College FB '12 Dread News - Bowl Review (Part 1)

As it turned out, the bowls I ranked 1 and 2 for having the best dreads also were two of the most exciting games on the 2012-13 bowl schedule, with Clemson defeating LSU 25-24 on a last-second FG and South Carolina scoring a TD with 11 seconds to play to edge Michigan 33-28. They also happened to be the only two bowls I watched a significant portion of. I was so busy doing NFL stuff that I didn't have time to watch as many bowl games as I usually do. And you can also blame those 7 weeks I spent on the NFL for why my final 2012 college football report is so late. I mean, almost everybody has started spring practice for the 2013 season already. But there were a few things (quite a few, actually) I wanted to mention before I wrap up 2012, so here we go.

Despite a 10-2 overall record, South Carolina finished 3rd in the SEC East and had to settle for a trip to the Outback Bowl, played annually on New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. But that was just fine as far as Ace Sanders was concerned. Other than a BCS bowl, there was no bowl Sanders would rather have played in more than the one closest to his hometown of Bradenton. Not surprisingly, the junior WR put on quite a show for his family and friends - and the rest of the Gamecocks fans in attendance - scoring three of his team's 5 touchdowns in the thrilling victory over Michigan.

Sanders took a punt return 63 yards to the house (photo above) to give South Carolina a 14-3 lead late in the 1st quarter then had a 4-yard TD reception early in the 2nd (photo below) - one play after a 70-yard reception by ex-dread WR Nick Jones - to make the score 21-10. But the Wolverines rallied and had a 22-21 lead when Sanders' 3rd TD of the day capped an incredible span of 3 plays midway through the 4th.

First, Michigan faked a punt on 4th and 4 from their own 37-yard line, snapping the ball short to S Floyd Simmons instead of to the punter. Senior S Damario Jeffery stopped Simmons right in front of the South Carolina bench and close enough to the 1st down marker to require a measurement. It was very close, but the measurement clearly showed the ball was a couple of inches short of the 1st down. But instead of turning the other way and indicating that it was South Carolina's ball, the referee (for reasons known only by him) signaled first down Michigan. What??! That decision sent the Gamecock sideline into an uproar, and sent Jeffery into a rage on the field (photo below). Fortunately for Damario, the officiating crew didn't see his little outburst, so he wasn't hit with a 15-yard penalty. The blown call was soon forgotten, however, because on the very next play .....

All the anger on the Carolina sideline was still at a full boil, but then superstar sophomore DE Jadeveon Clowney instantly changed the mood - with a play than began 2013 and likely will finish 2013 as the best hit of the year in college football. Thanks to an error by the Michigan O-line, Clowney broke into the backfield unblocked and absolutely walloped senior RB Vincent Smith as he tried to take a handoff, sending Smith's helmet - and his dreads - flying (photo below). Jadeveon then scooped up the ball - palming it with his left hand - and might have returned it for a TD had he not gone down after being knocked off balance by a teammate who also was trying for the FR.

Not to worry though. The Gamecocks got the TD anyway one play later when Sanders got open deep behind double coverage (including junior S Thomas Gordon). Ace made an adventure out of what should have been a routine catch, first bobbling the pass before finally getting a handle on it with his feet barely inbounds in the back of the end zone (photo below and video on link below) to put the Gamecocks back in the lead 27-22. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fjguo1LbQo

Give the Wolverines credit. They struck right back with a 64-yard drive, scoring a TD with 3:29 to go to take a 28-27 lead. But the Gamecocks would not be denied. Not done yet, Sanders had receptions for short yardage on 3 consecutive plays - the first of which was a clutch 6-yard catch to convert a 4th and 3 (photo below) - to move the ball to the Michigan 43. And 5 plays later the Gamecocks delivered the dagger. Having already missed two FG attempts earlier in the game, they weren't trying to rely on their kicker to win the game. So from the 32-yard line with :17 on the clock they threw deep - and found WR Bruce Ellington shockingly wide open in the middle of the field for an easy TD. 

