Back to Norman, Oklahoma I went for the OU–Michigan weekend. The energy throughout town starting Wednesday was off the charts. ESPN College Gameday was setting up in the beautiful South Oval on the OU campus, framed by many buildings done in what’s called Cherokee Gothic style. Truly, OU is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country—and I’ve seen one or two! These two blue bloods had only met once before in 1976. Michigan hails from the Big Ten and Oklahoma is now in its second season in the SEC.
On Saturday, along with my middle daughter and her family, we made our way to the legendary “Under The Tree” tailgate, located right behind the President’s house. The tailgate kicked off its 25th year of existence by hosting one of its largest crowds ever. We also had family and friends drop by, and I had the pleasure of chaperoning Luke Lorick. Luke is a colleague at Tailgate Connect® and also the founder of Tailgating Challenge and National Tailgating Day—which just so happened to be Saturday.
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| The Under The Tree gang working their tailgate magic |
The tailgate crew cooked up 250 onion burgers, an assortment of hot dogs and brats, and poured a record number of cocktails for the enormous crowd. Tailgate Connect even sent 22 guests to the soiree. To top it off, my seven-month-old grandson participated in his very first tailgate, rocking a Sooner onesie.
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| Top L- R Baby's first tailgate, #2 and her family, Charles "The Legend" Bolt and Matt, Dan babysitting Luke and Sketchy! |
After a full afternoon of tailgating, instead of heading into the stadium for the game, we returned to my daughter’s house AKA our luxury private suite, for pizza, beer, and bourbon. From there we watched an impressive performance by the Sooner defense and all-world QB1 John Mateer against a tough Michigan team. The game, ABC’s featured matchup of the week, was one of the most anticipated of the weekend.
Aside from a third-quarter 75-yard breakaway TD run by Michigan’s Justice Haynes, the Sooner D bottled up the Wolverines’ star freshman QB and shut down the running game throughout the night. OU’s ground attack was led by Mateer, who rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 270 yards and another score. Final: Oklahoma 24, Michigan 13.
Luke's game day video of Oklahoma tailgating
https://youtube.com/shorts/fU_Around The Country
In one of the weekend’s most exciting games, Baylor needed two overtimes to slip past a feisty SMU squad in Dallas, 48–45.
Mississippi State jumped out to a 17–0 first-half lead over the favored Sun Devils from Arizona State. The cowbells were clanging, and the Bulldog faithful were in full voice. ASU stormed back to take the lead, but the Bulldogs clawed it back late to secure a 24–20 win.
Don’t look now, but USF has just beaten its second Top 25 opponent—this time knocking off Florida in The Swamp, 18–16. Gators head coach Billy Napier is feeling the heat now more than ever.
In one of the nation’s most underrated rivalries, Iowa State edged Iowa in the annual Cy-Hawk Bowl, 16–15. The entire state of Iowa tunes in for this yearly tête-à-tête.
In Division 2 action, my alma mater Frostburg State improved to 2-0 on the year by defeating Millersville 42-34.
Bieber Award
As if things weren’t dicey enough in Gainesville, things got worse during Florida’s loss to USF. Gator defensive lineman Branden Bett, after stopping a USF runner on a crucial down, decided to channel his inner Jalen Carter. After jawing with USF O-lineman Cole Skinner, Bett thought it was a good idea to spit in his face. The result: an immediate ejection and a penalty that sustained the drive, which led to USF kicking the game-winning field goal.
So, Mr. Dumbass—stop playing the "imitation" game by mimicking NFL players in ways that will only get you tossed and cost your team wins. While you’re sitting out the first half of the next game, you can polish your shiny new Bieber trophy.
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| A spitting image of Jalen Carter |
