The Sickos Synopsis - Our Weekly 1920s style Old-Timey Recap for Week 11 - Vandy/Kentucky, ULM/Georgia State, Arizona/UCLA, A&M/Auburn, Washington/Oregon and UConn!!

Here at the Sickos Committee, we really love the Old-Timey newspaper headlines from college football games from the 1920s and earlier. We wanted to do a weekly recap of some randomly decided Sickos games in this Old-Timey style of writing for the fun of it. Just try to imagine an old school news reporter reading this aloud to you on an old transistor radio. Here are the headlines for Week 11.

Nov. 12th - Lexington, KY

Vanderbilt ventured to Lexington to take on the cantankerous Kentucky Wildcats in an SEC showdown. The Commodores came in with a saddening streak of losses in SEC games stretching back to twenty six games to 2019. On their first possession, the Commodores coughed up the pill and the ‘Cats converted the fumble into a field goal. The vaunted Vandy offense struck on their next possession and the Commodores cat walked 59 yards to a touchdown to take the lead 7-3. Kentucky wasn’t kowtowing to the Commodores and converted a field goal to cut the lead 7-6 at halftime. Vandy vaulted out of halftime and ventured into the end zone for a 14-6 lead. The Cats continued to claw but couldn’t find the end zone and tacked on a field goal to decrease the ‘Dores lead to 14-9. The Kentucky defense knuckled up and kept the Commodores in check forcing a turnover on downs in their next drive. The ‘Cats conjured up a courageous drive carving up the Commodores to cash in a touchdown and a lead 15-14. Vandy vetoed the Cats' command of the game and found a field goal to lead 17-15. Kentucky’s running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was lugging the leather and launched a 72 yard touchdown run to collect a Cats lead 21-17. Vandy was vexed but could still view victory if they could voyage across the Kroger field one final time for a timely touchdown. The Vandy offense veered and vied for the touchdown, carefully converting on two fearful fourth downs and visualized a touchdown after a 12 play 80 yard drive taking a 24-21 lead with 32 seconds left. The Commodores clinched the victory after cutting off the Cats on their final fighting chance. Vandy was victorious in an SEC contest for the first time in over three years.

Vandy 24 - Kentucky 21.  

Nov. 12th - Atlanta, GA

Terry Bowden’s boys embarked on a business trip to Atlanta to try to end a dubious distinction against the Georgia State Panthers. ULM hadn’t won a road game in over 19 attempts since 2019. The Warhawks found themselves down 14-3 immediately after the Panthers pounded in two touchdowns on their first two drives. Suddenly, the Warhawks whacked a Panther punt and paraded to the end zone to cut the lead to 14-10. The plucky Panthers fought back and found another touchdown to stretch the lead to 21-10. The Warhawks weaved and wandered their way to a field goal and found a touchdown to cut the gridders from Georgia State’s lead down to 21-20 at halftime. In the second half, Georgia State galloped out the gates and gained a touchdown to take the 28-20 lead. Bowden’s boys battled back and continued to claw back carefully, cutting the Panther primacy down to 28-23. ULM unrolled a drive deep down into Georgia State ground but the ULM QB uncorked an ill-timed interception after the tight end tipped the poorly placed pass. However, the Warhawks’ will never wavered and they pressured the Panthers passer and implored an interception. Then the wily Warhawks wound up walking the interception back for a touchdown to finally take the lead 31-28 with 6 minutes to go. The Warhawks wobbled but withstood the Panthers final forays to finish their foe and end their woeful road record. 

ULM 31 - Georgia State 28.

Nov. 12th - Pasadena, CA. 

Jedd Fisch’s frisky felines found their way to UCLA to take on the Chip Kelly led Bruins. Arizona accelerated out of the starting blocks and acquired a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter after an amazingly adept ambling scramble accurately finding a Wildcats wide receiver for a 22 yard touchdown toss. The Bruins battled back with boisterous bravado and bullied their way to tie the tangle 14-14. The wondrous Wildcats willed their way into a 21-14 lead led by the legs of their QB Jayden de Laura dashing and dancing all over the Rose Bowl. The Bruins bandied about in the second half and then finally bashed back into a tie after a bruising set of runs by UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet. On the next drive UCLA unloaded another Charbonnet cavalcade of crushing carries conquering the Cats and bringing the Bruins their first scoreboard supremacy 28-24. But Fisch’s frisky felines found overcoming the four point deficit feasible. The Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura began to jauntily jog and jockey his way to Arizona first down after first down. The Arizona QB averted and avoided disaster against UCLA’s unruly defenders and daringly darted a pass dicing the defense for a touchdown to take the lead 31-28. The Wildcats wound up closely closing out the contest but couldn’t convert a game winning touchdown and had to settle for a field goal and a six point lead with 67 seconds left. UCLA unwound and unfurled an ultimate attempt to attack the Arizona advantage and found their way down to the Arizona 29 yard line. UCLA was ultimately undone by the uninviting Wildcats defense. 

Arizona 34 - UCLA 28.

