a college game in person. This measure was taken so I can roar into October firing on all cylinders for several monumental weekends. Well, I mostly complied as I did not attend a college game — but they made no mention of not attending high school football. We did get to experience some Friday night lights in our new Cali hood of Lincoln where we watched the mighty Twelve Bridges Raging Rhinos demolish the team from Bear River 41-7. The intent was to expose the grandsons to football. They did not make it through the first quarter as bedtime competed with the outing, but they had a blast until the sleepies kicked in.

Friday Night Lights!

On the couch Saturday: My lineup was simple. First up, I watched Oklahoma’s defense welcome Cincinnati to the Big 12 with a masterful performance. The offense left much to be desired. OU won the contest by a score of 20-6. Second on the slate was the disaster in Eugene, Oregon, as Coach Prime and the Buffs came crashing back to earth after being throttled by the Ducks 42-6. Maybe Deion, having an aversion to Ducks now, won’t want to do any more AFLAC commercials? Last on the primary ledger was the marquee matchup between Notre Dame and Ohio State. Not only did Notre Dame lose in the final seconds to Ohio State 17-14, but they also lost to one of the most classless coaches in the history of the game. (More on that nut job later.) 

Elsewhere, Florida State ended up scalping the tigers of Clemson in Death Valley. Some of Dabo’s play calling is being questioned now. Bama rebounded with a strong performance against Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss in T-Town. Coach Saban will definitely continue with AFLAC commercials! And Penn State absolutely white washed Iowa in the white out game in Happy Valley 31-0. On the backyard blackstone we cooked a bevy of teriyaki chicken, grilled pineapples, corn on the cob and, of course, ice cold lagers and a little red vino.

The Buckley tailgate at the rain out/white out game

Bieber: This week, the Bieber goes to none other than the aforementioned classless coach of Ohio State, Ryan Day. Apparently, earlier in the week, 86-year-old geriatric Lou Holtz made some comment about Ohio State not being the same Ohio State of years past and said that they are not physical enough. After squeaking out a victory against the Irish, Day was interviewed on the field by an NBC reporter. He proceeded to go on a rant targeting Lou Holtz for almost a minute about how tough his team is while yelling into the microphone with his voice cracking and spittle flying. Uhh …. uhhh Coach Day, Lou Holtz left Notre Dame nearly 30 years ago. I bet you feel real tough now going after a man 40+ years older than you who was making an observation that most of the country believes too. After you take a chill pill, get a grip on your new Bieber hardware and relish in the fact that you are a Bieberite for life.

Ginger: Matt Gaynard is a 34-year-old first year kicker for the UVA Cavaliers. But it’s not just his age that is important. Sixteen years ago he tried out for UVA as an undergrad and did not make the team. The interesting part is that he never played football in high school — he was a soccer player. After graduation from UVA, he went on to fly helicopters in the Marines for 10 years. After leaving the Corps, he went back to UVA for grad school and received a waiver to try out for the football team. This time he made the squad and now actually starts for them on the kickoff team, booming kicks to the opposition. For your perseverance, service to your country and your advanced age as a college football player, you are truly a badass and have earned your first Ginger award!

Next up: Heading to Boulder, CO, for Dad’s weekend to watch Coach Prime take on Coach Slime from USC. 10 a.m. kickoff will have us getting after it early!

Happy Tailgating!

Magnolia Magic

 This past Saturday I made the three and a half hour trek from the Redneck Riviera to Southern Mississippi University (SoMo) in Hattiesburg, MS. I was joined by my brother Brian who flew in from Baltimore and his Maryland cohort Lagarius Buckley. A few facts about the school: The SoMo student population is just under 12,000. The football team plays in the Sun Belt Conference, and its most famous alumni is none other than Brett Favre. The Golden Eagle home games are played on campus at M.M. Roberts Stadium which seats 36,000 football hungry fans.

After an afternoon and evening of hitting the beach and bars of 30A on Friday, we jumped in the F150 for our journey to Southern Mississippi. This marked my 105th D1A home stadium and pregame that I’ve attended.* The Hattiesburg weather was mostly sunny and in the 90s with that patented late Mississippi summer humidity. Upon our arrival on campus, we looked for grassy areas with all the tents but did not initially see any (we found them at game time). 

Planting the flag in the Hat

 We set up our gate under a big shade tree in a grassy area with only one other tent close by. Regardless, the three of us engaged in our typical shenanigans. We grilled up a menu similar to that of my FAU and Miami tailgates from two weeks ago: bacon and cheddar-infused short rib burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, brownies and, of course, ample ice cold Yuengling. We scored three online tickets for $12 each by playing the waiting game and made our way down to the beautiful M.M. Roberts Stadium for the main event. The stadium has seen several renovations over the past fifteen years. The south end zone is on par with any power five stadium with beautiful suites and shaded box seats. The north end zone has their new football facilities in a detached building. 

