Bugged Out

TCU 24, Texas 7 

Nov. 4, 2017 • Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

Back in DKR’s day, the Frogs were “cockroaches”—just messing it up for everyone else. Not so much anymore! They’ve been messin’ with Texas lately, and that just ain’t right.

At least this “road game” is a local one for us Fort Worth residents!

Happy to have a road game in our hometown!

It was great to see my college friend Scott and his son pregame!

Lovely downtown FW

What great seats our band has!

I think those little white lines are Texas players.

❤ ACL

❤ Austin

Texas Sports recap

 

 

 

Double the Fun

Texas 40, Kansas State 34 (2OT) 

Oct. 7, 2017 • DKR

In just his third start of his college career, true freshman Sam Ehlinger came through in a big way, leading our guys to this big double-overtime win under the lights at DKR.

Both teams scored in the first OT, but in the second, K State kept moving backwards thanks to holding penalties. Then their field goal attempt clunked off the upright, opening the door for the Horns.

Our young QB was a beast in this game, but the game-winning TD was a team effort. Chris Warren took the ball and looked like he was stopped 3 yards short of the goal, but our big ol’ O got behind him and pushed him across the line and into the win column.

Making this double OT doubly fun? Katie came home from Lubbock so she could accompany me to Austin, where we met up with Ryan for the game. In his time at Texas, Ryan saw enough bad games, and even when we played well, too often we would lose the close ones. It was fantastic that in his senior year, he could see the Horns FINISH.

This was a first for us: enjoying UT’s mariachi band pregame!

Love, love, love when I get to spend time with BOTH of my babies!

Obligatory stadium selfie

Great day for football

TOUCHDOWN, TEXAS!

Under the lights

❤ Austin

Celebratory Eyes

Thrill of victory

Isn’t she lovely?

Magical fun at the Griz house

Charlie loves Katie

Texas Sports recap

Frog-tied

TCU 31, Texas 9

Nov. 25, 2016 • DKR

I had the cutest little gummy frogs for this TEXAS, and I was optimistic that our team would really show up for Coach Strong.

But instead, our team was shown up. The gummies were extra-chewy, too.

 

Gummy frogs for the Horned Frogs

Waiting for the team in the rain

Love Hook ’Em’s coach attire

Still waiting for the team

Nice hats

Bevo’s 100th anniversary card

The front of Bevo’s card

The back of Bevo’s card

LOTS of well wishes…

…including one from me!

Longhorn legends

And the legend whose name is on the stadium

LHB

Bertha

TCU band

We’ll miss you!

SWOOOOOOOPES!

Hi, Matthew

LHB’s Bevo

I spy my signature!

Mighty Fine comfort food (while mourning Florence Henderson)

So that’s all she wrote on the Strong era, D’Onta’s Heisman that could’ve been, the loss of all that promise we felt on opening night after beating Notre Dame.

Here’s to fresh starts, stud recruits, and WINS.

Hook ’em.

Mounds of Trouble

West Virginia 24, Texas 20

Nov. 12, 2016 • DKR

I never buy Mounds or Almond Joy. Why would I waste a caloric splurge on anything with toenails, I mean COCONUT, in it? Disgusting! With West Virginia next on the schedule, though, I made an exception.

We Texans are quick to point out that the Mountaineers’ home state’s “mountains” aren’t so mountainous. The highest point in Texas is nearly 4,000 feet higher than West Virginia’s tallest mountain! To rub it in, instead of finding mountains, I spelled Texas with mere Mounds.

Almost as disgusting as coconut? Losing our first home game to the #11 Mountaineers.

Much sweeter? Having Katie surprise her brother when we picked him up for the game. 🙂 She drove in from Lubbock Friday night, and we left at early:30 to get Ryan and head to the stadium.

Why I don’t care for 11 a.m. kickoffs

Aren’t they cute?

I made them pose with their dad’s books. They were thrilled.

Hook ’Em dressed in camo for the armed services tribute.

Big fan of the flyover!

UT System Chancellor William McRaven honored.

Lifetime Longhorn Olympians were honored.

Then the LHB did its armed services medley, one of my faves.

Coast Guard

Army

Navy

Marines

Air Force

A Plain Ol’ Good Time

Texas 45, Texas Tech 37

Nov. 5, 2016 • Lubbock

After a couple of unpleasant fan experiences in Lubbock, I thought my days in Jones AT&T Stadium were over. Then my Katie Bug ended up at Lubbock Christian, and suddenly, I was all for an excuse to see a game on the South Plains!

The rainy/cool “football weather,” a rare but big win on the road, and time with my girl made for a fantastic day!

