Five years after Gus Duggerton turned a bored Big Cat, an Xbox 360, and NCAA Football 14 into a genuine Twitch phenomenon during lockdown, Coach Duggs is back in business. This time it's on the rebooted EA Sports College Football, and Big Cat wasted zero time getting the stream rolling once Pardon My Take wrapped for the day.
There was a brief, semi-serious delay caused by, of all things, LeBron James. Big Cat copped to it himself, blaming the false hope that LeBron might drop some kind of announcement at Fanatics Fest and pushing the stream back before setting the record straight.
Duggs will start in 10 minutes. Wrapping up PMT, blame Lebron for making us think maybe he'd announce at Fanatics Fest (we're dumb)
Once the stream actually got moving, the format leaned into the randomness that made the original run so fun to watch unfold in real time. Rather than picking a program himself, Big Cat spun a wheel to determine the starting job for this new dynasty.
Spinning a wheel to see our first team https://t.co/0bLIKQKZNZ
The wheel landed on North Carolina, and Big Cat leaned into it, name-dropping quarterback Jordon as the guy tasked with getting this thing off the ground. Pardon My Take's own account confirmed the stream was rolling for anyone who wanted to watch Big Cat game live, and there was even a costume change to go with the new job -- Big Cat dropped a photo of fresh Duggs-era gear, captioned simply "HOSS."
The debut did not go smoothly. UNC found itself clinging to a 14-9 lead over Bowling Green with 30 seconds left, forcing Big Cat into one of the more Big Cat decisions imaginable: take an intentional safety, hand Bowling Green 2 free points, and trust his kicker to bail him out on the ensuing free kick.
UNC 14, Bowling Green 9 30 seconds left. About to take an intentional safety and let Zac save us https://t.co/ubdy8m9V39
It worked. UNC escaped Dublin with a 14-11 win, and Big Cat moved on to week 2 with the dynasty intact -- barely. That's about as on-brand a season opener as this bit could have produced: a coach known for chaotic, jokey football decisions immediately living through one in his first game back.
The good times didn't last. A pick-six-worthy interception was one thing, but Coach Duggs' second game of the reboot ended in an actual loss to Akron, snapping the perfect start before it could even build any momentum. Big Cat confirmed the setback and the reality that comes with it -- a reload, and fast, with Clemson looming next.
We lost to Akron. Have to reload and learn the playbook before we play Clemson next week
None of this is really about wins and losses, and Big Cat knows it -- the appeal of Coach Duggs was always the chaos, the bits, and the live-reaction stream more than the actual win-loss record. But a loss to Akron in week 2, followed immediately by a date with Clemson, means the next stream carries actual stakes for a dynasty that's already had to survive one near-disaster. Whether Duggs can right the ship against a real power-conference opponent will say a lot about whether this reboot has the same staying power as the original 2020 run that turned Gus Duggerton into a folk hero in the first place.