College Football Dad

New Mexico State 11/26/11

2011-12-09T06:19:00.000-06:00

I don't know where to begin! I feel like I just won the College Football lottery with this win over the snakes from Reno. I am so glad we came back and shoved that cream pie right in their face! We send them to the MWC with their tails between their legs and a new streak at home. I am not sure what it is really like to be high, but this winning high is one I want to stay on. I keep wanting to sing I Gotta Felling by Black Eyed Peas! Tyler & Matt are going to shoot me for listening to them, but I like the song! It's going to be a great week! Please, just hurry up and get here! I am a little concerned about this game with another one of these Aggie want-a-be's. I am not sure it that is a real word but it sounds right. There is only one Aggie team and it is from College Station! We have everything to gain with a win and they have nothing to lose except a keg of booze! I kid you not!

I was reading some the words to their fight song and I about fell over. "And when we win this game, We'll buy a keg of booze, And we’ll drink it to the Aggies ‘till we wobble in our shoes!" Some drunk admin must of wrote that after one of their field hockey wins! I guess that is what they do in the hills sitting on their letter "A" This is going to be an exciting week for our family! We are headed to Ruston on Wednesday afternoon. My oldest son (Tyler) is driving over Wednesday night from Austin, my parents (John & Carol) and my Aunt Donna are coming over from Florida Wednesday afternoon, and my sister (Cathy) and her family (Wes, Parker & Peyton) are coming over Thursday morning from Houston. This will be the first time we have celebrated Thanksgiving in Ruston with Matt.

We cannot wait for the festivities to get started. Then on Friday our good friends Joe, Julie & Jake Trevino from Cibolo will be coming to Ruston from College Station after the Aggie/Longhorn game. Jake was the QB for Steele HS and was Matt's only holder during HS. He attends Texas A&M now. Then to add more excitement Meggie & Papaw (Janet's parents), David & Barbara (Janet's Aunt & Uncle) and Curtis (Janet's boss) and son Pate will be coming on Saturday. As you can tell our family & friends love their Bulldogs! I talked to Matt a couple of times early in the week. You talk about someone who is pumped up! He is jacked with excitement! He said he is kicking the ball really well. The early forecast has some rain predicted so he is a little concerned with that. NMS has one of the top kick returners in the nation so they are going to working on all sorts of weird kicks. He said it could be like target practice so don't get pissed if I don't kick anything deep. Great!

Just what I need is another reason to watch the kickoff from my camera lens. Oh well! A few more adult beverages before kickoff will help keep me grounded. We met Matt at his house after practice on Wednesday. I had to drop off the ingredients for the chicken & sausage gumbo that we would be serving at our tailgate on Saturday. Matt's refrigerator made it easy to keep things chilled for a few days. Matt had a hankering for a two for one burger special at Portico's, so we headed up there and also met Kasie (Matt's GF) and Jonathan Bale (Tech's #1 golfer) for some grub. We had to get just the right amount of people so we could do the two for one burger thing. The burgers were good, but most of all the company was awesome! We said our goodbyes and then it was off to the Fairfield for a nice bottle of red wine and a comfy bed. Tomorrow morning would actually be a morning I might sleep in a few extra minutes.

Not! As usual I am up early and downstairs on the computer with a coffee in hand.Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you get to eat everything you want, lay on the couch and go back for more! Matt had practice Thanksgiving morning and then the team had a team meal before they were dismissed until Friday. We had a few items to still get for the gumbo and a couple of other errands to run so the morning went by quite fast. Tyler who can work remote had to work from 10AM to 6PM so we were not going to have Thanksgiving dinner until he got off of work. My sister and family made it over to Matt's and we hung out and watched football until Tyler got off of work. I know I am going to catch a bunch of crud for this but we headed to the Cracker Barrel in West Monroe for our Thanksgiving dinner. Besides our family we had Kasie, Jonathan and Hannah go with us as well. Thanksgiving is for sharing and everybody is family to us.

The food was good and the servers who had been serving all day were friendly, but they ran out of stuffing! I was so bummed as stuffing is a must at Thanksgiving! I bet during Christmas I eat more than my share to make up what I missed. All in all it was a great time with family and friends. We made our way back to the Fairfield where we took over the downstairs and watched what will probably be the last meeting between the Aggies/Longhorns for a long time. Man it was a great game as JT boots a 40 yard FG as the Aggies fall short. I need a night cap and then it will be lights out. Friday morning comes slowly and about mid morning some of us make our way over to Matt's house. I have gumbo for 30 plus to make and Janet & Peyton have #33 cookies to make.

I have the roux done, the trinity cooking away along with 7lbs of sausage and 3 rotisserie chickens all swimming in this 24 quart pot. I am not sure Matt's stove can hold this thing. This gumbo smells awesome and the cookies baking in the oven add to the food explosion in my nose. After a family meal at Johnny's and our goodbyes to Matt it was off to get the tailgate spot setup. We were having a Friday night tailgate party with family and friends. Burgers on the grill and a few adult beverages would be on tap. With a chill in the air the heat from the ole Weber it felt like we were camping. The burgers were awesome! The company was awesome and I was ready for some football. Saturday sometime the rain and the cold front would be moving in. It was not a matter of if it was when. From all indications it would hit around noon. This meant I would be serving gumbo around 11:00AM so I could batten down the hatches when the rain started. As Saturday morning arrived I was pretty relaxed.

I am not sure why as I so badly want this team to win and I am normally pretty nervous before the game. Janet and I arrived to the tailgate spot at 7:45Am with all of the food in tow. We got things setup and ready to go. Everything was done and we actually had a few moments to sit and reflect on the season before family and friends started trickling in. The Bloody Mary's were flowing and the good time were about to roll. I had already started heating up the gumbo slowly. I would worry about the water for the rice later. We had some family who left Dallas early AM and gave us rain updates as they made their way to Ruston. We had a real good idea that we were still on track for a noon watering. We so had many visitors stop by the tailgate. Mr. Harper, Mr. Hamm, Mr. Rust, Mr. McGehee (Brought his new son by) and Mr. Garland (Just returned from Korea Friday afternoon) to name a few.

We are so blessed with all of the great people we have met since we have joined the La Tech family! Before I forget, I want to thank the Matthiesen's and the Garlands who helped with extra tickets for our family. You guys are awesome! The adult beverages are flowing, the french bread is on the grill and the gumbo is ready to be served. I have to admit this gumbo rocks! I hope I can remember everything I did so I can duplicate this recipe. Just about everyone has had a bowl or two and now it was on to the brownies and #33 cookies. We could see in the distance and smell in the air that the watering would be soon. We started putting most things back in totes and back in the Suburban. We moved the tables in the center of the tents and all of the chairs around them. Then it hit! Let the soaking begin.

I had already moved the cooker with the gumbo and rice inside of the tents so we were still good for anyone who wanted 3rds. The team did not come in where they normally do so we actually did not know they had arrived. I walked over to the gate and watch Matt warm up some through the fence. He looked like he was making good contact, but he was not kicking with a snapper and a holder. I am sure the ball is going to be slick! After a few more adult beverages I made my way into the stadium. I wanted to be there when the Seniors were announced. I know it is a special time for them to get the recognition that they deserve. It's wet and the kickoff is upon us. The team looks jacked and I gotta a feeling! Matt is going to kickoff and it is down to the 7 yard line and we stop him at the 17. Now that is what I am talking about! Tech forces NMS to punt and we run 12 plays and Matt comes in for a 33 yard FG and it is good.

I was worried about how slick the ball would be and it looks like CL snap to TB was good. Boy I wish the rain would let up some. Matt kicks off with a line drive bullet that NMS had no clue was coming. One of these days our coverage is going to recover one of these funny kicks on the ground. Tech holds them and NMS punts again. Tech runs 10 plays and CC throws a 7 yard TD strike ti TI. Matt comes in for the PAT. The snap is away and it is high and TB has a hard time controlling it and the flying saucer misses left. Looking through my lens the ball never got on the ground and it was on its side when Matt's foot struck the ball. I had a feeling that the ball would become slick in this rain at some point. We exchange a couple of series and the first quarter comes to an end with Tech up 9 - 0. I am ok with this but with this rain I sure would like a bigger lead. Our first series we punt in the 2nd quarter and then CB intercepts NMS. Tech takes the ball and runs off 11 plays as HL scores from 1 yard out.

Matt comes in and the PAT is good. I think it is rain dripping off of my head, but I was sweating bullets. Matt kicks off with another screamer that hit one of the front line and is on the ground again for our taking. Our coverage team is getting closer. NMS throws down field and AC intercepts and takes it to the house for a TD. Matt connects with the PAT and the 2 quarter comes to an end with Tech up 23 - 0. I've gotta feeling! We take the ball in the 3rd quarter and run off 9 plays with a HL 6 yard score. Matt connects with the PAT and Tech is up 30 -0. Are you kidding me? There is no stopping us now. I smell a WAC Championship! Matt kicks off with a high sky right and we really should of recovered this one. It was placed where no one was. Oh, it was so close! We hold NMS on a 4th and 1 and take possession where we turn the ball back over on an interception. Oh no!

Not good! Tech holds them to a punt and CJ takes it 82 yards for another TD. Matt connects on the PAT and we are up 37 - 0. There is no stopping us now! Matt sends another bullet down field. It is pretty funny watching the NMS players duck. They have no clue where he is kicking it. I am not a fan of this style of kicking, but in these weather conditions I will live with it. We hold them and they punt. Tech takes over and runs off 11 plays and HL scores on a 7 yard run. Matt connects on the PAT and Tech is up 44 - 0. Hoo Ya! Can the game end now? Matt sends a low liner down field and NMS takes the ball as the 4th quarter comes to an end. We play ball control the 4th quarter and the game comes to an end with Tech winning 44 - 0. We are Champions! Can you believe? The players and coaches are going nuts on the field. I was so touched when RH & AG came on to the field holding the WAC Champions poster! They are my hero's! We were told there would be a special presentation after the game.

After the game the NMS players shook hands with the Tech players. Then they made there way to the North end zone where they watched Tech receive their WAC Championship trophy and accept an invitation to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego! This is so cool! At first I thought they were doing it out of respect to Tech, but after I thought about and watched the head coaches finger pointing, I soon realized that this was a learning lesson. You want to be in that position and celebrate like they are then you have to come to play every day and every time you take the field. You want to experience this? Then work your ass off in the off season and come to Spring football with a fire in your belly! Now get to the locker room! That would be my 2 cents as to what was going on. After NMS cleared the field we were allowed on the field.

We finally found Matt and what a celebration it was. I was so proud of him and this entire team. I even got to give Ms. Toni a big hug! Watching them individually hold the WAC trophy was a very special moment. I can't tell you how many tears of joy I shed, but I am sure glad it was raining. It is sometimes hard for a grown man to admit to tears. I sure let them out. We told as many players as we could congrats and took several pictures with Matt. It was so very special that my oldest son (Tyler) was there so we could celebrate this special moment together as a family! This is so awesome and we get to sit back and wait for our opponent in the Poinsettia Bowl. San Diego is going to be rocking on the 21st. I know we will have many family members in attendance. I gave Matt one final hug and he headed to the locker room. To all players and coaches: We are very proud of each and everyone of you! You rock!

