January 29, 2006
"SENATE RESOLUTION 352 -- COMMENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN LONGHORNS FOOTBALL TEAM FOR WINNING THE 2005 BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP."
I have not counted the number of Wheras's in this resolution yet. Unless you are a Longhorn fan, I doubt you will read it all. So here are my favorites:
Whereas Ahmard Hall, the male 2005 Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year, served his country as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps for four years--serving tours in Kosovo and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan--prior to joining the team as a walk-on in 2003 and ultimately rising to the position of starting fullback and team captain;Whereas the entire Longhorns team should be commended for its inspirational work, determination, and success;
Whereas the University of Texas at Austin has a long tradition of athletic and academic excellence; and
Whereas the Longhorns have brought great honor to themselves, their university, and the great State of Texas...
I also picked up one of these today. My box won't be opened.
I really want some of these cans of Coke, but they were only distributed in Austin for a limited time. I called an Austin friend to see if she could snag me some, but I am sure it is to late.
Offical story about this merchandise here.
January 10, 2006
After the Rose Bowl
Despite being on our feet since 8 am that morning, the walk back to the train station, then our car, did not seem so bad. Despite sore feet, legs and backs, no one wanted to complain.
When we got back to our car, we stopped to visit with CalTechGirl. I figured it would be crazy to come that far to borrow part of her street and not meet. Luckily she agreed. We visited with her and her husband. Made friends with her dog. Talked about the highlights of the game and they answered some questions about things we could not see from our seat.
We were starving, so we followed them to an IHOP that was closed. WHAT?!?!?! A IHOP not open 24 hours?!?!!? Luckily there was another place and it is a good thing we were with locals. We probably would not have found it on our own.
The company was great and we got to learn more about their USC tradions and history. And a little more about Mr. and Mrs. CalTechGirl.
We found out way to drop our friends off and back to our hotel by 2:30 am. With a 6:45am flight, my husband did not even try to get any sleep. I dozed for about an hour or so. Nothing spectacular about our flight home, except there were lots of other Longhorns on the same flights. And they were happy like us.
January 08, 2006
The Rose Bowl Game
I won't talk about the technical aspects of the game. There are plenty of others who do it much better than me. So this will be a chic's point of view of the game....
The atmosphere in the stadium was electric. Everyone was smiling, happy, and pleasant. It seemed like a huge get together of friends. I am sure that the pre-game drinking did not hurt!
Our seats were OK. A little low to see what we needed and way to low to take pictures. We had a little conversation with some ladies two rows in front of us about their sign blocking our view. They tried to use the excuse that no plays were going on, but stuff goes on in between the plays. No problem with timeouts or half time, but not when there is action on the field. I told them I did not want to miss anything since this was a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. Once my husband told them they could hold the sign in front of themselves, the conversation ended and all was well.
The pre-game show was good, with fireworks, parachuters with flags for the Rose Bowl, USC, Texas, United States, and one other I could not see, and a jet fighter letting his afterburners go. Leeann Rimes sang the National Anthem. Since she was twanging it all up, you could hear everyone in the stands singing. Very cool.
The game itself was a rollercoaster ride. The last 8 minutes were amazing. Things went our way and we were able to come from behind. With 8 seconds left on the clock, USC had the ball and could have scored. But with two plays the clock ran out and we were now the National Champions.
And the Texas fans went crazy!!! People were high-fiving, hugging, and kissing anyone and everyone. I was standing still, but since everyone else was going crazy it felt like I was moving. Grown men cried. People ran down to get closer to the field.
I put together a little graph showing the scores of Texas, USC and "My Emotions". Should help give you an idea of how the game went. If you notice that I never went negative on the scale with my emotions. The game was close and since it never looked like a blowout, I would be OK with it. I would not like it, but USC was ranked number one. Here is the graph.
One thing I noticed last year when Texas won the Rose Bowl, they shot orange and white confetti into the air. I wondered what they did with Michigan's colored confetti and how much that cost them. (We played Michigan last year.) This year they just shot multicolored confetti. No color coordination or wasted confetti!!!
We stayed to watch the presentation of the trophy and sing the "Eyes of Texas". We visited with our friends who sat close to us and let the crowd die down.
Here are some links on the technical/sport aspect of the game:
Stats from Texas Football Site (BORING!!)
ESPN.com
Fox Sports
Up tomorrow: Getting home and a blogmeet with CalTechGirl!
January 07, 2006
Before the Rose Bowl
Since my husband is very into Texas football, everything that potentially could or actually did go wrong on our way to the game were intensified by 100%. (Note to hubby: I am not trying to downplay my mistake, just pointing out you were really on edge.) Much more than a normal game. But we made it.
Since the rain reduced the amount of parking around the Rose Bowl (something about messing up a golf course), we drove into Pasadena and parked in front of CalTecGirl's house. Walked to the train station and took it to the stop closest to the Rose Bowl. We had to walk more since the shuttles were not running at 8:30am. But that gave us a chance to stop at a grocery store and pick up some breakfast. Deli sandwiches and chips. Yum!
Once we got to the Rose Bowl, we found our tailgaters. Chatted football and the game. The general consensus was Texas would win. Overall the atmosphere was pleasant. USC fans were good and no one got out of hand.
We walked towards the stadium to find ticket holders to wear around our necks. The tickets were to big to fit in any pocket. We took some pictures in front of the stadium since we knew it would be crazy later. Bought the ticket holders and headed back for more tailgating.
The team comes in about 2 hours before game time, so we went to greet them. Along with a bunch of other fans. Probably 4 times as many who greeted the team last year at the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl was ready and had plenty of staff and barriers to keep us back. Back again for more tailgating.
During all the tailgating we were able to see our traveling friends. These are people we had gotten to know over the last seven years going to the games and meeting up at HornFans.com events. It was great to see them all and know that our dedication to traveling to the games may have influenced our team getting to this point. It was also hard seeing some of them without tickets knowing that not so dedicated fans were going.
We also saw some interesting things. One guy was dressed as Bush and selling USC signs. He had a boom box playing hoe down music. It didn't want a picture of that.
But I did get a picture of the Tower replica. The real tower is on campus and they light it up when Texas wins. If they win a Championship then they turn on the office lights to make the shape of a #1, like this.
Then there was the marketing for the TV show "Beauty and the Geek 2". They were handing out Nerds candy, geek glasses, tshirts and tiaras. My friend and I got some things and she even took a picture with the geeks. I kept my tiara but sat on it during the game. My friend gave hers to my husband and he wore it the rest of the time. (LOL) We ate our nerds and I gave my nerd glasses away.
Then we have the super bong made by some Mechanical Engineers. With 8 valves it held 32 beers. They stopped by our tailgate and coaxed some UT and USC fans to do it. The guys who had it did it every time they ran it and I am positive they were not in any shape to watch the game. Here they are pouring in beer and here it is in action.
I was not suprised at the number of Texas fans there. We travel well.
FINALLY it was time to go to the game. We headed on about 2.5 hours before the game and the stadium was already a mad house. We started at one gate, but it was very slow going. We decided to walk around to another gate and had better luck, but still had to wait to go through our tunnel to get our seats.
Stay tuned tomorrow for THE game.
Update: I forgot about the Gnome!!!! More about him here.
January 06, 2006
UNBELIEVABLE
We WON!!!!! If you check the sports sites you can read the details of the BEST College football game ever! Still catching up with sleep, work, and other duties, but I will be writing more later. Lots to share, lots to share!!!!!
Hook'em Horns
January 02, 2006
Getting tickets to the Rose Bowl....