The opponent on the day was the Tulane Green Wave who had an amazing season last year capped off by a Cotton Bowl win over USC. However, they were without their “All World” QB1 Michael Pratt missed his second straight game due to a leg injury. The absence of Pratt gave the SoMo Golden Eagles some hope they could keep up with the Green Wave. 

Tulane jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on their first drive. From that point on, it became a defensive battle between the two squads with neither team adding any more points in the first half. At halftime we were treated to a spectacular performance by the Southern Miss marching band. They were also joined by the Tulane band and the alumni band for several songs. The three bands combined totaled over 700 members. We made friends in our section and learned a bit about the program, its history and what it means to the local community. By the second half, the student section sitting in the sun started to diminish in numbers. But those of us in the shade stuck around. Tulane added two more touchdowns in the third set and Southern Miss got three on a field goal. Final score: Tulane 21, Southern Miss 3. 

Breathtaking M.M. Roberts stadium.

Around the country: In the most hyped game of the weekend, which lived up to its billing, Colorado bested Colorado State in double overtime in Boulder in a very chippy contest. My #3 braved the packed crowd and stuck it out to the bitter end. The Washington Huskies obliterated the Michigan State Spartans who are in disarray based on this week’s Bieber news. In the SEC, we saw the once invincible Alabama Crimson Tide struggle with the University of South Florida. Staying in the state of Florida, the Gators upset the Tennessee Vold in Gainesville, and Florida State escaped Chestnut Hill in Boston with a two point win over BC. In a battle out on the plains, Mizzou squeaked out a W over the Kansas State Wildcats in Columbia, MO. North Carolina, behind Everyone’s All American Drake Maye, hunted down the Gophers in a solid non-conference win. 

Bieber: Mel Tucker, disgraced head coach of the Michigan State Spartans. With the recent disgusting scandal of Dr. Nassar at this prestigious institution, one would think they need to be on their best behavior. Overpaid and overrated head coach Mel Tucker failed to get that message as he is being charged with sexually harrssing a former rape victim in a manner so grotesque I cannot print it. Tucker has been placed on leave, but really, he needs to leave for good and leave now. MSU completely overpaid him a few years back after one good season. Hopefully they can recoup that amount and find a less, shall we say, “hands on” coach. Well Mel, you can put your hands on your new Bieber hardware as a consolation prize.

Ginger: Shout out to my buddy “Joe”, diehard Duquesne fan and alumni. It wasn’t until just recently that I learned Joe has been battling major illnesses for almost four years. Joe, being a very private and stoic person, kept this information to himself until recently when we had a text exchange. Joe and I coached girls basketball against each other for a number of years, and we share the same passion for college sports. From the DFT Nation — get well soon, Joe, and let’s get you back to a tailgate!

Next Up: I will be taking next weekend off to practice the art of couch gating at our Cali house. We are planning on taking the two grandsons to a high school game on Friday night. I will make my paternal return to Boulder on 9/30 for Dad’s Weekend when Coach Prime faces Coach Slime and the USC Trojans.

Happy Tailgating!

The sweat continues

My return to Tallahassee. Chief Osceola and the marching band doing a Disney tribute to Aladin

 Since I made a return trip to Tallahassee for the Florida State game this past Saturday, I will not be writing a full article this week. Instead, I am providing a link to the latest edition of Tailgater Magazine where I wrote an article on neutral site rivalry games and was interviewed for another article. The two articles start on pages 42 and 50. Here is the link:

https://cloud.3dissue.com/96043/96462/113567/TailgaterFall2023/index.html?page=44

Around the country: Texas shocked Bama in T-Town with a convincing win. Coach Prime and the Buffs ruled Matt Rhule and the Huskers in Boulder. (ESPN Gameday will be there next weekend.) The Utes snatched a victory in Waco over Baylor in a tight contest. The Hurricanes blew by the Texas A&M Aggies in Miami. The Ducks quacked up a win in Lubbock against Texas Tech and Ole Miss knocked off Tulane in Nawlins.

The Pig Bus tailgaters and movie star Luke Lorick at Baylor

BC superfan Patsy Doherty and her doppleganger!

#3 and her bestie pre game in Boulder

Drubacara & Stanky Reinke and the Polynesian bruddahs at SJSU gate

Tailgate Connect: Remember to check out my company Tailgate Connect® at www.tailgateconnect.com. If you are in need of an all inclusive, hassle-free tailgating experience at a football game this season, we have you covered. Tailgate Connect® now offers 40 college tailgates and 23 NFL tailgates for you to choose from.