If you want, please click on the first link below for a video of a few highlights of the game (including all three of Sanders' touchdowns). And also please click on the two links below that for articles on Sanders from the Saturday Down South blog and from the Bradenton Herald.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR-xph4LQb0
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2013/outback-homecoming-mvp-worthy-for-ucs-ace/
http://www.bradenton.com/2013/01/02/4335865/ace-sanders-grabs-outback-bowl.html

It did turn out to be Sanders' farewell performance for the Gamecocks. A couple of weeks later he announced he was officially entering the NFL draft - even though he is not likely to be an early-round pick. Also playing their final game in a South Carolina uniform were Jeffery, who had 2 tackles (2-0), along with fellow seniors Justice Cunningham, Kenny Miles, Shaq Wilson, and D.J. Swearinger. No doubt there'll be a lot fewer sick dreads on the Gamecocks sideline next season without those guys around anymore. Playing their final game for Michigan were Smith, who had just 6 yards rushing on 6 carries, and Denard Robinson, who made the dread stars list one final time, gaining 107 total yards while playing almost exclusively as a RB.

A bit more than 18 hours before South Carolina wrapped up their 11th victory of the season, Clemson won their 11th up at the Georgia Dome, going down to the wire before defeating LSU 25-24 in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Due to a previously scheduled assignment, I was unable to see most of the 1st half of the game. But I was tuned in at the very beginning and was almost in disbelief after watching sophomore WR Sammy Watkins suffer an injury on the 2nd play from scrimmage. Wow, what a disappointment. Other than being baptized last summer, not much went right for Sammy in 2012. After missing all or parts of at least 4 games due to injury, illness, and suspension during the regular season, he had to leave the bowl game too - less than 60 seconds after the opening kickoff. 

Clemson decided to line up Watkins in the backfield and hand off the ball to him for his first touch of the game on 2nd and 7. Unfortunately they forgot to block LSU's star DE Barkevious Mingo, who slammed into Watkins almost immediately after he got the ball. Not only did Sammy seriously twist his ankle, he fumbled the ball too (photo above), with junior S Craig Loston getting the FR for LSU. Adding insult to injury, Watkins had to endure the taunting of at least two LSU players who walked by while he was lying on the turf, including LB Kevin Minter (left photo below), before being helped off the field (right photo below). The good news is that nothing was broken or torn in his ankle, and Sammy appeared to be fine in a video that I saw of him at practice a couple of weeks ago. 

In addition to his FR (photo below), Loston had 7 tackles (4-3) and 1 PBU for LSU. Junior LB Lamin Barrow tied his career high with 12 tackles (9-3), including 2 TFL, and had 1 PBU. Sick junior LB Tahj Jones, making his 2012 debut after regaining eligibility at the end of the fall semester, had 4 tackles (1-3), including 1 sack and 1 FF. Freshman CB Jalen Mills had 5 tackles (5-0), and senior DE Lavar Edwards had 3 tackles (2-1) in his final game in an LSU uniform before (hopefully) moving on to the NFL.

Clemson dominated in total yards 445-219 and in first downs 32-9, but still had to come back from a 24-13 deficit in the 4th quarter, including a last-ditch 60-yard drive in 10 plays in the final 1:39 for the game winning FG. One of the 2 tackles (1-1) by junior LB Quandon Christian was a sack of QB Zach Mettenberger (photo below), and senior RB Andre Ellington was a bit short of the dread stars list, finishing with 85 total yards in his final game in a Clemson uniform.

The last time Florida played a Big East team in the Sugar Bowl they annihilated an undefeated Cincinnati team 51-24 (30-3 at halftime) at the end of the 2009 season. So it's understandable if the Gators might have been a bit overconfident when they saw Big East champ Louisville on the opposing sideline at the start of this year's Sugar Bowl. But it didn't take long to wipe those smirks off their faces. Louisville, with 33 players on their roster from the state of Florida, including former Gator Adrian Bushell, scored the first time Florida had the ball (on a pick 6 by sophomore CB Terell Floyd) as well as the first three times they had the ball to jump out to a 24-3 lead and went on to whip the Gators 33-23.

