The Wisconsin vs. MichiganState game was one of those elusive perfect days of college football.There are few places more sublime than spending a beautifully sunny fall day in Madison, Wisconsin at the end of September.Madison is a quintessential college town, and arguably one of the preeminent destinations for a complete college football Saturday.We filed into CampRandall stadium to witness a classic Big 10 matchup featuring two perennial hard nosed powerhouses.
The game itself lived up to all the hard hitting action that you would come to expect from a couple of Big Ten squads.The Badgers struck first, but the remainder of the game was a see-saw battle that turned into a bit of an unexpected shootout.Scott Tolzien, the newly anointed Badger QB, threw for four touchdowns amidst an unusual Wisconsin air attack.Of course, stud sophomore running back John Clay still rumbled for 142 yards and a touchdown as the Badgers predictably dominated on the ground and chewed through clock well into the 4th quarter.This bone crushing, smashmouth running game is the hallmark of Wisconsin Football, and it’s a derisive pleasure to watch them break an opponents spirit 5 yards at a time.
Despite two cheap TD’s by MichiganState late in the 4th, the Badgers walked away with a convincing win.
Final Score Wisconsin 38 – Michigan State 30.
As if an exceptional game from the confines of the Badger student section wasn’t enough, Mindy also managed to get us a few minutes on the field during the 3rd quarter as well.This was my first time ever being on the sideline during a game, and it was an incredible experience to be up close and personal with all the action.It’s tough to get a feeling for the sheer speed of a Division 1 football game when watching from the stands or on TV.Standing on the sideline for a handful of plays, allows one to appropriately register what truly remarkable athletes are on field every week.Unforgettable.
Thanks to: Kenny for the on-field experience and post-game festivities.
Special thanks to Jason, Kellie and Kellie’s family for hosting us the entire weekend including a best-in-class tailgate with the 2009 Port-o-Potty World Tour Crew.
Below is the email that was sent out to friends interested in coming to the Texas Tech weekend.
Esteemed colleagues and friends,
If you are reading this, it’s because you have either expressed direct interest, been reluctantly volunteered by a friend, mistakenly thought you signed up for a ballroom dancing class, or your passive aggressive half interest has caught my eye and I added you anyway. Regardless, you have found yourself on the distribution list for the great College Football Tour of 2009. If you want off this list, kindly drop me an email, and I will be sure to ridicule you in future communications. If you want to add people or forward this along, let me know and I will add them to the elite ranks of this distinguished roster.
We have already had two stops thus far this year, to arguably the two greatest college towns in the nation: Austin, Texas and Madison, Wisconsin. And I might add that to date the CFB Tour is 2-0. My liver still remains winless.
This week, our tour of the capital cities ends, however, as we venture to the panhandle paradise of Lubbock, Texas home to the world famous Buddy Holly Museum.
This Saturday (Oct 3rd) at 2:30pm the Red Raiders of Texas Tech will be taking on the formidable Lobos of the University of New Mexico. But that’s only one piece of the trip.
Before that, on Friday night, we will be venturing to Odessa, Texas. You might say there is no godly reason why anybody would ever want to go to Odessa, Texas – and you would probably be right.
Unless, however, you wanted to see one of the most infamous high school football teams in the country. The Permian Panthers will be taking on their cross-town rival Odessa High Bronchos (no that is not a typo – evidently there is an “H” in Bronchos) in a quintessential “Friday Night Lights” spectacle in front of nearly 19,500 people. For those of you unaware, Permian was the high school for which the book, then made movie, then made TV show”Friday Night Lights” was based off. Ratliff Stadium is one of the biggest high school stadiums in the state, and you can check out exactly what “Mojo” means to Permian football below.
Of course the centerpiece of the trip will be the Texas Tech game against New Mexico, which starts at 2:30PM. Saturday morning we will promptly head up to Texas Tech to check out the greater Lubbock area, campus, and perhaps a few dining/drinking establishments before heading into the game for kickoff at 2:30.
If you were wondering about tickets, no I don’t have them yet because Stubhub is for chumps. I like to get my tickets the old fashioned way, haggling on the street like a Turkish carpet trader. Or man-crying on the sidewalk until someone takes pity on me.
As far as dining is concerned, as you know, I am rather partial to two things: epic BBQ served without utensils, or belt busting gut bombs that would make Kobayashi cringe.
In this case it looks like Spanky’s in Lubbock would fit the bill, and I already have my lustful eyes on this little treat: The “He-Man Woman Hater Burger” which according to the website is “What we’re famous for: a colossal, double-meat, bacon cheeseburger served with about 3/4 pound of fries”. Skeletor doesn’t stand a chance.