Next up: I will be attending the Tulane/Southern Miss game in Hattiesburg, MS, this coming Saturday with my brother Brian and Lagarius Buckley. 

Happy Tailgating!

Move over Idalia

 

The sunshine state!

What has now become a tradition for the last 10 years, I was once again joined by my college friend known as Tubby for a trifecta Labor Day weekend. We were also joined throughout the weekend by another college friend, Sparky Pomeroy, and our buddies the Butcher and Ouzie. When planning a three day weekend for football games in September, it’s probably best not to do it in a state known for high humidity and heat this time of the year. That said, after all the sweating throughout the weekend, I am proud to announce that I too can now wear skinny jeans. The weekend commenced 24 hours after hurricane Idalia packed a heavy punch through north Florida.

Our first stop was Orlando to watch the University of Central Florida take on the Golden Flashes of Kent state. UCF is the newest member of the Big 12 and one of the largest schools in the country with 68,000 of students. The stadium is known as the bounce house because the fans like to bounce up and down and make the place rock. We were treated to an amazing halftime performance by the marching band who did a tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire. We also saw the SpaceX launch during the second half of the game. 

The game itself was mostly a one-sided affair, dominated by the golden knights of UCF. Although Kent State showed some grit in the first half, by the second half the superior talent, speed and conditioning of the golden knights was very apparent. Kent State players appeared to be running in quicksand against the much faster UCF squad. UCF won by a commanding score of 56-6.

Game one, let us not forget that UCF was the self proclaimed national champions in 2017. Bottom right is the spaceX launch we saw.

On Friday, we linked up with the aforementioned Sparky and Ouzie for the University of Miami versus Miami of Ohio battle in Miami, FL. After throwing up our tailgate tent, tables, grills, music and beer pong tables, we grilled some beer brats and hotdogs, accompanied by amazing sides and desserts. A good portion of the tailgate was spent standing under the tent as the heavens opened up on us and dumped a large quantity of H2O onto the area. We were treated to some thunder and lightning, and the game was delayed for 30 minutes.

Hunkering down under the tent during the storm. Winners of the Tailgate Connect drawing, and a sparsely attended Hurricanes home game.

The University of Miami is a member of the ACC and plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium, which is 15 miles away from campus and also serves as the home field for the Miami Dolphins. While it’s a perfect NFL stadium, it’s the antithesis of perfection for a college atmosphere. Miami of Florida was clearly the better team throughout the night in the very cavernous stadium. It’s hard to tell whether they’ve improved or we’re just playing lesser competition. Final score of this match was Miami, FL 38, Miami, OH 3.

Game three on Saturday placed us in the picturesque town of Boca Raton, Florida, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University. It was a beautiful afternoon for a tailgate. We grilled burgers infused with blue cheese and bacon followed by two pans of chicken wings, totaling 100 in all. The Tailgate Connect tent was going full force with a special drawing and lots of interest from fellow tailgaters. An ample number of Yuenglings were consumed without any effect due to the sweat factor. 

FAU plays on Schnellenberger field at FAU stadium. Built in 2011, the on-campus venue seats 30,000 fans. The opponent on the day was Monmouth from New Jersey who plays at the FCS level. FAU was known for its Cinderella story this past year when they reached the final four in basketball. In the past they have been coached by Howard Schnellenberger and Lane Kiffin. The current coach is former Texas head honcho Tom “put your hands in your pits” Herman. FAU QB Casey Thompson also played for Herman at Texas. The game turned out to be the third blowout of the weekend we witnessed. FAU prevailed in the contest with a tally of 42 to Monmouth’s 20. We finished off a great weekend with a visit to a cigar bar complemented by a nice glass of neat whiskey. Then it was a nine hour drive back to my crib in NW Florida on Sunday morning. But prior to my departure on Sunday, I toured the Lynn University (formerly Marymount) campus where my two oldest siblings matriculated from many decades ago.

My doppleganger the Owl, portable beer pong getting another workout and the cozy FAU Stadium.

The victory cigars!

Around the country: Coach Prime in Colorado shocked the world by knocking off TCU in Fort Worth. Brian Kelly and his family got scalped by the Seminoles in Mickie world. Penn State took a bite out of the mountaineers in Happy Valley. Are the Sooners back as they put up 73 points against Butch “Sergeant Carter” Jones and the Arkansas State pigskin squad?  The soon to be PAC 12 or now known as the Tupac go 12 and 0 for the first time ever on opening weekend. In the battle for the Carolinas, the north beat the south in Charlotte. On Monday night the nation witnessed the unthinkable: Duke not only beat Clemson but absolutely destroyed them. Isn’t Duke supposed to be just a basketball school? The Gators were eaten alive by the Utes on Thursday in SLC.