The lowest price I could find for a ticket is $1200. (I looked here and here.) Face value is $175. That is a hell of a return. We were able to get ours at face since we are Season ticket holders and donate enough above the cutoff. Whew! Cause if we didn't, we would have paid $1,200 a ticket. Whew!
And we have good karma on our side since we are selling our two extra tickets to some friends at face value. Gotta love good karma!!!
I wish I could say it all in one breath
Tomorrow we fly out of DFW at 8:30pm, fly to John Wayne in California, get a rental car, find our hotel 1 mile from the airport, go to sleep, toss and turn, get up, pick up our friends staying in Downtown LA, find parking at one of the train stations that will take us to Pasadena (we may get to meet CalTechGirl or at least park in front of her house), take the train to Pasadena, pass some time before the shuttles to the Rose Bowl start at 11 am, tailgate before the game, go to the game at 7pmish, enjoy watch the game, about 4 hours later walk back to the train station since the bus stuttles will be packed, take the train back to wherever we parked, drop our friends back at LA, drive back to the hotel, sleep, get up in time to catch our 6 am flight back to DFW, which has a layover (bleh), pick up the girls at my anti-In-laws, go home, fix dinner, put the girls to bed, go to bed.
Did you get that?
December 29, 2005
PreGame Summary - University of Southern California
updated on 12/31/2006 with more info.
January 4th, Texas plays USC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. On the line is the National Championship with USC ranked #1 and Texas #2. This is very exciting, but it has to be much more so for my hubby and other Texas fans who know more about this whole football thing than I do. So lets begin a PreGame Summary of USC.
Nickname/Mascot: USC are called the Trojans:
USC's nickname, "Trojans," originated in 1912.
Up to that time, teams from USC were called the Methodists or Wesleyans and neither nickname was looked upon with favor by university officials. Athletic Director Warren Bovard, son of university president Dr. George Bovard, asked Los Angeles Times sports editor Owen Bird to select an appropriate nickname.
"At this time, the athletes and coaches of the university were under terrific handicaps," Bird recalled. "They were facing teams that were bigger and better-equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit. The name 'Trojans' fitted them.
"I came out with an article prior to a showdown between USC and Stanford in which I called attention to the fighting spirit of USC athletes and named them 'Trojan' all the time, and it stuck.
"The term 'Trojan' as applied to USC means to me that no matter what the situation, what the odds or what the conditions, the competition must be carried on to the end and those who strive must give all they have and never be weary in doing so."
USC's mascot is a white horse named Traveler:
Traveler first made an appearance at USC football games in 1961 (in the home opener versus Georgia Tech). Bob Jani, then USC's director of special events, and Eddie Tannenbaum, then a junior at USC, had spotted Richard Saukko riding his white horse, Traveler I, in the 1961 Rose Parade. They persuaded Saukko to ride his white horse around the Coliseum during USC games, serving as a mascot. Ever since, whenever USC scores, the band plays "Conquest" and Traveler gallops around the Coliseum.
Side note: The Rose Bowl will be the current riders last game.
Colors: Cardinal and gold. Could not find any history on this. Before 1895, USC's official color was gold. At that time the College of Liberal Arts had its own color—cardinal. In 1895, both colors were adopted as USC's official colors. (Thanks for the info, CalTechGirl!!!)
Location: USC's two primary campuses are located Los Angeles, CA.
Main Rival: UCLA. They have a Victory Bell for the winner of the game.
Unique Tradions/Misc: USC has quite a few tradtions. You can check them all out here, but below are a few I thought worth mentioning. Update: Here is a link from CalTechGirl with more info.
Another famous USC song is the regal processional march, "Conquest," by Alfred Newman. It is usually played after every USC score and victory. This stirring battle cry, from Newman's score to the 1947 motion picture classic "Captain from Castile," has become synonymous with the championship tradition of USC since the Trojans adopted it in 1954 during a basketball game against Oregon State. Newman, a legendary composer of film music, was the musical director of Twentieth Century-Fox Studios.
Here is a great story about USC's Super Fan. He even has a super quote:
"I don't think I'm a nut. It's all been fun. I could've spent a lot more money on other hobbies. A guy can spend as much money playing golf or poker. Some people think I'm crazy for spending as much money as I have traveling to see these games. They don't understand that I do more than just watch a game when I visit these cities. I've met a lot of nice and interesting people on these trips.
Famous Players: Reggie Bush, who won the Heisman this year. (Related post here.) Matt Leinhart is their quarterback who won the Heisman last year and was in the running this year. If you want to know more about them visit here.
Spread: +8 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, USC has to beat Texas by 8 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: Uh, well.. they are ranked #1. So I guess you could say good. (hehe)
What we have to watch for: Quoted from hubby, "Pretty much their whole offense." This is a huge game that will not be easy. If we play like we can and avoid turnovers, then we could win.
My comments: OMG! We are going to the Rose Bowl to play in the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! This is as good as Texas football has been since I have been a fan and I will be there. WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!
Update on Tradions: CalTechGirl mentioned Tusk in the comments.
...you forgot Tusk. The Trojan Marching Band played on the album, and ever since then it's USC's unofficial anthem (U-C-L-A SUCKS!)
I had no clue what Tusk was. Looks like the Docherty Family are big USC fans.
Written and recorded as the title song for the Fleetwood Mac album of the same name in 1989, The Trojan Marching Band is featured prominently on the song Tusk. The album earned Fleetwood Mac and USC a platinum album for the effort. The song was reprised in the live album, The Dance in 1997. That album earned the Trojans a second platinum album (certified 5x), a first for any university.
December 19, 2005
More on Vince (and Texas)
Remember my post a few days ago about The Heisman run this year?
This post at Burnt Orange Nation gives another view point and has some other interesting things to say about the team and our up coming game with USC. I really like this sentence:
If we're going to win the title, we want to beat the best, and USC is clearly the best. If we're going to lose, we want to lose to the best.
December 13, 2005
Novice View of the Heisman
The Heisman trophy is given at the end of the football season to "the most outstanding college football player". The votes are made by the media and sepatrated by region.
Each Section within the United States has 145 media votes, totaling 870 media votes across the country. Additionally every former Heisman winner, 52 presently, has a vote as well. In 1999, The Heisman Trophy agreed to develop a special program to allow the public at large to become part of the balloting process by permitting one (1) fan vote eligible in the overall tabulation. This program continues in 2005, bringing the total number of voters for the 2005 Heisman race to 923.
This year Reggie Bush, a running back from USC, won.
I noticed two things this year in the run for the Heisman. Maybe I was paying more attention since Vince was in the running. I was watching Texas when Ricky won, but I had less of a clue then as I do now.
1. Reggie Bush had tons of hype from ESPN and other media. When watching the football shows the announcers seem to include the word Heisman in the same sentence as Reggie. Pete Alfono of the Star Telegram also agrees:
He was beaten by the sheer weight of publicity generated for a great player in a glamorous media capital that knows how to promote people with star quality. (full op-ed here)
Pete Fiutak, who thought that Bush should have won, talks about the importance of the media:
Honestly, how many times did you watch Young play this year? You saw the Ohio State game, maybe part of the Texas A&M game and possibly the first half of the Big 12 Championship, but Young simply didn't get the all-around exposure Bush did, and he didn't have the panache of "Mr. 619."
2. Bush may have had the President's last name, but Vince Young is getting the same treatment as the President does by the media. The sports talk shows and the boards that my hubby reads are all a buzz about Vince's reaction to loosing. Many people who don't like Texas are calling Vince a whiner. The only quote I could find from Vince when asked about not winning are listed below.