For those of you that thumb your nose at such proletarian tastes, not to worry there is some culture on this trip as well. As I’m sure you were already aware, there is a rather famous architectural landmark in Lubbock known as the “Steel House” by the late sculptor/artist Robert Bruno. This is a house fabricated from steel plates that he personally constructed for nearly 30 years of his life, and represents a lifetime of expertise in steel construction, fabrication and welding (not to mention purportedly tips the scales at a hefty 110 tons). While you may find the shape of the dwelling rather odd (and it is), it is nevertheless a rather remarkable structure, and quite striking against the backdrop of rugged Ransom Canyon.
The student section atmosphere at Wisconsin simply has to be experienced to be understood.I had witnessed the student section here once before from the confines of the “grownup” sections.But this time around I demanded that Mindy find us seats amidst the chaos of 20,000 Sconnie’ undergrads to give me a firsthand glimpse into her four years of undergraduate splendor.
Put simply, the Badger student section has all the choreography of a Chinese opening ceremony minus the impending threat of capital punishment or political imprisonment.Yet unlike the two other premier student sections I have attended (Texas A&M, Notre Dame), students are not formally “taught” the cheers at Wisconsin.Amazingly, this vast sea of red clad undergrads performs all of these chants completely unrehearsed.It may very well be the most precisely executed, truly “normative” behavior I have witnessed.
As far as Wisconsin student traditions go, “Jump Around” has reached almost mythical status.In short, between the 3rd and 4th quarters, House of Pain’s “Jump Around” is piped in over the loudspeaker. Instantly, 20,000 anxious students are transformed into a sea of bodies rhythmically bobbing up and down on thin rails of aluminum benches.For two minutes, the entire structure discernibly trembles, swaying under the frenzied mob for what many pundits consider the most chaotic two minutes in college football.
But “Jump Around” is only one such highlight to be found among the fans in Camp Randall Stadium.In fact there are a multitude of Wisconsin in-game cheers and traditions, each with their own self generated gesturing and dancing.These include several variations of the wave, including the regular wave, slow wave, fast wave, and the infamous “split wave”.Other full stadium sing alongs included: “If you want to be a Badger…”, “Swingtown”, “Buttercup”,
Of course, there are also a handful of cheers that would make a truck driver blush, and since this is a family blog I won’t be repeating them.But suffice to say if you bring the kiddos to CampRandall, be sure to train them on the “earmuffs” command.
Some of the classier numbers were entitled:
“Eat Sh@#$, Fu#@# You”,
“You Fu@#$ed Up”
“As#@hole.....As@#hole....”
“We’re gonna kick the Sh#@ out of you…”
“All 300 Died” (in reference to the opponent of the day, the Spartans of Michigan State)
Here is a delightful example of the above (NSFW).
Finally, as if four quarters of cheering and singing weren’t enough, Wisconsin is known for a unique tradition known as the “5th Quarter”.After the game ends, virtually none of the students head for the exits.Instead, they stick around as the Wisconsin Marching Band generously stays for an additional fifteen minutes to play more brassy pop hits for the animated students.All of these songs are familiar hits, and all of them include their own sing along versions and ‘choreographed” dance moves by the students.It’s one helluva time that makes you almost forget a football game just happened.
Finally, here is a good compilation video that gives a good overview of most of the Wisconsin student section experience, including the 5th Quarter.
The spirit of the Wisconsin student section is truly remarkable, and given the chance it would be worth going out of your way to experience it…..for all five quarters.
Like any good college town worth its salt, Madison has no shortage of pizza shops willing to satisfy the hunger of the late night post close crowd.Considering the 40,000+ dedicated scholars attending the Badger Institute of Higher Learning, having a handful of vendors of this timeless college mainstay are a must.And given the fickle nature of your average non committal college coed, having pizza available by the slice is a prerequisite.
But ask any hoodie clad intellectual where to find landmark pies amidst the bustle of legendary State Street, and they will surely point a pudgy finger or two in the direction of Ian’s Pizza.Ian’s is the staple among Madison pizza joints, and if their line at 2am is any indication, it’s a slice worth waiting over a half hour for.
Although I was eager to sample Ian’s, long lines and I have never been on speaking terms.As such, I sauntered into Ian’s for a quick bite to eat before we hit the town for a night of fishbowls and cheap swill.From among the dozens of selections enticingly tucked beneath the display cases, I settled on a familiar buffalo chicken, and a not so familiar “macaroni and cheese” slice.My enthusiasm was slightly tempered after I had to fork over seven bucks to the cashier; evidently dairy prices are suffering inflationary pressures in the CheeseState.
The pizza is straightforward and unpretentious.The buffalo chicken was traditional, and satisfying despite the gobs of bleu cheese (which is a personal distaste of mine).The macaroni and cheese, however, was an especially refreshing departure from the norm.The addition of mac n’ cheese adds another layer of gooey goodness to the slice.With the added texture of mealy noodles and another welcome layer of cheese (can you really ever have too much cheese?) the mac n’ cheese slice was an indulgent spin on regular pizza.It’s famous at Ian’s for a reason, and I highly endorse it.
