{"id":287242,"date":"2025-11-16T00:44:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T00:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/287242\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T00:44:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T00:44:43","slug":"massachusetts-fireworks-headline-college-football-week-12-superlatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/287242\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts’ fireworks headline college football Week 12 superlatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

College football always brings the action on the field. But it rarely disappoints off the field as well.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Picks<\/a><\/p>\n

From sad fireworks during midweek MACtion to stretched-out undershirts in Pittsburgh, Week 12 brought another slate of games with plenty of entertainment — much of it away from the ball.<\/p>\n

As always, we’ve put together a list of nontraditional superlatives that honor the wacky and wild moments that help make college football the sport we love.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Saddest in-game pyrotechnics:<\/a> Massachusetts<\/a><\/p>\n

To say the season has been difficult for Massachusetts would be an understatement, as the Minutemen lost their 10th consecutive game on Wednesday night against Northern Illinois<\/a>. The loss came in decidedly brutal fashion, with the Huskies running up a 45-0 lead by the midway point of the third quarter.<\/p>\n

When Massachusetts did eventually get on the board, the score produced an unfortunate viral moment. Kicker Derek Morris<\/a> converted on a 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter … which prompted a fireworks launch from behind the end zone. The pyrotechnic display, you won’t be shocked to learn, did not prompt a furious 42-point comeback in the game’s final minutes.<\/p>\n

Venue trend of the week: Baseball stadiums<\/p>\n

Normally, football being played in non-football stadiums is reserved for bowl season. In Week 12, though, Major League Baseball venues hosted not one but two college football games.<\/p>\n

Nearly 1,000 miles apart, two of the sport’s most historic ballparks spent Saturday trading bats for pigskin. At Fenway Park<\/a>, the Secretaries Cup rivalry between the Coast Guard Academy and Merchant Marine Academy was played at a neutral site for the first time. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Northwestern<\/a> welcomed Michigan<\/a> to Wrigley Field<\/a> — and brought a home run-themed celebration<\/a> to suit the occasion.<\/p>\n

Northwestern and Michigan’s clash at Wrigley Field was one of two Week 12 games played at historic MLB stadiums.\u00a0Michael Reaves\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

“Gotta do what you gotta do” play of the week:<\/a> Sam Carpenter<\/a><\/p>\n

Plays don’t always need to look pretty to be effective. Pittsburgh<\/a> kicker Sam Carpenter embodied that mentality on Saturday. Notre Dame<\/a> led the Panthers 21-3 at halftime, and things threatened to go from bad to worse in a hurry on the opening kickoff of the second half when Fighting Irish return man Jadarian Price<\/a> turned toward the sideline with plenty of green grass ahead of him.<\/p>\n

Carpenter had other plans. The kicker managed to get ahold of Price’s undershirt and proceeded to simply hold on for dear life. The shirt stretched a distance of several field yards, as Carpenter did just enough to slow Price down and set up teammate Zion Ferguson<\/a>‘s tackle.<\/p>\n

The effort simply delayed matters, though — Notre Dame would go on to score later in the drive.<\/p>\n

Big-man touchdown of the week: Dontay Bishop<\/a><\/p>\n

Conventional wisdom says that if you want to use a defensive lineman to get in the end zone on a short-yardage play, the best way to do it would be to put the ball directly in his hands and have him power forward with a head of steam. Such wisdom was not heeded by Rhode Island<\/a>, which used a much more fun approach: Why not throw to him?<\/p>\n

The Rams lined up Bishop with his fingers in the dirt, and the 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman started out as a blocker before leaking out behind the fray at the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Devin Farrell<\/a> proceeded to find a completely unguarded Bishop for a pitch-and-catch touchdown, sparking particularly enthusiastic celebrations in the end zone.<\/p>\n

this is awesome \ud83d\ude0e#3MoreFeet<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3RzJlDN1Q3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rhody Football (@RhodyFootball) November 15, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

Best social media management:<\/a> Texas A&M<\/a><\/p>\n

With the home team trailing 30-3 entering the halftime break, you wouldn’t fault the mood for being pretty low at Kyle Field on Saturday. With spirits flagging, Texas A&M’s social media administrator opted to keep things factual and curt with a simple message on the team account’s halftime score update: “There will be a second half.”<\/p>\n

The blunt line proved to be a prophetic one. As with all games, there was in fact a second half, and the final 30 minutes saw the Aggies catch fire. Quarterback Marcel Reed<\/a> fired three touchdowns in the third quarter alone as Texas A&M rallied to a remarkable 31-30 win that kept its undefeated season alive.<\/p>\n

Did the social media admin’s message have any effect on the team’s second-half play? Probably not. But credit is owed for keeping things cool and calling an accurate shot all the same.<\/p>\n