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Only in college football: Week 1’s best non-statistical superlatives

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6 months ago

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Only in college football: Week 1’s best non-statistical superlatives


Opening weekend always delivers a little bit of everything that makes fans say, “Only in college football.”

Week 1 of the 2025 season was no exception. From clever trick plays and viral mascots to trash talk backed up on the field, Saturdays in the fall once again proved unmatched.

South Florida pulled off a perfectly executed fake punt to stun Boise State, while Taylor Swift turned heads at Arrowhead Stadium by cheering on Travis Kelce’s Bearcats. A namesake return man brought back Devin Hester memories, a mascot lost its head (literally) and Lee Corso’s old teams delivered a storybook tribute. Add in some feline locker room fame and a prime-time battle of the Death Valleys, and Week 1 gave us highlights well beyond the box scores.

Here’s our not-so-official list of who earned Week 1’s superlatives.

Most Likely to Fool Everyone: USF against Boise State

Looking for a big play up three points in the third quarter of their upset bid against the No. 25 Boise State Broncos, the South Florida Bulls turned to an unlikely source: their backup quarterback in a punting formation.

Yes, you read that right. When the Bulls trotted their punt unit out for fourth down, they snuck backup quarterback Locklan Hewlett onto the field as well. When the snap came to Hewitt — lined up where the punter would normally be — he rifled a 45-yard touchdown pass to Keshaun Singleton to put South Florida up 17-7.

The Bulls didn’t look back from there, piling on 17 more points before the final whistle to win 34-7.

Most Likely to Steal the Spotlight: Taylor Swift at Nebraska-Cincinnati

Taylor Swift at Arrowhead Stadium is a fairly common sight these days, with her now-fiancé Travis Kelce starring for the Kansas City Chiefs. But Swift supporting the Cincinnati Bearcats? Now that’s a sight to see.

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Mahomes, Swift, Kelce take in Nebraska-Cincinnati

Patrick Mahomes, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are all in attendance for Nebraska-Cincinnati in Kansas City.

With Kelce in the house to watch his college squad take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Chiefs’ stadium, Swift was on hand as well. Her presence wasn’t much of a help for the Bearcats on the field though, as a late interception by Malcolm Hartzog Jr. secured a season-opening win for Nebraska.

Most Likely to Rule Death Valley: LSU beats Clemson

The LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers share mascots, as well as the nickname for their respective stadiums: Death Valley.

It was the Louisiana inhabitants of Death Valley that came out on top in a prime-time Week 1 meeting between the two Tigers, with LSU earning a 17-10 win (and bragging rights for the foreseeable future).

Most Likely to Talk It and Walk It: Tommy Castellanos

Some laughed when Castellanos boldly proclaimed that the eighth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide wouldn’t have former coach Nick Saban on the sidelines to “save them” in Week 1 against the Florida State Seminoles.

Read more: Castellanos makes good on jab as FSU stuns Alabama

It was Castellanos who would have the last laugh on Saturday, though, as the Boston College transfer threw for 152 yards, ran for 78 more, and, most importantly, led the Seminoles to a 31-17 upset.

Best Throwback Energy: Devin Hester Jr.’s big kickoff return

Devin Hester with a highlight-reel kickoff return? Are we sure it’s not Chicago in the 2010s?

Sophomore Furman Paladins receiver Devin Hester Jr. sparked flashbacks to a prior generation of NFL heroes in Week 1, when he raced a second quarter kickoff 75 yards against the William & Mary Tribe.

The wild part? Hester Jr.’s return abilities aren’t hereditary — he’s of no relation to the Pro Football Hall of Famer Devin Hester you presumably immediately thought of.

Most Likely to Lose Its Head: The Oregon Duck

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Oregon Duck loses its head!

Oregon Duck loses his head and scampers off

Week 1 is the first week of the season for everybody — including mascots.

The rust of a long offseason showed for the Oregon Duck on Saturday, as the mascot had an unfortunate miscue when running out onto the field before Oregon‘s game against Montana State, with the mascot’s head coming off following a fall. The duck showed keen awareness with a quick recovery though, hustling back into the locker room.

Most Likely to go Undefeated Together: Lee Corso’s teams

Iconic analyst Lee Corso was already well-traveled in the college football world before he ascended to legend status on “College GameDay,” having put together an impressive playing career with Florida State, where he ended up coaching with stops at Maryland, Navy, Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois.

In a fitting tribute to Corso’s final “GameDay” coming earlier in the day, all six of his former schools won on Saturday, the crown jewel being the Seminoles’ unlikely upset of Alabama. As a bonus, Corso finished Saturday 4-for-4 on his slate of game picks for the day as well.

Best Locker Room Celebrity: Bowling Green’s Pudge

The Bowling Green Falcons may have hired Eddie George as their new head football coach over the offseason, but the locker room figure that went most viral as the 2025 season approached was … an exotic shorthair Persian cat?

Meet Pudge, Bowling Green long snapper George Carlson’s cat, who went viral multiple times across the summer for his presence in the team’s locker room. The Falcons got in the win column in Week 1 against Lafayette, and Pudge received a shoutout in the form of a broadcast graphic.