"Right now, I feel like I let everybody down," said Young, who might have been the most downcast Heisman finalist in the award's 71 years. "My teammates, my family, the city of Austin, the city of Houston. I let everybody down."
"I'm a little upset right now," Young said, not trying to hide his disappointment. "Right now, I feel like I let my guys down. I feel like I let my family down. I feel like I let the city of Houston [his hometown] down. That's how I am."
"I just felt like I didn't represent my team, my family or my fans," Young said. "Reggie Bush is a great athlete. He won, so I'm happy for him."
Has anyone talked about or made a big deal about this?
Asked about Young's disappointment, Bush's response included: "That's not my problem."
Again, the media and people in general, pull what they want to hear from what people say. Or maybe what they expect to hear.
I am no where close to throwing stats, facts, or good reasons on who should have won. But I do think that this years Heisman run may have shown the effects of biases.
December 12, 2005
Plans have begun
Over the last week we have consulted with our traveling buddies. We are planning to going to the game together since there is such a thing as safety in numbers. Or maybe safety with a 6'9" guy (my hubby). Or maybe they like our company. Who know, but we are going....
Last year we parked a train station and rode into Pasadena. My hubby is concerned that we will have the same problem as we did last year and barely find parking. I say it was like that since the Rose Bowl Parade was going on. By the time we got to Pasadena the parade was in full force. This year the parade is on a different day. Any clues on who is right from ya'll Californians out there?
Update: Game day is on Wednesday, January 4th.
December 07, 2005
Pictures from the Big 12 Championship
Click here!
December 03, 2005
Rose Bowl, here we come
Texas beat Colorado, 70 to 3, earning a place in this year's Rose Bowl. Wooo hoooo!!!! But wait, you say! Didn't you go last year? Yes, we did, but the Rose Bowl was not hosting the National Championship, the Orange Bowl was. But this year it is! And since Texas is number 2, we get to play!!! (I will post more on the Bowl System later.)
What a fun game to watch. We were in the in zone upper deck with a decent view. I had my some of my favorite men with me, Hubby on the left, my Dad on the right. Got some good pictures.
And now heading for Mexican food. Could it be better than this?
Update: Gotta update my header graphic when I get home!!!
December 02, 2005
We're everywhere!!!
Texas plays Colorado for the Big 12 Championship tomorrow. Houston is crawling with Longhorn fans. Our hotel is right next to Reliant Stadium and the staff is even wearing Longhorn gear.
There will not be many Colorado fans since they returned 5,000 of the 8,300 they received at the school.
My parents came with us. Tonight we went to a great seafood place and stopped for Frosty's for dessert. Tomorrow hubby, my Dad and I will go to the game while my Mom and the girls hang in the hotel.
And we better win. Whooo, cause if we don't. OMG, this household will not be happy.
November 24, 2005
Barely a Pre-Game Summary - Texas A&M
Presenting this week's PreGame Summary for the Novices. Tomorrow, Texas plays Texas A&M in College Station, TX. Every year we play them the day after Thanksgiving.
Mascot: American Border Collie. Reveille, the first lady of Aggieland, is the official mascot of Texas A&M University. She is the highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets, and she is a Five-Star General.
All Reveille's are buried at the north end of their stadium where they can see the score board.
Members of this school are nicknames "The Aggies", since they are know to be an agricultural school.
Colors: Maroon and White
Location: College Station, TX. The roads into this town are only two lanes. TWO. LANES.
Main Rival: Texas. They pretty much hate Texas.
Unique Tradions/Misc: Tradition should be an Aggie's middle name. Every Freshman is required to take a class be brainwashed on the school and it's tradtions. They even have a Tradions Council. All tradtions listed here.
Thumbs Up is their hand symbol.
At a yell practice before the 1930 TCU game, A&M board of regent Pinky Downs '06 shouted, "What are we going to do to those Horned Frogs?" His muse did not fail him as he improvised, borrowing a term from frog hunting. "Gig 'em, Aggies!" he said as he made a fist with his thumb extended straight up. And with that the first hand sign in the Southwest Conference came into being.
Misc: The Head Coach, Dennis Franchione, made many enemies when he came to A&M. I found this article explaining the controversy behind his move. Text below quoted from it.
Two years ago, Crimson Tide fans welcomed Franchione to Tuscaloosa just as eagerly, in hopes that he could repair their three-win team.
Did he ever. After a 3-5 start, Alabama won its final four games his first season. The late roll included beating rival Auburn 31-7, then the first bowl victory in five seasons.
Everyone was deflated a few months later when the NCAA pounded the program for misdeeds by Franchione's predecessor: a two-year bowl ban, 21 scholarship cuts over three seasons, five years' probation -- and threats of more.
But Franchione stood strong. He vowed to last through it and convinced players to stay; not one transferred. The school showed its appreciation by offering a 10-year extension reportedly worth $15 million, even though Franchione had four years left on his original contract.
He never signed the new deal, but nobody seemed to care -- especially not once the Tide started rising. By mid-November they were 9-2, ranked No. 9 and had already clinched the best record in the SEC West.
Then, as Alabama was preparing for Auburn, reports surfaced that A&M was going to fire R.C. Slocum, the winningest coach in school history, and hire Franchione. Franchione called the notion "idiotic" and indicated he'd sign the extension soon.
He continued denying interest all the way until boarding a private jet bound for College Station on Dec. 5.
Franchione left for an interview and never came back, not even to say goodbye to his players. He told them via video teleconference, a final act of betrayal that powerful booster Lee Roy Jordan, a former star linebacker for Alabama and the Dallas Cowboys, calls "the biggest complaint we have."
Franchione insists he "always cared deeply about the players." That's about as in-depth as he's willing to get on the issue.
"No matter what I say, I'll end up on the negative side," Franchione said. Later, he added, "When you make a move, there are a lot of things that not everybody understands or sees. You have to know that and not let it bother you. I never let it bother me."
Good thing, because the backlash was severe.
A Birmingham radio station let fans torch, chop and mangle Franchione bobblehead dolls. Newspapers ridiculed him for false promises and for having touted loyalty, honesty and accountability on his Web site.
Part of the venom was because Alabama had never been jilted like this. Franchione's two-year tenure was the shortest since 1910. He was only the second coach since 1930 to leave for another college.
Famous Players: None of note.
Spread:-28 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, they have beat A&M by 28 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: They are currently have 5 wins and 5 losses.
What we have to watch for: We need to avoid injuries and turn overs.
My Comments: The Aggies take their traditions very seriously. Below are stories:
The most notorious incident involving a Corps of Cadets member and a visitor came in October 1981, when senior Greg Hood wielded his saber at an SMU cheerleader on the field after a 27-7 Aggies loss on Halloween. Picture here.
On a very sad note, there is this story.
There are many other stories, but we would be here forever. When I asked my husband what he would tell someone who did not know about A&M about the school in general, he replied with one word: cult.
November 16, 2005
Texas beats Kansas, 66 - 14
The game itself was good, but mostly uneventful. We beat them good. But this game was fun because of all the other activities. Let's start at the beggining.
Since the 11th was Veteran's Day, we honored Veterans this game. As the Nation Anthem was sung, we had a fly by of fighter jets. It was cool, but not ver loud since the did not turn on the after burners. A picture of the fly by is here.
They also had a reunion for the Texas flag wavers, so they had 4 Texas flags on the field when the team came out. Picture here.
It was also Senior Day, so they let each of the Seniors run out after being introduced. They originally wanted them to run out and stand with their parents, but they all asked to go back and run out with the team. I can understand that since it is their last home game ever. And
running out of the tunnel is supposed to be really cool.
Even with all this stuff going on, they had time for KU's band to perform at half time. I love seeing other bands play and they had flags that the girls would have loved.