Ryan Lufkin and the Utah Pig Bus crew grilling up some gator!

The Kernans at the Hampden Sydney opener.

Bieber:- Although LSU coach Brian Kelly should be in contention this week for stating that they were going to beat the crap out of Florida State, he is not the winner. This week’s Bieber is a collective. It is anyone — specifically sports commentators, but also college football fans — who after one week declares somebody is a Heisman candidate. I get so nauseated at hearing so-and-so (who had one great game during the week) is all of a sudden a front runner for the Heisman. Settle down folks, it’s a long season and one game does not make a person a legend. Let the season play out and see if that person that played so great in week one plays great for the next 12 weeks. Then you can pop off all you want about who is a contender or front runner for the Heisman. Until then, all you got is this Bieber award, which you can treasure for the rest of your life!

Ginger: My #3 for flying into the lion’s den of Fort Worth to root on her beloved CU Buffaloes against TCU. The abuse she must have braved by jilted Horn Frog fans must have been unbearable as she stood tall in the saddle (actually she is only 5’2) with great pride.  Way to be a badass, little one.I will see you in three weeks for Dad’s Weekend. Get those beer funnels warmed up for me.

Next up: There is a very strong possibility I will drive over to Tallahassee for Florida State’s Saturday night game against Southern Mississippi.

Happy Tailgating!

Where in the world is Jacksonville State?

Welcome back to another season of indulging me in my quest to go to a game and pregame celebration at all division 1A schools! My apologies for not doing my traditional preseason primer — life has been very busy and I failed in delivering one. That being said, we already kicked off the tailgating season at Jacksonville State this past Saturday for zero week action. Jacksonville State has been a very successful program playing at the division 1AA level for many years. This is their first season jumping up to division 1A, joining the Conference USA. Given that their name is Jacksonville State, I’d always assumed the school was located in Jacksonville, FL. Much to my surprise, when I looked at the school website, I found out it is located in Jacksonville, AL! It’s a good thing my Magellan skills kicked in, and I figured this out in advance of making the trek.

In addition to moving up to the highest level of competition, Jax State is coached by Rich Rodriguez (Rich Rod), former head coach of WVU, Michigan and Arizona. The mascot is Cocky the Gamecock and their slogan is “fear the beak.” I can relate given the shape of my nose. The picturesque campus sits in NE Alabama with a beautiful mountain backdrop. The school has approximately 11,000 future taxpayers enrolled in studies. The football team plays their games in Burgess Snow Field, JSU stadium, which was originally built in 1947 and has seats for 24,000 fans. The stadium is in the midst of a substantial renovation to make it better suited for the big time. 

This past weekend, the Gamecocks hosted the Miners from UTEP on what turned out to be the hottest game I’ve ever attended with temps on the field hitting 130 degrees. I accomplished a first by consuming more water than beer on the day as the sweat was pouring off me like Victoria Falls.

Mrs. Tailgate and I were joined by my high school buddies Dr. Alabama Al Rector and Tony Pifer and their wives Tracey and Edna. We set up an excellent tailgate under the trees in the general tailgating lot to get a little extra shade. The menu consisted of pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wings, potato salad, deviled eggs, tomato/mozzarella/basil skewers and many other snacks. We broke out my brand new RYOBI bucket top mister to cool things down, blared tailgate tunes, told embarrassing stories to the wives and even played beer pong on my new portable game stand. The Gamecock player walk from the bus to the stadium went right past our tailgate tent and was led by a section of their famed marching band known as the Southerners. As we were breaking down our tailgate, we were introduced to a Jax State super fan named Murray who was escaping his official duties with his wife’s soiree. He told us many historical facts about the campus and program and even gave us three free tickets to the game.

Fear the beak! The Taikgate couple and my cool new toy in action!

clockwise from the left - Cocky, beer pong, our TG Queen of the day and part of our amazing chow.

Ladies & sweaty men

Once in the stadium, all the fans sat on the south side, while the students and band were located in the east end zone. The north side was under construction with the bleachers already stripped out. Thanks to the extreme temperature and humidity, we continued to down water as fast as we could get it. The Gamecocks drew first blood with a field goal in Q1 and added a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. The Miners were able to punch one in right before the half to close the gap to three points. In the third quarter, the Gamecocks ran another score in from the seven yard line. The Miners would make it interesting in the fourth quarter by putting another seven on the board with a 32 yard pass play. But the Gamecocks would ultimately hold onto the lead and walk away with a 17-14 win in their inaugural game at the D1A level. More impressive than the game itself was the 500+ member Southerners marching band. They put on a halftime performance that rivaled any SEC or Big Ten marching band.

