Catching a Break

Texas 22, Kansas State 17

November 26, 2021 • DKR

Finally, finally, finally our losing streak came to a halt. Our guys managed a win over the K State Wildcats. Because of our 5-7 record, there was no bowl game for us, so this had to count for a momentum builder heading into 2022. And it was wonderful to send these seniors out with a win after such a disappointing season. 

Ronnie, our tailgate trailer maestro, moved out of state, and after the Kansas game, he took his trailer home with him for the off-season. He was with family for Thanksgiving, so our other tailgate gurus put together a smaller operation so we could still hang out pregame.

After the game, we took our traditional end-of-season photo. Until next season, HOOK ’EM!

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Fun with Frogs

Texas 32, TCU 27

October 2, 2021 • Fort Worth

Finally, finally, finally my Horns were able to beat the Frogs in Fort Worth. Apparently, Brett was my lucky charm! Even though he supports my football fandom, to that point he had attended very few games with me. Since my usual companions were otherwise occupied that Saturday, he agreed to come with. And whadyaknow, we WON for the first time in a while!

P.S. – I did attempt to cook those frog legs, btw, but they were NASTY with a capital N! Several years prior when I had breaded and baked the frog legs, they were pretty darn tasty, but not this time around. Yuck! Good thing that W tasted great!

 

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Doubled Up the Double-T

Texas 70, Texas Tech 35

September 25, 2021 • DKR

Our guys made it look easy, running all over the Red Raiders. It gave us hope for conference play, even if it turned out to be false hope.

It was an all-around glorious day, with plenty of sunshine to light up Bevo Blvd. and Smokey’s Midway.

Posing with AD Chris Del Conte

Texted this one to Katie in Lubbock

On the field, the Horns were rollin’, and Texas Mariachi and Ray Benson were rockin’!

Special appearance from Texas Mariachi

Ray Benson serenades us at halftime

And the pièce de résistance: Southwest Airlines fixed the errant apostrophe that was buggin’ the crap out of me!

So all in all, a great day!

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A Sweet Treat

Texas 58, Rice 0

September 18, 2021 • DKR

That’s more like it! JFK famously once asked, “Why does Rice play Texas?” Well, I know why Texas plays Rice! 

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Back in Bevo Business

Texas 38, Louisiana 18

September 4, 2021 • DKR

Hey, it’s good to be back home again! As the PR materials proclaimed, “Home is where the Horns are.”

After the weird 2020 season, it was great to get back to tailgating and Bevo Blvd., back to having a full stadium, back to seeing the Longhorn Band at the game. Everybody was in a great mood to be getting back to business, and more than a couple of times, I had to wipe away a tear or two, just so grateful to have this Longhorn family reunion after a year away.

Because of construction on the new Moody Center directly across from our old tailgate, our guys had to find a new hangout. Athletic Director Chris Del Conte himself suggested this patch of grass just north of Bevo Blvd., and it worked out beautifully! It’s super close to Hook ‘Em’s Hangout where all the food trucks are parked, so everyone can grab whatever they want to eat. It’s not far from the alumni center, either, so a restroom is nearby. 

The Ragin’ Cajuns use a pepper for their apostrophe, so I used peppers for this Hook ‘Em!

Our new entrance

Sign o’ the times!

With the Learfield Director’s Cup for the best athletic program in the country

T shows Cory Redding other signatures on Ronnie’s trailer

Cory Redding signs Ronnie’s trailer

The Tailgate Masterminds (with Cory Redding)

New coach Steve Sarkisian knew this was a must-win, and win he did! It took both Hudson Card and Casey Thompson to take Sam Ehlinger’s place, but they threw for three combined touchdowns, and Bijan Robinson again rushed for 100+ yards.

