Saturday night, an amazing, wonderful, magical, even mesmerizing event occurred:
A college football game kicked off, live on television.
Of course, the wonderment wore off quickly, as Central Arkansas and Austin Peay demonstrated, perhaps, the effect of a shortened fall camp in which players aren’t always present due to quarantine. By the standards of two FCS playoff teams, it was not a good football game.
Aside from any ancillary effects, COVID-19 may have directly impacted the outcome of the contest. The Governors dominated much of the game but had one glaring weakness: their starting long snapper sitting at home back in Clarksville, unable to make the trip.