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 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. Also, we go really heavy on the alliteration.

How do we decide which games we do? Well, if you are declared the Sickos Committee Game of the Week, you get one automatically no matter what happens. However, the others are randomly decided by the committee writing staff; it could be the normal headliner game of the week or some random FCS game we got drawn in by and just wanted to write about because we found it compelling. We typically do about three to six games a week.

Here are the Headlines for Week 5

September 27, 2025 - Evanston, Illinois 

The bruised and battered Bruins were off to an 0-3 start but attempted to brush it off with a bye week and saying bye-bye to their head coach, DeShaun Foster. The Bruins arrived on the banks of Lake Michigan in search of their first win, led by interim skipper Tim Skipper. The Wildcats welcomed the beleaguered Bruins to majestic Martin Stadium, hoping to right their wayfinder to .500. The ‘Cats clawed their way out to a lead after a carefully constructed 17-play, 74-yard drive to cash in for a 3-0 lead. Nimble Northwestern negotiated another score, carving up the bearish Bruin defense and taking a 10-0 lead. The Wildcats then walked in another drive for a touchdown, leaving the Bruins beat writers remarking that the purple team had brilliant ball luggers. The Bruins battled back and brought the contest to a 17-3 halftime score after finding a field goal. Skipper’s sailors slid through the Northwestern team, notching another three on the board. The ‘Cats looked to close out the contest, and Northwestern navigated a 17-play, 67-yard drive but had to settle for a 20-yard field goal attempt. The 'Cats kick carelessly careened away from the gaping goalposts, leaving the score 17-6. The Bruins bounced into action and bounded down the field in five plays for a terrific touchdown and a two-point conversion. The murmurs of the masses at Martin Stadium grew loudly concerned as their Wildcats lead withered away. The Wily Wildcats couldn’t chew the clock to completion, but the Bruins couldn’t muster another matriculation of the moleskin to match Northwestern's numericals in the notebook.

Northwestern 17 - UCLA 14

September 27, 2025 - Lafayette, LA 

At the end of the 2024 season, the Marshall University Thundering Herd and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns met in the Sun Belt Championship. The game had little fanfare, and Marshall trampled the Cajuns on their way to collecting the trophy. This season, Louisiana has returned to reclaim their revenge and got it in a barnburner that will burn bright for the Cajuns. The game took two overtime periods, produced 56 total first downs (29 for the Cajuns and 27 for the Herd), and 105 combined total points. This game will be talked about for ages as the teams ascend the minds of the fans and those that watched it. In the flurry of scoring, the teams started with a field goal apiece to end the first quarter tied. From there, the teams traded touchdowns after that in the second quarter, again at a stalemate at the half. Once the second half started, the Herd took control, taking a lead by only allowing a single field goal for the Cajuns, while scoring 17 points. But with a 21-point 4th quarter and finding defense of their own to hold the Herd to 7 in the fourth, the teams were forced to play extra football. In the overtime period number 1, the teams both get a touchdown and play on. However, in overtime period 2, the Herd are stopped for a field goal and the Ragin’ Cajun, rally, rumble, rush, and race their way into the endzone. This ends the game and secures the get back in 2025.

CAJUNS 54 - HERD 51 (2OT)

September 27, 2025 - Missoula, MT

Up in the Mountain West region of the United States, the Big Sky Conference holds down the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The conference produces multiple entrants into the FCS playoffs each year, with one of their teams in the championship last season. This year the conference is off to an emphatic start with multiple teams in the FCS Top 25. Two of those teams, the University of Montana Grizzlies and the University of Idaho Vandals, are squaring off to put on a show for the Republic. The points were scored in bunches as the teams traded scores and explosive plays. The Griz jumped out to a lead that they never gave up with a touchdown, and then, after a quick stop, got a field goal to go up two possessions. From there, the Vandals respond with their first points, a field goal of their own. Once Montana got the ball back, they zoomed over the goal line and secured another touchdown. Before the half ended, Idaho scored another field goal. The second half set the stage for a sensational story of scoring that only stopped once the clock showed zeroes. The teams combined for six touchdowns and a field goal in the bottom half of the game; 24 of those points were for the home team and 21 for the visitors. The Grizzlies held serve and left the game with the victory and the Little Brown Stein.

Montana 41 - Idaho 30

September 26, 2025 - Charlottesville, VA

At the University of Virginia, they say, “Learning never ends.” In this game with a trophy on the line, the Cavaliers welcomed the Florida State University Seminoles. What ensued was a wild affair that needed more time than regulation to settle ownership of the trophy in 2025. UVA jumped out to a 14-point lead over the visitors and held on for as long as they could, which was about a quarter. The Noles scored 21 unanswered to take the lead, but their defense failed to stop the Whos, who got a touchdown before the end of the half. In the second half, the teams resumed their scoring. UVA got on the board first with a touchdown but allowed Florida State to get one of their own before getting back into the paint for their fifth touchdown. The exchange settled after the Seminoles gave up a turnover on downs. Furiously and frantically, the Noles get back to a tie with their final touchdown in regulation, then the FSU defense gets an interception to send the game into the extra frame. Once there, both teams kick field goals in the first overtime period. But the second overtime was exhilarating, exciting, and emphatic as the Cavaliers got a touchdown, and with the two-point conversion successful, forced the Noles into desperation. After three unsuccessful plays, on fourth down UVA catches the interception that ends the game, securing the upset and sending students rushing on the field.

VIRGINIA 46 - FLORIDA STATE 38 

September 27, 2025 - Baton Rouge, LA

The BoomBox Classic is the rare football rivalry named for the bands and not the teams. The Jackson State University “Sonic Boom of the South” Marching Band and the Southern University “Human Jukebox” Marching Band are well known beyond the Historically Black College and University world. Their rivalry named this game, and the football teams played the ballgame between the schools. Scoring was started by Southern with a field goal. However, the Tigers from Jackson scored on 4th and goal with a touchdown and thought they had the game in hand. From there they allowed the home team to score ten unanswered points but got a field goal once they got settled. Then, disaster struck for Southern as they threw an interception that the visitors turned into a touchdown. At halftime, the bands shook the stadium and the capital of Louisiana. From there, the second half was all Jackson State, as they scored three touchdowns and held the Jaguars from Southern at arm’s length; the home team did not threaten to score the rest of the game.

JACKSON STATE 38 - SOUTHERN 13 

September 27, 2025 - Iowa City, IA

Hooting and hollering after handing down a devastating defeat to the Illini, the Hoosiers headed out to harass their Hawkeye hosts during Homecoming. Iowa initiated the impending match but quickly threw an interception to the impatient Indianans, who took the opportunity to take the lead with an early touchdown not even two minutes into the game. A typical Big Ten ballgame broke out after that with a barrage of punts and a few sporadic scores before the halftime break, all tied up 10-10. Plenty of punts persisted once the game resumed, totally consuming the third quarter. Drew Stevens struck a solid field goal to snap the stalemate, with the Hoosiers hurriedly hanging one of their own to even things back up. After another turnover twosome (one for each opposing offense), Stevens saw another shot to send his side to superiority. Sadly, his kick sailed to the side, leaving the game tied up with about two minutes left on the ticking clock. Indiana capitalized on that costly kick and crossed the goal line 30 seconds later to leap ahead 20-13. Iowa was at an impasse, intending to even-up the engagement but ended their endeavors with a turnover on downs. To add insult to injury, Indiana added on an intentional safety as time expired, eating the remaining clock and improving Indiana’s record to an impeccable 5-0.

Indiana 20 - Iowa 15