Week 7 Recap - Games of the Year

As often happens in my weekend plans, I had to call a few audibles. The original plan was to attend James Madison University’s Thursday night game against Coastal Carolina, complete with some tailgating. Saturday was supposed to take me to the University of Pittsburgh for their game against Cal. However, fate had other plans. My train from New York to Maryland broke down for three hours, so by the time I arrived at my brother's house in Maryland, we barely made it to the JMU game right after kickoff. I’ll get to the game in a moment. Then, on Friday, I came down with a bug, which forced me to cancel my Pittsburgh trip and instead opt for a low-key Division III game near my brother’s house on Saturday.

The last time I visited James Madison University was during my freshman year of college when we played them in rugby. I don’t remember much about that game, but I do recall one of my high school buddies offering up his dorm room for me and a teammate to crash in. Let’s just say it was a mistake—his room was likely condemned after that weekend. Fast forward to today: walking into the stadium, we were blown away by the scene. The stands were nearly full, and it was a white-out. The student section was electric, and ESPN was there to broadcast the game live.

James Madison recently elevated its program from D1AA to D1A and is a member of the Sun Belt Conference. They have done remarkably well at the hihest level of college football and have already built a winning tradition. Unfortunately, the game wasn’t much of a contest. JMU dominated from the start, with their offense running like a well-oiled machine and capitalizing on Coastal’s mistakes. By halftime, JMU was up 29-7.

Festive Bridgeforth Stadium at James Madison University

After a spirited halftime show from JMU’s massive marching band, the students began streaming out of the stadium. By the end of the third quarter, only about 10% of the student section remained. JMU tacked on 10 more points in the second half, while Coastal remained scoreless. Final score: 39-7, in favor of the Dukes.

On Saturday, we attended Division 3 McDaniel College’s game against Muhlenberg College in Westminster, Maryland. McDaniel boasts one of the most unique tailgating setups in the country despite being a small school with only 3,000 students. As you’ll see in the photos, cars pull right up to the field—nestled in a natural bowl—and fans tailgate while watching the game from their cars and tents. They’ve been featured in multiple publications as one of the top 25 tailgates in the country. It was a picturesque early fall afternoon in Maryland with blue skies. However, the campus must’ve been on fall break because there were no students, no band, and no cheerleaders. The game itself was free to attend.

The unique game day experience at McDaniel College with my brothers and nephew.

For me, the highlights of the game were that Muhlenberg had a player named Tommy Donnelly (same as my nephew) and their 6'5" receiver, who dominated the game and looked like he could easily play for a Division I team. Muhlenberg cruised to a 31-7 victory.

Around the Country
In what many are calling the best day of football this season, epic battles played out across the nation. Penn State took on USC in the LA Coliseum in a rematch of the 2017 Rose Bowl, and once again, it was a thriller. The game ended in regulation with a score of 30-30, sending it into overtime. USC faltered in OT, failing to convert, while Penn State nailed a field goal to win 33-30. Lincoln Riley was, as usual, a bit edgy in the post-game presser.

The South Carolina Gamecocks nearly pulled off a monumental upset, falling to Alabama by just two points in Tuscaloosa. In the ABC Game of the Week, Oregon edged Ohio State 32-31. Ohio State QB Will Howard had a massive blunder by running out the clock instead of downing the ball for a field goal attempt. Meanwhile, in Boulder, Deion’s Buffs made a valiant comeback but still lost by three points to Kansas State, 31-28.

In one of the most exciting games of the season, LSU defeated Ole Miss 29-26 in double overtime. Florida also pushed their rival Tennessee to overtime, but ultimately fell 23-17. Illinois needed overtime to beat a struggling Purdue squad, 50-49, in a barn burner.In the game I was supposed to attend, Pitt edged Cal 17-15 to remain unbeaten on the season. In the Group of Five, Army continued its unbeaten streak, moving to 6-0 by demolishing UAB. For the first time in what feels like forever, both Army and Navy are ranked in the Top 25, each undefeated. And in FCS action, rogue reporter DruBaca reports that his alma mater, Cal Poly, is awful and that their coach needs to be fired.

UNR Tailgaters before the big win over Oregon State

Bieber Award
This week’s Bieber could’ve easily gone to my brother Brian for two offenses: first, forgetting to tell us that his wife had packed us a “tailgate in a cooler” with all kinds of goodies until we were already on our way home from the game on Thursday night. And second, offering to cook me breakfast on Sunday but not extending the offer to his wife, who was sitting right next to me. However, since Brian already won a Bieber earlier this year, I’ll let him off the hook. Instead, this week’s Bieber goes to Kirby Smart, the UGA coach with one of the worst haircuts in the country and an extremely punchable face. During Georgia’s closer-than-expected game against Mississippi State, Smart was caught on camera shoving the Mississippi State quarterback after he ran out of bounds. Was it a mistake? Some will say he was not aware of his actions. I say no way. I’ve watched the video a dozen times—it was egregious. He should face repercussions for assaulting a minor. As someone on my Mount Rushmore of most hated coaches, it gives me great pleasure to award him this week’s infamous Bieber Award.

Ginger Award
Nothing “badass” jumps out this week, so the Ginger gets put back in the cupboard.

Next Week
I’m taking a long-overdue weekend off to hang with my family at the West Coast headquarters. In two weeks, I will be back in Boulder for my final family weekend not only for CU, but my last one as a parent forever.

