The Sickos Synopsis - Our Weekly early 1900s style Old-Timey Recap for Week 5 - Feat. Virginia/BC, Florida/Kentucky, North Carolina A&T/Norfolk State, WVU/TCU & Eastern Michigan/Central Michigan

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. 

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Sept 29th - Chestnut Hill, MA

Tony Elliot’s Virginia Cavaliers cavalcaded up to Chestnut Hill to take on the enterprising Eagles of Boston College. Elliot’s starting signal caller Tony Muskett returned from an earlier injury and the captivating QB Anthony Colandrea returned to the bench, much to the chagrin of Cavs cheerers. With the opening drive, Musket muffled the murmurs from the Cavs fans and led them down for a touchdown. The Eagles were eager to score but BC couldn’t connect on their first few drives. Their signal caller Castellanos was crossed up and threw a costly interception giving the Cavs choice field position. The Cavs cashed in the next drive for six with a masterful Muskett toss to take a 14-0 lead. Right before halftime, the Eagles migrated down the turf to cut the Cavs advantage down to 14-7. Running low on time in the first half, the Hoos hurried and scurried down the field to try to get into field goal range but they were just out of range at the Eagles 39 yard line. Musket heaved the ball high in the hopes the Hoos could connect on a Hail Mary. The high hanging football found Malachi Fields’ fingertips and the Cavs collected a timely touchdown to take a 21-7 advantage into the locker room. After halftime, the Eagles erupted for seventeen unanswered points on their first three drives of the half to snatch supremacy from the vulnerable Virginia defense, 24-21. The Cavs collected themselves and calmly continued but couldn’t connect on anything offensively in the second half. However, BC coughed up a fumble that fortuitously found the custody of the Cavs. The Cavs couldn’t cash in their newfound fortunes for six, settling for a field goal to tie the tango at 24-24. The cagey Castellanos courageously controlled the cast of characters and brought BC into field goal range. Liam Connor connected from 42 yards out to give the enthusiastic Eagles entourage a late 27-24 lead. The Hoos had one last chance to tie or take the lead with two minutes remaining. However, Muskett misfired on three of his final four passes failing to convert for the Cavs and the Eagles ended the ACC clash with a hard earned victory. 

Boston College 27 - Virginia 24 

Sept 29th - Lexington, KY 

The 1917 season for the Kentucky Wildcats was a rough one for the Bluegrass Faithful. The final record was 3-5-1, losing five games in a row, all of them shutouts which threatened to demoralize the Cayuts. But on a cold November day the Alligators of Florida traveled north and were shocked, shelled, and sent back south on the receiving end of a 52-0 shellacking. This began a rivalry that has transcended the ages. Since 1967 these teams have played every season. In this edition of the rivalry the teams squared off and another shelling of the Gators lasted from start to finish as the Blue and White did not let up for four quarters. Starting off with a punt, the Gators gave the ball to the Wildcats who score a field goal on their first drive. The home team forces a turnover on the next drive and immediately turn that into 7 points, scoring on the next drive to take a 10-0 lead. Again, the Gators are forced to punt, and the Wildcats then immediately score another touchdown but the PAT is blocked leading to a 16-0 lead all for the Wildcats. For their fourth drive the Gators are forced to punt again and the Blue and White run it back into the end-zone, running the score up to 23. Finally getting a stop after a pair of punts (the first for the Kentucky eleven) the Gators, gain, gather, and get their first points of the game before the end of the half, a touchdown. The second half continued the onslaught as the Cayuts, careened, cascaded, and coolly ran into the end-zone carrying their score to 30. This proved to be the decisive moment of the game as the Gators got one more touchdown in the game with the Wildcats kicking the final points of the contest. With their chances running out the Men from Gainesville had a turnover on downs, and the home team runs out the clock.