Nov 12th - Auburn, AL

A jittery Jimbo Fisher and his Texas A&M Aggies rolled into the Plains to face the Auburn Tigers under interim coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams in his first game.  This game featured two teams trying to terminate their own five game losing streaks and to bolster their bowl eligibility. A low scoring affair unfolded as both teams were positively polished playing to prevent the other team from putting up points. The stalemate ended however, with a 4-play 62-yard drive that put the Tigers up 7-0 on the visiting Aggies. The next three drives for the two teams ended in punts with the final drive a promising 12 play journey taken by the Plainsmen ended by an Aggie interception. The fun continued in the second half with the Auburn men missing a field goal to start the half. The Aggie offense agonizingly couldn’t convert a timely third down going three and out futilely five times to start the second half. The teams continued to trade punts until the Aggie defense stood stoutly and stopped the Tigers forcing a fumble which the Aggies then recovered. However, unable to move the ball the Aggies punted away to the hometown Tigers who then proceeded to stall their drive, but a beautiful punt pinned the company from College Station deep inside their own 5. After another stop and punt the Tigers were able to convert a field goal, bringing their point pile to 10. But the Aggies, agitated, amazingly absconded with the next Tiger drive’s final pass for an interception and turned that turnover into points, kicking a field goal to get within seven. The leather lugging lads from A&M then forced another punt but fortune favored the frenzied felines as the Aggies fumbled it back to pesky Plainsman. The War Eagles eagerly edged in another field goal to increase their interia to 13-3. In their last gasp the Tigers’ Texas nemesis poured everything into this last drive and went the distance to score the game’s final points with a touchdown. The Aggies had one last onside kick attempt to try to tie the tangle but the Cats covered the kick securing victory in a jubilant Jourdan Hare.

Auburn 13 - Texas A&M 10

Nov. 12th - Eugene, OR

The Ducks, sometimes whimsically known as “The Webfoots”, graciously greeted the Huskie invaders today wearing an all-yellow uniform with the Washington team wearing their purple best for the affair. Taking the first offensive drive of the game the Huskies went on a marathon of a 12-play drive ending in the opening salvo of scoring for the evening. Oregon responded by running a 10-play drive of their own ending in 3 points off the foot of the kicker. After getting the ball back the Dawgs answered with a field goal of their own opening ostensibly a full seven-point lead on the Ducks. The next drive was a spectacular series setting the sensational Ducks up with first and goal from the 1, but the Webfoots fumbled the ball away to be recovered by the Huskies. Not able to capitalize the ensuing punt put the pond-loving waterfowl in place to score their first touchdown of the evening on the legs of Bo Nix. However, not content to let things lie, the Men from Seattle took their next drive into the red-zone and scored a field goal bringing the score before to 13-10. To end the half the Oregon team missed their field goal attempt at the end of the first half. After the intermission the teams transformed the tournament toward that of track meet. The Teams went back and forth scoring touchdowns on the next five consecutive drives to start the second half. With Oregon taking a 31-27 lead scoring three touchdowns to Washington’s two. Then disaster struck as the Huskies threw an ill-timed interception which the Webfoots turned into three more points. But the Huskies, determined, dueled and dashed toward greatness as the purple clad Dawgs threw a 62-yard TD to tie the game at 34. The Huskies then got a crucial fourth down stop which they used to power the final drive to take the lead on the leg of a 43-yard field goal. As the last gasp for the game went the Ducks attempted to get into scoring position but were thwarted by Huskie Defense and a costly penalty that sealed the Webfoots fate.

Washington 37 - Oregon 34

Nov. 12th – East Hartford, CT

Seeking bowl eligibility, the Huskies lined up for today’s contest determined destined and downright dedicated to a victory to go bowling for the first time since 2015. Seeking to stop them the Liberty Flames, boasting an 8-1 record with a recent win over an SEC foe have dreams of being the “Group of Five” representative in one of this season’s New Year’s 6 bowl games. Seeking to set the tone for the game the Huskies immediately took their opening drive all the way to the endzone, with Victor Rosa scampering to paydirt on a 16-yard run. The Flames answered back with a seven play drive ending with a field goal. Following a punt by the Huskies, the Flames were poised to get another score on the board but were thwarted by the UCONN defense who took a fumbled ball back to the endzone for a scoop and score taking a 14-3 lead. The following two drives end in turnover, with the Flames throwing a pick and the Huskies fumbling the ball away. Four plays later Liberty launched loudly into a ludicrous 4 play drive that went for 6. Once that drive ended the teams traded punts leading to an exceptional eight-play 94-yard drive going for a touchdown pushing the lead to eleven. After a Flames three and out the Men from Connecticut threw an interception which the Flames turned into six sweet precious points to end the harrowing half. The second half produced more of the same as the Liberty team produced prodigious plays powering production of points with an eighty yard drive cutting taking their first lead of the game. After a UCONN punt the Flame put another field goal on the board. But unmoved by the team being behind the UCONN men moved the ball with magnificent motivation manufacturing points with a touchdown to take a one point lead. Immediately after, the Flames scored again for the final time on a nifty 75-yard run by Demario Douglas. But UCONN, under new management of Jim Mora, JR captured the lead with the final scoring of the event, stopping the Flames on 4th down, going 41 yards once they got on offense scoring the last touchdown of the game, pushing the Huskies to go Bowling and sealing the fate of the Liberty Flames. 

UCONN 36 - Liberty 33