Happy Tailgating!

Week 6 Recap: Upset Saturday

Did I Stay or Did I Go Now?

 As I mentioned last week, I was considering taking a break to get some rest and recovery this weekend. By Friday morning, however, I was itching to attend another game. So, I made the decision not to go to Gainesville but to head to Tallahassee to watch Clemson take on Florida State. In past years, this might have been billed as the ACC matchup of the year, as both teams have enjoyed long periods of success (with a few off years for FSU). This season, Clemson had one loss but was improving, while Florida State was struggling. I was joined by one of my college roommates, Skinny Gallagher, and his lovely wife, who live in Tallahassee.

We popped in and out of several tailgates, spending the most time at the DFNS tailgate, where we enjoyed Guthrie’s chicken tenders and cold Yuengling beer. What’s that? How much did I pay for my ticket to the game? $0, once again. I play the waiting game, and usually, good things happen. 

Tailgating and the Doak

Once inside the stadium (my third time at Doak Campbell), I noticed significant construction underway. The upper half of the west side of the stadium was devoid of seats due to ongoing renovations, part of a massive transformation that’s set to be completed before next season. The fans were fired up, and the Tomahawk Chop and chant were in full force. Chief Osceola threw the spear into the middle of the field before kickoff to a thunderous roar. As for the action on the field, the game was never in doubt. Clemson jumped out to an early lead and maintained control throughout all four quarters, despite Florida State’s attempts to narrow the gap. In my humble opinion, Clemson is good this year, but not one of their best teams (though they do it right, according to my friend Jack). Meanwhile, Florida State just isn’t very good. Although the game didn’t bring the same excitement I had witnessed at previous weekends’ matchups, I give FSU fans props for sticking with their team and staying for most of the game, even when it was clear they wouldn’t come away with the win. Clemson took the W behind an improved QB1, Cade Klubnik, and a stingy defense, with a final score of 29-13. 

Action inside the Doak

Upsets Around the Country Let’s start with the action in Bryan-College Station, Texas. Missouri, ranked No. 9 in the country, traveled to take on Texas A&M. While they were a slight underdog according to the oddsmakers, many expected Missouri to win. However, if you bet on Missouri, you’re not happy today, as they were waxed by the Aggies, 41-10, bringing their rabid fans back down to earth.

 In Seattle, in a rematch of last year’s national championship, the mighty Michigan Wolverines fell to the Huskies of Washington, 27-17. Dixon Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was rocking last night after the Hogs knocked off No. 4 Tennessee in a monumental upset. In Minneapolis, the Trojans from USC were knocked down by the Minnesota Gophers, 24-17. 

Two mild upsets also took place: SMU clipped the wings of the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, and Boston College fell to the Wahoos of Virginia in Charlottesville. However, the biggest upset of all happened in Nashville, where Vanderbilt knocked off Alabama for the first time since 1984. In celebration, students carried the goalpost three miles from campus, down Broadway, and threw it into the Cumberland River. That’s just what you do in Nashville—or maybe throw chairs off rooftop bars for grins. I wouldn’t want to be Kaelan DeBoar today in Tuscaloosa. 

In other action, both Army and Navy remained perfect on the season, going 5-0 and defeating their respective combatants. In the late game featured on ABC, Miami once again slipped by an opponent they were supposed to beat—allegedly with the help of their friends in black and white stripes. ESPN College GameDay was in Berkeley for the first time ever, where it was reported there was a certain haze and smell in the air that had never been experienced at an ESPN GameDay before. In D2 action, the mighty Bobcats from Frostburg State improved to 5-0 by mauling West Virginia Wesleyan. 

Top L -clockwise - Mahoney's cheering on the U, Ziesings at the Blue, Andy Reid at Penn State, Buckleys at South Carolina

Bieber Award - In a week with good behavior and no Darwinism events, we have no awardee for the first time in a while. 

Ginger Award - This week’s Ginger Award goes to my buddy, Chris Desimone, one of the Dons of Danville. Last week, while Hurricane Helene was trashing the Southeast, Chris was the only one of my crew from California who made it in for the Alabama-Georgia game. As if that feat wasn’t impressive enough, I received a FaceTime from him yesterday morning, and he was at ESPN College GameDay in Berkeley at 7:00 a.m.! Mind you, if you’ve ever seen Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield, Chris was a dead ringer for Rodney, looking like the oldest student in the crowd. He even took a page out of my book, crashing a GameDay hospitality tent and rubbing elbows with some big names. When interviewed by local news and asked why he was there, Chris said he thought he was at an ANTIFA rally and was promised free donuts for participating. At Chris’s advanced age, he didn’t stick around for the night game but instead went home and took successive power naps throughout the day. Regardless, I’m proud he showed up to represent and teach the young kids how to stay vigorous. Next time I’m back in Cali, Chris, I’ll personally present you with your very own Ginger Award. Congratulations, old friend. 

"You my boy Blue"

Next Up - On Thursday night, I’ll head to Harrisonburg, VA, to watch the undefeated, “Group of Five” darling, James Madison, host Coastal Carolina. On Saturday, I’ll make my way to the Rust Belt city of Pittsburgh to watch the Pitt Panthers take on the Cal Bears. Happy Tailgating!