Tom Brady and Chase Winovich vs. Nate Ebner and John Simon.
Dont’a Hightower and Damien Harris vs. Jonathan Jones and Jarrett Stidham.
Shaq Mason vs. Ben Watson, David Andrews, Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel.
All of those matchups and more will play out in the New England Patriots’ locker room in the coming days.
Thanksgiving weekend is rivalry weekend in college football, with games like Michigan-Ohio State (example 1), Alabama-Auburn (No. 2) and Georgia Tech-Georgia (No. 3) pitting Patriots teammates against one another in the ultimate battle for bragging rights.
Since this week marks the end of the regular season for most NCAA programs, we asked 15 current Patriots — three from SEC schools, three from the Big Ten, three from the ACC, three from the American Athletic Conference, one from the Pac-12, one from the old Big East and one from the Football Championship Subdivision — to recall their most memorable collegiate contest.
Ben Watson, tight end, Georgia
“I would say for me, in 2002 we won the SEC championship for the first time since 1980 — the year I was born — and we were one loss away from a national championship. I think we were 12-1 or 13-1, something like that. But I just remember playing in the SEC Championship in Atlanta. We played against Arkansas. Fun game. I caught a touchdown. And just a really exciting time for the university because we’d had some really good teams in the past and really good players but hadn’t won an SEC championship in a long time. So that’d be my most memorable game.”
James White, running back, Wisconsin
“Probably my freshman year, we beat Ohio State when they were No. 1. It was a crazy atmosphere. We returned the first kickoff of the game (for a touchdown) and that kind of set the tone. It was electric. It was really fun. Stormed the field, all type of stuff. It was cool.”
Jakobi Meyers, wide receiver, North Carolina State
“Our win over Notre Dame in (2016). It stormed the whole game. It was terrible. Unfortunately, I got hurt that game, but just watching how happy everybody was — everybody went and did a little Slip ‘n Slide on the field after the game. It was precious. It was a sight to see. I mean, it was terrible being out there, but the memory. Probably two passes completed the whole game. It was terrible. But looking back on it, I really enjoyed that day.”
Deatrich Wise, defensive end, Arkansas
“When we beat LSU my sophomore year. The fans stormed the field. We beat them 17-0 or something like that, and the fans stormed the field. That was my best memory.”
Ryan Izzo, tight end, Florida State
“I’d probably say the Orange Bowl for me. Playing against Michigan. I think it was 20-16. It was just a big win for us — for FSU, just the whole program. It was a great team we were playing, and it was a tough win for us.”
Cody Kessler, quarterback, USC
“There was a couple for me, just because we had so many different coaching changes and things that happened when I was at SC with all the chaos that went on. But definitely beating Stanford my sophomore year with Coach O. He was our coach — Coach (Ed) Orgeron, so that was a really cool moment, on College GameDay. They were a top-five team, and we were kind of coming back from a rough start to the year.
“And then beating Notre Dame at home my junior year and setting a record that game. Just playing with those guys was always fun. Beating UCLA to win the Pac-12 South was cool, too, my senior year. That was my last home game. Just being at a place like that and the history at USC, any time you have a big game at the Coliseum, it’s a cool moment.”
Elandon Roberts, linebacker, Houston
“Probably winning a championship. We won the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl my senior year. Beat Florida State. That’s when they had Dalvin Cook, and Jalen Ramsey on the defensive side of the ball. It was a real good, physical game. It was in the Georgia Dome — the old one, before they built that new facility — and the whole environment … just everything. It was crazy, bro. It was crazy.”
Joe Cardona, long snapper, Navy
“Army-Navy games. They’re a game that’s unlike any other — even unlike any that I’ve played in in the pro game since. I would say I was much more nervous for my first Army-Navy game — any Army-Navy game — than I was for any Super Bowl. It was just such a big game. It was the culmination of our careers. When you step on the campus there at Navy, the first thing you’re hearing is ‘Beat Army,’ so that’s what your whole focus is going into the service academy games and going into the Army-Navy game. It’s an experience that’s almost surreal. You’re surrounded by service members, the Corps of Cadets, the Brigade of Midshipmen. It’s something that will always be a special experience.
