TEAMS – Page 7 – COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOUR

November 20, 2021December 4, 2021

Game 312: Purdue vs. Northwestern

This was Northwestern’s bowl game – Wrigley Field. It really should be the site of a postseason bowl game – the College Football Tour Windy City Bowl, perhaps? But, I digress. After winning the Big Ten west division two of the last three years, the Wildcats have slipped back to the Big Ten’s basement. This battle against the surging Boilermakers in “the friendly confines” offered Northwestern a bowl-like experience.

November 6, 2021November 9, 2021

GEORGIA – SANFORD STADIUM

Quintessential gamedays are characterized by gorgeous settings with iconic on-campus stadiums. Passion and pageantry are on full display with traditions that cross generations. Vibrant downtowns adjacent to campus strengthen the community and keep the energy level running high on a football Saturday.
Athens, Georgia checks all of these boxes.

November 6, 2021November 9, 2021

Game 311: Missouri @ #1 Georgia

Missouri entered a sizzling cauldron. Facing the number one team on the road and favored to lose by more than five touchdowns made confidence a hard sell. The Bulldogs are on a level of their own and had little interest in giving the Tigers a peek at their view from the top.

October 30, 2021November 2, 2021

Game 310: Minnesota @ Northwestern

These Wildcats are not reminiscent of the 2018 and 2020 teams that won the Big Ten west. The defense has taken the hardest hit with the departure of their highly regarded defensive coordinator, Mike Hankwitz. The Gopher ground game would take advantage of Northwestern’s defensive rebuild all afternoon sending the purple closer to bowl ineligibility.

October 23, 2021October 26, 2021

TCU – AMON G. CARTER STADIUM

Fort Worth is home to the Texas Christian Horned Frogs – a football program decorated in history and tradition. TCU has been snapping the pigskin since 1896, and gameday in Fort Worth offers a perfect blend of modern traditions and timeless classics that have lasted generations.

October 23, 2021October 25, 2021

Game 309: West Virginia @ TCU

The Horned Frog faithful that filled Amon G. Carter Stadium hardly had a chance to get their seats warm before they were hopping out of them in response to a Derius Davis 100-yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown. As 120 decibels blasted from the Frog Horn, it began to feel like a turn around moment for TCU’s season. A win over West Virginia would set the wheels back on track that were derailed by Texas and Oklahoma. However, the Mountaineers had plans on U-turning their season, as well.

October 16, 2021October 20, 2021

Game 308: Army @ Wisconsin

Two one-dimensional offenses clashed for a laborious slogfest. Both teams relied on their run games and stubborn defenses. Occasionally, a forward-pass page in the playbook would be dusted off. But, these teams knew their strengths and had no intent on entertaining the packed house in Madison. Every play had fans seeking a recline function on their seat backs.

October 9, 2021October 12, 2021

UAB – PROTECTIVE STADIUM

The shift from decaying Legion Field to the newly built Protective Stadium has reenergized a program that completely dropped football after 2014, only to have it reinstated two years later after a flurry of protests. The next four seasons saw a program notch two conference titles and build an impressive new stadium in the bustling Uptown district of Birmingham. Gamedays here are building new traditions while integrating everything that makes a college gameday special.

October 9, 2021September 21, 2022

Game 307: FAU @ UAB

Second time is a charm?
Certainly for UAB, this can be applied accurately.
Last week’s first game in the newly minted Protective Stadium resulted in a Blazer meltdown at the hands of Liberty. This week, the FAU Owls were much more accommodating house guests. UAB notched their first victory at their new home and posted their fourth victory on what looks to be a successful season ahead.

September 25, 2021October 1, 2021

Game 306: #18 Wisconsin vs. #12 Notre Dame

Meeting in the middle in Chicago, Notre Dame battled Wisconsin for the first time since 1964. The headlines leading up to this matchup circulated around the quarterback matchup. Senior Jack Coan, Notre Dame’s signal caller, just had transferred from Wisconsin where current freshman quarterback, Graham Mertz, had just nudged him out of the starting position. The drama surged with discussions of which quarterback would prove himself more worthy. In the end, inexperience would be the difference as Wisconsin literally threw the game away.