The Donner Party.....

 One year ago this past weekend, we made the trek from our Florida headquarters to Jacksonville State in Alabama for the Zero Week game. It was perhaps the hottest tailgate and game I had ever attended. I’m pretty sure I had a heat stroke that day, as I couldn't even muster up the desire to drink a beer during the game. Fast forward to this Saturday: I left our West Coast headquarters and drove over the High Sierras, making my way to the Nevada-Reno game, only to be greeted by a snowstorm over Donner Pass. Perhaps this was an omen from the tailgating gods, excited for my return.

Donner Pass snow storm in August.

Upon arriving at the University of Nevada, Reno, the winds picked up, and the rain started to pour. Temperatures dropped into the 40s, and we all huddled under one tent, tying down everything we could to keep it from blowing away. Many of us were underdressed—who would ever believe it would be winter weather in Nevada on August 24th? The contrast between the two Zero Week games one year apart couldn't have been starker. Regardless of the crazy weather, we managed to have a great time full of laughs, a few beers, Bloody Marys, and booze, along with some amazing brisket and brats. Our core crew of 10 adults was joined by drop-ins throughout the day, many of whom were UNR college students. Because of the weather, drinking games were suspended and replaced by pranks and insults. We even got treated to a performance by the Nevada Marching Band in our parking lot.

The three Mikes!

The weather did not deter us from having fun as evidenced by the day drinking smiles!

Wusses hiding in the truck avoideing the elements!

The Wolf Pack marching band and bundled up cheerleaders

Given the weather, most of our crew opted not to go into the game, except for myself and two other brave souls—John Maddalon and Ken King. With our $9 tickets in hand, we, of course, made our way into the club level and acted like we belonged. Our goal was to at least stick around for one quarter, anticipating more miserable weather. As the football gods would have it, within minutes of arriving at the stadium and securing our cocktails, the bad weather disappeared, replaced by gorgeous late-summer football weather. We ended up staying for the entire game, which turned out to be fantastic, with a much-improved University of Nevada giving SMU a hell of a scare, nearly beating them. However, several key mistakes in the fourth quarter cost Nevada the game, and SMU ended up winning 29-24. SMU was led by quarterback Preston Stone, who connected with his favorite target, RJ Maryland, for eight receptions and 162 yards.

Club level patrons

Chamber of Commerce evening in Reno

Around the Country: In the annual game in Dublin, Ireland, Georgia Tech upset Florida State on a game-winning field goal by Ireland's favorite son, Aidan Birr. I sense a new Rudy-like Disney movie coming on. Another game of note saw FCS Montana State beat FBS New Mexico in an upset, with a final score of 35-31. Next week marks the official Week 1 of the season, with nearly 100 games being played at the FBS level.

Bieber Award: There were many contenders this week, but one perpetrator stood above the rest. We had the assistant coach at Austin Peay University who was arrested and fired after being involved in a human trafficking ring. We had John Maddalon and the two Mikes, who took an hour out of the tailgate to warm their butt muffins in their truck. Consideration was given to Ken King for leaving the game at halftime to go work out and get a haircut. There was also Nevada superfan Kurt Crandall, who refused to go into the game as a protest against his treatment by the university and the loss of his former tailgating spot. But the most egregious offense belongs to my brother Brian, who has spent the last month lamenting that he won’t be able to enjoy much college football this fall due to an impending move later in the season. He's as obsessed with college football as I am, but it seems he must have hit his head, because all he talks about now is his move and how it will keep him from enjoying football and tailgating. I’m not even sure I’m related to him anymore with this kind of talk. I called his wife and asked her, “Where is my brother, and what did you do with him?” No one knows, so until he returns to his old self, he can enjoy his new Bieber Hardware, which was sent to him via FedEx just today.

My brother

Ginger Award: This goes to my boy JC, a lifelong Notre Dame fan who is in one hell of a fight again. He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever known. Looking forward to getting you off the IR and back into action, brother!

Next Up: This Thursday night, I’ll be attending the San Jose State opening game against Sacramento State. This will be my first time back at San Jose State since they completed construction of their “very interesting” (heavy dose of sarcasm) new stadium design. There’s an outside chance I may also attend the TCU at Stanford game on Friday night.

Happy Tailgating!