I knew I had a mess at the tailgate area, but I really did not care. It could wait until Sunday. When I got back over there Mr. Rust was there and a big hug was in store. Nothing funny going on! Just 2 very proud parents. We celebrated with the rest of the family and friends with a couple of adult beverages. High Fives and Hugs everywhere! Since we had so many members with our group we decided to go get dry clothes on and bring the party to the Fairfield. We ordered pizza and brought the adult beverages in and celebrated this awesome victory. It is so hard for me to explain my feelings. I am really over whelmed and so very proud of this team. They never gave up! After we consumed 5 Big Daddy's from Foxes Pizza and several adult beverages it was time to find a dry bed! What a complete day spent with so many great people. I hope our players enjoy this win and then get back to business. I am sure our coaching staff will keep them reeled in as we still have some unfinished business to attend to in San Diego!

I wish I knew who our opponent was so I could start preparing, but I guess I have to wait until after next weeks games to unfold. They say we have possibilities with Boise State, TCU, Wyoming, San Diego State and a long shot with Air Force. I think a lot of this will have to wait and see what U of H does in the CUSA Championship. A special thanks to Andrew (tailgate neighbor) who saved our tents Saturday night as the winds blew through! Matt we are so proud of you! My words can not express how you have helped me grow as a person! You have so much composure and focus in everything that you do! From football to your degree, you have a goal every step of the way! Your mental toughness will take you places you have never dreamed of. Your passion for your craft shows more and more every time we see you! Thanks so much for letting me live out my dreams through your eyes! I love you man! Oh what a great season it has been! I know we have one more game to take care of business in, but I wanted to thank all of our family and many friends for all of their support this year!

Words will never say enough as to our sincere thanks! We are so blessed in so many ways and give praise to the lord for everything that has happened! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! San Diego here we come! You had better be ready for some Dawgs to come into town standing tall! I can't wait! See you all then! Make sure and watch ESPN December 8th and cheer on RA as he is up for the Ray Guy Award! Best of luck RA! It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football. My opinions on the coaches and their coaching abilities are only mine and no one else's. Thank you so much to Mr. Tom Morris with La Tech Sports Pix for allowing me to use some of his photos for this blog. Don't forget to listen to J Ford and Chris Keagle with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Nevada 11/19/11

2011-11-24T08:19:00.001-06:00

What a great feeling! We have a golden ticket in our hand. We are bowl eligible baby! I will feel more comfortable with the 7th win for sure! There is no telling where this team is going to take us. Right now I am loving this journey. Nevada is next on our list! I want to beat this team so bad. It is time someone puts these punks in their place and I think it is our time. I am not saying it is going to be easy, but I have a good feeling. They have a great home record and the early forecast looks like it could snow on game day. I always look at the opposing teams athletic website the week of the game. There is always interesting tidbits and weirdness to find. The Nevada Wolf Pack, one of only two teams nationally to use the designation (North Carolina State is the other though they use Woflpack as one word while Nevada uses to words with a capital "P"), has been using the Wolf Pack designation since the early 1920s. In the early 1900s they were called the Sagebrush's. How would like to play a team with a Sagebrush on their helmet? They have two mascots! One named Wolfie Jr and the other is named Alphie. Wolfie Sr must of quit. Don't they know that two is a couple, not a Pack. They really have no clue who are what they want to be. Every time I spoke to Matt he was like a kid in the candy store. He was so excited to go to Reno. Not only was there a pep in his step there was a pep in his conversations with me. I eve have extra pep!

I guess it is contagious. He was concerned about the wind and would deal with the cold temperature. He said he was making good contact with the ball. The snaps and holds have been great all week. He said the team has been jacked all week. All of the practices have been intense and they are only focused on Nevada! Take care of one game at a time and the rewards will come later. He said CD told them that no hand warmers would be allowed on the field. They would have heaters on the sidelines. I remember in 2009 that DD unplugged all of the heaters. Looking at the news Thursday it looks like Reno has wild fires and heavy wind forecast'ed Thursday & Friday. I hope everyone is safe and they get the fires under control before the team arrives! Game Day is here! What am I going to do for 9 hours? Maybe I should of slept in some. I am already nervous about watching the game on the computer. I have not told Matt this yet, but since my trip back from New Orleans during the Utah State game that I have wore the same shirt for all road games. It is just a plain old plaid button down and I wear m La Tech shirt underneath. I said what the heck after the Utah State game and now my lucky road shirt carried me through the road victories and I will be wearing it during the Nevada game. I guess it is my good luck charm. I know I can be a little weird! Janet and I are setup in separate rooms with our own computer. She has already warned me that I cannot use her closet when Matt kicks.

That will be ok! I have other options. As I wait for the game to start I poured a Shiner Cheer. You never know about seasonal beers, but this was actually pretty good. It is time for the kickoff and Nevada is kicking off to us. We run 3 plays and punt! Don't do this to me! Nevada runs 12 plays and we force them to punt. Way to go defense! We run 5 plays and punt again. Nevada takes the ball and rattles off 10 plays and scores on a 20 yard pass play. The PAT is good and Tech is down 7 - 0. This is not the start I thought we would have. Tech starts the 2nd quarter and we punt again. Offense we need you today! Nevada takes the ball and after 3 plays CF fumbles the ball and JC recovers. I hope this is the spark that this team needs. We run 3 plays and punt again. Please don't let this happen! Back and forth a punting we go and the half comes to an end with Nevada up 7 - 0. Thank you defense for keeping us in this game. The score could of been much worse. I need to slow down on the adult beverages. This day has a long ways to go. Matt will kickoff as the 3rd quarter begins. The kickoff goes to the 3 yard line and the return goes to the 31. We cannot allow this type of return. With the height on the ball our coverage should be able to stop them inside the 20. Nevada runs off 11 plays and kicks a 19 yard FG. That puts Nevada up 10 -0. Tech takes the kickoff and we run off 11 plays and Matt comes in for a 29 yard FG. I make my way around to the kitchen and Janet hollers it is good! I hope this jump starts our offense. Nevada is up 10 -3. Nevada takes the kickoff and runs 6 plays and kicks a 24 yard FG. This is not good! Come on Dawgs! Let's kick this thing in gear! We run 3 plays and punt as the 3th quarter comes to an end. Nevada takes the ball at the start of the 4th quarter and Nevada runs 9 plays and scores on a 4 yard scamper.

The PAT is good and Nevada is up 20 -3. I am not feeling good about this. I still have faith, but 3 scores in one quarter will be tough. Tech takes the ball and runs 11 plays and CC hits QP on a 9 yard TD and Matt sends the PAT through and Nevada is up 20 - 10. Let's go defense! Let's take one series at a time! The kickoff is away and the defense holds Nevada to 3 plays and they punt. That is what I am talking about! Tech takes over and after 6 plays CC hit MW with a 14 yard strike and scores. Are you kidding me? The PAT is up and Nevada is only up 20 -17. Matt kicks off and Nevada takes the ball at the 5:50 mark. Let's go defense! Nevada runs 7 plays and we force them to punt. I have a feeling! Tech takes over at the 2:29 mark on our own 8 yard line. Oh lord please be with this team! CC throws a couple of quick passes and we are faced with a 3rd & 12 and CC throws an out pass to HL and he scampers for 23 yards and we move the chains! CC then hits QP for 35 yards and then hits JJ for 25 yards. Oh please let this happen! HL for 3 yards and then it is a 8 and strike to TI and we score The PAT is good. The PAT was so important as that meant they have to score a TD. I am on my knees in the kitchen. I am in shock and I am afraid to watch the last 51 seconds. The kickoff is away and down to the 3. The coverage team comes up big and JC makes the tackle at the 21. Oh defense it is your time to shine! Nevada runs 6 plays and AC comes up with a huge sack with a 10 yard loss and the gun goes off. We won! We won! What a comeback by this team. I get off of the floor and get my computer. The team is going nuts on the field! This is so incredible! I am speechless! Janet and I stand in the kitchen and we have to pinch each other. Is this real? We have the real golden ticket and the WAC Championship is in our control! I am numb, excited and need a drawer change! The dogs are barking and think we are crazy! Oh my gosh! I need a glass of red wine! Congratulations text are coming in! The phones are ringing! Facebook and Twitter are smoking! I think we need to go outside and spray champagne on each other! Stay excited but calm down! We still have more business at hand. Let's enjoy this very special moment and then go do what we do!

Matt called Janet and the tears of joy were flowing! He was overwhelmed with excitement. He said the first person he hugged was HL, then MB, then TB and finally his mental mentor TG. He could not believe it! He said all week that the were so focused and then everything started clicking. He said he burnt the leg hairs off of his left leg. Standing to close to the heater was not a good thing. He also said his left big toe was numb or frozen most of the game. He said that some of the Nevada fans that were still left lined up where they had to walk to the locker room and dropped so many "F" bombs at the team. He thought to himself that yes indeed we are #1. He said he kicked the ball so pure and his placements on kickoffs were placed where CT wanted them. We hugged through the phone and said our goodbyes. What a special moment! We called and talked to our oldest son Tyler. He was so proud of Matt! We talked to family most of the evening and even though it was long distance we discussed the game like we were all there. I am so proud of this team and I am sitting in the back of the plane waiting to see where their next journey will take me. Everybody did their part and rose to the occasion when they were called upon! Oh I do not want to lose this feeling and I need to find a bottle to put it in! Great win guys! Let's get home safely and enjoy this win! The next day it is time to focus on the fake Aggies! There is only one true Aggie team and they are from Texas! New Mexico State has been a roller coaster team this year. I am not sure what they will bring to Ruston. They have nothing to lose and that can be very scary! I feel certain that our coaching staff will have them grounded during the week and then turn them lose on Saturday.

Winning is contagious and that is something that you do not want to stop feeling! I will leave my Nevada journey here! What a ride it was! I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels wherever you may be going! Make sure you get enough to eat, take a nap and eat some more! We will be spending Thanksgiving in Ruston with Matt and many family member traveling from all over the states. This is the first time we have done this in Ruston and we are looking forward to spending time with Matt and all of the family. Best of luck with New Mexico State Dawgs! Stay focused and your reward will be waiting for you! Best of luck to RA as he is one of the 3 finalist for the Ray Guy Award! Bring it home RA! For all of those traveling to Ruston please be safe in your travels. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football. My opinions on the coaches and their coaching abilities are only mine and no one else's. Thank you so much to Mr. Tom Morris with La Tech Sports Pix for allowing me to use some of his photos for this blog. Don't forget to listen to J Ford and Chris Keagle with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Ole Miss 11/12/11

2011-11-23T06:19:00.001-06:00

Oh my! Where do I begin? Where has this team been? 4 wins in a row is such a breath of fresh air. I will be on a high all week. Those dumb dogs in Fresno need to put their own bone in the graveyard. You need to man up and replace our bone with yours. your graveyard is for losers, not winners! All kidding aside I am very proud of this team. They believe in each other and they do not give up. Great win in Fresno guys! Onward we go to the Grove. Our time to shine against and SEC opponent is staring us in the face.

