Me and Mini Me

 

October is the greatest time of the year — the leaves change colors, the temperature becomes cooler, the air is crisp and the sun rides a little lower in the sky. For sports fans, there is also no better time: MLB playoffs are underway, NHL regular season is commencing, the NFL is in full swing and college football, with its unpredictability and beautiful imperfections, begins its crescendo for the important stanza of the season. This past Saturday was the Picasso of all college football Saturdays. Upsets, imperfections and chaos abounded across the entire CFB landscape.

The Tailgate stayed in the 925 and had the pleasure of Tailsitting my 10 month-old grandson and mini me. College football is now firmly in his blood. The marquee game at the new DFT World HQ was the Red River Shootout between Oklahoma and Texas, played annually at the iconic Cotton Bowl in Dallas, during the Texas State Fair. The Cotton Bowl sits approximately halfway between the respective schools. The fairgrounds are covered in people wearing crimson and burnt orange for this hallowed event. Grandson, dog and self donned our crimson and cream attire and settled in for a game that will be talked about for generations to come. Texas brought the energy early and often, scoring on their first drive, then blocking a punt and converting the turnover into another quick score. Before Oklahoma knew what hit them, they were staring at a 14-0 deficit. The Sooners would punch one in on a Bart Simpson, errrr I mean Spencer Rattler five yard run. Then Longhorns QB Casey Thompson, son of former OU QB Charles, proceeded to engineer two more scoring drives to put the Horns up 28-7 to close out the first set. The rout was on. Me and mini me took a walk around the hood to reduce my heart rate and control my breathing. It worked. I came back to the house to the news that OU backup freshman QB Caleb WIlliams, who had been in for one play, ripped off a 66 yard run for a score. Two series later, Williams would permanently replace an ineffective Rattler, perhaps pulling a modern day Wally Pipp. A legend was born as Williams led a rejuvenated Sooner squad to an unimaginable comeback by making plays and exuding incredible leadership for a true freshman. He is what has been missing for the Sooners all season: a leader the team will die for. Final score, OU 52 - Texas 45 in another Red River Classic.

Mini Me getting a dose of college football fever

Around the Country - Two boyhood friends from West Virginia met up in College Station, Texas, on Saturday, leading their respective teams into battle. #1 Alabama coached by Nick Saban against unranked Texas A&M coached by his friend Jimbo Fisher. Virtual lock, right? Wrong. A&M finally put all of its talent together and played above their abilities, shocking the indomitable Tide by winning 41-38. The students stormed the field. In Iowa City, Iowa, the Hawkeyes shocked the Nittany Lions of Penn State by coming out on top 23-20 in a prototype Big Ten matchup. Yes, the students also stormed the field. In the Bieber Bowl featuring the two worst D1 AA teams UCAN’T vs. UMESS, UMESS pulled off the upset in Amherst, MA, and…….the students stormed the field. 

The storming of the fields! Guess which one is UMass?

 

In another amazing game, Ole Miss beat Arkansas in Oxford 52-51 after the Razorbacks scored and failed on a two point conversion. Katy Perry was not in attendance so the students did not storm the field. Previously undefeated BYU lost a shocker to Boise State at home in Provo beneath the Wasatch Mountains. In the ACC, Wake Forest advanced to 6-0 with an overtime win over Syracuse. Out West on Friday night in the PAC 12, Arizona State and coach Herm Edwards knocked the sap out of the Cardinal from Stanford. Five “Group of Five” teams to watch remain unbeaten after this weekend and in the hunt: Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, SMU, San Diego State and UTSA.

Lucky Irish socks 

 

Bieber -

Goes to our old friend, the holier than thou and higher than mighty, none other than the Urban Cowboy himself, Urban Meyer. The former Ohio State, Florida, Utah and Bowling Green coach seems to have been caught with his pants down metaphorically speaking. Meyer currently is the head man for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL. He is off to a dismal start as the Jags are 0-4. So, after their last loss, Meyer was spotted back in his home state of Ohio at one of his bars that he owns. That’s cool, everyone needs a beer or two to blow off some steam. But damn, Urban, you do know what smartphones can do, right? Social Media is this thing where people can post real time pictures and videos of pretty much anything. It’s why I am such a choir boy myself these days. Apparently he does not know better as he was repeatedly filmed getting FUBARed all evening doing shots and cozying up to pretty young ladies a third his age. It’s not the crime, Urban, that you committed, it's your stupidity for allowing the evening to be documented in such a graphic way. Your tenure in Jacksonville was already in jeopardy before your big night out, but this may be the last straw. However, please take solace in your Bieber statue!

 

Ginger- For all those fans all over the country chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” at college football games and other sporting events. It’s really kind of catchy, brave and heroic. (Only a few will get this :) ) 

 

 

Next up - Off to enjoy a rocky mountain high for parents weekend at the University of Colorado with my youngest for the game against Arizona. I will also be attending a tailgate and game on Sunday for the Denver Broncos.

 

vs.  

Happy Tailgating!