The 2021 season brought us the chance to get back to our old ways while embracing the new.After spending last season in a nearly empty DKR, it was a blast to have seats full again. Speaking of seats, this season took us away from our Section 1 spot near the exit on row 52. With the exception of the COVID year, we had been there since 2002, but the new south endzone made our old seats too close to the edge and Godzillatron. The new standing-room terraces also blocked the view of the scoreboard. John T. asked and received a better place for us, and we ended up on a lower row in Section 2, just a tiny bit to the north but low enough that we could still get an unobstructed view of the screen. Steve and Brian, the father-son pair who had sat beside us for those 18 years on row 52, made the move, too! In our new location, we made new friends of the guys who sat in front of us, and they soon became tailgate regulars. 

The Sunday after the game, Dede and I got to see our volleyball team beat Stanford in Gregory Gym. We have seen volleyball play TCU in Fort Worth bunches of times, but it was a thrill to see them in the rockin’ Greg, their home court.

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Drop Your Buffs

Texas 55, Colorado 23

December 29, 2020 • Valero Alamo Bowl, San Antonio

As a fan of the TV show Survivor, I have a couple of Buffs, the bandana-like head coverings contestants wear. Since our Horns were playing the Buffaloes, a.k.a. the “Buffs,” I couldn’t resist the chance to merge my two fandoms.

It was great to be back in San Antonio for yet another Alamo Bowl, but this one was unlike any other. The typically packed stairs and corridors were empty. In the seating bowl, every other row was roped off, and large numbers of seats were zip-tied closed. All spread out, we ended up kinda lonely in the upper deck, but hey, we were there! 

And even though we couldn’t go inside, we still made our required family stop by the Alamo.

 

The other tradition we made sure to follow: Winning our bowl game! This one was never in doubt, and it was fun to kiss this strange season goodbye with a victory. And even though he only played in the first half before Casey Thompson took over, it was nice to see Sam Ehlinger end his Longhorn career with a W.

The next day we celebrated with lunch at Mi Tierra’s, the renowned San Antonio institution that we had never managed to visit previously. We also went to the botanical garden so Katie could see the cool terraces that were used in the 1980s movie Cloak and Dagger.

Whew! It was a wild, weird season, but as always, I never took attending these games for granted. Especially in stadiums that were only a quarter full, it was a privilege to be there to cheer for my team in person!

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Win-Loss

Texas 69, Kansas State 31

December 5, 2020 • Manhattan, Kansas

The Horns won, but my spelling pic was lost. I much prefer that to the other way around!

The following week, I had planned to watch the Horns beat up Kansas, but alas, COVID disqualified too many of their players, and the game was canceled. So I’m gonna just go ahead and put this score:

Texas 100000000000000000000, Kansas 0

December. 12, 2020 • Lawrence, Kansas

Now who’s ready for a bowl game?

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Almost Heaven but Hotter ’n Hell

Texas 17, West Virginia 13

November 6, 2020 • DKR

Hello, Mr. Robinson! Bijan Robinson ran for a (then) career-high 117 yards, and the Horns held off the “Mound-aneers.”

Dede couldn’t make it to this game, so Anne joined us in the stands. It was an unseasonably warm afternoon, so after melting in the upper deck, we found a cool spot under the shade in the lower level.

This was also John T.’s last game for the season, so we took our traditional end-of-season pic before going our separate ways.

 

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Spooky Stillwater

Texas 41, Oklahoma State 34 (OT)

October 31, 2020 • Stillwater, Oklahoma

Another overtime game? Not THAT’S a scary Halloween! The Cowboys tied it up with a field goal late in regulation, but Ehlinger connected with JoMo (Josh Moore) in OT to grab that W.

After watching that victory, Katie and I couldn’t resist carving pumpkins for our respective schools just for fun. We found some stencils and went to town—even though we couldn’t really “go” anywhere!

 

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Bear Bounceback

Texas 27, Baylor 16

October 24, 2020 • DKR

Baylor made it closer than it should’ve been with a pick-6 in the fourth, but the Horns comfortably held on to get the win!

The lack of tailgating really opened up our lunch options for that pandemic season. For this game, Dede and I stopped at the Round Rock Salt Lick on our way into town for our pregame meal. It was delicious as always! In spite of that bit of consistency, the nearly empty stadium and surrounding area reminded us that nothing was as it used to be before the blasted virus arrived.

 

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