With the Ole Miss coach being relieved of his duties at the end of the season their team should be in a funk. I am not sure what to think about Ole Miss. They used to have a flag as a mascot and now they have a black bear as a mascot. Are there black bears in Oxford? They don't know what to call their school. University of Mississippi or Ole Miss? I understand that Ole Miss stands for mood, emotion and personality and U of M stands for buildings, trees and people.

Why? I am sticking with U of M! They also have a crazy fight song called Hotty Toddy. I thought that was warm adult beverage after a day on the slopes or maybe they are singing about some dude named Todd. I just don't get it! I think we are going to ruin their homecoming festivities. What do you think? I hope this week goes by fast. We are going to have about 18 family members attend the game.

Janet's (wife) 2nd cousin Elizabeth attends U of M so this game was chosen as the family gathering. It is cool that the game will bring family together that does not normally all get together at the same time except for funerals. I am pretty excited! Let me see if I can get all of the names straight who will be attending.

(John, Janet, Meggie, Papaw, David, Mike, Melynda, Mikayla, Betty Sue, Donna, Marilyn, Kim, Nick, Elizabeth, Whitney, Austin, Nick's brother & wife. I knew I would screw it up. I thought I knew all of the names. Matt called a couple of times. Every time we spoke you could feel the excitement in his voice. He said he was kicking the ball well in warm ups and with team. They worked on some on-sides and sky kicks.

I understand the on-sides but not the sky kicks. Overall his back had been looser most of the week. The team felt pretty confident about wining the game and the possibility of becoming bowl eligible. Let's just say that excitement is in the air! He said they were staying in the same hotel that they stayed in when they played Mississippi State. The same place where you have to pull the chain to start the AC!

Now that is funny right there! Now I sound like a Mississippi Redneck. Our Journey started out Friday by the way of Little Rock and Memphis. Our hotel was just on the Mississippi side, but within shouting distance of Memphis. We went to the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks make their way form the fountain to the elevator on the red carpet. I wonder who cleans up the duck poop on the red carpet? The place was packed full of duck watchers.

We walked around Beale Street for awhile. There was not much action yet as the night had just started. Then it was time to make our way to Rendevous for some ribs. The ribs with the spicy BBQ sauce were awesome! Janet had the brisket and for a restaurant it was pretty darn good. When you have a brother-n-law (Mike) who is a pit-master, it is hard to find a brisket or ribs that even come close to his!

I like to ask the question "Would you order it again?" and if the answer is yes, then it was pretty good! After a few beers and some good grub I needed to scoot my chair back and put my feet up. I was a stuffed puppy! Graceland was our next stop. It would be a drive by viewing. We did stop for a few photos and the lights at the mansion looked pretty cool. We were all beat from our long drive so we called it a night. Saturday morning arrived and after a big boy breakfast at the Cracker Barrel we headed to Oxford.

I not sure I understand this adult beverage thing in Oxford, but we got beer at Walmart and wine at a liquor store that did not sell beer. We drove through the Grove which was pretty cool. Tailgate tents were everywhere, but no one had showed up yet and it was 10:30 AM. We checked out downtown a bit where we ran into more family. We visited for a bit and then drove back over by the stadium. We found parking almost in between the stadium and the Alumni Association tailgate tent.

It was right next to a grassy hill so we set up operations (blankets, coolers and chairs) and partied like rock stars. The porta potties were close so we were golden! Besides the gale force winds it was perfect football weather for me. Overcast and chilly! About 3:00 we went to the Alumni Association tailgate that was being catered by Taylor Grocery. All I can say is WOW! The fried catfish and fried chicken were out of this world. They had their rig set up with fryers and were going to town.

The deep fried brownie bites were so good that they should have been illegal! Where was the blue Bell when I needed it. I over ate again! Now I need to walk some of this off. The Alumni Association and LTAC should be applauded for that choice. Adam McGuirt with LTAC was kind enough to give us updates on the teams arrival. When they got close Janet, Meggie, Melynda and Mikayla all made their way over to the stadium to see the team arrive.

Janet has to see his eyes! After a few more adult beverages it was time to make our way over to the stadium. We made it in time to see Matt warm-up. It looks like the wind is going to play havoc with the kicking game tonight. Some flags are blowing one direction and some the other direction. This will not be fun! The stadium is kind of cool. It does not look like it holds 60K though. Game time is here so lets get this thing started!

Matt kicks off down to the 5 and U of M takes it to the 25. They run 3 plays and punt and we run 3 plays and punt. I guess both teams are feeling each other out! U of M takes possession and runs 8 plays and scores on a 34 yard pass play. This is not the start I was looking for! Tech takes the ball and we fumble. U of M runs 5 plays and they attempt a 34 yard FG and it is no good. BR would of set a SEC consecutive FG's made record with that kick! Wow!

Tech takes the ball and runs 14 plays and in comes Matt for a 40 yard FG. It is up and away and it is no good. Really? Janet said it looked like the wind pushed it right. I always watch Matt through my camera lens and I can tell by his reaction if it is good or not. Now I feel like I need to puke! We exchange a few more punts and U of M fumbles the ball and Tech takes over. We run 3 plays and Matt comes in for a 35 yard FG and it is no good. Janet said this one missed on the left side. I am really feeling sick now. I guess I was not being very positive as Janet left to go sit somewhere else.

We don't normally sit very close during the games and she needed some positive reinforcement. We exchange a few more punts and Tech takes the ball and CC hits TI for a 21 Yard TD. Matt puts the PAT through the uprights. Now we are talking! The kickoff is away and in to the end zone for a touch-back. If I have my numbers right that was Matt's 10th touch-back of the season and I am sure he was a little hot under the collar after the first 2 kicks. U of M takes the ball at the 3:31 mark and runs 2:56 off of the clock and punts.

Tech has 35 seconds and 95 yards to go. Do you believe? I do! HL scampers 48 yards. CC makes to quick passes to TI & QP and with no time left Matt comes in for a 43 yard FG into the same wind. I am watching Matt through the lens and he is leaning and then all of a sudden the Tech fans are cheering and it was good! Oh my gosh! What a momentum changer for this game. Tech leads at half 10 - 7. This kid is so determined and I am so proud of him for his mental toughness.

Just watching this team go to the locker room with everyone throwing high fives got me a little choked up. Our fans were going nuts and our band was jamming out. What a great feeling! I know we have another whole half, but what a moment! The 3rd quarter starts off with exchanging of punts and then U of M drives down and attempts a 52 yard FG with the wind and it is no good. Tech takes over and runs 3 plays and Matt comes in to kick a 35 yard FG into the wind again and based on Matt's and TB's reaction it was good. Tech is now up 13 - 7. That young man amazes me how he can overcome the first 2 misses and then drain the next 2. I would of been deflated if I would of missed the first 2.

Thank goodness he has his mom's mental toughness! Matt kicks off and on the first play U of M fumbles and CB takes it to the house! Are you kidding me? The PAT is good and Tech leads 20 -7. Hoo Ya! We exchange more punts and then JC picks off the U of M QB and takes it to the house for another score. The PAT is good and Tech is up 27 - 7. I am doing the happy dance and I do believe this team is very special and is destined to win this game! After a huge stop on 4th down and few more punts the game comes to an end with Tech winning 27 - 7. The La Tech fans are going nuts, the players and coaches are going nuts, the band is going nuts. This is so cool! We just became bowl eligible Really? For real? We finally have a golden ticket! We made our way down to the team buses and waited for the team to come out. It was so cool as all of the fans formed a line and as the band went to their bus and we high five'ed everyone of them. The cheerleaders came out and we did the same thing. Matt made his way out and I gave him a big hug and told him how proud of him I was.

You know me, I am going to ask about the kicks. He said he hit the first 2 kicks pure. The first one started out down the middle and the wind pushed it dead right. The 2nd kick started down the middle and the wind pushed it left. He said the wind was crazy and never blew the same way. He said the kick right before half time that he hit it well and when it took off he said "Are you kidding me?" and then when it hit the upright and went in that he was ecstatic! He said the team went nuts on the field and the locker room was nuts as well. They could not wait to get back out on the field. As each player came out they got a round of applause. It was very cool. I tried to tell each one congratulations and great game. I am sure I missed a few and I apologize to those who I missed. These guys were so thankful that the fans were there and each one I spoke to said thank you and thanks for coming! That is just awesome! We said our goodbyes and the team was on their way back to Ruston.

I bet none of them would sleep on the bus ride home. I am not sure if I will even sleep tonight. I am pretty jacked. I do need to check my drawers though. With all of this excitement I forgot! We made our way back to the hotel and celebrated with popcorn and adult beverages! What a night! I am so proud of this team! When you believe in each other you can accomplish great things! Now we have to get ready for the pesky Wolf Pack. It is going to be a tough game no doubt. They play good at home and it will most likely be cold. I just hope it is not windy on game day. I think the front should push through Thursday & Friday leaving Saturday with decent weather. I feel good about this team going into Reno. I think these guys know that they can win! I will be a nervous wreck watching the game on my computer and running off to the closet during PAT's & FG's. I guess I just need to learn to deal with it. What a weekend this has been! I want to thank all of the family members for all gathering in Oxford to watch Matt and the Dawgs play. It was a blast to get to spend time with everyone.

All of the support means so much to our family. We are truly blessed as Matt and the Dawgs take us on this journey in life. Best of luck Saturday night Dawgs as we move one step closer to the WAC Championship! Make us proud! It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to ruffle any feathers or hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Everything I say comes from beneath my feathers! I am just a College Football Fan! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 every Tuesday night at 6:00PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Fresno State 11/5/11

2011-11-09T06:19:00.002-06:00

I don't know what to say! I am almost speechless! I know that is hard to imagine that I am speechless, but 3 straight wins is incredible! Our latest win over the spear chucker's was just amazing! Our guys played with so much heart and determination. Makes me want to stand up and pound my chest! There are so many positive things going on right now and I really think that the players really believe in each other. Everyone stepped up and did their part. I am very proud of them all. Wow! Before I know it the Battle of the Bone will be right in front of me. I do not like Fresno State. They stole our mascot name and they associated our Bulldog in their graveyard. Has anyone told them that we are the one and only Bulldog. I hope we kick these no good Shih Tzu's down to the cellar of the MWC. No offense to Shih Tzu owners, but these guys don't even deserve to be in the same classification as the all mighty Bulldogs! I am not looking forward to this week. I really dislike road games that I am not going to. Not only is the week long, but the day of the game is even longer.

