McCallie clips Irish on long fumble return in jamboree

Brainerd’s Robert Evans (11) cuts back to miss the tackle by Howard’s Deveontae Overton (14) as Johnny Pendergrass (6) approaches in the Jamboree opener Friday at Finley Stadium.

Shawn McColley’s eyes widened and all he could think was, “Don’t drop it.”

The junior linebacker slashed into the Notre Dame backfield just as Irish quarterback Alex Darras dropped the ball onto the Finley Stadium turf. McColley scooped up the fumble and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown. That score came with less than a minute remaining in their period of Friday night’s Chick-fil-A jamboree and gave the Blue Tornado a 7-0 win.

“I couldn’t believe it at first when I saw the ball on the ground,” McColley said. “I just grabbed it, and all I could think was run and don’t get caught. I wanted to score because I knew the game was almost over.”