After Floyd's TD on the very first play from scrimmage, the Cardinals' D got a three-and-out on Florida's next possession. Then the Cardinals' O went 83 yards in 12 plays to make it 14-0. Junior TE (and former DE) B.J. Butler's 23-yard catch and run (photo above) to the 1-yard line set up the TD. B.J. should have scored the TD himself, but I guess he still has that defensive mentality. After getting a block inside the 5-yard, he could have cut back to the inside and run into the end zone standing up; but instead he stayed outside and tried to run over the defender at the goal line, coming up inches short. Yo B.J., I know you're new to offense, but the idea is to avoid the defenders - you know, run to daylight. Butler finished with 2 receptions - the first 2 of his career - for 43 yards. Senior WR Andrell Smith had 4 catches for 55 yards in his final game in a Louisville uniform.

On defense all-Big East sophomore S Calvin Pryor finished with 6 tackles (4-2), one of which was a sack and strip of QB Jeff Driskel (photo above), his 5th FF of the season. The fumble was then recovered by sophomore DE Lorenzo Mauldin (photo below). Bushell, who admittedly was too immature when he was with the Gators as a freshman in 2009 before transferring to a JC and then on to Louisville, finished with 3 tackles (2-1) and 2 PBU. And in addition to getting his 3rd INT of the season, Floyd had 1 PBU and 2 tackles (2-0).

For the Gators sick freshman RB Matt Jones had 16 yards rushing on 3 carries, including a 1-yard TD (photo below) just before halftime that made the score 24-10. Senior S Josh Evans got his 3rd INT of the season and had 4 tackles (4-0) in his final game in a Florida uniform and also (sadly) his final game with dreads.

I had the Toledo-Utah State matchup in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on my A-list of bowl games to watch - and I apologize for that. But hey, I didn't know that junior WR James Green wasn't going to be on the field for Toledo. I never found out why not, but it probably was due to the knee injury that plagued him all season. One of the things at the top of my wish list for 2013 is for James to get healthy and stay injury free throughout his senior season. Sophomore RB Cassius McDowell, the other half of UT's sick dreads from South Florida connection, was on the field (photo below), as usual in his reserve role. He finished with 21 yards rushing on 5 carries and had an 18-yard reception.

Toledo lost their best defensive player (LB Dan Molls) and star RB David Fluellen to injury in the 1st quarter, and that no doubt was a big factor contributing to the margin of Utah State's victory. The 41-15 final score gave the Aggies their first bowl victory in 19 years. USU dominated in total yards 582-315 but led by only 7 before scoring 4 TD in the 4th quarter to break the game open. The victory gave USU their best record ever at 11-2 and earned Coach Andersen a higher-paying job - at Wisconsin. Senior WR Chuck Jacobs had 5 catches for 58 yards and 4 kickoff returns for 89 yards in his final game in a Utah State uniform, including a 40-yard reception (photo below) that set up a FG with 11 seconds to go until halftime. While Jacobs exits, 6 other players with dreads return next season, including junior WR Travis Reynolds (2 catches for 27 yards vs. Toledo), when the Aggies move up from the WAC to the Mountain West.

Louisiana-Lafayette senior CB Jemarlous Moten had an INT as the Ragin Cajuns won the New Orleans Bowl for the 2nd straight year, defeating East Carolina 43-34. But if you had talked to him after the game, you likely would have heard him agonizing over the INT he didn't get. With ULL leading 37-31 late in the 3rd, ECU tried one of those trick plays on 1st down from their own 33-yard line where the QB, after handing the ball off, sneaks out into the flat uncovered and then catches a cross-the-field pass from the player he handed off to. Well, this time the QB was not uncovered - because Moten read the play perfectly and was all over QB Shane Carden. When the pass came, Moten timed his leap perfectly, meeting the ball at the top of his jump - only to have the ball (somehow) go right through his hands and fall incomplete. I mean, as soon as that pass was thrown, I bet Jemarlous was thinking pick 6; but he didn't make the catch. ECU went on to kick a FG on that drive to pull within 3. 

Not crying over spilled milk, Moten went back out and got the job done on the Pirates' next possession, getting his 4th INT of the season (photo above) on a 2nd and 5 play with ECU on the brink of FG range at the 34-yard line and 11:41 remaining in the game. Moten also stopped ECU's next drive with a PBU on 3rd and 5 and finished the afternoon with 6 tackles (5-1). I'm hoping we'll see Moten in the NFL next season; but he won't be drafted in the early rounds as was former ULL CB Dwight Bentley last year. Also for ULL, sick junior WR Bradley Brown (holding the trophy in photo below) had 2 catches for 30 yards, senior LB Le'Marcus Gibson had 7 tackles (5-2), and sophomore WR Jamal Robinson made the dread stars list.

