Dawgs bite harder than gators!

 This past weekend was my annual boys’ trip with my high school crew from Seneca Valley in Germantown, Maryland. We chose “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party'' in Jacksonville, Florida, as our excuse to reconvene. Of course, this is the neutral site location of the annual matchup between the universities of Florida and Georgia. There were seven of us coming in from different parts of the country. We rented a spectacular house in Ponte Vedra situated right on the beach. The same coming of age stories were retold all weekend, only more legendary than the last time they were spun. Ample beers, whiskeys, and cigars were enjoyed on the deck overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. And massive gourmet meals were cooked up by accomplished chef Brian, one of our crew members. 

As for game day itself, through a myriad of miscues and missteps, we found ourselves not going into the stadium after taking in several hours of the pregame atmosphere in the surrounding area. Yes, this is Bieber-worthy on paper, but there are mitigating circumstances that were in play here. Instead, we loaded up and headed back to Chubby’s sports bar in Ponte Vedra and watched several key matchups on TV. Georgia thoroughly dominated the action from the mid-first quarter on, scoring at will and holding Florida’s offense in check. Final score Georgia 43, Florida 20.

The Magnifcant Seven rides again!

Around the country: It pains me to write these words, but my beloved Sooners lost in a stunner in Lawrence, Kansas, to a much improved Jayhawk team. Rock Chalk Jayhawk, I suppose. Oregon thoroughly dominated Utah in the best contest of the day in the soon to be defunct PAC 12. In ACC action, Louisville skunked Duke 23-0 and kept its playoff hopes alive. Since Michigan didn’t play, no cheating was discovered in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Northwestern quietly won its fourth game of the season, knocking off Maryland. Air Force remains perfect by besting Colorado State in the snow in Fort Collins. In FCS action, South Dakota State demolished South Dakota, further solidifying their top ranking in the FCS.

The Bolt/Munding clan braving it in Lawrence, KS.

 Disillusioned USC fan Major Rodrick adopting Baylor as his go to team

Bieber: If you haven’t heard the name Connor Stalions by now, you are probably living under a rock. The aforementioned Mr. Stalions is the member of the University of Michigan coaching staff that is at the center of the cheating scandal that has rocked the college football world. I will summarize the narcissist's actions here: Apparently, he was attending the games of future opponents and sitting across from the coaches to learn their play calling signals. In turn, these signals were used on game day against those opponents by the Michigan coaching staff, with Coach Harbaugh possibly being implicated. The analytics purportedly show that the Michigan defense is much stingier against teams they had signals for versus those they didn’t, or the teams that were onto their shenanigans. Furthermore, in Stewie Griffin/Ted Kazinski fashion, Stalions wrote a 600 page manifesto on how he would one day run Michigan football. He had been planning this since the age of 15 and he is now 28 years old, so let’s just say he has been playing the long game. Mr. Stalions has been suspended for the time being and will probably be dismissed; however, he will always have his newfound Bieber hardware!

Ginger: Third-year Holy Cross quarterback Joe Pesansky got his first start Saturday after waiting patiently the past two and half seasons for his shot. He did not disappoint as he led the Crusaders to a 49-47 victory over Patriot League foe Fordham. Young Pesansky absolutely lit it up with 337 yards in the air and three touchdowns. Proud grandpa Mitch Chaney sent the stat line as he is a loyal DFTer. Way to go, Joe, and enjoy your Ginger “badass” award for absolutely tearing it up in your first career start.

Crusader QB1 Pesansky celebrating the win!

Next up: Off Saturday morning to the University of Alabama Birmingham for their game against FAU, followed by a night game in Tuscaloosa between Alabama and LSU.

Happy Tailgating!

R&R

 This past weekend was all about rest & recovery before the approaching storm of six straight weekends with a game and tailgate. I was also able to recapture part of that lost bronzing I acquired over the summer with shirtless walks on the beach while scaring the hell out of sunbathers. Well, it is almost Halloween, right? A good chunk of the weekend I was able to work the remote in our Florida bungalow, and I am happy to report it still functions to perfection. We also spent part of the day watching CFB at Boshamps Oyster House in Destin.

Catching SEC action at Boshamps

Around the country: Penn State at Ohio State turned out to be a very ugly offensive affair as neither team looked particularly adept on that side of the ball. Ohio State and Cryan Ryan Day scored a 20-12 victory. Alabama was able to enjoy those victory cigars by completely outplaying Tennessee in the second half after forgetting to show up in the first. Final tally, Bama 34, Rocky Top 20. Duke played Florida State close until late in the third quarter when Florida State started overpowering the scrappy Blue Devils. Duke’s starting QB Riley Leonard played for the first time after his ankle injury he suffered against Notre Dame a month ago. Unfortunately he re-injured that same ankle in the third quarter. The Noles earned a 38-20 win. Utah owned USC, once again beating them in the Coliseum 34-32. Oklahoma fans do not miss Benedict Riley or crying Caleb one bit. Speaking of Oklahoma, they narrowly escaped an upset at the hands of UCF by scoring 31 to their 29. Texas also avoided an upset by winning 31-24 over Houston. However, Texas QB1 Quinn Ewers suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him off the field for a few weeks. The Washington Huskies and star QB Michael Penix were lucky to get the W over lowly Arizona State. If not for a pick six thrown by the Sun Devils’ QB late in the game, UW might be a one-loss team now. How about those Wahoos from Virginia knocking off Drake Maye and previously unbeaten North Carolina? In celebration, UVA sportswriter Whitey White was seen leading the crowd streaking through the quad. Air Force remains perfect on their season by sinking Navy 17-6 in Annapolis. 

