One of the more anticipated e-mail blasts hit my inbox early this morning courtesy of THE ATHLETIC’s Alex Kirshner and Sam Settleman. The first sentence alone should suggest why in more ways I’m even giddier than the kids I see on a daily basis already eyeing Halloween costumes in 95 degree heat:
|
Iowa State 24, Kansas State 21 |
|
Do you see that text up there? That’s a real, live, official college football score. There were eight Division I games as part of yesterday’s “Week 0” preview, five involving FBS teams. |
Yep, as of 9 AM yesterday morning the eight-month dearth of real college football officially ended, courtesy of an actual Big 12 showdown between legacy Big Eight rivals Iowa State and Kansas State, inappropiately but opportunistically moved both in season and continent to the now-annual lidlifter eminating from Dublin, Ireland. For a couple of years teams with actual Irish ties to cities with large such ethnic fan bases–Boston College, Northwestern and Notre Dame, obvs–made the trek, a boondoggle for alumni to get in a tailgate like no other and more than enough pubs to handle whatever goes down on the pitch. But now, with the branding and financial incentive of Aer Lingus behind it, those melting pots of Ames and Manhattanville schlepped across the pond for crucial August football.
But much as the setting and coverage might otherwise dictate, the quality on the field was, to be blunt, an Irish lullaby (hence our headline). Our intrepid ATHLETIC duo filled in the details:
This game was quintessential Week 0 stuff. It had a bunch of sloppiness on all sides of the ball, rainy weather that almost made the field lines impossible to see and, ultimately, drama:
- Each team lost two fumbles in the first half. It was wet, and nobody had played a football game in a while. Hence, fumbles.
- One of Kansas State’s best players hurt his ankle in the course of losing one of those fumbles. Running back and return man Dylan Edwards muffed a punt, got hit hard and didn’t reenter the game. He is a significant absence for as long as he’s out.
- Both secondaries got cooked a few times. If you enjoy safeties watching touchdowns soar over their heads, you liked this game.
- A new rule designed to stop faked injuries came into play. Iowa State had to spend a timeout in the fourth quarter, when a defensive player dropped the turf after officials had already spotted the ball. The injury didn’t look fake, either, but this is the path college football has chosen to stop defenders from faking hurt to slow down offenses.
Meanwhile, this wasn’t the only game to be contested on an island. And as if to add to the confusion, it was a de facto Atlantic Coast Conference team, albeit one located in Palo Alto, California, that trekked across the Pacific for another alumni boondoogle against a usually hospitable host. Emphasis on usually, as ISLAND NEWS’ Eric Natkin reported:
Hawaii opened 2025 with a dramatic 23-20 win over Stanford on Saturday. Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa nailed a 38-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Rainbow Warriors their first win over a Power Four team since 2019.
Hawaii had lost its last nine games against Power Four opponents and was 0-4 prior to this weekend all-time against Stanford.
And as if for counterbalance on both counts, there was actually an eventful game played smack dab in the middle of North America as well, per Jordan Guskey of the TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL:
Kansas football earned a 31-7 win Saturday at home in non-conference play against Fresno State. The first three touchdowns the Jayhawks scored incorporated a newcomer who transferred in during the offseason. Two receiving scores by redshirt junior wide receiver Cam Pickett and a rushing score by redshirt senior running back Leshon Williams. With as many players as KU added to the roster, it was only a matter of time until one found the end zone, but it’s a positive sign that they got involved so quickly. Redshirt senior quarterback Jalon Daniels didn’t show any signs of rust, either.
But the biggest name in Lawrence yesterday was David Booth, a soon-to-be 79-year-old billionaire who via several gifts to his alma mater (class of ’68, M ’69)–most recently a $300 million endowment earlier this year–literally bought the right to put his name on the shiny new on-campus stadium where this otherwise Week 0 type game took place.
Hey, if you’re gonna be put to sleep, at least a more comfortable venue to do it in is always welcomed, no?
Courage…