I spoke with Matt everyday this week. He said that the director of the FCA for Northwest Louisiana contacted him to see if he would introduce Matt Stover at the dinner that he was going to speak at in Ruston on November, 7th. Matt said he would and would be honored. He had to come up with a 3 to 5 minute speech about Matt Stover and his accomplishments at Tech, in the NFL and how he has reached out to him with guidance on the field and in life. This was really cool! Matt did have to get permission from CD as he would have to miss practice that Monday night as they started preparation for Ole Miss. CD told him absolutely you can do this! Matt was really stoked, but knew his main focus was on Fresno State. Overall he said he is kicking the ball good in warm ups and with the team. They work everyday on the snap timing and the placement of the ball. Anytime there is any deviation then the ball is not going to be where his foot is and this can cause all sorts of problems. That is why they say practice makes perfect!

For whatever reason his back has still been stiff during the day so they are going to try to get him good and stretched before he boards the plane for the long flight to Fresno. He said that he and Colby have a ton of finance homework to do and that should pass a lot of the time. He said the team has so much focus right now and they know they are so close to their golden ticket. They understand that they cannot look back at the past and cannot look forward to the future. They have to deal with what is in front of them today. In my opinion we have a very special group of guys on this team. I told Matt before he got on the plane good luck and always be 1 for 1. I don't worry about his mental toughness. He developed that all on his own. Oh no! Saturday is here and have 16 hours until kickoff. How am I going to juggle this at home tailgate thing all day? I guess I am going to have to drink a lot of water so I can dilute some of these adult beverages. Pacing myself will be very important today. Maybe I need to start a 1000 piece puzzle!

Not! Thank goodness the time changes tomorrow and we get an extra hour. I will need all of the help I can get. The OSU/KSU has been a good game. The Tide and LSPOO are giving the kickers of the world bad kicking JuJu! Where is 9:30 at? This is torture for me! I got my camera out so I could test taking pictures of the screen. This did not work. I was hoping I could just take pictures of Matt on the screen like I was at a home game and the crowd would tell me if it was good our not. I decided that I was going to try the closet approach on FG's & PAT's. My wife and I would be watching the game in separate rooms and if I went to her closet that by her reaction I would know if it was good. I know I am crazy and I will look back at this as one of the stupider superstitious things I have done. Oh well if it works then I am ok with it. It is 9:30 and the team is on the screen. I am ready for some Bulldog football! FSU kicks off and we go 3 and out and punt. Not the start I was looking for. FSU goes 3 and out and punts. Ok, we are now back to square one.

Tech takes the ball and after a quick first down and a 45 yard bomb to QP Tech scores. In the closet I go and the PAT is good. Matt kicks off and FSU runs 4 plays and punts, Tech runs 3 plays and punts. Now back to FSU and they run 3 plays and punt. The defense is playing lights out. Tech takes the ball and runs 5 plays with a MW 22 yard pass to QP for a TD. Off to the closet I go as the PAT is good. It is too early to feel good, but I have a good feeling! No U of H this time! The first quarter comes to an end with Tech up 14 - 0. We start the 2nd quarter as Tech runs 5 plays and Matt sets up for a 26 yard FG. They give me time to get in place and it is good. Tech is up 17 - 0. Hoo Ya! FSU you takes the kickoff and runs 8 plays and scores. Tech still leads 17 - 7. Did this really just happen? Alright it is our time. Tech runs 5 plays and LC scampers 53 yards for a TD. The PAT is good and Tech is up 24 - 7. I need a quick adult beverage and a drawer check. I have a good feeling, but I am still a nervous wreck!

FSU takes the kickoff and runs 5 plays and punts. Then it is CC throwing 75 yards to MW for a TD! Are you kidding me? The PAT is good and Tech is up 31 - 7. Happy Dance! Matt kicks off and FSU fumbles and we recover. My dogs think I ma nuts! We go 3 and out and Matt comes in for a 48 yard FG. I run to the closet and Janet said it was right. I fell to my knees. I know kickers don't make everything, but I want a perfect game for Matt. I need to gain my composure. Janet said he looked like he did not strike it well and it just stayed right the whole time. Maybe I need to stand on the patio instead of the closet! FSU takes over and runs 8 plays. They fail on 4th down and we take over on downs! Defense! Way to go! Tech takes over and runs 4 plays and Matt comes in for a 40 yard FG. I made my way slowly to the closet and Janet started clapping and screaming yes! I knew it was good! I told her not to yell so loud as the neighbors were going to think something else was going on. I was so glad that Matt came back after the miss and drilled the 40 yard FG. The 2nd quarter comes to an end with Tech up 34 - 7. I am worn out and need to slow down on my adult beverage intake!

Wow! This is so awesome! I have been here and have done this before with the U of H game, but I feel really good about where we are at. Tech kicks off and we hold FSU to a 3 and out. Looking good so far! Tech comes out hot and after 7 plays CC hits RC on a 6 yard pass and Tech scores. I got brave this time and stayed put in my big brown chair as Matt connects with the PAT. Now we need to go for the kill. FSU goes on to score 2 more TD's and Tech wins 41 - 21. I am dancing on the patio! The dogs are confused and the Bulldogs have won another road game. How cool is this? I don't know what to say! I know it is late, but I am going to celebrate. I have an extra hour to play with tomorrow! Matt calls his mom after the game and he was pumped. He was so glad they beat Fresno State. They worked hard all week and everything paid off. He said he caught his 48 yard FG a little thin and it kept pushing right. He was disappointed that he missed, but wanted to celebrate the win with the team. He said the plane ride would be a whole lot sweeter with this huge win. He said when FSU fumbled the ball on his kickoff that he went into the pile and this FSU player kept punching him. The ref grabbed the guy and said he is the kicker, what do you think you are accomplishing? Matt thought that was pretty funny! I am sure there are things that go on in a pile that is pretty crazy. It was time to get on the bus so he had to go. All I can say is WOW! It will be a while before I can go to sleep. I am so proud of all of these guys. I don't have anything bad to say about the play calling except that we need to play with the same intensity in all 4 quarters.

I don't care if we score 60 points we need to be in attack mode. La Tech Football is on the rise and we need to keep our foot down and do not let them get up. I am so stoked! Great win Bulldogs! I hope next week goes by fast. I am going to be working in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Then we will head over to Mississippi late Friday. It is going to be a long drive, but I am looking forward to whooping up on some SEC butt! Ole Piss has lost their last 12 SEC games and their coach is gone at the end of the year. No better time than to beat these black bears. Black bear? I was reading up on their traditions and their mascot is a black bear that they named Rebel in 2010. What is up with that? I thought you wore a flag! The other thing that is strange is that they say the University of Mississippi is buildings, trees and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion and personality. One is physical and the other is spiritual. One is tangible and the other is intangible. Sounds like to me that someone was smoking some funny stuff when they came up with this weirdness. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? I will leave my excitement for next week here. For all of those traveling to Oxford please be safe in your travels. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football. My opinions on the coaches and their coaching abilities are only mine and no one else's. Many thanks to Mr. Tom Morris with La Tech Sports Pix for allowing me to use some of his photos for this blog. Don't forget to listen to J Ford and Chris Keagle with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

San Jose State 10/29/11

2011-11-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

I think I have finally recovered this week and I am getting back to normal after my week prior in New Orleans. What an incredible win we had at Utah State. I am very proud of the guys and I know they put their heart and soul into that win! Even though it was very difficult for me to know what was going on during the game I am so glad we got another road win over a very good football team. I still was not super excited with some of our clock management and some of our play calling. That is just me! I am sure some people worship our play callers, but I still don't understand. When you have a coach who gets off the bus at home games and walks by himself and not with the team needs to be reminded the there is no "I" in TEAM! I need to move on before I get all lathered up again. It is time to get my mind right for the head dress wearing, spear throwing Spartans from San Jose.

Since these spear chucker's are fresh off of a win over the hula girls, they are going to flying pretty high when they arrive Ruston. Don't they know it is homecoming weekend and we schedule teams we can beat on homecoming? I personally feel like our guys are peaking at the right time. I really feel good about this game. So Spartacus get ready to take a butt woopin in Ruston. I did get to talk to Matt a few times this week. He felt good except his back was in knots. I told him he needed a good massage from the legal places. He thought that was funny! He said he was kicking the ball good in his workouts and with the team. JC was going to be snapping again. He said the team had a lot of focus and the energy/emotions were pretty high. I did not ask about any strange kicks this time because the practice them every week. He said they might go for more hang time instead of distance this game.

This would allow the kick coverage more time to get down field I guess. Overall Matt was excited and was ready for game time! We made our way over from North Dallas late Friday afternoon. My parents (John & Carol) were coming over from The Villages, FL for the game as well as Janet's parents (Bob & Margaret) from Spring, TX and her Uncle David from Murphy, TX. We met my parents at Matt's house and loaded up the tailgate stuff and headed to the stadium to setup. That is my favorite part is getting it ready and enjoying a nice adult beverage. We decided to eat at El Jarrito for dinner. This was a pretty happening place and the margaritas were 2 for 1. You can't beat that! The food was ok and I would go back again. After dinner we headed back to the Fairfield Inn. After a nice bottle of red wine it was time to call it a night.

The morning came early and after a few cups of coffee and a nice visit with Mr. Garland it was time to head to the stadium. What a great day for football! Chile Dawgs and Frito Pies were on our menu for the day. Since the game was early I was not fixing breakfast. My breakfast of choice was a good ole spicy bloody mary. I wish more people were here early to tailgate. It is such an awesome environment. Kicking back with family and friends does not get any better. Mr Harper was bringing his wife (Betty) to the game. I had never met her before so I was excited for the opportunity. Mr. Rust and Mr. Hamm hung out with us as well. The chile is heating up, the beer is cold, the dawgs are on the grill, the frito's are singing "sauce me", the world famous cheese ball is waiting and the brownies are in need of some Blue Bell. I knew I forgot something!

The weather is perfect today! Food is served and man does it hit the spot. This is some mighty fine tailgate food with some might fine people! We hear the sirens and know the team is close by. We head over and get in line so I can get my head nod. This is my indicator that all is well and I can have a few more cold beers. It is game time and I am heading in to find my seat. The family is already in the stadium. They like to go watch Matt warm up. Up Up and away! The kickoff is away and this game is underway! Both teams have to punt on their first possession. SJSU then throws the ball for a very nice CB interception. Tech takes over at the SJSU 20. After a 1st down we run 3 plays and Matt comes in and boots a 25 yard FG. I like it! The kickoff is away and it is in the end zone for a touch back. Where have you been all of my like? Awesome kick! SJSU comes back with a TD and SJSU is up 7 - 3. On our next possession we rack up 45 yards in penalties.