Brady's Navy Tailgate

Stan Fitzwater making his first appearance on DFT supporting WVU

Jamie Newton rocking the Penn State pants in Columbus

Tori Santa Maria Geauxing strong at Death Valley

Bieber: This week’s award goes to perennial Bieberite, ESPN. This time it’s for sending ESPN Gameday to cover “The” Ohio State for the 59th time since its inception. This is not an exaggeration, it is a fact. 24 of those visits have been in Columbus and the other 35 on the road. The next most visited school is Alabama. Outside of the state of Ohio, most people don’t give a sloth’s fecal cake about the Buckeyes. In fact, most college football fans despise them and think the majority of their fans are some of the most obnoxious, cocky creatures you will encounter. We, the college football fans, want to see a new school every week, and there isn’t anything you can say or show about Ohio State that is remotely interesting. We are also sick of your love affair with Cryan Ryan Day. Just because Herbie was a QB back in the day there (and not even a very good one) does not mean you have to keep appeasing him every year with a trip home. My advice: Take the Bieber hardware and go visit other schools we have not seen yet. 

Last week’s Bieber vote winner:Was Mrs.Tailgate for her “expensive taste in tickets”. I apologize for the technical issues in the vote setup. We will do better next time.

Ginger: We have co-winners this week. #1 LSU for painting their end zones in camo to honor their opponent, Army. #2 Oklahoma coaches for wearing pink in honor of breast cancer awareness, which is near and dear to my heart.

Next up: I am heading back to Jacksonville for the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” at the Florida-Georgia game with my high school crew. If you receive a call in the middle of the night for bail, please answer it!

Happy Tailgating!

The Collapse in Colorado

 

Perhaps it was the effect of the solar eclipse this weekend, but I believe I witnessed two of the biggest collapses in all my time of going to college football games. Mrs. Tailgate and #1 daughter joined me on another trip to Boulder for #3’s Family Weekend. Game time for the Buffs was 8:20 p.m. on Friday night against the lowly Stanford Cardinal. Pregaming took place at the Chateau featuring street tacos and libations prior to wandering to a myriad of other parties. 

Pregaming on the Hill in Boulder and some game action.

The game — or the Colorado collapse or Deion’s debacle or the failure on the Flatirons as we now know it — is quite simple: The Buffs stormed out to a 29-0 halftime lead. Most people thought the game was over. Many left the stadium and viewers across the country flipped their TVs off. When they awoke on Saturday morning, they saw that Stanford came back and won 46-43 in double OT. How did this happen, you ask? Stanford made a few simple halftime adjustments and Colorado never countered them. Deion and his staff were out coached. 

On Saturday, I ventured up to Fort Collins to watch the Boise State Broncos take on the home team Colorado State in a Mountain West Conference matchup. The last time I went to a CSU game was 19 years ago at the genesis of my DFT quest at the old Hughes Stadium. It was game three of a three-game weekend with my brother when I decided I wanted to go to a home game at every Division 1A stadium. And 19 years later, I made my return. But this time to their new on-campus stadium, Canvas Stadium. For pregame activities I was joined by Luke Lorick and Dave The Viking. We successfully moochgated at the alumni tailgate and dined on a nice BBQ dinner. The stadium is a beautiful 36,000 seat facility built in 2017 with great views of the mountains to the northwest. The house was packed and full of excitement for this homecoming matchup. CSU had never beaten Boise State. 

CSU with Duff Man and the Viking

Much like Colorado the night before, Boise jumped out to a commanding 17-0 halftime lead. With a little over four minutes remaining in the ball game, Boise was on top 30-10. Then their collapse began as CSU scored two quick touchdowns to narrow the gap to six points. On CSU’s final possession, QB1 Brayden Nicolosi heaved a 33-yard hail Mary that was batted down only to be caught by wide receiver Dallin Holker before the ball hit the ground to tie the game. CSU converted the extra point to seal the win, and those who were left in the stadium stormed the field.

Around the country: In the game of the week, we witnessed another coaching blunder by cocky Coach Dan Lanning of Oregon. With a narrow lead and less than two minutes to go, Lanning decided to go for it on fourth down instead of punting the ball and pinning their opponent, the Washington Huskies, deep in their own territory. The play failed, UW got the ball back and scored the game-winning touchdown for a 36-33 victory. The fighting Irish exposed all the holes in the veneer that is the Lincoln Riley-led USC football program with a resounding 48-20 drubbing. Down in Knoxville, TN, the Vols sailed away with a 20-13 win over the Texas A&M Aggies. In ACC action, one week after knocking off the Fighting Irish, Louisville had a meltdown losing to the underdog Pitt Panthers by a score of 38-31. In Big Ten action, Sparty appeared to be righting their ship by racing out to a 24-6 lead over Rutgers by the end of the third quarter. It appears as though they forgot to show up for the final set as Rutgers ran off 21 straight points and a 27-24 win. In Stillwater, Okie State came from behind to top Kansas 39-32. Perhaps the new Group of Five darling is James Madison as they improved to 6-0 by pounding Georgia Southern 41-13. Too bad they are not yet eligible for a post-season bowl game.

