Welp. You know what might possibly suck more than that school we dedicate an entire week to hating? Losing. On the bright side at least we live in Texas.

I am so sick of losing, but I am not giving up on this team or on Charlie Strong. I absolutely refuse. But they are sure are testing just how far they can push me. So join me as I stuff my face with another bag of oreos (stress eating over our defense) and let’s relive a game we probably all want to forget.

Hate week is one of the most special weeks of the year. I spend an entire week shouting ou sucks and wearing t-shirts dedicated to hating ou every day. I think my boss thought I was kidding when I said I had a shirt for every day. By day 3 he realized this was no joke.

I packed my bags, grabbed my best friend, and we embarked on our journey to the cliff in Dallas Thursday afternoon. All day Friday I was overwhelmed with the feeling that we were going to lose this game. I wasn’t feeling a miracle. Of course the only time I am right about it is when I don’t want to be.

Have I mentioned that I’m cursed? No really. I arrive at my hotel with my Texas Exes license plates..and Texas flags on my car (because of course) and see two buses parked outside with coaches and their bags. I was so excited, I was staying at the same hotel as the UT football team… so I thought.

I stare at the coaches as I get my bags out the car trying to see Gilbert or Strong…not there. I don’t recognize any of these guys. Surely not. And then this look of panic crosses my face and the valet sees it.

Sir please tell me that’s not who I think it is. He gives me this apologetic look. I grab my bags and my bevo pillow pet and head inside the hotel. There is a giant lit up ou in the hotel lobby floor and sooners flooding every inch.

I was in my personal hell. I was staying at the hotel for the ou football team, coaches, family, and alumni. WHYYYYYYYYYYY MEEEEEEEEEE?!

People were staring and I knew if we lost it would be walking back to hell after.

After a fun Friday evening joining a crazy amount of Texas and ou fans, I rested my eyes for 3 hours and got up at 6AM to prepare for gameday, got on my boots, grabbed my golden tickets, and just luckily enough got behind the motorcade for the Texas team and made my way to the stadium in a record time. Shout out to the DPD. You the real MVP.

We arrive at the State Fair of Texas. Home to the Cotton Bowl. The atmosphere is like nothing I can really put into words. The mixture of burnt orange and that other color in the crowds with excitement, anticipation, and anxiousness filling the air. It is the most wonderful thing in the world…until the clock strikes 0 in the 4th and half leave devastated for the next 365 days.

The tradition was alive and well in side the Cotton Bowl. Burnt orange and the other color splitting down the 50 yard line and I had my best friend and dad with me to cheer on our Horns.

The band played and our flag waved and the Longhorns took the field and every fan was praying the promised improvement to the defense wasn’t all talk.

Just a heads up…it was.

I will say the first half I saw a glimpse of hope. Ou looked a little lethargic and Texas looked like they were getting into a rhythm that was until the refs decided to kill that.

The refs at this game were pathetic and absolutely unacceptable.

At the end of the first half Texas was down by only 1 point with a 14-13 score. There was so much hope.

Then the second half the defense went ahead and got on a bus back to Austin before I even had a chance to drown my sorrows in deep fried whatever.

The defense gave up about 700 yards. SEVEN HUNDRED YARDS. How is that even possible?

If your offense is one of the top scoring offenses in the country, with a a freshman QB might I add, and you still manage to lose multiple games..there is clearly a problem. And it CLEARLY isn’t fixed.

D’onta Foreman yet again proved to be this monstrous powerhouse and playmaker. And he wasn’t even at 100%. His twin brother Armanti also had a pretty good game with returning punts and kick offs.

Defense. Defense. Defense. D E F E N S E

What is going?! Blown coverages, missed plays, and confused like nothing I’ve ever seen. And I’m sorry but where is Malik Jefferson? I’m ready for his dominate return and hope it comes sooner rather than later.

This team did fight until the end and with several, I MEAN SEVERAL, blown calls Texas probably could have ended up on top. But when you give up I repeat 700 YARDS you can’t and won’t win a game.

Texas would go down and lose for the third week in a row to our enemy and I would be forced to journey to the cliff dragging the defense with me and a pound of fried food because deep fried tres leches can solve a lot of the world’s problems.

 

Final Score 40-45 Loss

And now cue my save Charlie rant. Charlie Strong deserves another year. I understand there are issues with this team. Trust me I’ve been to every game this season except one so I see the issues first hand, but I think people keep forgetting Charlie’s first year. Do you all not remember that we barely had a team on the first game of the season because of the all players Charlie had to get rid of and the ones that quit? Do you not remember the subpar talent and entitled 5 star recruits with bad attitudes left over from the Mack era? Strong has been here 2 1/2 years and it is INSANE to not give this hardworking and respectable man one more year to turn it around. And players…if you love this man as much as you say you do, it is time for you to step and PLAY.

My journey to the cliff finally returns to Austin this Saturday. I have missed DKR so very much and sleep. I miss sleep a lot too. We now have Iowa St. The team who prides themselves on completely ruining one team’s season every single year. Last year that was us with a total shutout. I’m praying history doesn’t repeat itself.

Longhorns we are in this together and I encourage you to stand with Coach Strong and this team and Saturday show up to DKR.

 

Hook’Em Horns and no matter what ou still sucks,

Nichole

 

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