“I played in four. I’d say my junior year was (the most memorable), because it was one of those December in Philadelphia, just nasty weather, two tough teams. It was what Army-Navy should be — one of those sights. When you think about Army-Navy, you think about it in that setting and you think about guys that are working as hard as they can and representing their fellow service members as much as they can.”
Stephon Gilmore, cornerback, South Carolina
“Probably the game where we beat Alabama when they were the No. 1 team in the country, in Williams-Brice (Stadium). They had all these great players. We had some great players, too. They were the No. 1 team in the country, and that was the first time, I think, we ever beat a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country. It was a big game.”
Chase Winovich, edge rusher, Michigan
“Probably one of my favorites is taking the Paul Bunyan Trophy (from Michigan State in 2018) and just running it around the field after the game. Just how much anticipation there was for the game, the way the game played out with the delay because of the rain, and just the buildup — how they had done it to us the previous year and taken our trophy and ran it around the stadium and whatnot. The Paul Bunyan Trophy — our trophy. That was definitely a highlight for me. That was probably one of my favorite memories.”
Terrence Brooks, safety, Florida State
“Beating the University of Florida; that was always a great thing for our Seminole Nation. And probably just winning the national championship my senior year was pretty cool. It was kind of a blur, but it was an awesome experience just being over there in Cali in the Rose Bowl. Man, I still watch that game. It still gives me chills. It’s pretty dope.
“Just being down 21-3 going into the (third) quarter, which kind of never happened to us. I know for our defense, we didn’t play a second half for, I want to say, about nine games out of the season, so that was our first time playing throughout the second half, because we were beating teams so bad. So it was an eye-opening experience — a wake-up call — and we knew we had to band together and get it going. But it was dope coming back from that and letting Jameis (Winston) get the last drive. It was dope, man.”
Ted Karras, offensive lineman, Illinois
“We weren’t very successful in college, but we did beat Nebraska at home in a night game my senior year. It was a huge win. That was probably my biggest win in college. I remember I was going up against (Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman) Maliek Collins. He was really good. He’s still really good. We’ve known each other for a long time now. But we had a game-winning drive to win the game. We had to score to win it, and last second — touchdown. Near pylon. It was awesome. Geronimo Allison, for the Packers, actually.”
Korey Cunningham, offensive tackle, Cincinnati
“Mine is probably going to be my senior year, senior day. My senior year, our record wasn’t as good as we thought it was going to be. We ended up being 4-8. The last game of the season, we were playing UConn, a team we should have really been up on by a lot, but that was just how the season was going. The game came down to the last field goal. We kicked the game-winner and won that, so that was pretty bittersweet, leaving my home in Cincinnati with a victory. Coming off that field knowing I left there with a win.”
Justin Bethel, cornerback/special teamer, Presbyterian
“Probably the game that kind of got me here. We played Cal, and we obviously weren’t doing that great on offense or defense, but the first play I remember making was I ended up blocking a punt and picking it up for a touchdown and running it in. And it was funny because I wasn’t even supposed to go try and block it. I just saw it and did it. And then later on in that game, I got a pick-six. The final score ended up being, like, 54-12. We missed both extra points. It was a little bit of a mismatch. But personally, it was a good game for me because it kind of showed scouts and everybody that I could play on a bigger stage.”
Jason McCourty, cornerback, Rutgers
“We played Louisville. It was probably the biggest game at that point. They were No. 2 in the nation, and I just remember the build-up to that game, how tough (coach Greg) Schiano was on us that whole week, and beating them at home. The crowd storming the field — the whole nine. All of that. Being down, I think, 22-7 at halftime and being able to come back in that game and win (on a last-second field goal) by Jeremy Ito. He (initially) missed it, but my guy Will Gay jumped offsides. So he re-kicked it and pointed to the camera and all of that. That was back in the Big East days where we had Thursday night football. That was really the only night everybody watched our conference, so it was a big deal back then.”
