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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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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Unfocused

ou 34, Texas 27 

Oct. 12, 2019 • Cotton Bowl, Dallas

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!

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Watching from Walk-Ons

Texas 42, West Virginia 31

October 5, 2019 • Morgantown, West Virginia

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.

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Not-So-Jolly Ranchers

Texas 36, Oklahoma State 30

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!

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Happy Houston Reunion

Texas 48, Rice 13

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!

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Mike Madness

LSU 45, Texas 38

Sept. 7, 2019 • DKR

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!

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Bulldog Bullies

Texas 45, Louisiana Tech 14

Aug. 31, 2019 • DKR

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.

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