Unbearable

Cal 50, Texas 43

Sept. 17, 2016 • Berkeley, California

And just like that, our season comes crashing to a halt. The Haribo Gold-Bears were good luck last time we beat Cal, but this season, not even the chewy sweetness could overtake the bitter taste of this loss.

 

 

 

 

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In Queso Emergency

Cal 45, Texas 44 

Sept. 19, 2015 • DKR

 

I don’t want to talk about it.

That was my Facebook post after this gut-punch of a game. With barely more than a minute to go, we were just 1-point away from closing a 21-point gap. Thanks to the legs and arms of Jerrod Heard, our Horns had come storming back, scoring 20 points that promised comeuppance to those lame fans who left DKR early. The loyal ones of us who remained were ecstatic but still anxious. When Heard scored that third TD in the fourth quarter, my mind was already fast-forwarding to how many yards Cal could gain on us in a minute. Could our D hold ’em? Others were trying to forecast how we’d do in OT.

And then that ball veered right.

Ugh.

As a superstitious, ritual-obsessed fan, I have to shoulder my part of the blame. Even though I had planned ahead for this week’s TEXAS spelling and bought the Golden (gummy) Bears a full six days before the game, I managed to leave them in my car way too many blocks away from the tailgate. Enter the “golden” queso. It was messy and not at all pretty, but it got the job done.

That could’ve been the story of this game. The defense once again gave up far too many yards, but when it mattered, our offense came to life. For the comeback to end with a missed XP left us all with an extreme case of lactose intolerance.

Double ugh.

In spite of the bitter disappointment, I’m encouraged. Here’s what I know:

• Heard was a beast, racking up 527 yards in total offense, the most in school history, overtaking Colt and VY.
• If his numbers didn’t do it, his off-field behavior certainly showed me he’s our guy. After the game he told reporters that he stands behind Nick Rose (our kicker), and he knows he’ll make the big ones down the road. How’s that for a leader? Gotta admire a kid (he’s just a redshirt freshman, after all) who’s got your back when the whole world wants to kick you off the team.
• Strong may lack the charisma of a Mack Brown, but that doesn’t mean he’s a heartless robot. He stayed in the locker room until 1 a.m. with Nick to make sure he’d be all right. Not only is that the compassionate thing to do, it’s smart, too. Nick needs every bit of confidence he can muster for the rest of the season.
• Cal fans are not the nicest. They’re not battery-throwing, cuss-in-your-face nasty like some fans, but their chanting and theatrics after the game left a bad impression on the Texas fans who had welcomed them to our tailgates and campus. Maybe they’re still bitter about that 2004 BCS Rose Bowl bid.
• Alumni Band day is still my favorite halftime.
• I’ll never leave my TEXAS spelling medium in the car again.

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Gold-Bears for the Golden Bears

Texas 21, Cal 10

Dec. 28, 2011 • Holiday Bowl

When Texas faced Cal in its 2011 bowl game, it was tempting to go back to our tried-and-true Teddy Grahams or even honey in honor of the Golden Bears. But the “golden” part of the mascot’s name provided the inspiration, and Haribo Gold-Bears were called into action.

I didn’t make the trip to San Diego for this bowl game, so our TEXAS was spelled at the foot of—appropriately enough—our UT Christmas tree.

These two guys were kind enough to watch the game with me. (The pizza might’ve been the real draw.)

Even our “little” ChaCha stuck around to cheer on the Horns.

It might not have been the typical tailgating scene, but any game-watching that ends with a Longhorn win works for me!