Quite A Scene

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That Certain '14 joined me for yesterday's FCS semifinal game between New Hampshire and Illinois State yesterday and it was quite a scene. Except for the visiting stands, there wasn't a seat to be had and the tailgating in the parking lot would have done a Big Ten school proud.

New Hampshire led through most of the game but gave up the lead in the fourth quarter and lost, 21-18. The UNH quarterback twice barely overthrew standout receiver RJ Harris beyond the last defender for what would have been sure touchdowns or the Wildcats would have been in the national championship game.

New Hampshire tailback Nico Steriti explained losing a game like this perfectly on the UNH Insider:

“What hurts the most is knowing we could have won that game,” he said. “We should have won that game. When we lost to No. Dakota State last year we looked ourselves in the mirror and knew we just weren’t there. That’s when you can just celebrate on the season we had. This one hurts more because we really feel like we could have won that game and we really could have won the whole thing. That’s what hurts the most for me. If Illinois State wins the whole thing, I’m going to be sick to my stomach, to be honest with you.”

A funny aside. One of That Certain '14's former teammates had a cousin on the UNH team and the two got together at halftime for a bit. The teammate asked her, "Why are you here?" and TC'14 answered, "It's what we do." She's right, of course, and we'll be doing it again next Saturday at Yankee Stadium for the Pinstripe Bowl ;-)

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Former Dartmouth defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux is on the move again. After spending the past three seasons working with defensive tackles at Tulsa the former Oklahoma Sooner is expected to join the staff at Kansas.