What are we doing? Tech punts and the 1st quarter comes to an end with SJSU up 7 - 3. There is still plenty of time, no worries! The 2nd quarter starts off with a bang as Tech scores on a RC 21 yard run making the score 10 - 7 Tech. Now we are talking. SJSU scores next on a 60 yard bomb and then Tech matches it with much more with a 90 yard bigger bomb to QP. Wow! The PAT is good and Tech is up 17 - 14. On Tech's next possession Tech gets down to the SJSU 8 yard line and Matt comes in for a 26 yard chip shot. I am behind my camera lens and it is no good! What just happened? This is not normal. I don't know if he hit the ground first or the spot was off or what. I guess I will find out after the game. Matt will be one hot cracker! SJSU throws an interception JJ returns it to the SJSU 13 with 51 seconds on the clock.

We run 3 plays with a nice little pass to QP and the half comes to an end with Tech up 24 - 14. I am liking this! The offense is moving the ball and our defense is playing well. We start the 3rd quarter with a 12 play drive and LC pounds the ball in from the 1 yard line. The PAT is good and Tech is up 31 - 14! Wow! Let's go Dawgs! On SJSU's first play in the 3rd quarter JD intercepts the pass and takes it to the house. The PAT is good and Tech is up 38 - 14. This is awesome! SJSU scores late in the 3rd quarter and fails on a 2 point conversion and the 3rd quarter comes to an end with Tech up 38 - 22. Let's go defense! This is our game! The 4th quarter starts off punting back in forth and at the 3:18 mark SJSU scores and fails at another 2 point conversion.

Tech is up 38 - 28. Let's run this clock out! Oh yes we did! We just won this ball game! Can you believe it? I am so happy for these guys! This is so awesome! I did not go to the field house after the game. I knew Matt would be very excited with the win, but personally he will be beating himself up inside. Sometimes you just have to get it out of your system by yourself. I went back to the tailgate spot and celebrated with a ice cold Blue Moon! I tried to pickup somethings before everyone else made it back over. When Matt arrived I got a big hug and a smile. You could tell he was excited! I told him great game and what a huge win. You know me! I had to ask what happened! He said it does not matter if it was a bad spot, a bad snap or a fat wedge that it will always be on him.

I left it at that and he said he would watch film tomorrow and he will get it corrected. That young man get it! He is so far ahead of me in his mental thinking. Thank goodness he got that part from his mother. We took off to Chili's to go pig-out and celebrate this great win. We finished off our night with a nice bottle of wine and this guy was hitting the sack. Sunday morning came early and we made our way back to the tailgate area to load up the stuff and take it back to Matt's. My parents were staying in Ruston Sunday night. They went to church with Matt and then cooked him and his roommates steak, mac-n-cheese and roasted new potatoes for dinner that night.

I wish I could of stayed for that meal but the dogs were calling and work was around the corner. I don't say this enough, but I want to thank all of my family members who make their way from several hundred miles to come to the home games every Saturday! It really means a lot to us and we are very grateful for all of the support! Bulldogs you played your heart and soul out and came away with a great victory. I am very proud of each one of you. Everyone played fantastic! Stand-up and rise Bulldog Nation. We have a WAC Championship to go get. PS: Mr. Rust, I have your cooler! The Battle of the Bone is staring us in the face. Nobody takes our bone! Let's get this straight from the beginning! Pat Hill is an awesome coach and will have his team ready. Fresno St is going to be a tough game.

It is a 9:30 central time game on ESPNU. Fresno St has some offensive weapons. I know our defense will be ready to attack. Our players will be ready for whatever is thrown at them! There is only one real Bulldog and that belongs to La Tech! Let's bring this bone back home baby! Best of luck Saturday night Dawgs! Make us proud! It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to ruffle any feathers or hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Everything I say comes from beneath my feathers! I am just a College Football Fan! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 every Tuesday night at 6:00PM.

May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Utah St. 10/22/11

2011-11-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is a memory that I always want to have! A road win! Our players did an awesome job against Idaho and deserve to fly First Class on the way home. Coaches to the rear of the plane please! This is a players victory! I think I will celebrate with potatoes all week long. However you want to make it. Baked , Stuffed with Brisket or Twice Baked, it is going to be served. Take that you spud heads! This is going to be a strange week for me. I am going to be working the SGIA show with my company Drytac in New Orleans all week and will be flying home during the game. This will be my very first game not to hear or see live. I am not a happy camper but work is work and play is for later. Did I really just say that?

I guess I can say that I will feel very naked for not knowing what is going on during most of the game. Naked? That will not be a pretty sight! I did not get to talk to Matt very much this week. My days were long and hard. Maybe I should of used different wording on that. When I did talk to Matt he said he was kicking the ball well during practice. His back had been a little stiff during the week, but thought it was something that stretching before the game would loosen up. He said they are working on some weird kicks because of the Utah St kick returner. If they saw something in the alignment of Utah St then they were going to kick to certain spots on the field that they worked on during practice.

I sure hate it when that happens. Oh well, I am only a coach on the couch! He was not sure but he thought JC might be back snapping of FG's & PAT's. He was not sure about on punts. That takes a lot of guts and determination from JC to do that. My hat is off to him! He said he loves his old school black cleats. They feel like a glove and feel good on the ball. I guess being the kicker you must have a great relationship with your cleat's! HaHa! It's game day and here I sit in New Orleans waiting on a 2:50PM flight back to North Dallas. I have no visual of the game, no tailgate food and no adult beverage. This is not good and my extra drawers are packed in my suitcase.

I am following the game on ESPN Game Tracker until the stewardess tells me to put it up. This is going to be very interesting! It looks like Matt is going to kick off and he puts it at the goal line. Let's go defense! The defense hold and forces a punt. Let's go offense! Tech runs 10 plays and scores. The PAT is good and Tech is up 7 -0. Matt kicks off and it is a touch back. I am not liking this ESPN Game Tracker. It's like waiting for honey to drip for the next play. Utah St runs 13 plays and scores making the score 7 - 7. I am not liking this. Well crap! All electronic devices must be turned off. This is going to get the best of me not knowing what is going on. Oh Lord please be with this team!

After playing the game in my head we finally land and the phone is on. Oh no! Tech is down 14 - 17. Why did I have to look? The phone is in the pocket as I gather my luggage and catch the shuttle to the car. I look again and Tech scored and is now up 21 to 17. Happy Dance! I hope I can keep my concentration while I drive. For those who are familiar with Love Field and driving down Mockingbird Lane know that following the game on your phone and driving are not a very good mix. We hold Utah St on their next 2 possessions. Their last possession they had a weird illegal kicking penalty against them.

I not sure I understand it on my phone, but I like it. La Tech takes over at the 4:54 mark and runs 3 plays and sets Matt up for a short FG. Really? They are going to give our kicker a chance? CF must of been in the restroom? HaHa! Game Tracker said it was good and Tech is now up 24 - 17. Woo Ho! I need to stay in my lane before I have an accident. Utah St takes possession at the 2:46 mark and on 4 straight plays our defense holds and we take possession. This is crazy keeping up with this as I drive. Tech takes over at the 1:36 mark and we run the clock out after Utah St uses their last 2 time outs and we get the very critical first down. Wow we won another road game.

These people next to me think I am crazy honking my horn. Oh well, I am celebrating and that is my right as a Bulldog fan! Hoo Ya! Now it is time to concentrate on staying in my lane and get to the house. I am in a great need of an adult beverage. I made it to the house and walk in the door and the phone is handed to me. Matt is on the phone and my timing is perfect. Matt was very excited. He said RA had one heck of a punting game and his kickoffs were some of his best of the season. He said his back was a little stiff and he was dreading the flight home but the victory would be his painkiller.

His throat was sore and had been a little nauseated during the game. He said they did not kick a FG within his range and went for it on 4th down and did not make it again. Oh don't get me started on this coaching staff and their dislike of the kicking game. Do they not know the kicking history at this school? Oh well, Matt is always going to be ready when they call on him and while no kicker is 100% he will give it his all. I just don't understand and I guess I never will. Sorry for my soapbox in between my conversation with Matt. He said he understands most of the time but can only be ready when the coaches call his number. He was really excited with the win and his emotions on the phone were awesome and made me proud.

We said our goodbyes and I re-introduced myself to my wife and the dogs. Home at last with an adult beverage in my hand and a La Tech victory. Nothing could be better! I will watch the replay of the game tomorrow. No more comments on this game as I need to move on and enjoy this victory as we come closer to achieving our goals. San Jose State is up next and they are a little scary. Playing them around Halloween is not a good thing. They beat Colorado State at Ft. Collins and are just coming off of a victory over Hawaii. They should go ahead and leave there head dress and spear at home. We don't want to see any of that crap! The Spartans are going to come into a hostile environment and the Dawgs are going to be flying high after their last 2 road wins. I will leave my excitement and frustrations here. It is time to get my tailgate face on.

Go Dawgs! It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football. My opinions on the coaches and their coaching abilities are only mine and no one else's. Many thanks to Mr. Tom Morris with La Tech Sports Pix for allowing me to use some of his photos for this blog. Don't forget to listen to J Ford and Chris Keagle with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Idaho 10/8/11

2011-10-15T08:25:00.002-05:00

Where do I begin? This is 2 years in a row that we have been lei-ed by a bunch of guys wearing hula skirts. This like a bad black and white movie. We were ready, we were prepared and we let them color us green on our red out! You know you are going to win some and you are going to lose some, but I would much rather have a big ole smiling W pasted on my forehead that a lonely L. I am very proud of our effort on the field don't get me wrong. We need our play makers to come to the forefront and let's kick some booty. This is a good team and we have had a few breaks go the wrong way. It's time to go forward. As Matt always tells me, you only have one day to dwell on the past as the next day your next opponent is staring you in the face! Sometimes I get stuck in these left hand turns and keep going in a circle! Sorry about that! Let's pickup the pieces and go peel some potatoes!

Moscow, Idaho here we come! Anyway you like it we will be prepared to slice it, dice it, bake it and serve these potato heads on a silver plate. I bet our coaching staff has one heck of a game plan and our players are very hungry! Before I move forward I have to comment on this so called football stadium that we are going to play in. It sort of looks like an airplane hanger except only a remote control airplane would fit in it. It is named after a brand of dog food (Kibble & Bits), the stands are setup like a high school gymnasium and the goal posts are attached to the wall. It is one of the weirdest stadiums I have ever seen. Matt seemed in good spirits most of the week. He was a little down from the Hawaii game and I understand! I think everyone was. He said he blew out his kicking cleat and was going to go old school and go back to his cleats from his freshman year.

