Dicker the Kicker

Texas 48, ou 45 

Oct. 6, 2018 • Cotton Bowl, Dallas

What. A. Day.

ESPN’s College Gameday AND Fox’s College Football Saturday were at the fairgrounds for this showdown. The band serenaded us near the Gameday set, and over with the Fox guys, we saw Matt Leinert hanging out with his daddy, VY. (I kid, I kid…)

After our traditional Texas-ou breakfast (Fletcher’s corny dogs—duh), we headed to our usual meet-up spot (the food court, near the cheap beer stand). At our table, we soaked in the atmosphere as we stacked up those wax cups. 

After all that hype, you’d think the actual game would be a let-down, but no. Our guys led for most of the game until the sooners tied it up with 2:38 left. It took Cameron Dicker’s 40-yard field goal with 9 seconds left to put the Horns on top. But even before the snap, a legend was born with these 2 epic seconds of screen time:

Because it was an 11 o’clock kick, we stayed at the fair a bit after the game. We checked out the butter sculpture and the creative arts pavilion, but the best thing we saw all day was that stunning Golden Hat.

Texas Sports recap

Texas Sports box score

And for the family archives: For this Red River Rivalry, we hosted a gaggle of Ryan’s college friends at our house the Friday before the game. It was fun to see him and his friends hangin’ out just like we had a decade or three ago.

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Rubber Match

Texas 37, USC 14 

Sept. 15, 2018 • DKR

In 2017, the Horns rebounded from a disappointing loss to Maryland by coming THIS CLOSE to beating the favored SC Trojans. Some might call it a moral victory, but as encouraging as it was, it still counted as an L.

Because of that, the hype for the Trojans’ 2018 visit to Austin was off the charts. Pregame, Nissan’s Heisman House was on the 40, hosting our own Ricky Williams. Once again Bevo Bold was hoppin’, and a huge crowd migrated from the streets to the stands, ready for a great game.

Boy, did our Horns deliver!

A record crowd—including Trojan-conqueror Vince Young—watched the Horns get win #900 handily. What an amazing day!

Texas Sports recap

Texas Sports box score

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Cat Food

Texas 31, Kansas State 21

Sept. 21, 2013 • DKR

 

The last time we beat K State, we barely knew who this V. Young guy was, and Colt McCoy was still at Jim Ned High School. Even if our scouts had their eyes on Colt, we certainly weren’t watching YouTube videos of the young whippersnapper because YouTube didn’t even exist back then! Yes, our last victory over the Wildcats was waaaaaay back in 2003.

Fast forward to 2013, and we Longhorns already had two miserable losses in this young season and were out of the rankings. One coach was already fired, and another was on the chopping block. “Saban 2014” T-shirts were for sale around town.

It looked like we’d be ’Cat food, for sure.

For past games against the Wildcats, we’ve spelled Texas using Kit Kat bars. But you know, a five-game losing streak against these guys is a pretty good sign it’s time to try something different. That led to the cat food idea. I considered borrowing a handful of Friskies from home, but—EW!—that stuff smells SO bad! Instead, we used a different kind of cat food: FISH! Don’t all cats love fish?

Maybe, maybe not. But my kids love the sweet, gummy Swedish Fish candy, which means the prop could double as a tailgate treat. And surprise, surprise, the game turned out to be quite the treat, too.

Johnathan WithAnH Gray had a breakout game (141 yards, two TDs), David Ash had a GORGEOUS 63-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Sanders, and our defense looked like a real D. It. Was. Glorious. Colt’s younger brother, Case, came in for Ash in the second  half and didn’t miss a beat. Some really awful calls late in the game led to a fourth quarter Wildcat TD, pulling KSU to within 10, but two late fumble recoveries preserved the win (and saved us from our first 1-3 start since the 1950s).

This season may turn out to be as hard on us fans as gummy fish are on our teeth, but this win was good for the sole. We might have looked like we’d be cat food, but thank cod, the ’Cats are the ones who got schooled. For reel.

(I confess: I’m gillty of using fish puns—just for the halibut. Did you catch them all? Let minnow.)

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Why My Mind Wandered During the Sermon

Seven years and 17 days ago, the Texas Longhorns dethroned the mighty USC Trojans to win college football’s national championship. Amid all the hoopla that followed, one interesting photo surfaced:

It was the picture of an SC Song Girl cheering at a most inopportune time, right after Texas had gone up by 3 with 19 seconds to play. (This was actually after the 2-point conversion that followed VY’s incredible 4th-and-5 run for the lead and into Longhorn history.)

Our associate preacher mentioned this famous “reaction shot” in his sermon yesterday, and it took me back to that unforgettable night in Pasadena. I could see the pandemonium inside the Rose Bowl. I could feel my heart pound as I watched Vince tuck the ball and run to his right. I could hear the confetti cannons pop-pop-popping as time expired, the delirious “I don’t know you but I love you” confessions from fans-turned-brothers in the seats near ours. Any mention of that game brings back a flood of emotions, and I’m never reluctant to relive those glorious hours.

But by mentioning that Song Girl, our preacher also reminded me of the Hornfans message board thread that appeared in the days soon after the game: “USC Cheerleader Travels.”

In those heady days of January 2006, that Song Girl was photoshopped into all kinds of tragic events. Tacky? Absolutely! Funny? You be the judge:

OK, so maybe those are more tasteless than funny. What IS funny is that the preacher’s comment about an inappropriate reaction (in an excellent sermon available here) led to my inappropriate reminiscing!

Yep, I think it’s safe to say that with this post, Spell Texas has officially jumped the shark.