Patrick Reusse: AFC title game has us flashing back to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry beefing. Thank goodness America’s differences are all patched up now.

MINNEAPOLIS The Buffalo Bills arriving in Kansas City in an attempt to dethrone the Chiefs in the AFC title game Sunday takes us back a decade to when there was a great divide across this spacious land of ours.

There was really no middle ground as Americans.

As the feud threatened to rip apart our democracy, you had to choose: Katy Perry or Taylor Swift? I must admit to being pro-Katy in the early going, being impressed with her 2014 visit to Oxford, Miss., for the Ole Miss-Mississippi State showdown and by evening, apparently filled with liquid courage, jumping off a table into the crowd at a college bar.

A year later, of course, Taylor offered her side of the feud with the tune Bad Blood, accompanied by a video.

Katy had committed the sin of stealing some of Taylors dancers as Miss Swift was about to go on tour, leading to mock punches being exchanged among participants in the video.

By amazing coincidence, a very young Hailee Steinfeld was cast as The Trinity, Taylors partners in the confrontation with the rival group (representing Perry, obviously).

Now this decade later, Swift has been very publicly dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, which should make for a record-setting album when she breaks up with the big lug.

She has been at most Chiefs home games over the past two seasons, with Brittany Mahomes quarterback Patricks bride and again a very new mom generally nearby.

Meantime, in much quieter fashion but now publicly engaged, Steinfeld has become the companion for Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, the MVP for the 2024 season if theres any justice.

To top off this Bad Blood video connection, the main performer along with Taylor was Kendrick Lamar.

And two weeks from now, Lamar will headline the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

Originally, I had him mixed up with Howie Kendrick, but remembered Howie was a second baseman, and Ive discovered that this Kendrick nicknamed K-Dot has quite the thumping beat to his music.

My favorite tune of his has to be Swimming Pools, mainly because we have an older, frequently repaired swimming pool in the backyard, which is the main reason Im still working at this advanced but forever-hip age.

ADDENDUM: Swift and Katy patched things up and are again friends, so that has left us without much divisiveness to fret about these days in the good old US of A.

Meanwhile ...

Blake Elliott was a tremendous receiver, kick returner and occasional runner for St.

Johns from 2000 through 2003.

He was a three-time Division III All-American.

His final game was the Johnnies 24-6 victory over the Mount Union football machine in the championship Stagg Bowl.

Mount Union had won 55 in a row and 109 of the past 110, Elliott said.

Our defense was tremendous that day four interceptions, including Mike Zauhars 100-yard return that clinched it for us." Before that, Elliott had a 51-yard touchdown run to make it 17-6 and make this monumental upset fully feasible.

Elliott also caught five passes from quarterback Ryan Keating and was named the games MVP.

That went along with the Gagliardi Trophy he had been awarded a couple of days earlier as D-IIIs Player of the Year.

The Gagliardi had started in 1993, named in honor of Elliotts coach, John Gagliardi.

A decade later in 2003, Gagliardi went past Gramblings Eddie Robinson on his way to an all-time collegiate coaching record of 486 victories.

St.

Johns had nominated Elliott for the College Hall 12 years ago.

This years class was scheduled to be announced Jan.

15.

Theres definitely pessimism after 10 or 11 years, Elliott said.

It was about 8:30, I was putting down Owen, our 5-year-old, for the night.

...

I noticed there had been a call at 3 p.m.

from the National Football Foundation.

I said to [wife] Noelle, Maybe this is it.

It was.

Elliott became the second player from the MIAC to be voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

He joins Calvin Roberts, a legendary two-way tackle for Gustavus dominant teams from 1949 to 1951.

Roberts died from leukemia at age 38 in 1966 and finally was honored by the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gagliardi is in the Hall as a coach, obviously.

The Gophers Greg Eslinger and Jim Kleinsasser, North Dakota and the Vikings, are also among 18 elected players for 2025 from a ballot of 178.

Tom Linnemann was a senior quarterback in 2000, when St.

Johns lost to Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl.

Elliott was a freshman, and they shared Melrose as a hometown.

Blake was the third option as a receiver on that team, Linnemann said.

All he did was run deep posts.

I bet he ran 10 miles a game that season, but he never stopped.

Hes the little scrawny kid we let play in our backyard game who is now, rightfully, a College Hall of Famer.

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