He had a score to settle in Idaho and he was going with his all Black cleats. Even though he has a couple of other sets of cleats already fitted that these black cleats just felt like the right pair to wear. He said they are still kicking a lot as they practice on timing. In my opinion only, there has got to be a set amount of kicks a week someone can kick otherwise you are going to have a dead leg before the season is up. Who knows! I am just an observer, but I think it would be true! He said his kicks with the team and with CT have been pretty much money. CL and TB have been doing awesome on snaps and the holds. He said the team is ready for the road trip and the game plan is solid. I know he is licking his chops for an opportunity to put a dagger in the Vandals! One thing about Matt is if he misses a kick in a game, (ie, the 56 yard FG in the 2009 game against Idaho with no time on the clock) he will keep the distance,

stadium and hash locked in his head until he has mastered that spot. My brother (Donnie), his wife (Annie) and my nephew (Brycen) will making the journey over to the Kibble & Bits Dome from Portland. This will be the 2nd time Donnie & Annie have seen Matt play and it will be the first time for Brycen. They are going to stay at the team hotel in Lewiston. They will have a small window to visit with Matt on Friday evening and then again on Saturday morning. I know Matt will excited to have some family to visit with and help occupy the time. I have been in Richmond, VA all week and returned to North Dallas late Friday evening. I was not exactly how my game day Saturday would go, but I know I will be ready for anything and everything. Saturday morning comes early for me. I should be setting up tents and cranking up the grill in Ruston. It sort of feels weird to be honest.

This weekend in Dallas is the Texas/OU game and Janet informs me we are going to find a sports bar to go watch the game. I am in, no problem! We made are way to Dodie's Place in Allen around 10:45AM. This place was hoppin and the beer was flowing. This just like having the tailgate spot except the wrong colors were all around me and it was so loud! $2.00 pints, $2.50 glasses of wine and some good tailgate grub (appetizers) and we were set. Is it ok to drink this early in the morning at a bar? I guess so, everyone else is doing it! We were wearing our La Tech gear sitting in a sea of burnt orange and red! This is going to be fun! The game has started and this place is loud! I cannot even hear my self think. After a back and forth 1st quarter we had a FG fest and OU leads the Horn 6 - 3. Between quarters a couple of young ladies in black leather hot pants came by offering samples of Fire Fly Sweet Tea Vodka

served skinny style. We said ok and they were not too bad! Opps! I mean it was not too bad! It sort of had a sweet tea taste. You know I am all about the skinny drinks! HaHa! The 2nd quarter was not a pretty site as OU rolls of 4 TD's to the Horn's 1 TD and this game for the most part is over! We decided to pack it up and start our own tailgate at home. We had ordered the game via the Idaho website which I think is a crock! Just put it on ESPN 3 and everyone will be happy. We hooked up the computer to the wide screen and we were set. With an IPA in hand and the game getting ready to start I was primed in my big brown chair and plenty of extra drawers by my side! Oh my gosh! These Idaho broadcasters are not real smart and they leave the mike on when they go to a break! This is going to be comical! I knew this was going to happen when Matt got to Idaho. We saw a tweet by PW that after Matt warmed up he went to the exact spot

where he missed the 56 yard FG in 2009 and nailed it down the middle with plenty to spare. I just knew he would not forget. Now if he can get an opportunity like that in a game! The 1st quarter is underway and Matt kicks off with good hang time down to the 3 yard line. Back and forth we go and RA is on point so far. Some amazing punts pinning Idaho back deep. Tech mounts a 15 play attack down to the 4 yard line and the 1st quarter comes to an end. It is time for me to take my usual at when Matt kicks position behind the couch where I can just barely see the TV. It is 4th down and 2 at the Idaho 4 and Matt comes in and boots the 23 yard FG down the middle. I can breath now! Matt kicks off and we hold Idaho to a punt except they pin us down at the 1 yard line. Both punters are spot on so far! On the 2nd play Idaho tackles LC in the end zone for a safety. This is not good! We have a baseball score.

Matt kicks off to Idaho again and we hold them to a punt. Tech takes back over and drives down to the Idaho 34 where it is 3 and 10 and we take a sack back to the Idaho 39. We were in perfect position for a 51 yard FG if we did nothing but run or throw the ball away while the pressure was on. One of these days this young man will get to pop the 50 yard plus FG. The leg is there, you just have to be given the opportunity. Tech punts the ball and pins Idaho at the 7 yard line. RA, you are the man! Idaho takes over at their 7 yard line and after 7 plays JD intercepts the ball and takes it to the house! Matt boots the PAT and Tech is up on the spuds 10 - 2. Happy dance! Matt kicks off and it is a boomer! I will take a touch back every time! Idaho marches down the field and Tech holds Idaho to a 43 yard FG. Tech still leads 10 - 5. We trade a few punts and the 1st half comes to an end with Tech still up 10 - 5.

I am not sure what to think of this score. Some of our play calling is ok and some is very questionable. Our defense is playing tight! The 3rd quarter starts off with a punt fest and no one is going anywhere. High Octane Offense? JJ intercepts the ball and the HL show is just beginning as NI hits DG for a TD and after the PAT is nailed Tech now leads 17 - 5. More punts are exchanged and Tech scores with a NI 1 yard run while taking the snap under center. Did I just say he took the snap from under center? the PAT is good and Tech is rolling with a 24 -5 lead. We need to finish and keep our foot on their throats. The 3rd quarter comes to an end. The 4th quarter continues with more punt exchanges. I think both punters have punted to ball 10 times. Idaho has the ball and QG intercepts the ball at the Idaho 35. Let's take this game to the house! We get down to the Idaho 28 and go for it on 4th down and we do not convert.

What? Can you tell me why you do this except if you make it you can run more time off of the clock? You are well within MN's range and you don't take the points. Are we afraid to run up the score? You have to be kidding me. You are up by 19 and you don't try to get to 22 points ahead? Just a joke on the play calling! When we win on a consistent basis then we can attempt to play the stall game! The punt fest continues and with 4:38 left in the game Idaho takes the punt return back 81 yards for a TD. The 2 point conversion is no good! What are we doing? This team should not be able to run the ball back on us with a scent of a W in the air. Tech takes the ball and HL continues his show as the game comes to an end with Tech winning 24 - 11. A win is a win and I will take a W at anytime. We just need some more leaded fuel in our so called high octane offense. Our play calling has got to improve in my opinion. Congrats to RA for a heck of a punting performance, HL for one heck of a game and the defense was lights out. Our offense is hungry and our coaches need to take the leash off! Where is my red wine? I need someone to talk to. My dogs already think I am crazy standing behind the couch every time that Matt kicks the ball. My brother called after the game and said it was so loud in the Kibble & Bits dome.

He said Matt was kicking the ball with so much power during warm ups and at half. The last time he had seen Matt play was his first game a Auburn and he was very impressed with his leg strength and accuracy. He sat next the the HL family and had good conversation with them. He said they were pleased with HL's decision to come to Tech! I talked to Matt before he boarded the bus. I asked him about going back to the spot from 2009 and he said it was very true. He said he nailed it with plenty of extra room! If I miss anywhere I am going to master that kick anytime I return to that stadium. He said the ref who handed him the ball for the kickoff that they moved up because of the personal foul penalty asked him if he was going to kick it through the uprights. Matt said no even though I would like to! I have to kick it slightly left because that is what my coach called and if I miss my mark I get points deducted when we watch film and go over the game. He said the ref told him that you have to be kidding me. Matt said nope it is true!

I know better than to ask Matt why they did not attempt the FG in the 4th quarter. His answer to me would of been the following: "Dad, my goal is to be ready at anytime the coaches call upon me and execute what they present me" All I can say is the he is very mentally sound! By the way, keep the old school Black Cleats going! They preformed well! Time for me to move on to the BYE WEEK! I am proud of the guys and as I stated earlier a W is a W no matter how we achieve it. We had a lot of injuries this week and the bye week will hopefully help us recover for our 2 week showdown with the Blue Aggies. I think they are confused with their name as the real Aggies are in College Station! Maybe they are like the blue santa! They have a true freshman QB just as Tech does and the games I have seen him play in he has been pretty darn good. It will be a tough test for us, but if we can somehow come away with a win I think we will be well on our way to a possible bowl game. I need to have positive thoughts. I hope everyone has a good "bye week" weekend and can catch up on whatever you are behind on! All I can say is let's get some rest this week, get our injured healed and go kick some blue aggie butt!

It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football. My opinions about the coaches and their decisions are only mine and no one else's. Many thanks to Donnie, Annie and Brycen for making their way over from Portland to root the Dawgs on! Thanks to Mr. Morris for letting me use a few of his photos. You can order prints of your favorite Bulldog a La Tech Sports Pix. Don't forget to listen to J Ford with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Hawaii 10/1/11

2011-10-15T07:45:00.000-05:00

As I sit here and reflect on our game against Redneck U, I cannot help but wonder "What If"? How can a team that has more goats and stumps get the "W"? Up until the bitter end we had these rednecks right where we wanted them. We have got to learn to be smart with the ball and we must achieve the F-Word! "Finish!" I guess it is time to leave this game alone! It still hurts though! The Red Out is upon us! The ladies with the hula skirts will be making their way over to Ruston

this week. I am not sure what the obsession is with wearing these leaves made into skirts, but it has no place in football. They even attempt a crazy dance/chant called the Haka! Sounds like a new word for spitting! The Haka has various actions that are employed in the course of a performance, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and poking out the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous

body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as a variety of cries and grunts are used! This sounds like to me that someone has had 4 too many! All kidding aside if we can confuse this QB like we did the pussycats from Hobby Airport we have a real good chance of sending these ladies back to their island. Matt called me several times during the week. They spent a ton of time on the snaps.

It is so critical that the timing and accuracy from CL and TB is spot on. Slower delivery times and a missed spot can be devastating for putting points on the board. He said the team has practiced hard and that the special teams unit has really spent a lot of time working on timing. He said they still continued to work on specialty kicks. I personally hope they do not have to use any of them. Kick it deep please! Matt said the team is focused

and the coaches have presented them a good game plan. With a new deep snapper in place he kicked a lot more than normal. He said his back has been a little stiff, but a few ice baths during the week would take care of that! My oldest son (Tyler) and his good friend William would be making the trip over from Austin. It will be great to hang out with them over the weekend! We made our way over from North Dallas late Friday afternoon.

My parents were making their way up from The Villages in Florida and Janet's parents were coming over from Houston along with her Uncle from North Dallas! Once we hit Shreveport we had to stop at my favorite place, Maxwell's Market. I had talked to Ross earlier in the week and had a few things ordered for our tailgate along with a special brew called LA 31. Ross was there and we got to visit for a few minutes before we made our way to Ruston.

Tyler, William and my parents already had the tents setup before we arrived. Thank You! It sure makes it easy for arrival. On the way between Shreveport and Ruston Dan "The Equipment Man" Matthiesen had sent us a message that one of our tents had blown away and Adam McGuirt had to put it back for us. The tent did have some wounds but was still standing. Many thanks to Adam and Dan for helping us out with our runaway tent! Once we arrived Ruston we made our way over to

the TAC for the pep rally. There were actually more people there than I thought there would be. The team made there way in and they looked loose but focused. MB and QP spoke to the fans in attendance. After the team left and the pep rally was over they handed out Red Out shirts as we exited. Thank you Community Trust Bank! When we got back to tailgate spot #52 Meggie & Papaw (Janet's parents) and Tyler and William were already enjoying adult beverages!