The Longhorn Band had a great performance to honor the 50th Anniversary of Big Bertha.
And the 50th Anniversary of the "Hook'em Horns". They had some cheerleaders from 50 years ago and the guy who introduced the infamous hand symbol of Texas. Full story here. I got a picture of the band in a Hook'em Horns formation with the cheerleaders. Picture here.
Not to leave the Veterans out they honored them with this and this.
This game was a prime example of one of what makes college football fun.
November 11, 2005
little longhorn!
When we were walking to the stadium last Saturday, my girls were taking in all the sites of Baylor's stadium. As we got in line at the gate, my youngest pointed to the Baylor flags.
Youngest: "Look, look, it's Baylor flags!"
Oldest: "Don't look at those Baylor flags. We don't care about Baylor. Don't look at them."
Of course Oldest did not say this quietly and she even got some chuckles from Baylor fans.
November 10, 2005
PreGame Summary - Kansas
Presenting this week's PreGame Summary for the Novices. Texas plays Kansas at home in Austin, TX.
Mascot: Jayhawks - "During the Civil War, the word Jayhawk became associated with the spirit of comradeship and the courageous fighting qualities associated with the efforts to keep Kansas a free state. Following the war, most Kansans were proud to be called Jayhawkers." Full history here.
Colors: Blue and Red: "The University of Kansas colors, crimson and blue, used since the early 1890s, are not the colors originally adopted by the university Board of Regents in the 1860s. The regents had decided to adopt the Michigan colors, maize and sky blue.
Maize and blue were used at early oratorical meets, and they may have been used when Kansas competed in rowing in the middle 1880s. However, when football came upon the scene in 1890, the student backers wanted to use Harvard crimson as the athletic color in honor of Col. John J. McCook, a Harvard man, who had given money for an athletic field at KU. That field ran east and west in the proximity of where the north bowl of Memorial Stadium stands on the Kansas campus today.
Until that time, Kansas football games were played at Central Park on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. Some Yale men were on the faculty, and they demanded that Yale blue be included. The rooters rallied forth to follow crimson and blue on their team. No one fought to retain the original colors, and the vivid deeper tone crimson and blue became generally used. Finally, in May 1896, the KU Athletic Board adopted crimson and blue as the official team colors for the university. "
Location: Lawrence, Kansas.
Main Rival: Missouri. They are even keeping track.
Unique Tradions/Misc: Rock Chalk Chant - "The Rock Chalk Chant has been the battle cry of KU fans for over 100 years. This strange, traditional chant, which is among the most famous of all college cheers, was started by E.H.S. Bailey, a professor of chemistry.
Bailey wanted a cheer for his Science Club. Returning from a convention in Wichita, Bailey and some associates patterned the yell after the rhythmic cadence of their train rolling along the tracks. On May 21, 1886, Bailey submitted the cheer to his club. Originally, the chant was "Ray, Rah, Jay Hawk, K.U." repeating the words three times. This yell was used by the science club the next year and there were frequent allusions to "The Science Club Yell" in the student newspapers
An English professor suggested that "Rock Chalk" be substituted for "Rah, Rah" because it rhymed with Jayhawk and because it would be symbolic of the chalky limestone formations found on Mount Oread.
The chant was adopted as the college yell after the state oratorical contest in Topeka in 1886 because KU student yells for the their winners were enthusiatic, but unorganized. By the Fall of 1887 the yell was know as the offical yell of the school as the student newspaper reported on November 4, 1887,
"Every college of importance in this country has a college cry. In every town in which a college is situated, the midnight air resounds with the hideous yells of the student, symbolic of victory, defeat, or devilment. The students of the University of Kansas use their yell but little and it is only admidst great victory that "Rock-chalk-Jay-Hawk, K-U-U-U floats throught the midnight air reminding one of a band of Apache Indians."
By 1889 the form of the cheer had changed to the drawn-out cadence repeated twice, followed by three staccato repetitions. "
Misc: Kanas is way more into basketball.
Famous Players: Nick Reid: Senior Linebacker, as a junior he: "Earned first-team All-Big 12 honors by the Associated Press, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News and Austin American-Statesman ... Received second-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches ... Received the Willie Pless Award for most tackles in a season at the team's annual awards banquet ... Named the team's defensive player of the week after the games against Toledo and Northwestern ... Played in all 11 games and made 10 starts ... Led the team with 109 total tackles, including 52 solo stops ... Was one of just three Big 12 players to finish the season with more than 100 tackles ... Was the team leader and finished fifth in the Big 12 with 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage ... Tied for third on the team with three quarterback sacks ... Had one interception and forced a fumble ... Collected 10 or more tackles in six different contests ... Had a season-high 15 tackles in KU's win over Kansas State ... Posted a season-best three tackles behind the line of scrimmage vs. No. 6 Texas ... Had 10 tackles, forced a fumble and picked off a pass against Toledo."
Click on his name above to see his accomplishements in previous years.
Spread:-33.5 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, they have beat Kansas by 33.5 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: Decent defense. Offense sucks. Kansas has won 5 games and lost 4.
What we have to watch for: Be patient, wear out their defense, don't give them a short field. (Short field means we want them to start as far away from the goal line as possible. If they start out closer, it will be harder to stop them. But you could say this is a goal for every game, not just Kansas.)
Note: Just like Baylor's University website, Kansas also has pop up ads. Mucho cheesy!
November 07, 2005
Texas beats Baylor, 60 to zero
This was a fun game in Waco. We took the girls with us and it was Youngest's first game. They had a blast and would like to go again. We like to take them to this game since the group we tailgate with rents a guys yard with a nice fence. So the girls can play and we are very close to the stadium. So after the bands played at half time, we went back to hang out in the shade until the game was over. It was very hot.
The game itself was not very interesting since we did so well, but Baylor played hard. I am surprised that they did not even get a field goal. Kinda sad.
Two more games this season and Texas is still undefeated. We were not sure if we would make it to the National Championship game this year, but now the Virginia Tech lost a game, there is a good chance we will make it. We are still ranked #2 with a nice spread between us and #3. My husband says that the only way we will not make it is if Texas loses. I hope that does not happen.
November 03, 2005
PreGame Summary - Baylor
Presenting this week's PreGame Summary for the Novices. Texas plays Baylor in Waco, TX.
Mascot: Bears
Colors: Green and Gold
Location: Waco, TX.
Main Rival: A&M? Baylor is not known for having a good football team and large fan base (related to football). This does not make for any rivalry.
Unique Tradions/Misc: "In 1960, Baylor's yell leaders introduced the "Bear Claw" hand signal - made by slightly curving all five fingers inward to form a claw - and the "Sic 'Em Bears" yell. The initial reaction to the new traditions from students and faculty was mixed.
The issue was a topic of heated debate on campus, and the use of both the hand signal and yell was sporadic until Grant Teaff arrived as Baylor's head football coach in 1972. Teaff initiated a new era of Baylor football, and the "Bear Claw" and "Sic 'Em Bears" yell came to symbolize pride in Baylor athletics.
In addition to being used during the yell, the "Bear Claw" is held up during the performance of Baylor's school song, "That Good Old Baylor Line." Football players traditionally hold up their helmets during the playing of the school song."
Misc: Baylor is known for being good in other sports like Baseball, Tennis, and Women's Basketball.
And this story may bring a tear to your eye.
Famous Players: They have a pretty good receiver, Dominique Zeigler: "He is one of three 2005 Big 12 returnees who averaged at least 5.00 receptions per contest a year ago. "
Spread:-28.5 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, they have beat Baylor by 28.5 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: Baylor has won 4 games and lost 4 games. They are doing pretty good for Baylor. And that is not meant to be a jab. Baylor usually does not have a good football team.
