October 11, 2003, Missouri vs. Nebraska, was perhaps the most exciting Missouri game I’ve ever witnessed. It was a cold rainy day, and Missouri trailed 24-14 in the third quarter. However, the rain and cold went unnoticed as Missouri outscored Nebraska 27-0 in the fourth quarter; thus, breaking a 24-game losing streak and beating a then Top 10 team. Since then, the Tigers have successfully beaten Nebraska at home, and Saturday was no exception….
Tailgating: Two of my brothers and I showed up at the family tailgate around 1:45. The tent was in the place, the ribs were on the grill, and the beer was cold and abundant. Although it was 6 hours before kickoff, the parking lots were packed, and Stadium Drive was lined with cars for over a mile. It was a beautiful site. We were more prepared this game; equipped with both a TV for game watching and music. Of course, the majority of the afternoon/evening was spent drinking, socializing and taking in the sites. The best siting was of a college-aged kid in a wheel chair who was wheeling his way up the road in front of us. There were cars behind him and he was talking on his cell phone. He would spin one wheel, which would cause the chair to veer in the opposite direction, pause briefly to switch the phone on his ear, and then spin the other wheel causing the chair to veer in the other direction. He was moving forward, but it was at a snail’s pace (pretty fast for one-handed), and frankly it was d@#n funny; although, the cars behind him probably didn’t think so. Don’t judge me for making fun of the handicapped. I’m quite certain he was just injured. Regardless, it would’ve made a great Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
The menu for the Missouri vs. Nebraska game included scrumptious baby back ribs, some yummy hashbrown potatoe casserole, salad, garlic bread and my delicious brownies. For appetizers, we had cheese and crackers, little smokies, chex mix, etc.
The beers of choice were Bud Light, Bud Select, Negra Modleo, Tiger Beer (some odd beer), Stella Artois (bought especially for me), Michelob Light, and Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus, which is kind of like Miller (ick) Chill, but much better. There was also some delicious red wine from a local winery near my Dad. It’s basically a Norton with a slight hint of chocolate. Yummy! Oh, there was also plenty of water and pop to keep the troops hydrated. The Game: Well, it’s late Thursday, so at this point there aren’t many highlights I can share that you haven’t already heard on the news. I just have to say the 2007 Missouri vs. Nebraska game was probably the funnest, most stree-free game from start to finish that I’ve ever attended. It was an absolute blast! The atmosphere was amazing. There was a capacity crowd of 70,049 in the game, and nearly all of them in gold. Well, as most Big XII fans are aware, Nebraska fans do travel well, so they had a fairly good showing, but nothing compared to past years. I can’t wait until the black out game, as I look much better in black. Gold totally washes me out… Oops! That’s a separate blog entirely. Anyway, the Tigers looked good on offense and defense. The Huskers were held without a touchdown for the first time since 2004. Perhaps birthday boy Chase Daniel said it best, “If our defense plays like that week-in and week-out and we keep scoring, the sky’s the limit.” This week Chase Daniel was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, and Martin Rucker was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week. Speaking of Martin Rucker, there were some Judgy McJudgersons on the faked field goal in the 4th quarter. Really, if you want to judge anything, it should be that we didn’t score any points afte the first few minutes in the 4th Quarter. This was against Nebraska, who is renowned for running up the score, and it was most likely the last opportunity Martin Rucker would have to score against Nebraska; his brother’s alma mater. Think about it. Anyway, while maybe unnecessary, it was awesome! The game, the atmosphere, the day….
Funny Game Event: Near the middle of the 4th quarter, while the fans were still somewhat engaged, the infamous wave started. Now, I’m not a big fan of the wave. It’s so 80s. However, once it started, I LOVED it! Every time it would get to the Nebraska fan corner (the north west corner of the stadium), the wave would of course stop for a brief moment and then pick up again when it reached the fans in gold. After a couple times around the stadium, all the Tiger fans started yelling, “Boo..!” every time the wave reached the Nebraska section, and then, with abundance of laughter, yell “Yay…!” when it reached the gold. This continued for what had to be close to 20 minutes, or so it seemed. It could’ve partially been due to exhaustion, but my sides were hurting with laughter listening to and engaging in the frequent, “Booo… Yay!” of the crowd.
PS: We did not do the macarena.
GO TIGERS!