Now it is my turn! Even thought I prefer red wine in the evening time I like just about any kind of IPA. William had brought me an early Christmas Present and presented me with about 18 different bottles of some of the finest IPA's in the states. I can tell you I was stoked! Many thanks William for your kindness. I can tell you they will be opened with great care and swirled in a glass before each sip!

Pontchatoula's would be our dining choice this wonderful Friday night. As normal it was a great meal with great family and friends! Our evening ended with my dad opening a nice bottle of red wine at the hotel and then it was lights out. We arrived at our tailgate spot at 8:00AM and unloaded all of the totes and set the tables and grills up. Breakfast tacos would be our morning meal along with several Bloody Mary's.

I brought my old school diner flat top with me again. Sausage, hash browns, eggs, cheese and the world famous Julio's salsa would make the perfect breakfast taco. Mr. Harper joined our crew for breakfast as well this morning! Many thanks to Papaw for manning the flat top. After the food was gone and clean up was complete it was time to kick back and enjoy this amazing weather. Mr. Smoothie King (Bradly Walker) stopped by to say hello.

He was also selling the La Tech Power Bands. They were very sharp/cool looking and several of us bought one. Mr Hamm stopped by for a visit as well this wonderful morning. As the morning wore on it was time to get a chopping. On our lunch menu was Chopped Beef Sammie's, Sausage, Pineapple, Green Pepper and Red Onion Shish-Ka-Bob's along with Meggie's Cole Slaw, Maxwell's Market Buffalo Turds and

Barbara's Potato Salad! Meggie, Carol (my mom), Tyler and William made an assembly line and put these babies on their poles. Many thanks for all of their help! I think today is going to be a food fest! Our tailgate neighbors are serving up gourmet food this week. Bradley and his team are serving up coffee spice rubbed pork tenderloins. Maxwell's Market (Ross) was serving pork loins and smoked sausage. Mr. Cockrell was making

his world famous chicken, sausage and shrimp jambalaya. I got to meet Adam (JAB) for the very first time. They were serving SPAM Sliders with swiss cheese and a homemade mustard sauce on a Hawaiian roll. The best thing about all of these great people is that everyone wants to share their food. It is always cool when we do a food swap and the surprise of the day came when Mr. McGehee (Dusty) let me sample some of his fresh

kill form this morning. With bow season opening this morning the hunt was on. It was amazing! My wife and Uncle David (Happy Birthday) made there way over to watch the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Congratulations to all of those who were inducted and a very special congratulations to Matt Stover. What a great Bulldog, an inspiration to MN #33 and what a great NFL career he had. We are very proud of you! The chopped beef is hot, the turds

are ready and the shish-ka-bob's are grilled to perfection! Let the food games begin! This was amazing! It really hit the spot. As always we had amazing people stop by to visit. Mr. Harper, Mr. Barclay, Mr. Hamm (Became a member of the 32 club today), Mr. & Mrs. Matthiesen, Mr. Rust, Mr. & Mrs. Garland and Dan "The Equipment Man" styling and profiling in his red pants! When Mr. & Mrs. Garland stopped by they had a blue La Tech cowbell.

They showed it to me and it had a Tech logo on one side and on the other it had #33. They said it is for you! I could not believe it! This was so cool! I cannot thank you enough! I am going to put it in my camera bag and sneak this baby in! The team has arrived and we made our way down to see Matt. I did get a head nod so that was all I needed. Today was Uncle David's birthday so we sang a little song and devoured some of Meggie's brownies.

Happy Birthday David! After downing a few more adult beverages it was time to head into the stadium.There they were, red jerseys and all! Let this Red Out game begin. With my cowbell in hand I was ready to make some noise and get this thing started. The kickoff is away and it is down to the 3 yard line with nice hang time. Hawaii takes the opening possession and after 5 plays Tech holds and the punt is away. Tech runs 13 plays with a 2 yard pass to QP for a Tech score.

The PAT is blocked! What? Why? How? We very rarely have a PAT blocked! Seriously, what just happened? I took a look at the picture I just took and it looks like we had an opening on the left side. I am not happy about this as we need all of the points we can against these hula skirts. Hawaii comes back and scores on a 27 yard pass and the PAT is missed by Hawaii left. This is crazy!

After a few trade outs of the ball Hawaii scores at the end of the 1st quarter and leads 13 - 6. We start the 2nd quarter with the ball and punt to Hawaii. TF, your play calling is looking mighty fine! Hawaii takes the ball and rattles off 4 plays and punts the ball. Then all hell breaks loose. For some reason the refs need to look at something with the replay official and this goes on and on. 22 minutes later we are going to get the ball where Hawaii punted from. They got 5 downs and that

is a referee no no for letting that happen. Then the Hawaii coach said he called time out before one of those plays and it should not have counted as a down. Then the refs agreed with the Hawaii coach and now we have the ball where we had it 20 plus minutes ago. What the heck is going on here? Are these refs and the replay official for real? Tech sputters the rest of the 2nd quarter and Hawaii scores to make the halftime score 20 - 6 Hawaii. I would of never imagined that we would be behind at half. While Matt was warming up during the half

Matt Stover came over and spoke with Matt before the 3rd quarter started. That was really cool! The 3rd quarter is about to begin and Matt is going to kickoff again! What is going on? We kicked off to start the game and this cannot be so. The refs let him kick and I am not sure why. This surly cannot be right! Hawaii punts and Tech scores on 3 quick plays and the PAT is good. Ok guys let's do this. Hawaii scores on their next possession and the score is now Hawaii 27 - 13. We take the kickoff and fumble. Hawaii recovers and runs it in for a TD. We throw and interception and Hawaii runs it in for a score. No this cannot be happening! What are we doing?

Tech runs 3 quick plays and scores and the PAT is good. Matt sets up for an on-sides kick and it had great height, but we did not come down with it and it goes out of bounds. Hawaii scores on a 30 yard FG and the 3rd quarter comes to an end with Hawaii leading 44 -20. Where is my adult beverage when I need one? Tech would score in the 4th quarter and the 2 point attempt was no good. The game ends with a final score of 44 - 26 Hawaii. This is going to be a tough one to swallow. I thought for sure that this was going to be our night. We looked lost at times and we looked brilliant at times. We made our way up to the field house to visit with Matt for a few minutes. When he came he just shook his head. He said he thought they really had a great chance to get a win tonight. I know he hates to visit with family when they lose, but he said hello to everyone and then got dressed. He came over to the tailgate spot for a little bit and visited with those who were still there.

It is hard to come up with what to say to him in these situations. I am better off just leaving him alone until the next day. This way he can digest everything, watch film and get ready for the next opponent. I am so numb right now. I am just not going to say anything else about the game, the dumb ass officials or the coaching staff about this game. I would probably not have any finger tips left when I got done typing. It is now off to the hotel for a nice bottle of wine or two. Matt, William, Tyler and Janet's parents met us at the tailgate spot to help load everything up and take it back to Matt's house. I asked Matt why he had to kickoff at the beginning of the game and again at the start of the 3rd quarter and he said it happen with the coin toss and the ref did not inform our captains that you cannot just pick a goal to defend. I am sure an official reason will be released. I also asked him about his conversation with Matt Stover and he told him he was kicking the ball great and to call him in the next couple of days. He wanted to discuss some things to do during warm-ups. That sounds pretty cool to me. We put everything in to the storage shed, said our good byes and headed back to North Dallas. I am going to be traveling to Richmond this week so I will get plenty of time to run these plays and piss poor officiating around in my head. Idaho is our next opponent! After I get these bad Hawaii thoughts out of my mind I need to get my mind right for the Vandals. Who in their right mind would ever want to play in the Kibble & Bits Dome.

The place looks like a bomb shelter over a basketball stadium. I know Matt has a bad taste in his mouth from this place from their game in 2009. I bet he has a little revenge on his mind. I am not going to this game, but my brother and his family will be making there way over to the game from Portland. I know they will have a great time and my nephew will as well. All I can say is let's kick some Vandal butt! It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football. My opinions about the coaches and their decisions are only mine and no one else's. Don't forget to listen to J Ford with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00PM. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Mississippi St 9/24/11

2011-09-28T09:00:00.012-05:00

I can't get this memory out of my head. I keep reliving us dominating these pussycats from Hobby Airport for nearly 3 quarters and then they humiliate us in the 4th quarter. I know I cannot do anything about it, but this one really hurts. We had them so confused and then they made adjustments to steal something I would like to taste in the near future! A Big Fat W! I really feel like we are very close and we are so much further ahead of last year! It is time to move on. I just needed to rant one more time. Thanks for listening. Now it is time to get ready for the rednecks. These cowgirls sure have fascination with their cowbells! I bet each player who gets a playbook also takes a cowbell home to sleep with. I was reading the online edition of their visitor's guide and it said that Starkville had a large population of goats and stumps. I wonder why they keep track of that number? That sounds like something that might be in the "How to be a Redneck Guide" On top of all of that they stole our mascot. They are not real Bulldogs! Don't they know who the real Bulldogs are? Even though I spoke to Matt several times this week he was pretty quiet.

I am not saying he was not excited about the game, but more of a focused quiet. He said the team had pretty good practices early in the week, but things really picked up towards the end of the week. He said he kicked the ball well the whole week. They did work on some specialty kicks during the week, but not as many as the last 2 weeks. I guess it all depends on the situation whether you kick deep, pooch, squib, fake or surprise on-sides.

I just wish they would kick it deep as long as we can get down and cover. Matt said his hang time has been between 4 and 4.3 seconds on his deep kicks. I think we should be able to cover very well with those hang times. Matt said they would leave around 11:00AM and would do a walk through at the stadium before going to the hotel. The team stayed in Tupelo. He said the hotel was probably the worst he has stayed in during all of their travels. He said that turning on the AC was like pulling the cord on a lawn mower. That sounds real redneck to me! I originally thought I was going to make my way over the Starkville for the game.

I had spent most of my week in Bentonville, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. I was pretty drained and decided that 8 hours each way was more than I wanted to tackle. I told Mr. Rust I would be there and now I am going to be on the doo doo list! I felt bad for Matt, when I spoke with him about it he was ok with it. This was going to be a very strange Saturday for me. Normally I am setting up the tailgate spot and tossing down a few adult beverages. It looks like it is going to be ESPN College Game Day at 9:00AM and then all of the college football I can swallow until 6:00PM Then it is ESPNU and the real Bulldogs! Janet's Aunt & Uncle (David & Barbara) were going to come over and watch the game. Barbara was making wings and we decided to get make it while you wait, take it home with you & bake when you want pizzas from Papa Murphy's.

If you have not tried this concept you are missing out. The thin crust with olive oil and garlic instead of pizza sauce with whatever your topping flavors are is the bomb. I would prefer to make my homemade pizza, but in a pinch Papa Murphy's is my go to pizza. On top of that I can bake it when I want to. Hot and fresh out of my oven. The day has gone by way faster than I anticipated. 6:00PM is here before I know it and Matt is about to kickoff. The kickoff is away and it is another touch-back. Great way to start! MSU goes 10 plays and has to punt and they pin us down on our 3 yard line. Great first stance by our defense for the opening series. We run 3 plays and have to punt! What type of play calls are these? RA gets off a booming punt for 72 yards and then MSU runs the punt back 82 yards for a touchdown. What just happened? We get a punt off like that and we can't cover that! We looked like we were in slow motion. Please pinch me and tell me it is not true!