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UFC 326 takeaways: Is this the end of the BMF title?

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2 hours ago

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March 8, 2026

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UFC 326 takeaways: Is this the end of the BMF title?



The BMF legacy is used to a certain type of fight that Holloway vs. Oliveira just didn’t bring.



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McKendree wins inaugural NCAA women’s wrestling team title

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5 hours ago

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March 8, 2026

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McKendree wins inaugural NCAA women’s wrestling team title


CORALVILLE, Iowa — Yu Sakamoto beat Riley Rayome of North Central (IL) 4-3 to win the 117-pound crown and clinch the team title for McKendree on Saturday night at the inaugural NCAA women’s wrestling championships.

After a wild scramble in the final seconds, a challenge by North Central and a review, Sakamoto’s win gave McKendree a 167-166 lead over Iowa — which finished with three individual champions and a runner-up but had no remaining competitors with two matches remaining. The Bearcats finished with 171 points and third-place North Central had 123.5.

Grand Valley State’s Katerina Lange, the No. 1 seed, beat second-seeded Claire DiCugno of North Central 4-1 to claim the 138-pound title and become the first women’s wrestling national champion.

North Central’s Bella Mir won at 145 pounds, beating No. 1 seed and former teammate Reese Larramendy of Iowa in the first round to avenge her only regular-season loss. The second-seeded Mir — an Iowa transfer and the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir — reversed a takedown attempt, immediately rolled and pinned Larramendy with 34 seconds left.

Iowa’s Valarie Solorio, the No. 2 seed, beat fourth-seeded Rayana Sahagun of Grand Valley State by technical fall in the second round to win the 103-pound title. Sahagun beat No. 1 seed Heather Crull on criteria (7-7) in the semifinals.

Lehigh’s Audrey Jimenez pinned Sage Mortimer of Grand Valley State just 1:19 into the first round to claim the crown at 110 pounds.

Quincy’s Xochitl Mota-Pettis won at 124 pounds, beating Shelby Moore of McKendree by technical fall (10-0) in the second round.

Cameron Guerin of McKendree beat Alexis Janlak of Aurora on criteria (5-5) to win the championship at 131 pounds in the final match of the night.

Iowa’s Kennedy Blades, the No. 1 seed, pinned third-seeded Tiffani Baublitz of East Stroudsburg in 1:19 to claim the 160-pound crown.

Iowa’s Kylie Welker outscored Destiny Rodriguez of McKendree 11-0 in the first round to win the 180-pound title by technical fall.

McKendree’s Tristan Kelly beat Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State by technical fall (11-0) in the second round to secure the national championship at 207 pounds.



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White House UFC event to be headlined by Topuria-Gaethje

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5 hours ago

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March 8, 2026

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White House UFC event to be headlined by Topuria-Gaethje


A collage showing UFC fighters Justin Gaethje (left) and  Ilia Topuria. — AFP/Reuters/File

WASHINGTON: An Ultimate Fighting Championship event to be staged on the White House’s South Lawn in June will be headlined by Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, the UFC announced Saturday.

The lightweight championship clash will top a bill of six fights set to take place on the US Flag Day holiday and the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump, who is an avowed UFC fan.

The June 14 event has been dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” in reference to the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations this summer.

Topuria is one of the UFC’s top-rated fighters and a double-weight champion who has won all 17 of his fights.

A former featherweight champion, he earned the lightweight belt last year by knocking out Brazil’s Charles Oliveira before temporarily stepping away from the sport for personal reasons.

Born in Germany to Georgian refugee parents, Topuria moved to Spain as a teenager, and has both Georgian and Spanish citizenship.

In Topuria’s UFC absence, Arizona native Gaethje won an interim lightweight title, but will now have a chance to capture the undisputed championship.

The 37-year-old American has a 27-5 record in UFC.

Trump has said a stadium for more than 100,000 people would be constructed in front of the White House for the fight, although organisers have since said the event is expected to host some 3,000 to 4,000 people at the heart of Washington DC.

Large screens to view the event are expected to be raised in other places near the White House for larger crowds to watch the show.

The event was originally announced for July 4, which is Independence Day in the US, before being moved to Trump’s birthday.

The Republican president has also unveiled plans for an IndyCar race on the streets of Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence.

UFC is the largest and most successful organisation in the burgeoning world of MMA, a blend of martial arts disciplines like jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing and wrestling.

Bouts take place in an eight-sided ring — dubbed “The Octagon” — bounded by a chainlink fence.

With few exceptions — such as eye-gouging — male and female fighters are allowed to employ almost any technique to attack their opponent.

The sport’s popularity with young men — a key demographic in the 2024 US election — and Trump’s long association with the UFC have made the president a regular fixture at some of its more high-profile events, where he is greeted like a rock star.

Its brutal nature and high injury rate mean the sport is controversial, with doctors decrying the potential for brain damage amongst fighters who are repeatedly hit in the head, though it has gained increasing mainstream acceptance in recent years.





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