Hold Those Tortillas

Texas 63, Texas Tech 56 (OT)

September 26, 2020 • Lubbock

There are comebacks, and then there are EPIC comebacks. Considering the hate that seeps out of Jones AT&T Stadium, this one qualifies as epic. With our Horns trailing by 15 with 3:13 to go, ESPN gave Tech a 99.9 percent win probability. But Sam & Co. never gave up, and WE NEVER DOUBTED. (OK, maybe just a little.) Two quick scoring drives and a 2-point conversion later, we were headed to overtime. A Texas TD followed by an INT gave us this giant W on the South Plains.

 

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Didn’t Pick This

Texas 59, UTEP 3

September 12, 2020 • DKR

Welcome back, sports fans! It’s football season, but this time, in a pandemic! NOTHING is the same! New seats! New regulations! No Longhorn Band! Less noise! And construction!

Because of COVID, far fewer season ticket holders opted in for this year. (I told T and Dede that I would go along with their choice—in or out—but I was delighted that they were IN.) To abide by social distancing restrictions, UT separated fans with empty rows and seats between groups. That meant we were moved from our longtime seats in Section 1 to the upper deck where we could practically touch the moon! OK, not really, but we did see birds flying BELOW us.

COVID rules also meant no tailgating and no Bevo Blvd., so that whole social aspect of gamedays was sorely missed. But the streak of attending games in DKR lives on! 

Like a lot of sports venues, DKR filled seat with cardboard cutouts. For a small fee, you could put your likeness (or a loved one’s) in the stands. Of course, I knew that was Daisy’s big moment. From our perch on high, we spotted my pup, all dressed up and on the front row! Who would’ve guessed she’d end up with a better seat than our group?

Our season was supposed to begin with a rematch against LSU in Baton Rouge. Considering how close we had played the Tigers in 2019, not to mention that they had won the CFP championship last season, we were anxious to take another shot at ’em. Alas, COVID interrupted, and UTEP was our season opener.

Unlike the close contest that matchup could’ve been, this game was never in doubt. Not that I’m complaining: I love me a blowout when it goes our way!

Before the game we “tailgated” at the Posse East. It was great to see our friends, even at a distance.

Construction on the South End Zone was well underway.

So weird to be this alone on the escalator.

New seats WAY up high

SEZ construction

GOT HIM.

Still shining

Kerbey Queso

Kerbey breakfast

Greatness recognizes greatness

 

 

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Letting the Chips Fall

Texas 38, Utah 10

December 31, 2019 • Alamodome, San Antonio

No secret that I love bowl games! I love the travel, I love the hoopla, I love the let’s-get-one-more-chance-to-see-our-team-play of it all. And when we win? It’s the best!

Ryan, Katie, and I headed to the Alamo City the day before the game, just in time to visit Fiesta Texas. The next morning, we were up early to tour Mission San Jose, taking lots of photos for Ryan, our Texas history teacher. Then we made it to the Riverwalk where we feasted on the traditional pregame meal at Casa Rio and did the river taxi tour.

And then gametime! We had great seats in the lower bowl, so we got some great views of Sam’s touchdowns. Our defense really put this one away, though, holding the favored Utes, ranked #11 at the time, to just 10 points.

And that’s a wrap on the 2019 season! As we looked forward to seeing our Horns back in DKR the next fall, we had no idea how different games would be in a pandemic. But we knew no matter what, we’d be there!

The day before the game, stopped at Buc-ee’s on our way, naturally. At Fiesta Texas we took in the Holiday in the Park decorations, and we got to ride the new Wonder Woman coaster. With its single-rail construction, it makes you feel like you’re really flying!

The morning of the game, we headed out to the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. This time we visited Mission San Jose. Out of all the times we had been to San Antonio, this was our first trip to one of the famous missions (besides Mission San Antonio de Valero, a.k.a. the Alamo). 

From there we went downtown to park for the Riverwalk, Alamo, Tower of the Americas, and the game, of course. For lunch we ate at Casa Rio, and when I recognized the brick wall next to our table, I got Ryan and Katie to recreate their pose from 2006.

Thanks to an Alamo Bowl hashtag, we also got this pic on the big screen at the game!

We also did the river cruise, visited the Alamo (it’s a law), and went up to the Tower of the Americas observation deck. Did I mention how much I enjoy being a tourist on these bowl trips? After all that exploring, we were ready to settle in for the game.

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Cowtown Contest

Texas 60, Texas A&M 50

Dec. 8, 2019 • Lone Star Showdown • Dickies Arena, Fort Worth

“They’re playin’ basketball… We love that basketball…”

I don’t get to as many Longhorn basketball games as I’d like, thanks to many of them happening during the work week, but when the Horns are in my hometown, I try to be there! That was the case for this “Lone Star Showdown” that was really a showcase for Fort Worth’s new arena.

Dede, Brett, and I had a great time welcoming our team and spirit groups. And Varsity’s horns remained in place, thankyouverymuch, since Texas had no trouble saying goodbye to A&M.

Tech-nically Back

Texas 49, Texas Tech 24

November 29, 2019 • DKR

Sam had 432 yards of offense, and Roschon Johnson scored THREE touchdowns. Now THAT’S worthy of some tossed tortillas!

Dede couldn’t make it to this one, so Katie accompanied me. Before the game, we had fun along Bevo Blvd. and stopped by the tailgate for a bit.

The weather was dreary, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying this last go-’round in DKR for the season. We said goodbye to our seatmates and met Section 1 legend Larry, the guy who all season long would yell through every single defensive play. We didn’t know it then, but that turned out to be our last game in Section 1. Row 52 had been our home for 14 years, but COVID would make us change our seats in 2020, and the stadium expansion pushed us into Section 2 starting in 2021. Inspirational! 

And what a fun game! It was great to let the Raiders get out to a 14-0 lead before coming back to crush them.

After the game, Katie and I walked over to the Tower and then to the Co-op to see the annual McConaughtree. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

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Unbearable

Baylor 24, Texas 10

November 23, 2019 • Waco

Another away game. Another L.

Baylor was ranked #13, and our Horns were unranked. Still, Sam Ehlinger threw for 200 yards, so it was disappointing that our guys couldn’t pull off the upset in front of the Baylor crowd.

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Gone With the Wind

Iowa State 23, Texas 21

November 16, 2019 • Ames, Iowa

We can spell TEXAS. Unfortunately, we can also spell FRUSTRATION.

The Horns came storming back from 13 down, only to lose when the ‘Clones hit a last-second field goal. 

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Catching Up with the ’Cats

Texas 27, Kansas State 24

November 9, 2019 • DKR

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.

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Pumpkin Power Down

TCU 37, Texas 27 

October 26, 2019 • Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

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.

Breakfast at Snooze in Fort Worth

Yummy!

Back at Frog Alley! I remember our first Frog Alley visit when I wished we could have something similar at DKR. We get TCU’s AD, and now we DO have our own Bevo Blvd. Thanks, CDC!

Great to see two of my besties together again, first time since a kid’s birthday party years ago.

Postgame solace.

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Killin’ Me, Smalls

Texas 50, Kansas 48 

October 19, 2019 • DKR

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.

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