Ian’s is the place to go in Madison if you are looking for a unique slice or two, and especially when you get that 2am hankering for a satisfying snack after a hard night of studying….
The University of Texas was our kickoff to the College Football Tour of 2009, and what better way to get the season started than to watch the Longhorns stomp one of their perennial early season patsies.
In fact, it had been over two years since my inaugural trip to Texas Memorial Stadium and I was curious to see how some of the newly completed renovations looked.The answer was simple: enormous.This place has become absolutely enormous, and with capacity now over 101,000 you can pack a lot of burnt orange into the place.The beefed up capacity (101,096 on this night) coupled with the “Godzillatron” (the 134ft behemoth HD scoreboard-formerly the largest HD screen in the world) make this place a truly imposing facility. The words “everything’s bigger in Texas” never rang more true.
The game itself was, shockingly, never really competitive from the start.Louisiana Monroe was expectedly physically outmatched at nearly every position, readily evident as the Longhorns imposed their will on both sides of the ball.Despite the disparity, Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy managed only two touchdowns against a foolish interception.While LAM had a few periodic outbursts to keep the 2nd string Texas defense honest, it was never really a game unless you count keeping it within the 34 point spread “competitive”.
The lopsided matchup turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however, because after a few quick beers in the UT Alumni center during halftime, we returned to the stadium midway through the 3rd quarter to discover a glut of empty seats. Evidently some of the diehard Texas fans were more interested in getting a jumpstart on traffic than staying until the last whistle.As is usually the case, the most “ardent” fans always occupy the first and second rows, and we were able to slide ourselves into a vast desert of empty seats that put us close enough to make out the waist size on Mack Brown’s khakis.We enjoyed the rest of the game in front row seats right behind the Longhorn bench!
Final score: Texas 59 Louisiana Monroe 20
Hook em!
Special thanks to our friends Jared and Kimberly for showing us what Longhorn Football is all about!
There are precious few things that I like to wake up at 6:30 in the morning for.There are even fewer that don’t involve massive piles of eggs and generous slabs of bacon.And despite my undying devotion to it, BBQ isn’t on that exclusive list of things I routinely wake up at sunrise for.Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, TX shattered all of that.
For those of you unaware, Snow’s BBQ was recently rated the #1 BBQ joint in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine.In this upset for the ages, Snow’s usurped such perennial favorites as Kreuz Market and Smitty’s Market in Lockhart, long considered the stalwarts of true Texas cue’.
Adding to the lore of Snow’s, the place is only open on Saturday’s, and they typically sell out of food before 10am.As if that weren’t enough, Lexington is about 60 miles from anywhere you might be inclined to visit.As such, any visit to Snow’s requires some dedication to BBQ, and can be considered a venerable notch on the belt of any BBQ aficionado.
I’m here to tell you first hand, this is the best brisket I have ever had in my life.Period.
Many other BBQ websites can do a far better job of going into excruciating detail explaining why.Brisket can be the most difficult of meats to smoke properly and consistently. This brisket stands above the rest because every single piece is uniformly perfect.Suffice to say, this brisket is otherworldly out of the smoker, and was still amazing eaten as a leftover, 5 hours later and cold.It is that good.
Of course both their ribs and local homemade sausage are first class as well, and on par with anything you will find at the traditional BBQ powerhouses. But if you only had stomach space for one protein here, the brisket is a runaway winner.
Here we are with Tootsie herself, the 70 year old pitmaster who has been smoking some of the best BBQ in Texas for almost 50 years.
I’ve eaten more than my fair share of BBQ in Texas, so trust me when I say it’s worth your time and effort to get to Snow’s, and I would happily roll out of bed at the crack of dawn to join you.
Without question, one of the biggest annual rivalry games in the country, Texas and Oklahoma squared off in the cavernous and historic Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas. Dallas being equidistant from both Norman and Austin, makes for a convenient setting for this annual match up named after the Red River which serves as the northern border separating Texas from Oklahoma. The entire city of Dallas reaches frenzy status during TX vs OU weekend, as throngs of fans pack into bars and pubs donned in their respective team garb - Burnt Orange or Crimson and Cream.
Even the Cotton Bowl itself is demarcated clearly into Texas and Oklahoma sections, and one could draw a line into the stands at the 50 yard line clearly separating the two fan sections.
While this matchup perennially determines the winner of the Big 12 Conference, during my visit this game even took on an even greater magnitude as Oklahoma was ranked #1 in the country at the time, with Texas only a few spots down the ladder at #5. Furthermore, it featured a head to head battle between two Heisman hopeful quarterbacks in Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford. When they say everything is bigger in Texas, they don't make football games any bigger than this as 92,000 other fans can attest.
In a classic gunslinging Texas shootout, the Longhorns prevailed on this day running away with a 45-35 upset victory.
