Twistered

Texas 17, Iowa State 7 

Sept. 28, 2017 • Ames, Iowa

For this (thankfully) rare Thursday night game, I resorted to Bugles, a.k.a. “hats for your fingers,” because they resemble cyclones. This one turned out to be a ride fit for a twister, with great plays offset by boneheaded moves, crushing defensive lapses undone by instant replay.

To repeat DKR’s oft-quoted line: “Ol’ ugly is better than ol’ nothing.” And whadyaknow, we’re undefeated in conference play!

Hook ’em!

Texas Sports recap

 

 

 

The Rubber Meets the Road

USC 27, Texas 24 (2OT) 

Sept. 16, 2017 • LA Coliseum

I desperately wanted to be in LA for this game! Any trip to Los Angeles revolves around spending time with our dear friends who live there, so that’s always a draw. But the chance to see these two teams play for the first time since Jan. 4, 2006 (a.k.a., the Best Day Ever)? How could I miss that?

Turns out Southwest will let your bags fly free, but YOU still have to pay. Alas, for this Texas-SC matchup, I’d have to let my friends in the Coliseum yell for me. Not that I didn’t yell in my living room. There was plenty of yelling and pleading and jumping going on at Casa Dub.

It didn’t start out that way, though. Confession: I thought we’d lose by 17. When our defense managed to contain the Trojans’ Heisman hopeful, their QB Darnold, I became hopeful myself. When DeShon Elliott got his pick 6 and we tied the game with 19 seconds left in the first half, I was really feeling it. Even after SC scored a quick 56-yard TD as the half ended, I BELIEVED.

As excited as I was to see our defense playing lights-out, I was frustrated to see our offense struggle. Specifically, I wondered:

• On our first drive, why did we go for it on 4th and 2 at the SC 17? Yes, our kicker is untested, but don’t you try for the points there?
• Why did we have TWO fumbled snaps? Yes, it was loud, but surely Ehlinger and the center practiced the SNAP, right?
• Do those refs even know what defensive pass interference IS? Those corners were on our receivers like a sweater. No calls.
• Where, oh, where is our dear Chris Warren??? I figured he was injured because if not, why in the world would he not be out there to help our struggling run game? They put him in the game later, and he finished with FOUR carries and 15 yards. Seriously? GIVE THE BALL TO C-DUB!

Like most of the country, I really thought we’d pulled off the upset when we scored with 45 seconds to take the lead. Of course, after that late-first half TD, we knew what the Trojans could do. And boy, did they. When they kicked that field goal to tie it up, I was sick.

Last year, a win over Notre Dame in double overtime made us think our team was all-caps BACK. This year, this 2OT loss may be a better indicator of how far we’ve come.

Hook ’em!

And here’s the NSFW Texas:

And why I was REALLY hoping no Girl Scouts or Jehovah’s Witnesses came calling while I was in our front yard:

 

Texas Sports recap