The Game

So this is the season...

We Baylor fans say that every year beginning in late August. Football season is here and this is the year we're going to a bowl game! For you non-footballites (shame on you) that means we have to win six games during the course of the season to become eligible for a bonus game

for all the marbles (or at least for pride) at the end of the year. Over the last ten years we've hardly come close. We've only won 3 games in five of those last ten campaigns. Two more years we were less successful with only 2 wins and one really embarrassing year we only had one. We really got excited with a five win season in 2005, but no bowl game. The last time we actually went to a bowl game was in 1994 where we lost the Alamo Bowl to Washington St. scoring only 3 points. We've had our share of disappointment so you won't mind when we once more say, "This is the year." We have good reason to:

-Robert Griffin III (herein referred to as RG3) is an outstanding quarterback.

-Second year head coach Art Briles has generated a lot of excitement and has a good record helping UofH put together a very respectable program before arriving in Waco.

-RG3 was said to be the fastest human being ever to play the quarterback position in NCAA football history.

-Some really studly experienced players who are here for their senior seasons...Linebacker Joe Pawelek being the main reason.

-RG3 has a pretty good arm too.

-Anna and I have season tickets.

-RG3!!!

That said, the task is before us, but it will not be easy. See part of the problem is that we play in the Big 12 Conference. That means we play against world class competition week in and week out. We really have to rack up the wins in our four out-of-conference games to start the season. If we could manage to win all four, that means we would only need to defeat two of the "Big Boys" as I call them. That would be a manageable task. That's also why our two opening games this year are so important. We played (and defeated) Wake Forrest on their home field and this past Saturday Anna and I headed out to watch the University of Conneticut game with high hopes. These two teams are certainly not slouch teams. That's the problem, two of our four "money games" are certainly not easy wins. We need easy ones, we have to work REALLY hard for the other ones. That's how it came to pass that anxiety was so high so early in the season last Saturday. It's only the second game, but losing it will make the rest of the season that much harder. 3 wins in conference play is VERY ambitious against the Big Boys.

Nevertheless, off we went. This was the first of our season ticket games. We started the outing with FREE PARKING. It's not just a space on the monopoly board folks. If you support Baylor Athletics through the purchase of alumni season tickets you actually to park for free, a $10 value. It doesn't stop there. We got to go in to a select area of the stadium prior to the game for "refreshments" supplied by local eateries. We were delighted to think that we might be able to start the game with nice cup of water and maybe some pretzels. Imagine our surprise when we walked through the gate to find our choice of a sandwich box (chips and pickle too), fajitas or cheeseburgers. That's right, our tickets come with an honest to goodness real football style meal...gratis. The day couldn't get any better. Well yes it could, only moments after kickoff Jay Finley busted through a massive hole in the offensive line and scampered something like 75 yards for a quick Baylor score. Unfortunately that would be the last time for a good while that the team would look impressive. We could have overcome our defensive inability to stop the run OR our two consecutive turnovers at our own 20 yard line, but not both. After putting together a decent drive or two in what would later be known as a "too little, too late" effort the Bears fell to the Huskies by a score of 22 to 30. If there is any bowl hope left it will require victories in both of our next two non-conference games, taking advantage of any two soft spots in the Big 12 lineup (perhaps Iowa St. and Texas A&M), and finally we'll have to knock off one of the Big Boys...whose gonna get it?

Perhaps the most sobering part of the story is my dog. You raise the little ones to do the right thing and then when your back is turned they go and do something stupid. Judge knows that gambling is a bad habit, but he was so sure that Baylor was going to beat those big, arrogant Huskies that he made a friendly wager on the game. Since Huskies are so proud of their beautiful coats of furr, he put his own hair up against the same with a husky friend...bet he won't do that again.

BEFORE

AFTER