Still undefeated, Father Time makes Eli Manning feel old

Eli Manning celebrates his 40th birthday on Sunday, but he was ahead of the game on Saturday while watching the Outback Bowl between Indiana and his alma mater, Ole Miss.

If it helps any, Indiana receiver Ty Fryfogle was already a 3-year-old when Manning connected with Trey Fryfogle for a touchdown pass in Ole Miss’ game at Texas Tech in 2002. It probably does not help Manning to know that the younger Fryfogle, an first team All-Big Ten receiver this season, is a senior…

…which would mean that there’s a possibility that later this year, Ty Fryfogle will be playing football for the other quarterback in the Ole Miss-Texas Tech game where his dad caught his one career college touchdown pass: current Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury.

This kind of thing has been happening forever, of course, but it’s a terrifying stage of life for anyone to enter. But sometimes it hits harder than others. Like, Patrick Mahomes being a superstar quarterback makes some sense. His dad was a pitcher in the major leagues a long enough time ago that, sure, his kid would be a grown man now, doing grown man things.

But then there’s Patrick Surtain II, the Alabama cornerback. Surely, he couldn’t be the son of Patrick Surtain, the former Dolphins corner who then went to Kansas City. That guy was right there with Mahomes last season, wasn’t h— oh, he last played in 2008 and is now 44? Alright, fine, he has a 20-year-old son on his way to the College Football Playoff final.

It’s still rude of the universe to use sports to make us feel so old like this.