Most likely after pestering the Fresno State coaching staff to give him a shot on offense, all-America senior S Phillip Thomas was on the field and lined up at WR for the Bulldogs' 2nd snap on offense against SMU in the Hawaii Bowl. Thomas flunked the audition, however, dropping the sideline pass intended for him on 2nd and 7. But that's OK; if Phillip sticks to defense, he'll make a lot of money on Sundays in the years ahead. SMU ruined his final college game, spanking the Bulldogs 43-10. Fresno State finished with 346 total yards: 362 passing and -16 rushing (thanks to 7 sacks). Thomas put up unreal numbers to earn MWC defensive player of the year honors during the regular season; but he had tiny numbers against SMU, finishing with 2 tackles (2-0) and 1 PBU (photo below). Senior TE Marcel Jensen had 1 catch for 29 yards in his final game in a Fresno State uniform. And junior WR Isaiah Burse had a game high 197 all-purpose yards, including 4 receptions for 89 yards. 

Playing in a bowl game for the first time in 40 years, Kent State came up a bit short, losing the Go Daddy.com Bowl to Arkansas State 17-13. And speaking of short, you may have noticed I haven't included any photos of KSU star sophomore RB Trayion Durham this season (or last). That's because his dreads are barely more than a year old and are too short to be seen with his helmet on (or even with his skull cap on). You also might remember back in my Week 14 report I mentioned that KSU's other star RB, Dri Archer, had converted his growing hair to what possibly were dreads. Well, I found a picture (I don't know where it's from) that confirms Archer's hair definitely is in dreads. They ain't pretty now, but if he stays with it, they'll look a lot better as they get longer, and we'll be welcoming him to the house for next season. Archer is in the left photo on the link below, and Durham is on the right.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kent-State-DRI-ARCHER-TRAYLON-DURHAM-Signed-Autographed-Logo-Football-COA-PROOF-/271158218519?pt=US_Autographs&hash=item3f224a0f17

Archer rushed for 77 yards and the Golden Flashes' only TD on 9 carries against Arkansas State. Durham finished with a sub-par (for him) 68 yards rushing on 20 carries and 2 catches for 19 yards. Senior CB Sidney Saulter had 6 tackles (3-3) in his final game in a Kent State uniform ..... For ASU freshman slot WR J.D. McKissic caught 11 passes, boosting his season total to a new school record 103 receptions, including a 31-yard TD with 19 seconds to play until halftime that put the RedWolves ahead to stay at 14-10. For his performance McKissic was named offensive MVP of the game, giving him the chance to pose with race car driver Danica Patrick after the game (photo below).

Arizona State junior DT Will Sutton also took home a trophy after winning a bowl game - and one before the game too. A few weeks before the Sun Devils took on Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Sutton, a 1st team AP all-America, was named winner of the Pat Tillman Pac-12 defensive player of the year award named in honor of the late former ASU star. And in a ceremony before the game Sutton was presented the award by Tillman's father, Pat Tillman Sr. (top photo below). Will then went out and earned defensive game MVP honors (bottom photo below), although, as expected, it was a hard day's work.

"I hope we never play that triple option again," said Sutton after Navy rushed the ball 55 times for 313 yards. 3.5 of Sutton's 5 tackles in the game were TFL. Leading ASU in tackles was junior DE Davon Coleman with 9 (6-3), including a half sack. I have to apologize to Davon for not including him on my all-America with dreads team. I'm sorry; I just never noticed him all season - partly because Directv isn't carrying the Pac-12 Network yet and partly because his dreads are short and still confined inside his helmet.

Sutton might not want to face Navy's option offense again, but I'll bet Navy wouldn't mind if they never again had to face ASU's offense. The Sun Devils racked up 36 first downs and 648 total yards as they blasted the Midshipmen 62-28. Senior WR Jamal Miles had 2 catches for 21 yards, a 37-yard punt return, and and 41-yard kickoff return as part of his 145 all-purpose yards in his final game in an Arizona State uniform.










Senior CB Michael Carter had interceptions (his 3rd and 4th of the season)  on back-to-back drives in the 4th quarter (the first of which in photo below), preserving Minnesota's 7-point lead over Texas Tech in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas; but after the Gophers failed to cash in either one, Carter couldn't come to the rescue late.