What we have to watch for: We can not play them like we played OSU in the first quarter or Baylor could beat us.
Note: Baylor's University website had pop up ads. How cheesy is that?
November 01, 2005
Texas beats OSU, 47 to 28
This is one of my favorite away games since the OSU fans are friendly. And the tailgate before the game is fun. The announcer for OSU always calls the visiting team "Visitors" instead of by their name. That is unless the other team is doing bad. (foreshadowing comment, that was.) So the last time we visited and this year, I made up buttons with the word "Vistor" in burnt orange. A fun way to poke at their announcer. I have to give the announcer credit for being very enthusastic. The only time it is annoying is when Texas is not playing good. (another foreshadowing comment, that was.)
So on to the game with full expectations to beat OSU. But it was not so. Going into half time OSU had 28 points and we only had 11. It should have been the other way around. OSU was playing hard and we seemed to just be on the field. But after half time Texas came back and the final score was 47 to 28 with Texas winning. They did not allow OSU to score the whole second half and could have done it easily the first if they had tried.
Quoted from the Fort Worth Star Telegram:
"Mack Brown credited the slow start against Oklahoma State to the fact that players "expected a blowout" after watching the Cowboys struggle in recent games. He said the same mentality will not prevail against Baylor."
If we had played Baylor this week instead of OSU, we may have lost the game. So if it was to happen, it was a good time for it. I just hope next Saturday is not as stressfull.
October 31, 2005
Texas beats Tech, 52-17 - Quickest Summary Ever
1st quarter sucked, but we came back at the 2nd quarter and beat them. Went to Mexican food restaurant after and had two margaritas. Good football day.
Oklahoma State Summary coming this week.
October 27, 2005
PreGame Summary - Oklahoma State
Presenting this week's PreGame Summary for the Novices. Texas plays Oklahoma State at Stillwater, OK.
Mascot: They are the Cowboys (or girls) with Pistol Pete, the lengend Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton and Bullet, the horse. (My note: Last week, I got Oklahoma State's mascot mixed up with Tech. This is the one that is kinda scary looking. His head is real big and he is unshaven.)
Colors: Orange and Black (Sometimes called Highway Orange, since that is what color prisioners wear when picking up trash on the highways.)
Location: Stillwater, OK.
Main Rival: A&M. It really came to light in this incident.
Unique Tradions/Misc: They have several traditions, but my favorite is "The Walk": A tradition that began with head coach Les Miles continues with head coach Mike Gundy. The night before football games, the team stays in the Atherton Hotel at the Student Union. On game day, two hours and fifteen minutes prior to the start of the game, the team walks down Hester Street to Boone Pickens Stadium. Coach Gundy leads the spirited parade, followed by the OSU Marching band, the spirit squad, and, of course, the players. Fans already at the stadium gather on the side of the road and cheer their Cowboys on to victory. This tradition quickly became a favorite of Cowboy fans, creating a new and exciting way for the team to enter the stadium.
Misc: OSU is a really big basketball school and there is a larger fan base for that sport. One year we were tailgating after a game and there was a quarter of a mile line to get into the basketball court to watch a scrimmage. Not even a real game.
Famous Players: None of note.
Spread:-37.5 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, they have beat OSU by 37.5 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: They have one 3 games and lost 4 games. They have not beat any of the Big 12 conference teams.
What we have to watch for: As before, as long as Texas does not give the game to Tech, we will win.
October 24, 2005
We ARE #1....
...for this week at least. The BCS has us ranked #1, but it won't last. The hubby says that the rest of our schedule is to weak to keep us there. A link to the rankings is here. You can see how close we are to USC. An explanation of what the BCS is here.
I am extremely busy at work and it is overflowing into the rest of my life. Blogging will be light this week. Oh, and it was fun at work today.
I can say this to ya'll
I can say this here, but will be very calm, cool, and collective when I go into work today. That is IF the Tech fans come by. But I just got to say this:
"We woooon, we won, na, na, na, naaaa!"
OK, good to get that out of my system.
October 21, 2005
X-zilla
All of my Tech fan co-workers are possessed when it comes to rooting for their team. Normal they are all nice, but when the say the phrase "Go Tech!"or anything similar, it is like an evil spirit has taken over them and they are spitting it out hatefully. And this Friday is the first time I have seen any of them wear Tech related clothing. Oh please, Texas, please win! I don't want to have to face these people on Monday.
Did you know that someone passing you on the left will make you go 15 mph faster? Yes, you will be plugging along at 75 mph but as soon as someone tries to pass you on the right, you speed up to 90. It is an amazing, but I have seen it happen enough to know that it is real. Gotta be a name for this.... Speed-zilla? Lead-zilla?
And the Tech fans are Tech-zillas!
October 20, 2005
PreGame Summary: Texas Tech
Presenting this week's PreGame Summary for the Novices. Texas plays Texas Tech at Austin.
Mascot: Red Raiders: The Masked Rider and Raider Red: Prior to the 1971 season, the Southwest Conference passed a rule that prevented members of the conference from taking live animals to non-home games unless the host team had no objections. So Jim Gaspard, a member of Saddle Tramps, created Raider Red from a drawing by the late Lubbock cartoonist Dirk West as an alternative to the Masked Rider when the horse couldn't travel with the football team. Raider Red's student persona is kept a secret from the Tech community. Red is a public relations mascot who shakes hands with the crowds at athletic events and poses for pictures. Raider Red fires his two 12-gauge shotguns using powder-filled shells after every Tech touchdown and field goal. (My note: his is kinda scary looking. His head is real big and he is unshaven.)
Colors: Red and Black
Location: Lubbuck, Texas
Main Rival: A&M. It really came to light in this incident.
Unique Tradions/Misc: GUNS UP -The hand sign of Texas Tech was originated by a Tech graduate who was attending law school at Texas in 1972. It is made by extending the index finger outward while extending the thumb upward to form a gun. The idea is that Raider Red will shoot down his opponents. (My note: if you turn it just right, it looks like an L for loser and it is even funnier if you put it on your forehead.)
Misc: Tech fans used to throw tortillas on the field to celebrate touchdowns or if they got mad. It got so bad that if someone does it now, Tech gets an automatic 15 yard penalty.
Famous Players: Texas Tech senior QB Cody Hodges (Hereford, Texas) was named the SBC Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for his 643-yard passing performance against Kansas State over the weekend. The passing yards represent the fourth best single-game total in NCAA Division I history and sixth-best total in all divisions.
Spread:-16 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, they have beat Tech by 16 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: Tech is ranked #7 and is undefeated. There is some dispute over them being over rated since they have played easy teams so far. But if you talk to a Tech fan, they are going to beat Texas and are proud to wear this t-shirt.
What we have to watch for: As long as Texas does not give the game to Tech, we will win.
Additional Comments: I am sure you can guess that I do not like Tech that much. We have been to several of the games in Lubbuck and I am always amazed at their fans. They are not as severe as the Ohio State fans, but they can be nuts. I have watch the student section rip their bleacher seats off and pass them to the top of the stadium. After each game, they take down the goal posts to prevent the students from knocking them down. I guess this saves the school money. It is neat to watch the fancy pulley system they use. The first game we went to in Lubbuck, we were waiting for a shuttle bus to take us to where we parked. Texas had lost and many Tech fans were screaming at us, calling us losers. One lady told us "Spend your money before you go!" So for all the future game we went to, we made sure we had enough gas and would not have to buy any in Lubbuck. We went in for the game and left. Our money will not be spent there. (Note: we did buy some beer at a local bar that was sponsoring our tailgate. But that was it!!!!)
