Buffs n Bears oh my!

 

The Tailgate,formed the Monte Vista Empty Nesters Parents Club with several other families and traveled to Bezerkely for the Colorado/Cal game. Pregame festivities took place at Raleighs on Telegraph in their outside beer garden where exceptional Bloody Marys, a few beers, and small plates of tacos and nachos were enjoyed. Thank goodness for the location of the bar as it was the halfway point from where we parked at the absolute bottom of the hill for a 1.3 mile trek uphill to the stadium.

Jollies at Raleighs

Our crew was excited as this game was the battle of the Nates. Both starting linebackers Nate Landman of CU and Nate Rutchena from Cal are graduates of Monte Vista High School where our kids went. We saw both of their families throughout the day. Also, as a tuition-paying parent for a child at CU, it was my duty to attend and root on the Buffs. We had tickets donated by the Vet Tix foundation and our good friend Chris Kenny. With the stadium only ¼ full, we chose to sit together in the south end zone, strategically located near the libation station. Neither team has had a stellar year, so the matchup on paper looked fairly even. As far as the actual game went, Cal dominated from the opening drive. It was a game absent of drama and intrigue. Cal would score 10 quick points to start the action and score 13 more in the second to the Buffs’ 3 for a 23-3 halftime lead. CU would not score in the second half, and Cal would add a field goal for a 26-3 convincing victory. I am pretty sure the Buffaloes offense forgot to get off the bus as they were only able to muster up 105 yards of offense. That is flat out offensive in its own right. Parental duty complete, back to HQ for the night games I went.

A great day at Cal Memorial Stadium

Zeisings, Lucianos, and Nish joined us for the day.

Around the country - In a week of very few marquee matchups, there were still a number of games of note. A record nine overtimes in “not so” Happy Valley provided the winning formula for the Fighting Illini to knock off the seventh ranked Nittany Lions. On the banks of the Hudson, the undefeated Wake Forest Demon Deacons went full blitzkrieg on the Army by putting up 70 points and half a mile of offense. The Army did not surrender easily and put up 56 points of their own in a record-setting day for the highest combined score of the year in college football. Staying in the ACC, Pitt knocked off the faltering Clemson Tigers to improve to 6-1. Pitt and Wake are the cream of the crop in the ACC this year. In Ames, Iowa, the lower ranked but favored Cyclones corralled a victory over the visiting Cowboys from Stillwater, OK. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama had their hands full for three quarters against the Tennessee Vols but managed to leave them in their orange dust in the final set for a decisive victory. Cigars were smoked by the Tide players (a tradition for that game for the winning team). In the Rose Bowl, the Ducks showed quacks in their armor but were able to hang on for a win over a much improved UCLA team. Cincy and Oklahoma both remained undefeated in less than impressive wins against inferior opponents. On Thursday night, Coastal Carolina traveled to Boone, NC, to play Appalachian State only to earn their first regular season loss since 2019. What would a recap be without mentioning that Notre Dame took care of business against their nemesis USC and came away with the W. However, USC tight end and Monte Vista graduate Erik Krommenhoeke did have a stellar game. 

 

Nephew Sean at the Navy Tailgate, Kenny Stabler and Jim Otto at UNLV game and the dapper doctor on his way to Tuscaloosa 

Ginger - I would like to salute the Vet Tix organization that provided us with four of the tickets for our group yesterday. Vet Tix provides tickets to all kinds of sporting and entertainment events to the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Veterans. Veterans can also donate tickets that they won’t be using for the event they paid for. Other tickets are donated by organizations and private individuals. I have used it several times and have also donated to it. I think it is an amazing organization that provides a benefit to an awesome breed of people. For this, Vet Tix, you are truly badass and this week’s recipient of the prestigious Ginger Award.

Bieber -

So you have a Power Five team struggling a bit this year, but clearly showing signs of improvement. A near miss a week ago against highly-ranked Oregon is telltale that your team is heading in the right direction. This is the type of team that thrives off of home field support and loud fans. With a winnable conference game on the docket, wouldn’t it be nice to have a packed stadium, rowdy student section and a true home field advantage? What else could be more important on a fall Saturday afternoon on a college campus? Apparently everything else was more important to this group. There are only six to seven Saturdays a year where you have a home game. I am speaking of the anemic crowd at Cal memorial stadium on Saturday for the game we attended. As you can see by the pictures above, the stadium was maybe at 25% capacity. The student section may have had an even lower percentage. Where were the alumni as well? We did notice nerds roving around campus before and after the game with backpacks heading to study groups or other cerebral events. We also saw a rally outside of the basketball arena with a flock of students probably protesting microaggressions that hurt their fragile feelings. Even the bars were void of fans during the pregame hours. Where have all the snowflakes gone? So, for abandoning your team in a time of great need, the collective Cal fan base that chose to be somewhere else, I honor you with this week’s Bieber award.

 

Next Week -  It most likely will be a weekend off from a live game, but I will make that decision later in the week.

Happy Tailgating!