The Red Raiders got a TD, an INT, and a FG in the final 70 seconds to pull out the victory 34-31. Carter also had 7 tackles (4-3) in his final game in a Minnesota uniform. The Gophers' other starting senior CB with dreads, Troy Stoudermire, finished with 4 tackles (3-1) in his final game but had a more notable accomplishment on the game's opening kickoff.

With his 26-yard return of the opening kickoff Troy (photo above on one of his 4 returns in the game) put his name in the NCAA record book for the most career yards on kickoff returns. He finished with 111 kickoff return yards for the night to set the new record at 3,615 yards ..... The Gophers' only other senior with dreads, QB MarQueis Gray (photo below), rushed for 59 yards on 11 carries and completed 1 pass for 8 yards in a reserve role. Carter, Stoudermire, and Gray are all longshots to be playing on Sundays in the future; but hopefully at least one of them will overcome the odds.

Georgia racked up 589 total yards and scored 2 TD in less than 4 minutes early in the 4th quarter to put away Nebraska 45-31 in the Capital One Bowl. Freshman RB Todd Gurley made the dread stars list again; but the best news from this game is that I found out that Gurley is no longer the Bulldogs' only freshman RB with dreads. That's Gurley second from the left as the Bulldogs' top 4 RBs pose together (photo below) on the sideline near the end of the game; and on the right is Keith Marshall, with beginner dreads growing under his skull cap.

Marshall had almost no hair at all when he signed with UGA back in February 2012 but obviously hasn't cut it since then. And late this season it had grown long enough for him to debut his dreads. The new addition to the house had 36 yards rushing and 3 catches for 39 yards against Nebraska, including the game winning 24-yard TD reception on the first play of the 4th quarter. If all goes according to plan, Gurley and Marshall figure to make Georgia one of the top teams for TD by players with dreads in 2013.

While checking the CBS Sports.com recap of Texas A&M's upset of Alabama back in November, I just happened to scroll down and read some of the comments posted. Most notable were the opinions of some idiot who was arguing that since A&M finished in 6th place in their final season in the Big 12 last season and was now kicking ass in the SEC in 2012, then obviously that made the Big 12 a better conference than the SEC this season. Huh? I don't have enough time to list all of the fallacies with an argument as flimsy as that. But I sure was thinking about that fool after the Cotton Bowl. And I wonder what (s)he had to say after the Aggies pummeled Oklahoma 41-13.

No, it didn't make up for that infamous 77-0 humiliation they suffered at the hands of the Sooners back in November 2003, but A&M fans had to be very satisfied after the Aggies (11-2) finished with 11 wins for the first time in 14 years and racked up 633 total yards against OU in the process. That increased their total for the season to 7,261 total yards - most ever by an SEC team. There were hardly any dreads in this one. Sick sophomore CB Floyd Raven had 1 tackle (1-0) for the Aggies. And that's senior C Patrick Lewis (#61 in photo above) in the team photo during the celebration after playing his final game before possibly moving on to the NFL. And oh, by the way, the win by A&M makes the SEC 5-0 against the Big 12 in the last 5 Cotton Bowls.

And speaking of dominance by the SEC ..... another year, another victory for the SEC in the BCS title game. Alabama's 42-14 demolition of undefeated and #1 ranked Notre Dame was the 7th straight win by an SEC team in the title game (remember, I don't call it the national championship, because it isn't). And it also was exhibit A for why the FBS desperately needs to have a tournament to determine the champion. First, look at Alabama. Yes, you play in a difficult conference, but only 4 of your 13 games were true road games on the opponent's home field. Despite losing 1 of the 13, you still get chosen to play in the title game ahead of several other teams who also had 1 loss. Then after they give you 5 weeks to prepare for the game, your opponent in the title game turns out to be worse than most of the teams you played during the regular season. How's that for a path to the "championship"? What a joke. No wonder Coach Saban doesn't want to go back to the NFL.