Inside the sweatbox -   a stadium being transformed

Around the globe: Notre Dame would sink the Navy in Dublin, Ireland, 42-3 in the marquee match of the day. Meanwhile, the Trojans dominated the Spartans in a Roman battle in the LA coliseum. San Diego State nudged Ohio University, and Vandy got the best of Hawaii.

Bieber: The winner is the soon to be former PAC 12 for disintegrating before our eyes over the past two months. How could this happen to one of the most storied conferences in collegiate athletics? First, we saw USC and UCLA announce after last season they would bolt for the Big Ten. UW and Oregon followed suit earlier this summer with Colorado, Utah and the two Arizona schools bolting for the Big 12. Stanford and Cal are in discussions with the ACC, which only leaves WSU and Oregon State to fend for themselves. Let’s take into consideration that this move is for all sports, not just football. This makes zero sense for kids in non-revenue sports spending a chunk of their school year traveling coast to coast for events and games watched by a handful of parents and family. The state of college sports is rapidly becoming unrecognizable. And for this, the PAC 12 will at least retain the coveted Bieber hardware.

Ginger: This award goes to our tailgate crew this past Saturday for being brave enough to tailgate and sit through an entire game in outlandish weather conditions. 

Next up: My annual Labor Day trifecta with co-pilot

 Tubby and several other buddies. Thursday we’ll be in Orlando for the UCF home opener against Kent State. Friday you will find us in Miami for the battle of Miamis. And Saturday for the finale, we will be in Boca Raton for FAU’s opener when they face Monmouth.

Happy Tailgating!

Short N Sweet

My typical evening view on 30 A for my nightly beach walk

The 2022 season, for all its epic moments, had one of the most unceremonious conclusions to any season that I can recall in my time on this planet earth. Ten days after two amazing semifinal games that saw Georgia and TCU advance to the cotillion ball of college football, the proverbial turd in the punch bowl was served up. Georgia absolutely annihilated a TCU team that simply did not look like they wanted to be there, by a score of 65-7. Georgia is now competing with Alabama as the “it” team of college football after winning back-to-back natties.

My college football travels this season were the lightest in thirteen years (other than the 2020 covid season). I only attended 10 games, six of which were first-time campus venues for me and one new neutral site venue for the Florida-Georgia game. When I started this quest in 2004 to attend all D1A stadiums, there were only 117 of them. God willing, I had hoped to hit that number next year. However, the goalposts continue to be moved back by the NCAA as two more teams have been added for next season, bringing the new total to 134 D1A schools. Between the added teams and my penchant for repeating fun schools and visiting lower division teams, this has become one long, extended journey. If all goes to plan,  Most likely I will finish my climb in November of 2025 at the University of Hawaii with a massive Lua tailgate. You are all invited, of course!

Next fall, the goal is to hit at least 15 first-time venues, several repeats and a bowl game or two. I am also tentatively planning on attending the Notre Dame vs. Navy game in Dublin, Ireland. If that happens, I may join the ranks of a very select group of people who have seen a regular season college football game on three continents (Australia in 2016). Other candidates for next season include Miami, FAU, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Monroe, Southern Miss, UAB, East Carolina, Appalachian State, UTEP, New Mexico State, Georgia State, EMU and WMU. Once all conference schedules are released, I’ll officially put out a tentative DFT schedule.

End of year Bieber - TCU for failing to get off the bus and play the game at SoFi Stadium for the Natty. No doubt UGA had better talent and should have won the game. However, when you are playing against better competition, you have to bring a higher energy level than your opponent and not make your odds worse with countless mental errors. I think mirrors should have been put under the noses of the TCU team and coaching staff to see if they were still breathing and alive during the game. Everyone loves a great underdog story, but unfortunately this one did not play out like a Disney theatrical. No Natty hardware for the Horned Frogs, but a nice Bieber statue will reside within the ring of honor in Fort Worth.

Ginger - To my daughter Erin for being such a professional proofreader and copywriter for me the past few seasons. I can always count on her to make suggestions for the jumbled thoughts I put on paper that make my recaps infinitely better. She has been an amazing addition to team DFT, and I am grateful for her stellar work. I will buy her an ice cream to show my gratitude!

Next up - Seven months of other hobbies and going back and forth between the Cali and Florida DFT Headquarters. Have a great off season and see y'all in the fall.

Happ Tailgating!

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!