And this week all the Tech fans are coming out of the woodwork. Everyone at my company knows that I am a Texas fan. But I learned that there are several Tech fans at my company also. How do I know? They went out of their way to let me know that Tech is going to beat Texas this week. Cocky, eh? I hope we beat them and we beat them bad. But I will take the high road and not rub it in their face. Winning is good enough for me.
October 18, 2005
Texas beats Colorado, 42 - 17
This game is a blur and nothing really stands out. We had two CU fans in front of us that did not get in my way of picture taking. I got to catch up with my seat mate who had not made a game this season. We had a whole year and a few months to catch up on. Kinda pathetic since we were done with the major stuff by the end of the first quarter.
Even though we won, we did not go out to eat since they were closing 35 north for construction. Darn it!!! But we will next week.
For my pre-game summary on CU, I could not find a picture of their mastcot, Chip, but I got one at the game. I also had a hard time finding out who their main rival, but we had some CU fans at our tailgate and they clarified it for me. Their major rival is Nebraska. In past years Nebraska would play CU and beat them like a drum. They would run up the score with no mercy. So now if CU beats them, they are really happy. Also, Colorado State is not really a rival for them since Colorado State is a smaller school. CU is expected to beat Colorado State and Colorado State makes a bigger deal of it then they do. Kinda like Texas A&M are to us.
October 17, 2005
Blog Fodder from HornFans
Q: Anyone have any tx/ou pics, specifically of the stadium full of our crowd, or the big texas flag before the game on the field?
I have a friend back in Germany who i'm trying to help understand the magnitude of the game and I can't do it very well without a few photos.
Thanks in advance
KingKoopa
A: Here is what I have from this year's game. I suck at getting panoramic views, but you get the idea. But to really help your friend get an idea, have him watch this. (Requires QuickTime)
Click on the link for the pictures:
Texas/OU Split - After the Game
October 11, 2005
PreGame Summary: Colorado
Presenting this week's PreGame Summary for the Novices. Texas plays Colorado at Austin.
Mascot: Buffaloes. They have a real buffalo named Ralphie. At home games, he leads the team out and when they score they run him around the field. He runs in a horseshoe shape. They lead him out of his cage on one side, run him around right into a different cage on the other side. Kinda neat to see in person. They also have a mascot named Chip, but I could not find a picture of him.
Colors: Gold and Black
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Main Rival: Colorado State University, next is Nebraska.
Unique Tradions/Misc: Other than Raphie, I could not find any others.
Misc: Wikipedia has an interesting article on the school here. Colorado recently completed their penalties for recruiting violations.
Famous Players: Looking at their 2005 PreSeason Records, Mason Crosby is a good Place Kicker (PK). Crosby is the nation's leader with six 50-plus yard field goals last year and has won various awards.
Spread:-17 1/2 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, they have beat Colorado by 18 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: Colorado is ranked #24 in the AP Poll. They have won 3 games and lost 1. The three losses were to poor teams and their loss was to Miami (FL), who is ranked #7 in the AP polls. (Texas is still at #2.)
What we have to watch for: As long as Texas does not blow off Colorado and come to play, we will win.
Update: I forgot to give credit to CalTechGirl for her help with the rivals question. Thanks!
October 10, 2005
Red River Rivalry: Texas 45, OU 12
WE WON!!!!!
This turned out to be a great day. Thankfully my husband let me sleep in until 6 am. That gave us enough time before the game to look at the New Car Exhibit and get a Fletcher's Corny Dog.
The game itself? Good. No major stress moments or rollercoaster of emotions. We pretty much dominated. However, this was the first game that I actually had an upset stomach before it started. I have heard similiar complaints from more fanatic fans than I, so I must be moving up a notch as a fan. (Yes, it is possible.) The couple we sat with are always fun and I got to catch up with my friend.
After the game we headed back to get the girls to meet our friends for dinner. They did a great job for being worn out at the anti-INLAWS. We took the girls back to the anti-INLAWS since they wanted to stay another night. No arguments here, I got to sleep in on Sunday until 10:30 am. Ahhhhh.....
I wish all the OU games were like this.
Summary of the game here.
October 08, 2005
Must. Sleep.
I am waiting for my pictures from the OU game to copy and thinking about my post about today. And falling asleep. More details tomorrow, I am off to bed.
Wild Night and Crazy Day
The girls are spending the night with the anti-INLAWS since we are up early to head to the Cotton Bowl. So that meant we had Friday night to ourselves. We ate at my 2nd favorite Mexican restaurant, Mi Cocina. A little upscale, but the service was lacking a little and we almost walked out. I did not want that since I really like their brisket tacos and we only go about once a year. So I made sure we had a waitor.
After a great meal and a very strong margareeeeeeta, we walked over to Central Market to browse. Lost the hubby for awhile, but found him the the bulk candy section getting a suprise for the girls. The other day we were in the car and they asked him if he like gummy bears. He said he liked gummy worms better. They both exclaimed "GUMMeeeeeeY WORMS???!???!??" Can you guess what the surprise is?
We were home by 7 o'clock. Wild night!!! But we need the rest. Today is a busy day and was be up at 4 am ready to go. Thankfully he let me sleep until 6. He is like a kid at Christmas.
I am excited and nervous. I hope that OU fans are decent and things don't get out of hand. And that we win!
October 05, 2005
This is THE game so far....
The game this weekend is HUGE!!! Meaning we have to win it. If we lose to OU after they lost to TCU, then we will be shamed. I won't rehash the going on's of the Cotton Bowl and State Fair, but here are links to the related posts from the last two seasons. They are still on my old blog.
Season 2003
Red River Shootout - Pre-game
6th game OU 65, Texas 13
Where do I start?
Season 2004
Red River Shootout
Today's Game
Cotton Bowl - Pregame Summary
Oklahoma beats Texas, 12 to zero
October 04, 2005
PreGame Summary: Oklahoma
Presenting this week's PreGame Summary for the Novices.
Mascot: Sooner
Colors: Per the OU site: "Even though the school colors have evolved to red and white over the years, you can ask any self-respecting Sooner what the colors are and they will proudly announce "Crimson and Cream." "
Location: Norman, Oklahoma. But when Texas plays OU, they do not trade for home games. They both meet at the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Shoot Out. (Coming post on this....)
Main Rival: Texas
Unique Tradions: They love to do the upside down horns. Even when they are not playing Texas. OK, so you won't find that tradition on thier website, so offically it does not count. But they do it enough to make it a tradition in my book. Other traditionshere.
Famous Players: Adrian Peterson, Sophmore Running Back. In 2004 he finished 2nd in the Heisman balloting. That's a big deal. More on Adrian here.
Spread:-13 1/2 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, they have beat OU by 14 points for you to win.)
How they have been playing: OU has lost quite a few of their good player to graduation and is struggling. They lost their first game to TCU, with TCU being in a lower conference than the Big 12. (Teams might play out of conference schools the first few games of the season. The other teams make good money and the better teams get to improve their stats and get some practice.) They beat Tulsa, another out of conference team. Then a loss to UCLA. And last Sunday, OU 42, Kansas State 21.
What we have to watch for: We need to pass when they try to stop our running game. And DON'T. TURN. THE. BALL. OVER. No mistakes. Nada. Zilch. Zip!
I will be posting more this week on our game with OU, the Red River Shootout, and playing at the Cotton Bowl. Great blog fodder it is!!!!
