Another Autumn Audible

As I mentioned last week, I was taking the weekend off from tailgating and not attending a game other than a local high school matchup with my son-in-law on Friday night. We did that. But those of you who know me, know that I can be convinced to alter my plans at the drop of a hat if the offering is bountiful. So keep that in mind when I tell you the audible I called.

Mommy Mommy who are the 2 random guys with no kids on the team?

My old neighbor “lil Johnny”, who now lives in Reno, NV, texted me on Thursday. He mentioned that he was throwing a tailgate for the University of Nevada, Reno vs. San Diego State game on Saturday. Furthermore, he went on to say that the tailgate was being catered by his club with fried chicken, coleslaw, and cornbread. He had me at fried chicken. As is customary, I also scored some “hell points,” as I was supposed to help babysit the three California grandsons on Saturday night. As you can guess, I got out of babysitting duties and made the trek over the High Sierras to Reno on Saturday.

First stop was Twin Peaks to watch the Red River rivalry and Indiana’s upset of Oregon with my other old neighbor, Drubabca. He speaks in monosyllabic mumbles, so I have no idea what the hell we talked about for three hours. Our Family Manager, aka daughter #1 stalked me on the find my friends app and copied all the other members of my flock: Here is the exchange:

So clearly my daughter's love and adore me!

Then it was off to the UNR tailgate—menu is mentioned above—accompanied by cold Coors Banquet and a wee bit of the Irish elixir. I had met much of this crew last year during that bizarre August snowstorm game, and it was great reconnecting with them again.

The Rancharra UNR Tailgate Crew

The Crew, the Dru, me, Crandall and Browns too!

San Diego State is one of the rising teams in the Mountain West conference having won four games in a row. UNR has struggled all season, so the expectations were set commensurately going into the contest. As far as the game goes, it was a non-event, with San Diego State dominating 35–0 at halftime, and sitting in the family section which is non alcoholic, we left. We made our way back to Lil Johnny’s house and continued to eat fried chicken until there was no more left. SDSU won 44-10

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Around the Country

Big Ten – In the Powerhouse game of the day, Indiana proved they are for real, physically dominating Oregon in Eugene with a 10-point win. Curt Cignetti has to be the hottest coach in the country. As we well know, there are multiple openings—about to be more—from elite schools that would love to have this guy.

Upset of the Day – Staying in the Big Ten, Penn State went down for the second week in a row against an inferior opponent as Northwestern scored a one-point victory over the Nittany Lions. Adding insult to injury, Penn State lost quarterback Drew Allar for the rest of the year with an injury. Even more humiliating, Penn State fired their long-tenured coach James Franklin after losing three games in a row and apparently losing control of the team. No need to weep for Coach Franklin—his buyout is $56 million.

SEC – In the Red River shootout, the first half was everything we expected, with both defenses stifling the opposing offenses and Oklahoma leading 6–3 at the break. However, Texas made the proper halftime adjustments, and Arch Manning came out looking better than he has all year as Texas dominated both sides of the ball for the remainder of the game, walking away with a 23–6 victory. Yes, I am eating humble pie on this one.

Big 12 – Shout out to # 3’s school Colorado for upsetting Iowa State. Apparently, there was a field storming, which I would have been part of had I been in Boulder. Final score: Colorado 24, Iowa State 17.

ACC – After a brilliant start with a victory over Alabama, Florida State's season continues to spiral out of control with their third straight loss. This time they were defeated by the University of Pittsburgh 34–31. Safe to say, Florida State will not be sniffing around the college football playoffs.

Bieber Award – This one was unique: Following Fort Valley State’s 31–21 homecoming win over Central State, chaos erupted as players from both Division II programs engaged in a full-blown postgame brawl near midfield. What began as trash talk quickly escalated into punches, helmet swings, and players spilling off the sidelines. The fight drew national attention after multiple fan videos went viral, showing coaches and staff struggling to restore order. In the aftermath, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) handed down harsh penalties—20 players in total were suspended (nine from Fort Valley State and eleven from Central State), and both head coaches received disciplinary action for failing to control their teams. The league condemned the melee as “unacceptable behavior” and warned both programs that further incidents could result in forfeits or postseason bans. But guys, please seek solace in your time off the team in your new iconic Bieber hardware!

Ginger Award – That fried chicken I mentioned at the UNR tailgate and aftermath. Absolutely some of the most righteous tailgate chow I have experienced. Ten pieces in all consumed! Lil Johnny’s kitchen after the game looked like a successful archaeological dig! 

Next Up – I am really taking this week off, as I will begin another one-month gauntlet starting the following week. 

Happy Tailgating!