I attended a good CFB game yesterday...Two ranked FCS teams, Western Carolina and Montana Grizzlies.
13th-straight sellout in Missoula....over 25,000 at an FCS game.
WCU jumped out to a 17-0 lead. I thought we were in for a long day, probably leaving at the end of the 3rd quarter for the long 2 1/2 hour drive home.
WCU led the FCS in offense last season. We pretty quickly saw why...they moved down the field effortlessly in their first two possessions. They were hitting on all cylinders...we were not.
But the Griz made some adjustments on both O and D, and by halftime the Griz had scored 3 TDs to be down by 6, 27-21.
Those adjustments continued...the Griz scored 3 more TDs and a FG, to WCU's one TD.
The kid from Dassel, Minnesota...Eli Gillman, rolled up 175 yards on the ground. The Griz finished with 349 yards on the ground vs 102 for WCU. He leads the nation in FCS avg yards per carry. He was the Jerry Rice Award winner for FCS freshman of the year last season.
The most fun though? The crowd at this stadium has really learned its role well over the years. They know when to make noise...117 decibel level noise. Translation: false starts.
And the local McDonalds has made a contest out of these false starts on the visitors. A free Big Mac & cheese w/fries if the Griz gets to 4. After the first one it's just like giving a junkie what he craves. The crowd gets rewarded. Final tally? FIVE false starts on the visitors.
Yeah, my throat is a bit hoarse this morning.
College football is certainly fun.