October 03, 2005
Fan Photo for the Rice Game
I submitted another photo from the Rice Game and it made it to the Fan Photo Slide Show. It is a picture of Rice's Clement fumble in the second quarter. Okam recovered it for a TD. Woo hoo.... The slide show is here. and my photo alone is here.
October 02, 2005
Conflict is not my cup of tea!
Updated: Favoritism in play, I will let my hubby have the last word. Comments now closed.
~~~~~~~~
I forgot it, but today I was reminded that I don't like conflict. Let me clarify, conflict can be good..... Let me give you a prime of example of what I don't like. Now I will admit up front that I am writing about this on my blog for selfish reasons. I would like for people to comment and say stuff like "Dang, that was not very nice." or "I hate when people act like that also." But if I don't get that response and I get something like "You are just being a whiny baby." or "They are TOTALLY right so I don't know what your big deal is!", I am OK with that. I will take this as a venting post.
So the story begins with my stumbling on a link that made fun of the BCS rankings. (Many opinions here about it not being fair.) I tracked back. Then someone commented on my post with "Steers & Queers baby." An insult given to Texas fans quite often. I wondered who was saying it and figured out it was someone who comments on Annika's site, but does not have a blog. I went on to read the comments on the BCS post and the commenter was commenting about how Ohio State dominated Texas.
"I agree. Go watch the Ohio State v Texas game. Vince Young was shut down. Buckeyes dominated in every way, and led until the last moments of the game when the officials put Texas back in it. "
I should have left it alone, but I couldn't. I got some help from my hubby and put together this response:
"Casca,
You wrote, "Vince Young was shut down." The first time Texas had the ball, Vince Young ran for 10, 32, and 10. Ohio State adjusted to take away his running, and Vince passed for 270 yards. Vince had 346 yards of total offense for the game. Ohio State *** AS A TEAM *** had 255 yards of total offense. If 346 of total offense for a single player is "shut down," what is 255 for the WHOLE BUCKEYE TEAM? Is having almost 100 total yards more than the ENTIRE BUCKEYES OFFENSE what passes for being "shut down"?
You wrote, "Vince Young was shut down." The first time Texas had the ball, Vince Young ran for 10, 32, and 10. Ohio State adjusted to take away his running, and Vince passed for 270 yards. Vince had 346 yards of total offense for the game. Ohio State *** AS A TEAM *** had 255 yards of total offense. If 346 of total offense for a single player is "shut down," what is 255 for the WHOLE BUCKEYE TEAM? Is having almost 100 total yards more than the ENTIRE BUCKEYES OFFENSE what passes for being "shut down"?
You also said wrote, "Buckeyes dominated in every way." More points? Texas. More first downs? Texas. More rushing yards? Texas. More passing yards? Texas. More total yards? Texas. More time of possession? Texas. Is that what passes for domination in your world?
Texas went into Columbus in front of a record Ohio Stadium crowd and dominated the statistics and scored more points, even without getting credit for Melton's TD. Ohio State had its chance and failed."
The response was this:
"Excuse the f*** out of me Amy (who is clearly not my next friend), but if you think that stats tell the story your understanding of the game is jejeune. Perhaps you didn't see the game? I'll be glad to send you a DVD.
You see, Texas trailed until late in the 4th Qtr until a bogus pass interference call on third and long gave them a fresh first down past midfield. That's what gave them their score, and put them back in the game. Seems like stopping the unstoppable Vince Young from running IS shutting him down. Your vaunted cheesedicks won't make it through the season undefeated. Now get out of my way, I'm here to f*** with Shelly."
Again, I couldn't leave it alone:
My comments intention was not to piss Casca off, but to point out the Texas was not shut down. I was there at Ohio to see the game and both sides played a good game. But it was not a shut down on any side.
"Look at the stats and interpet them how you want. Pretty even on face value, without looking at who earned them. OSU wupped Texas on kick off returns, Texas did better on offense, yet no one dominated the game. It was close to the bitter end. Stats can be found here.
Casca, thanks for the nice "Steer and Queers" comment on my blog."
OK, maybe I should have left out the sarcasm in the last line. The response:
"Lighten up Amy, I didn't invent the line. I'd suggest that you take me up on the DVD offer if you think the game was that close. If you want to look at stats, look at this one: Turnovers, OSU 1 (f***ing Zwick's fumble at the end of the game) UT 3 (Two interceptions of the unstoppable one, and a fumble)."
So with this post I end it. I would like to reply, but it does me no good, expect stress me out. I am done.
One good this did come from this. Annika has a cool blog.
Note to self: Don't cross with people you don't know.
October 01, 2005
Texas beats Mizzou, 51 - 20
Texas played Mizzou at Missouri. We were not able to line up a sitter, so we watched it from home. I really hate watching Texas play when we are at home. We are more comfortable and my husband is more comfortable in expressing his dissatifaction. Add to that two young girls who don't understand when to not ask questions. I was ready to go run some "important" errands with the girls. We made it through and the 2nd quarter Texas did better and so did we.
I can not believe how in tune my girls are. Oldest told me at half time that the refs were not watching the game and did not give us our points. She picked this up from my husband and I talking about some close plays that could should of been touchdowns and were not reviewed.
I ended up not watching most of the game since it is not the same as being there. At least I don't have to put up Mizzou's logo on my blog!
September 25, 2005
PreGame Summary: Missouri
This week we play the University of Missouri at Columbia, MO.
MASCOT: Tigers. History behind the tigers under Traditions.
Colors: Black and Gold
Main Rival(s): Univeristy of Kansas (see Traditions) and Nebraska (per Sissy)
Traditions: Click here.
Misc: Basketball is more popular than football.
Famous/Known/Great Player(s): Brad Smith: Senior Quartback with tons of awards. Click on his name for more.
As of Sunday, 9/25: Missouri has played 3 games and only lost once*. Their last game was against 10th ranked Kansas State with a score of 38-0. Missouri is not ranked. Texas is ranked 2nd under USC.
Spread: -14
My version of the Hubby's take*: They have a bad defense and a decent offense. We will beat Missouri if we don't turn the ball over and don't think we can win by just showing up. *He did not say this exactly, but close enough.
*I had the wrong info originally. Bah to stats!
September 21, 2005
Friendly Bet and Banter
Sissy is starting the trash talk early. But I will add some interest to this smack. She thinks that Missouri will win against Texas. I have to disagree. But if Mizzou does win, I will put one of the logo from Sissy's post on my blog for a week. If Texas wins, well, I have my methods of posting on her blog. Bwahahahahaha!!!!
September 19, 2005
Texas beats Rice, 51-10
Since Rice is not as good as Texas, this game was a romp and lost my attention by the end of the 2nd quarter. So not much to say on the game. I read an article where the coach of Rice admitted they played Texas for the money. This year they got $500,000.
A couple we know from Elena's school came up and hung out with us at the tailgates. I think they had a good time. It was fun sharing what we do and it made me realize again how much I enjoy it. And how much I appreciate knowing a lot of people and the long term friendships we are forming. This is the 7th year we have had season tickets. That is a long time for a military brat.
September 15, 2005
Do the bad fans realize?
If we played with Ohio State on a regular basis, we would not be spending very much money in their city. Since the fans are so awful, we would come in for the game and leave after. And I am sure there are fans from other schools who play Ohio State on a regular basis that do the same. So ultimately the bad fans are hurting their city and it's economy.
Other stories I have heard:
The security detail for the Longhorn Band had to leave them to take care of a riot.
People were burning stuff in the parking lots.
Some Ohio State fans were throwing beer cans and hard objects at UT fans.
We were not the only ones to get the finger and hear F*** Texas many times.
Arg!!! Thank goodness we will not be going back soon. I am done with this.
