The first official week of college football season has come and gone. (For some reason, the NCAA and sports media refer to the first week of games as “week zero,” which never makes sense to me.) Last week, my friend and colleague Sarah Anderson covered some of the storylines that we were watching going into week one.
As the sun set on the weekend, we saw the Arch Manning hype train derailing, the Crimson Tide turning, and Bill Belichick stumbling. But today, I want to share a couple of feel-good stories from the college football landscape. One of them was an example of off-field heroics, while the other was a triumph on the gridiron.
The Army Black Knights lost a close game to Tarleton State on Friday, but the early hours of Sunday morning showed a unique example of heroism from safety Larry Pickett Jr. When the Pickett family came upon a car that had hit a utility pole, Pickett didn’t hesitate to rescue the driver.
Live electrical wires crackled, and flames began to leap from the car as Pickett dragged the driver across the road. Soon, they could hear tires exploding as they watched the flame get higher. Pickett’s sister videoed the whole thing, and his father posted it on social media.
The driver swore he hadn’t been drinking and hadn’t taken drugs, but he was so disoriented that something was up. Pickett’s father told the driver that he was blessed to be alive.
“Risk taken, life saved,” wrote Joe Rexrode at The Athletic. “A first responder later came up to Pickett Jr. and summed it up in five words: ‘You are a hero, sir.’”
“The Picketts, who live in Raleigh, N.C., and own preschools and a production company, are active in their church and took their kids on a mission trip to build homes in Mexico,” Rexrode added. “Pickett Jr. volunteers as a youth ambassador for Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh.”
Pickett chose to play for Army as an outgrowth of that sense of service. It also showed up in his heroism in the wee hours on Sunday morning.
We're proud of the heroic actions taken Saturday night by Cadet Larry Pickett Jr, a second-year cadet & @ArmyWP_Football player, & his father who are seen pulling a driver to safety in a video online taken by the family. Their actions are the embodiment of the @USArmy Values. pic.twitter.com/dlccTMwonT
— U.S. Military Academy at West Point (@WestPoint_USMA) September 1, 2025
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Now, let’s head down to Baylor University, where one player on the Bears’ first-week opponent, the Auburn Tigers, had a personal triumph. Place kicker Alex McPherson scored eight points — a field goal and five point-after attempts — in the Tigers’ 38-24 victory.
McPherson missed most of the 2024 season after he began to lose weight rapidly. Kickers aren’t the biggest players (Georgia’s Brett Thorson notwithstanding), but McPherson’s weight dropped to 110 pounds. Doctors discovered that ulcerative colitis was the culprit, and McPherson underwent surgery the week before Christmas to remove his colon.
"It changed my life," he told the Montgomery Advertiser. "I wouldn’t be here or playing football again without the surgery. I think it was definitely the right decision for me and my family. I’m glad I did it."
When doctors gave him clearance to play with an ostomy bag, that was all the motivation he needed to get back onto the field. Some setbacks had Auburn ready to go with a backup if necessary (which would’ve been rough sledding since backup Tanner Gough struggled last season).
“That would be a discussion that Alex and I have on Friday,” head coach Hugh Freeze said last week. “If he feels like he is able to participate, then the next question will be, ‘All right, let’s be real, how are you feeling on distance?’ And it may be pregame before we know that. So the answer is yes, we're getting ready to use other kickers.”
McPherson was ready to go, and he showed out on Friday. On top of his triumphant return, Friday was his 22nd birthday. What a birthday present, to return to the sport he loves!
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