What did Notre Dame do the get ranked #1? Just win, baby, even though they hardly looked like the best team throughout the season. The Irish also played only 4 true road games; and although they faced 8 teams that went to bowl games, only two of them finished the season ranked in the top 20. A dozen other teams (at least) could have gone undefeated playing the schedule they did. Now I'm not arguing that anybody other than Alabama and ND should have been picked ahead of them. I'm saying let's have a tournament to decide who the best team is. Supporters of the current system - you know, the ones who claim a playoff would ruin college football's unique and all-important regular season, just ignore the fact that the differences in schedules make the regular season completely unfair. Unfair and un-American really. I mean, college football argually is the most exciting sport in America; but it gets tainted because it's the only one that doesn't crown a true champion. It's really disappointing. At least we'll only have to deal with this nonsense for one more season. But when they switch to a mini-playoff in 2014, that's just going to open up a different can of worms.
My house for a 16-team playoff!

Anyway, this season's BCS title game was pretty much over by the time the 1st quarter was over, after the Crimson Tide drove 82, 61, and 80 yards on their first three possessions to take a 21-0 lead. Junior RB and game offensive MVP Eddie Lacy (photo above) finished the first drive with a 20-yard TD run (photo below) and gained 47 of the 61 yards on the second drive. Later Lacy made it 28-0 with an 11-yard TD reception with 31 seconds to go until halftime. After driving 97 yards for a TD on their first possession of the 2nd half to make it 35-0, the Tide put it in cruise control for the rest of the evening. Senior S Robert Lester had 6 tackles (3-3) in his final game in an Alabama uniform before moving on to the NFL. Freshman DE Sheldon Day had 3 tackles (1-2) for Notre Dame.

ELSEWHERE

Junior RB  Prince-Tyson Gulley had a huge game, becoming the first Syracuse player to top 200 yards rushing in a game in 8 years in a 38-14 victory over West Virginia in the snow in the Pinstripe Bowl ..... Freshman WR Breshad Perriman nearly made the dread stars list, catching 5 passes for 90 yards; sophomore WR Rannell Hall had 4 catches for 74 yards; and senior S Kemal Ishmael had 8 tackles (5-3), 2 PBU, and 1 FF in his final game in a UCF uniform as the Knights rolled over Ball State 38-17 in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl ..... Junior WR Tevin Reese had 2 catches for 68 yards, including a 55-yarder for his 9th TD of the season, to give Baylor a 21-0 lead on their way to a 49-26 romp over UCLA in the Holiday Bowl ..... Sophomore RB Devonta Freeman (photo below) had 73 of Florida State's 534 total yards in a 31-10 victory over Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl; FSU finished with a new school record 6,591 total yards for the season; junior RB Akeem Daniels had 82 total yards for NIU, but the Huskies were held under 100 yards rushing for the first time all season .....

Junior CB Jason Verrett wrapped up an outstanding season with 2 PBU and a career high 12 tackles (5-7), including 1 TFL, but TCU blew a 13-0 halftime lead in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl and lost 17-16 when Michigan State kicked a FG with 1:01 remaining in the game ..... Senior WR Arceto Clark had 3 catches for 36 yards, including an 18-yard TD, becoming the first Mississippi State player ever to score a TD in three different bowl games; but the Bulldogs lost the Gator Bowl to Northwestern 34-20, NU's first bowl win in 63 years ..... North Carolina State sophomore RB Tony Creecy had 93 total yards and 1 TD, but the Wolfpack had 5 turnovers and lost to Vanderbilt 38-24 in the Music City Bowl; senior LB Archibald Barnes had 6 tackles (4-2) in his final game for VU as the Commodores (9-4) finished with 9 wins in a season for the first time in 97 years ..... Junior RB John Hubert had 71 total yards and 1 TD, and senior RB Angelo Pease gained 59 total yards on 8 touches for Kansas State; but the Wildcats were no match for Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl, losing to the Ducks 35-17 in a battle of 11-1 teams ..... And senior LB Khaseem Greene led Rutgers with 11 tackles (3-8), including 1.5 TFL, and scored a TD on a FR in the end zone on the 2nd play from scrimmage (photo below) in the Russell Athletic Bowl; but the Scarlet Knights couldn't score another TD all night and ended up losing to Virginia Tech 13-10 in overtime.

OK, that's it for Part 1. Coming up in Part 2, we'll look at the final two rounds of the FCS playoffs, I'll have a mega dread gallery, and I'll have the season's final dread stars list.