September 13, 2005
He said it better than me....
Taken from an email from our friend that we meet up with in Columbus:
Now that we are safe and sound at home, the win feels great! I'm having a hard time explaining it to people though. Columbus was hell and the game was difficult to put into words because it felt like besides the first quarter and the final three minutes, that we were in trouble. In fact, I figured out that only about 18 of the 60 playing minutes of the game were positive if you were rooting on Texas. Otherwise, it was a gut-wrencher.
I still have to remind myself that UT won.
I still have to remind myself that UT won.
After the Ohio State Game
We have gone to quite a few away games, but never have I been scared or concerned for our safety. But after the Ohio State game I was. We had to walk slow since A pulled a muscle in her foot. Even though they lost, fans were jeering at us. One girl jumped in front of Mark and babbled something. He just ignored her and it made her even more mad. Another guy told us that Bush sucked and Texas sucked and it was our fault he was president. (Wasn't Ohio a swing state?)
We walked back to the bar that we had been to earlier to get our friends cooler and to get a taxi back to the hotel. We ended up waiting 2 hours trying to get a taxi with no luck. During that time we had people jeering at us and watched an almost fight between some locals. We finally got a ride back to the hotel from a friend who had her rental with her. Time of day - 2:30am.
Up at 6 am to drive back to Dayton and catch our flight home.
Whew! What a weekend!
September 12, 2005
Texas wins at Ohio State, 25-22
The game was very "rollercoastery." We would do good, then do bad, then do good, then bad. With 6 minutes left in the game, I knew that was it. If we did not stop them we were going to lose. But when Ohio State did not make a field goal, we got our chance back. And ended up winning. For the nitty gritty go here.
The stadium was awesome and the Ohio State fans were loud. Attendance was 105,565, an Ohio State record. The band was good and they even played our school song after the game was over. I tried to get a panoramic view of the stadium with a little luck. I did not attempt to make the pictures blend since they were so different, but I think you will get the feel of it. Click here to view the image.
To see more pictures click here.
Coming tomorrow: After the game and getting home....
September 11, 2005
Fan Photos from LA-Lafayette Game
The football team is taking action photos submitted by fans. Last week I got a nice shot of Selvin Young's touchdown the 1st quarter. The link to the slide show of all the submissions is here. Mine is the first photo, so you may want to hit pause real quick to see it before it disappears.
Or you can see it here.
Before the Ohio State Game
Over the years we have become really good friends with another Longhorn fan couple from Pennsylvania. We went in on the tickets to make sure if we could not get seats in the Longhorn section we would be with some other Longhorns. (Major concern over the fans has been mentioned here before.) A&A met us at our hotel and we taxied over to the bar where the other Longhorn fans were. Taking a taxi was recommended since parking was sparse. When we got there I noticed there were a few spaces open. (foreshadowing comment) (time of day: 10:30 am)
We had fun hanging out at the bar and A the Wife and I got a few laughs about being Football wifes. We ended up walking around talking to others since the guys were talking all football techno/stats/blabber. Stuff we are not really into. Every once in awhile we would interupt them, but they always returned to the "serious" football talk. Since we knew we had a long evening to come, we had a Red Bull Bomb before we headed to the stadium. Jagermeister and Red Bull, a little heavy on the Jager. It was pretty good together for not liking either by themselves. And it helped on the 1 mile walk to the Ohio State Stadium. (time of day: 5:30pm)
The walk was relatively uneventful. We are used to hearing smack talk at away games. But I was not used to the number of times that we would hear F*** Texas. Yes, people went out of their way to make sure we heard them and even went to the trouble of rolling down car windows.
Pictures coming and more on the rest of the game tomorrow.
September 10, 2005
Ohio State - The Day Before
After running to our connecting flight in the Detriot Airport, we made it to Dayton. Drove to Columbus, checked in, and headed for a late lunch at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe. The food was good, but the margarita was better. We each got glasses to take with us. Mark said if Texas losses we will be throwing them away. I was surprised at the number of Longhorns there.
We then went back to the hotel for a nap before heading to a local bar to meet up with other Longhorn fans. It was amazing to see the look on the Ohio people when they walked in and saw all of the burnt orange. They were very friendly and a few even bought us a round of beers. I really enjoy the away games since we are with other die-hards and there is a certain kinship. Or it is just me being sappy.
Mark and a few of the guys even had an intense conversation with some Ohio State Fans about who was going to win. Not much smack talk, but some football speak about who was better and why.
September 09, 2005
Here we go...
We have our tickets to the Ohio State Game and will be catching a flight at 6 am today. That is why I am up at 2:30 am. Yikes! Once we get to our hotel in Columbus we will be taking a nap, I hope.
This is a big game and the media is really hyping it up. Let's hope we have fun.
September 06, 2005
The Team's American Flag
Since 9/11, when the football team comes onto the field, one of the players holds an American flag. Previous years it was carried by Ahrmad Hall, who was a Marine.
The flag they are using this year was given to the team by a Navy-member who had the flag flown over Iraq. How cool is that?
September 05, 2005
Game 1: Texas beats Louisiana-Lafayette, 60-3
From a Texas fan's view, this was a good game for several reasons. Winning is good. The team looked good, except special teams. In previous years we have played easy teams and won, but we did not look good doing it. Meaning that we did not play was we should have. But not this year. The team looked good. Everyone feels better about playing Ohio State (who is a good team) next week.
When Texas plays easy teams and the score gets past a certain point, they put in their second and third string players to give them some "real" field experience. One of the player that they brought in was amazing. His name is Henry Melton. He is HUGE for his position. People are amazed at how fast and nimble is his. Most guys in his position average 210 pounds.
By late in the third, another freshman tailback, 270-pound Henry Melton, bulled his way through a pile of tacklers before breaking free for a 14-yard TD. He did it again in the fourth, breaking five tackles on a 22-yard scoring run.
I think more people would have left, but they wanted to stay and watch Melton play.
I took my camera and played with my zoom lens. Also, my usual seat buddy was not there to talk to, so I was ready to go by the middle of the third quarter.
I have pictures and chic related stuff coming this week.
More guy-like details of the game here.
September 03, 2005
Game Day is HERE!!!
I am mooching off the Texas State Wi-Fi and blogging from the tailgate. Everything is set up, we have the smoker going, tents up, and satelite hooked up with ESPN College Game Day on.
The spread on this game is 40, so it is amost an guarantee that we will win. And this is a very good thing.
We did not get to Katz last night, but made it for breakfast. Since I am not a big eggs/breakfast fan, I ordered the Cobb Salad. Yum!!!! Usually when you order lunch/dinner items at breakfast they are not as good as normal. But not in this case.
Last night we went to a party and visited with our "Football" friends and had a good time.
Checked in the my parents and the girls had fun at the County Fair last night.
All is well is my world. Woooo hoooo!
September 01, 2005
I copied this post from last year since it still fits
This weekend will be the first game of the season. With the first game, we have first game traditions. Since it is also our anniversary weekend, it really works out nice. The girls will stay with my parents and we will stay at a nice hotel in downtown Austin. Friday or Saturday we will go to the local Longhorn gear store and stock up for the season. For one meal we will go to Katz's Deli. The picture on the link shows the booths we usually sit in. I get a humongous cobb salad and for dessert, I mooch of my husband's shake with a slice of cheesecake in it. Yum!!!! Friday night we will go to a kick off party at our friends who host the tailgates. In my mind, the season officially begins when we walk up their stone walkway. I look at my husband, grab is hand, swing his arm as I take a baby hop, and say "This is it! A new season!" And he rolls his eyes. Sigh. Must be a chic thing.