Dusty Johnson & Big Orange Tailgate in Knoxville. Dan Lusk and his Vol Navy College Football Club

South Dakota Coyotes Homecoming Bus, The Duncans at UW and two felons at the JMU game.

Bieber: You get to vote this week as the candidates are: Deion for the Buffs’ collapse, Coach Dan Lanning for poor decision-making in the Oregon loss, Boise State Coach Andy Avalos for squandering a 20-point lead late in the fourth quarter, and last but not least, my beloved Mrs. Tailgate for paying $482 for her ticket when mine was only $100 and a better seat.

Click below to vote:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfO2Gq5pFfe6aKe2CBSM3EN6e6_jXbfeiwMnQxgHkRwpWq5pw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Ginger: Ginger has taken this week off.

Next week: Beach time back in Florida on the white, sugary sands of 30A. In two weeks, I will return to Jacksonville for the Florida - Georgia rivalry game.

Happy tailgating!

Ground Control

 Best laid plans don’t always come to fruition. As such, my planned outing to the Montana at UC Davis game did not happen due to unforeseen circumstances.  Devastated as I was, I took solace on my couch with the remote and a days worth of games to watch.

Around the country: This year's Red River Shootout was perhaps one of the best ever out of the 119 meetings in this storied rivalry. Both teams came in undefeated and ranked. The Sooners were embarrassed last year in this rivalry game by losing 49-0. With revenge on their minds and a much improved team, the Sooners punched hard early and often. Texas was equal to the task and punched back throughout the game as momentum seemed to shift constantly. In the end, the Sooners led by QB Dillon Gabriel mounted a game-winning drive to seal a 34-30 victory. Elsewhere, Miami dropped from the ranks of the undefeated at the hands of Georgia Tech on a last-second touchdown. (More on this outcome later.) If anyone was doubting whether UGA should still be top dog, those doubts were laid to rest as the Dawgs destroyed the previously undefeated Cats from Kentucky with a final tally of 51-13. Out west in the LA Coliseum, Caleb Superman Williams led USC to a triple OT victory over the University of Arizona. In the Big Ten, Michigan improved to 6-0, sinking PJ Fleck and his Gopher boat. In “Group of Five” action, last week’s darling Fresno State went down in defeat at the hands of the Cowboys from Laramie, Wyoming, 24-19. 

Clockwise from Top Left - The Bolt Boyz at Red River, Colonel Holter and his crew at Iowa, Captain Dan Lusk winning the tailgate at Minnesota and a Yeti sighting in Boise

Bieber: As promised, here’s more on that Georgia Tech victory. Miami had possession of the ball and was leading the game 20-17 with just over 30 seconds left on the clock. All they had to do was take a knee, run the clock out and go celebrate like 99.999% of teams typically do. But Miami head ball coach Mario “Two Hands” Cristobal misplaced his thinking cap and decided to run the ball instead of taking a knee and running the clock out. Mr. Murphy reared his ugly head and created a fumble, which Georgia Tech recovered. They would throw the ball twice down field and score on the second one on a blown coverage by the Miami defensive backfield, securing the upset victory. Coach Cristobal, next time look into your crystal ball so you can better predict your future before you do something so Bieberish! For now, your shiny Bieber hardware will have to do.

Ginger: The Hawkeye Wave. I have mentioned this one before, but it is always worth drawing attention to this tradition. I was reminded of it again yesterday when my buddy attended the Purdue at Iowa game and sent me a picture of the fans waving to the children in the hospital windows next to the stadium. I had the honor of being at the first Hawkeye Wave ever that was performed on Labor Day weekend, 2017. I remember getting a chill up my spine at how touching this gesture was and what it must mean to the kids. Many of these kids are fighting battles against very severe illnesses, and something like this goes a long way in improving their spirits. The children’s hospital rises from the east like a phoenix above Kinnick Stadium on the campus of the University of Iowa. At the end of the first quarter, all the kids and their families gather at the windows of the hospital. The 70,000 fans in the stadium all stand and wave in unison to the kids. This truly is one of the most moving experiences you will ever have at a college football game. It goes without saying that this is beyond badass and worthy of multiple Ginger awards!

The Hawkeye Wave!

Next up: Heading back to Boulder for Family Weekend and a Friday night matchup in the now winter temps of the Rocky Mountains. This is only two weeks after I was playing drinking games outside in my dad shorts. There is a possibility I will also head up to Fort Collins for Colorado State’s Saturday night game against the Boise State Broncos.

Happy Tailgating!

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!