Just Bearly

Texas 35, Baylor 34

Oct. 29, 2016 • DKR

Another season, another “Who’da thunk it?” win over Baylor! The Bears came to Austin undefeated. The Horns, battered and bruised from four road losses, were heavy underdogs to #8-ranked Baylor.

Guess this is why they play the game!

Nobody expected D’Onta Foreman to gain 250 yards on the ground. Nobody thought the Horns’ D could force the Baylor offense to turnover the ball or settle for field goals. And after the way this season has gone, nobody felt super confident about that 39-yard field goal attempt with less than a minute to play.

But D’Onta is a beast, the defense was strong, and the kick was good. Horns win!

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The Eyes Have It

Texas 27, Iowa State 6

Oct. 15, 2016 • DKR

After a three-game losing streak, all eyes were on Eye-owa State. Now that the Horns were finally back home, could they get back to their winning ways?

It had been more than a month since we’d won a game, so this victory was sweet! What made it extra special: It was my grand nephew’s first Texas game AND the Alumni Band performance, too!

 

Miner Problem

Texas 41, UTEP 7

Sept. 10, 2016 • DKR

 

In June 2016 I spent a week on the UT El Paso campus for a humanities institute. The school’s use of the Miner motif was everywhere, from the miner hat pendant lights in the food court to the giant pick at the campus entrance. When the Miners arrived on MY turf, their rallying cry, “pick ’em,” came to mind. That’s why this week we spelled Texas with toothpicks!

Coming off the Horns’ huge win over Notre Dame in our opener, we were on top of the world. Texas football was BACK, baby! Early in the first quarter of this one, though, which was supposed to be a gimme, we got that sinking feeling. Uh-oh.

Leading by “only” 20-7 at halftime, the Horns went on to outscore the Miners 21-0 in the second half. But even then, we knew: In spite of the previous week’s high, this season was on its way to some lows.

 DKR highlights:

• Skydivers!
• Tribute to the “Precursors,” the first group of African-American undergrads at UT 60 years ago
• Young Texas Exes honorees, including NBA superstar Kevin Durant

Wrecked

Texas Tech 48, Texas 45 

Nov. 26, 2015 • DKR

 

 

Just as it’s hard to get away from Rice Krispie treats when we play Rice, it’s apparently impossible for me to avoid the tortillas when we face Tech.

Tech fans have been known to throw tortillas when their team scores. I wondered if this tradition was a thing of the past, but at this Thanksgiving night game, I got to see first-hand that obnoxious, danger-loving Raiders are still wont to toss the ’Wretillas. Speaking of obnoxious fans, Katie and I encountered some doozies. The phrase “act like you’ve been there” came to mind, but then again, I had to remember that this was the first time Tech had beaten us in Austin since 1997.

Give me just one of our injured defensive players (preferably Malik Jefferson) and we win this game. Give me just one of our terrible play calls (that 4th down lob to Daje, maybe?) and we pull it out. But isn’t that how this season went? Moments of greatness (Chris Warren’s breakout performance, our unlikely win over ou) tarnished by confounding ineptitude.

Photos have gotten fewer, and blog posts are shorter and have come later than ever. It’s hard to get fired up to recap these crappy ones. Losing sucks. But I insist on documenting these lame games because when we get back to where we’re supposed to be, I want to look back and see how far we’ve come.

In spite of the outcome, Katie and I managed to have some fun. After sharing Thanksgiving dinner with our family, we hit the road for Austin. We poncho-ed up for the misty/drizzly evening and made the most of this last 2015 home game.

Highlights of our trip: Jimmie Vaughn’s halftime performance with the Longhorn Band and a fun day of Black Friday shopping the next morning.

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Seeds of Hope

Texas 59, Kansas 20

Nov. 7, 2015 • DKR

We spelled Texas with sunflower seeds for the sunflower state, but this game was anything but seedy. Our Horns did exactly what we expected them to do: ran all over the “But We’re a Basketball School” Jayhawks.

Coming just six days before the official premiere of My All American, this game featured a tribute to Freddie Steinmark, the Texas legend whose memory lives on years after he died of cancer. Earlier in the day, UT rededicated the scoreboard to Freddie’s memory.

Back in 2013 when I toured DKR with Katie and her friend, we got to see that scoreboard base up close. Even though it’s now topped with the giant Godzillatron and concealed by endzone bleachers, the scoreboard is still an important part of Texas football. Players touch Freddie’s picture before taking the field.

Other photo highlights:

LHB tribute to our armed forces for Veterans Day

Always a thrill to share the game with my babies!

 

We didn’t do much tailgating this time because we met some friends for a Capitol tour and late lunch before heading to campus. It was great to hang out with our friends from California, and getting to wander around the Capitol with the state’s preeminent historian was a big bonus!

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