It was up to Dicker the Kicker yet again, but the Horns pulled out the win in the closing seconds. It was exciting and a big relief, since we were down 14-0 early.
After our excitement, we rushed back to the tailgate to tune into the ou-Iowa State game for their close call. The sooners managed to win by 1, but we all enjoyed the schaudenfreude as our Okie friends sweated that one out.
Years ago my mom surprised Dede and me at a football game with some mallowcreme pumpkins. She called them “pumpkin power” and credited them with our Horns’ success that day. Since then, Dede and I pack some pumpkin power for random October games.
Alas, even the pumpkins couldn’t save our team from losing to the Horned Frogs. Our offense racked up a ton of yards, but four turnovers? Yikes.
On a day when the cast of The Sandlot made a sideline appearance, my team could’ve used a heavy hitter like the Great Bambino, the Sultan of Swat. Sure, Babe Ruth played baseball, but we needed every bit of help we could get to pull out this win!
Coach Tom Herman knows that losing to Kansas can end your time at Texas pretty darn quickly, but maybe he should’ve known that ALMOST losing to Kansas will be ALMOST as bad! Dicker the Kicker had to save the day, kicking a 33-yard field goal as time expired to cap a wild fourth quarter.
But hey, sunflower seeds aren’t always pretty, but the flowers that come from them are. So will this game be a sign of beauty to come, or will the rest of this season be seedy?
Before the game, Ryan and I walked through the Capitol instead of hanging out at the tailgate. Now that Ryan’s a Texas history teacher, he enjoys getting to visit that historic site when he can. We have seen (and photographed) the Capitol countless times, so for this walk-through, I looked for interesting shapes among the familiar sights.
Our guys came back from a couple of 10-point deficits, but Jalen Hurts lived up to his name and kept pushing the sooners ahead.
It’s a shame, too, because except for the game’s outcome, it was a pretty epic day! We had our requisite Fletcher’s corny dogs, saw the State Fair butter sculptures, and had our usual pregame gathering and toast in the food court.
These 11 a.m. kicks make it difficult to see much of the State Fair before the game, but Ryan and I still managed to visit the Hall of State. That’s where we found a cool exhibit featuring films that had been filmed in Texas. We saw movie posters, props, and photo opps from some of our favorites, from Cloak & Dagger to Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. We also made it to the Creative Arts Pavilion to check out this year’s butter sculptures and shoe contest winners. I LOVE this stuff! Please, oh please, Powers That Be, NEVER EVER move Texas-ou away from the State Fair!
This game was on my daughter’s birthday eve, so I got to watch Texas beat West Virginia from a comfy booth at Lubbock’s Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. It was fun to cheer FOR the team most other restaurant patrons were actively cheering AGAINST!
Because I was on the road, Katie and I improvised my TEXAS spelling, using peppers from my burger to form the letters representing our red-hot Longhorn team.
September 21, 2019 • DKR
Oklahoma State’s mascot may be the Cowboy, but we sent those ranchers home a little less jolly. This was a close one, but the Horns pulled off the win in an electric DKR as Sam Ehlinger led the team and MOC Matthew McConaughey led the cheers.
A week after our reunion with our friend in Houston, we had the pleasure of sharing gameday with our friend from New Jersey! Greg just happens to have earned his undergrad degree from Okie State, so we had to make sure he wasn’t wearing any traffic-cone orange under his Longhorn attire. Just kidding. We know Greg bleeds burnt orange!
Sept. 14, 2019 • NRG Stadium, Houston
Now THAT’S more like it. The Horns handled the Owls, making Rice as malleable and the Krispie Treats.
The win was great, but the camaraderie was even better. We got to attend the game with our dear friend Wallis, a favorite Houstonian who doesn’t make it to Austin nearly enough.
Great friends + great seats + a W = a great day!
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. This is the one that got away. We were oh-so-close to pulling off this upset over the eventual 2019 national champs. Only Auburn and Bama played them closer. Not that it matters. We had College Gameday on the Forty, and DKR was rockin’, but this loss really stung.
Maybe that’s why I lost the “E” and “A” of the TEXAS I so dutifully spelled with Mike & Ike candy. The Mike & Ikes were in tribute to Mike the Tiger, the handsome fella Katie and I had met in Baton Rouge while on our epic Sugar Bowl road trip.
If only the “E” and “A” were all we lost that day!
After the huge New Year’s Day victory in the Sugar Bowl, we had a looooooong wait until we could see our Horns back in action. When we finally made it to the 2019 season opener, we spelled TEXAS with dog treats, but Longhorn fans were the ones who feasted.
Bevo Blvd. was a blast, as was the tailgate filled with friends old and new. We did have one particularly special pause in the levity, however, when we honored our dear friend Travis who had passed away over the summer. Travis, John T.’s dad, was a tailgate staple for many years, and we miss him dearly. One of his T-shirts held his spot at the tailgate on that special Saturday. Hook ’em forever, Travis.
How sweet it is! I’ve always heard that you can’t spell “SUGAR” without UGA, but our Horns showed that they belong among the nation’s elite.
From ESPN: “Sam Ehlinger ran for three touchdowns, the Texas defense largely held Georgia’s offense in check, and the Longhorns earned their first 10-win season since 2009 by beating the Bulldogs 28-21 in the Sugar Bowl.”
The win put a gorgeous burnt-orange bow on what was already a fantastic mother-daughter road trip. And then the post-game festivities on Bourbon Street made this gameday one of the best ever.
Spell Texas 
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