Kentucky 33 - Florida 14

Sept 29th - Norfolk, VA

Among HBCUs in the Tar Heel state, the largest among them is the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Since 1891, this bastion of higher learning in Greensboro has educated generations of students in all manner of academia as evidenced by their motto “Men et Manus” translated from Latin as “Mind and Hand”. This season, the team headed to face one of their rivals, the Norfolk State Spartans, pitting the Aggies against a foe they have not faced on the road since 2019. In a high-flying game where both teams dropped points in bunches the teams went wire-to-wire. Staring the game off the Aggies took the opening drive directly into the end-zone on a 65-yard run past the defense. On their next drive after a Spartan punt the Aggies botched the snap for a safety, getting NSU on the board. After a Spartan field goal, the Aggies get a long run for 7 taking a 14-5 lead. Before the end of the half a long drive goes for a touchdown for the hometown Spartans. At half time the Blue and Gold Marching Machine took the field and blew the crowd away, reminding the Norfolk State faithful of their excellence. But the Spartan Legion Marching band fired back, creating a phalanx of sound that was heard throughout all of Virginia’s Golden Shore. Starting in the third quarter the Aggies scored the next 14 points, pushing their final point total to 28. But the Spartans, bloody but unbowed, boisterously, bluntly, scored two touchdowns. Getting the two-point conversion on the first, but not the second. A furious defensive stand was for not and the Aggies kneeled out the clock, escaping Sparta with their first win of the season.

NC A&T 28 - Norfolk State 26

Sept 29th - Fort Worth, TX 

The Big XII conference spans the Republic, reaching into West Virginia and deep into the heart of Texas. Two of the newer members, the West Virginia University Mountaineers and the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University met on the gridiron to play a football game. The game started with the visitors taking the opening kickoff and punting the ball away to the Frawgs. Seeing an opportunity, the Texas Christian Offense took the ball into the end-zone to open the scoring of the night. On the ensuing drive the visitors score a touchdown of their own, tying the game. The Men from Fort Worth took the ball and went on an Odyssey of a drive, 13 plays all to have it stalled with an Intentional Grounding penalty lead to a missed field goal. No harm was done as the Mountaineers were forced to punt on the ensuing drive. Getting the ball back the TCU team, traveled, traversed, and took the ball into the end-zone taking the lead. After a punt from the visiting WVU, the Horned Frogs were stopped on fourth and short, but immediately after the West Virginia eleven fumbled the ball away. Going three and out the TCU men gave the ball back on a punt and the ‘Eers turned it into 7 points. But the Horned Frogs, protecting home field, harrowing the Mountaineer defense, and hell-bent on scoring, get back into the end-zone before the end of the half. The WVU offense then missed a long field goal to end the half, score 21-14 TCU. The second half began with a set of consecutive drives ending with the ball going back to the other team, a TCU punt, a WVU turnover on downs, and a second punt for the Frawgs. But the Men from Morgantown, get back into the endzone and knot it up at 21. More punting punctuated the game and finally the ‘Eers got a field goal and their first lead of the game at 24-21. After trying to tie it up, the Horned Frogs get their kick blocked! Though the TCU defense forces a three-and-out, they drive back down the field, seeking to get the game back under control, but are stifled by the stout Mountaineers. With time running out, and a team out of chances the Horned Frogs lined up for a 55-yard FG to send the game into overtime, but the Mountaineers, menaced, mangled, moved, and mauled the kick and blocked it again! This ended the threat from the home team and sent the ‘Eers back to Morgantown with the win.

West Virginia 24 - TCU 21

Sept 29th - Mount Pleasant, MI

Chris Creighton’s Eastern Michigan Eagles made their way up to Mount Pleasant for a Mid American Conference clash with their rival Central Michigan. The Chips converted their first possession of the pigskin for precious points by mounting a methodical nine play 91 yard drive for a touchdown. The Eagles eagerly countered converting their first drive into a touchdown to tie the tussle at 7-7. Both teams then struggled a bit to get anything going until Eastern interrupted a Chips drive with an interception. Eastern then marched the moleskin mechanically to find the edge of field goal range. The Eastern kicker, Jesus Gomez, crushed a fifty-five yarder to put the Eagles ahead 10-7. Central then cashed in a four play 52 yard drive for a touchdown with a few ticks on the clock in the first half, taking a 14-10 lead into halftime. Eastern then jumped out of the gates at halftime to trek sixty two yards to take a 16-14 lead. However, the Chips blocked the PAT and trotted all the way back to take a two point conversion and tie the game at 16-16. The Chips then careened down the confines and cashed in a 27 yard field goal for a 19-16 lead. Eastern emphatically answered with a touchdown drive on the next possession giving the Eagles 23-19 edge. Two drives later, the Chips converted a carefully crafted touchdown drive to take a 26-23 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Eastern attempted to answer and they methodically moved the ball down the field on a 14 play 50 yard drive but the Chips bend but don’t break defense denied a touchdown and Eastern had to settle for a field goal attempt. The Eastern 46 yard field goal attempt edged ever so slightly wide. The Chips had their clutches on another hard fought Maction contest and closed it out, killing the clock for the final 51 seconds. 

Central Michigan 26 - Eastern Michigan 23.