Tipsheet

How This College Football Game Ended Is Simply Unreal

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  September 04, 2023 8:30 PM

It wasn’t a major game regarding media exposure because we’re talking about Division II football, but its ending was just as exciting as those you’d see from a major conference. Virginia State was looking to walk away with a win in their season opener against Norfolk State over Labor Day Weekend. And they almost blew it. With seven seconds left, Virginia State had a 27-24 lead over Norfolk. 

All they needed to do was kill off the clock and seal the deal. Even when it was 4th and seventh on what looks like their own three-yard line, a turnover on downs wouldn’t matter if enough time were burned off. The problem was that the backup quarterback fell short of the first down. Even worse, he misjudged the time on the clock and dove out of bounds with a second left. 

The announcers were floored, wondering why Virginia State, given their field position, wouldn’t take the safety. Instead, they gave Norfolk a chance to win the game with a 15-yard field goal with one second left. As Virginia State fans looked at a humiliating defeat in the face, the football gods rewarded them. Norfolk botched the snap, which Virginia State recovered for a touchdown, leading to a 33-24 victory (via Sports Illustrated): 

Virginia State backup quarterback Jordan Davis took the shotgun snap, sprinted off to his left and ducked out of bounds, believing that he took enough time off the clock to execute the plan perfectly. 

The problem is that Davis went out of bounds with one second to play, giving Norfolk State an opportunity to kick a chip shot game-tying field goal. 

As it turns out, the game was never in doubt for Virginia State, as Norfolk State snapped the ensuing game-tying field goal over the holder’s head. Virginia State’s Dante Clark picked up the fumble and ran it the length of the field for a touchdown, as the Trojans went from running out the clock, to nearly going to overtime, to winning by two scores with a final of 33–24. 

Anything can happen, but this game wasn’t the only one where insanity ensued. Boston College’s quarterback Thomas Castellanos was flushed out of the pocket trying to convert on fourth down and went backward some 40 yards before somehow finding wideout Lewis Bond for the first down. 

Other highlights include USC’s Caleb Williams, who the Arizona Cardinals reportedly might be tanking for in next year’s NFL draft, being lethal as always. And while it was a bit rocky in the first half, Florida State University’s Jordan Travis led the Seminoles in completely dismantling LSU. 

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College football is back.

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Forgot to mention the Colorado Buffaloes upset of TCU's Horned Frogs. Colorado was a 21-point underdog. Coach Deion Sanders' son had himself a day. CB/WR Travis Hunter is now the "chancellor of TCU."