Massachusetts' fireworks headline college football Week 12 superlatives

College football always brings the action on the field. But it rarely disappoints off the field as well.

Editor’s Picks

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.

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.

Saddest in-game pyrotechnics: Massachusetts

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. The loss came in decidedly brutal fashion, with the Huskies running up a 45-0 lead by the midway point of the third quarter.

When Massachusetts did eventually get on the board, the score produced an unfortunate viral moment. Kicker Derek Morris 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.

Venue trend of the week: Baseball stadiums

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.

Nearly 1,000 miles apart, two of the sport’s most historic ballparks spent Saturday trading bats for pigskin. At Fenway Park, 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 welcomed Michigan to Wrigley Field — and brought a home run-themed celebration to suit the occasion.

Northwestern and Michigan’s clash at Wrigley Field was one of two Week 12 games played at historic MLB stadiums. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

“Gotta do what you gotta do” play of the week: Sam Carpenter

Plays don’t always need to look pretty to be effective. Pittsburgh kicker Sam Carpenter embodied that mentality on Saturday. Notre Dame 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 turned toward the sideline with plenty of green grass ahead of him.

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’s tackle.

The effort simply delayed matters, though — Notre Dame would go on to score later in the drive.

Big-man touchdown of the week: Dontay Bishop

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, which used a much more fun approach: Why not throw to him?

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 proceeded to find a completely unguarded Bishop for a pitch-and-catch touchdown, sparking particularly enthusiastic celebrations in the end zone.

this is awesome 😎#3MoreFeet pic.twitter.com/3RzJlDN1Q3

— Rhody Football (@RhodyFootball) November 15, 2025

Best social media management: Texas A&M

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.”

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 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.

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.

Wackiest interception: USC

When you’re in a one-score conference game, you take big plays however they come. Such was the case for USC in its tilt against Iowa this weekend. Late in the third quarter, Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski rolled out of the pocket and fired what looked set to be a pinpoint pass to move the chains. The ball hit wide receiver Seth Anderson square in the chest … and then careened backwards into the fortunate hands of Trojans defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart.

USC made the most of its good fortune. The Trojans put together a touchdown drive on their ensuing possession to take the lead, and then held on for the rest of the quarter for a 26-21 win.