It looks like JC might have been hurt on the play. He is not putting much pressure on his leg. I sure hope it is not too bad of an injury. I don't guess I even know who the backup deep snapper is. Tech gets the ball and runs off 8 plays and it is 4th down. I hate watching games at home. Whenever Matt kicks a FG or PAT I have to stand behind the couch where I can barely see the TV. I wish I knew why I had to do this. I had plenty of drawers on tonight, so no worries if I had an accident. Matt comes out for a 43 yard FG with a new deep snapper. I still don't know who it is. The snap is good, the hold is good and the FG is good! Hoo Ya! It looks like CL is now taking on the role of deep snapper. Now I can get back in my big brown chair. MSU gets the ball back and we force them to punt. Tech gets the ball and runs 8 plays and the 1st quarter come to an end with MSU up 7 -3. We start the 2nd quarter off with 2 quick passes and LC bangs it to the outside for a 4 yard TD run. The PAt is good and Tech now leads 10 - 7.

We trade punts and MSU goes 61 yards on 8 plays and scores a TD. MSU adds a FG late in the 2nd quarter and takes the lead into halftime 17 -10. We are playing pretty good. We are still right there. Now it is time for some more red wine along with our pizza and wings. Now this is good stuff right here! MSU kicks off to start the 3rd quarter and kicks it out of bounds. Tech will start at their 40. We run 3 plays and have to punt. When we have 3rd down whatever yards and we are going to pass, we have to at least get our receivers to catch the ball past the first down marker. MSU runs 7 plays and punts! Tech gets the ball and drives 6 plays and NI connects with QP for a 14 yard TD. The PAT is good and Tech is now tied 17 - 17. MSU connects on a 24 yard FG and now leads 20 - 17 as the 3rd quarter comes to an end! We start the 4th quarter off punting to MSU. They run 1 play and QG intercepts the pass. Now this is what I am talking about! Tech drives 11 plays and Matt comes out to kick a 28 yard FG. The kick is up and it is good! We are now tied 20 -20 with 8:42 to play. We can do this! Let's go dawgs! We force MSU to punt and Tech runs off 11 plays before MSU intercepts NI in the end-zone.

My heart just sunk! I thought we would score a TD or at minimum a FG. There is still 3:38 to play, so we still have plenty of time. We force MSU to punt after 3 plays and now it is our time. We start the drive on our 35 yard line and we run 3 plays and punt. What the heck are you doing TF? Are you trying to call plays to win the game or sit back and take your chances in OT? I don't agree with your play calling! Come On Man! We hold MSU and the 4th quarter comes to an end. Oh the chances we had to end this in regulation. Looks like we will head into our 2 OT game of the season. Tech starts OT with the ball and on the 2nd play MSU intercepts NI's pass. Oh this is not good! MSU takes their turn and in 2 plays they score and MSU wins 26 - 20. Please tell me that this did not happen. We are so close and I so want wins for this team. They played their hearts out. I know the players play the game and the coaches coach the game, but we had some stupid plays called at times. I wish CD would give TF a stiff kick in the ass and tell him to get with the program! I just do not understand TF at all. Maybe he will fool me one day! Until then I will agree to disagree with him. Matt called right before he boarded the bus. You could tell in his voice that he was pretty upset.

He really thought that this was the game that they would prevail in. He said that he was very concerned when JC went down, but CL did an awesome job on the deep snaps. He said on the 43 yard FG that he made sure to wait on the ball since he has not taken very many snaps with CL. He said that he thought Idaho was bad because the fans are on top of him when he warms up on the sideline, but the cow bells were so loud it was insane! He said this team has worked so hard and to lose these games like this is very painful. We said our good byes as it was time to board the bus. These are times when I wish I could talk to him in person. All I can do is be there for him and hope I say the right things at the right time! I sit here and go through the plays in my head and I still do not understand some of the play calls. I did not say all, I said some of them during the times where you need to position yourself to win the game. We need to put people away and learn how to finish these teams off. Hindsight is 20/20, but my what I am seeing is still a little blurry with some of the play calls! I guess I need to leave the MSU game alone! Sometimes my fingers don't say the right things. Hawaii is my focus now! It will be a Red Out game at the Joe! Moniz is an awesome QB, but his time to shine will be left on the islands. He will be so confused when he leaves Ruston with his hula skirt on his head! I want to tear these hula skirt wearing ladies a new one. Now that they are leaving the WAC, it is time for a beat down. They need to be eating pine cones when this game is over. The WAC is ours for the taking and game #1 starts this Saturday! I am ready to drive over now and get this thing started!

It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech football. My opinions on the coaches and their decisions are only mine and no one else's. Many thanks to Mr. Tom Morris with La Tech Sports Pix for allowing me to use some of his photos for this blog. He is such an amazing photographer really gets the most intense photo's of our Bulldogs! I also want to thank Mr. Slack for use of his photo's as well! Don't forget to listen to J Ford with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM. My your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Houston 9/17/11

2011-09-24T08:15:00.003-05:00

I think I have finally removed all of the honey that these darn honey bears left on me. This team from the middle of nowhere Arkansas poured enough honey on me that I thought I was going to have to wear the honey pot home. No way was I going to do that. Even though we were down with not much time left, I saw a team come together and believe in each other! A win is a win no matter what.

There are good wins and ugly wins and I will take a win every time! Now we have to get ready for the pussycats. Since I have spent most of my early beer drinking days following the pussycats I was somewhat familiar with their offensive approach! I think they call it an “Air Raid” You have a 6th year senior who is going to break all of the U of H passing records and you know he is going to try to rack up the yards. I feel confident that our defensive coaches will come up with schemes that CK has yet to see.

I talked to Matt everyday during the week. I am freaking out at some of the things that he has shared with me. The team is jacked and the emotions are running higher than normal. Practices have been intense and his kicks with team have gone well. Matt shared with me some of the kicks they were practicing and I fainted twice. Wal-Mart is going to make so much money off of me this year. I hope they keep my brand of drawers in stock! I never knew there were so many kinds of kicks that a team could prepare for. I guess I will have to wait and see what really happens, but if they do a few of them I am going to be spending more time in the men’s room than normal!

Our journey to Ruston starts late Friday afternoon. My dad’s sisters were going to be in town for the game. They all have been in trying their luck at slots and blackjack. My dad and my uncle Bob even found time to go visit Mr. Ross at Maxwell’s Market on Thursday. Ross has such a great selection of stuff to choose from that I could stay there all day just looking. My dad picked up some LA 31 which is a lager that drinks like a fine IPA. Man was it good! Make sure and visit Ross with Maxwell’s Market next time you are in Shreveport. Once we made our way to Ruston. I knew I needed to go to Matt’s and get all of the tailgate stuff.

I wanted to get setup before the morning. I called my dad when we were a few miles away and he said to meet him at the tailgate spot before we went to Matt’s. Ok, this is just wasting time. Heck no it was not! All of my tents, tables and grills were all setup. You have to be kidding me! This is so awesome! Please let me have a beer!

Many thanks to all of those involved in the Miracle that happened at tailgate spot 52! While I was celebrating this awesome good deed with my parents, Aunt Suzi, Uncle Glen, Aunt Pat, Uncle Bob, and my awesome wife, Mr. Harper showed up to visit for a little bit. Mr. Harper is such an incredible person and a good friend! I know he and my parents drive the furthest of everyone too every home game. 12 Hours each way is dedication!

It was getting pretty late, but we still had time to run to Ponchatoula’s for an awesome meal. It was really good! We made our way to the room and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine before retiring. Morning came pretty early, but the excitement of game day had me wide awake! After a quick stop at Walley World for ice we made our way to the tailgate spot. I was ready for this one. On the menu this morning was bacon and pancakes. I was going to test my new old school flat top out again. Cajun Mary’s and jacked up cranberry juice was the morning adult beverage. Dan “The Equipment Man” Matthiesen came by early so I could test out the bacon and the special pancake mix.

Dan approved so I knew I could proceed and serve the rest of the group. Coming to the stadium early in the morning and making it an all day affair is an awesome experience. I wish more would do the same thing. I kid you not the aroma of bacon cooking outdoors makes you want to put a little of the fat behind your ears. It has an amazing scent and what a great thing to share. Everyone approved of the food so that was a feel good thing! After cleaning everything up it was time for a little me time in my chair and a cold beer in my hand.

I had 2 hours to kill before we had to get ready for lunch. Mr. Harper and Mr. Hamm came by to visit. My dad brought a special bottle of red wine and we celebrated with Bobby (tailgate neighbor) I don't know how many of you who have been to Alaska or not, but Alaskan Amber is the bomb! Tyler & Matt both had friends who went to Alaska over the summer and brought me a few bottles back. With memories of Alaska we had a special moment as we savored the awesome brew! It is always great to visit with them on game day! On the menu was beef and chicken fajitas with all of the fixings’ We fired up the Weber Kettle grill with our special blend of mesquite lump charcoal and got the flat top ready for our mix of onions and peppers.

We had a super large group this weekend. Janet’s parents (Meggie & Papaw), brother (Mike), sister-n-law (Melynda), niece (Mikayla), Aunt Barbara and Uncle David made their way to Ruston as well. The family support is so fantastic. We see family more during football season than we do the rest of the year. It’s a good thing! Matt attending La Tech has been such a blessing to all of our families.

The grill and flat top is good to go. Since we had so much food to cook we had to setup an assembly line. Mike (Brother-n-law) manned the flat top and took care of the peppers, onions and tortillas and Papaw (Father-n-law) to care of all of the slicing of the fajitas. We timed everything just right and everything was good to go. Let the feast begin! I am telling you these fajitas were amazing! Everyone brought stuff to go with the fajitas so toppings of any kind were available.

While we were stuffing our faces, Ross from the world famous Maxwell’s Market brought us some of his super jumbo shrimp with one of his magical sauces to sample. I think I need to bathe in that sauce. The shrimp were wonderful as well. Thanks so much for the samples. Mr. Rust came by and we loaded him up with as many fajitas as he could eat. He just was not sure after the first one if it was any good so he had to try a few more. At the end I think he came to the conclusion that they were darn good.

You know when you eat this much food you need to kick back and take a nap. Oh I wish I could, but the team has just arrived and I need to go see what type of face Matt has on. I got a head nod as he walked by so I knew it was game on. It is time to pick as much up as we can before we head to the stadium. Janet has made her way to her seat to watch Matt warm-up. She has to know exactly how his rhythm is and she can only do this visually! Mr. Rust and I share a few more adult beverages and then make our way to the stadium. We find some of the family and take our seats on the 2nd level, front row behind the band. I am just going to throw this out there, but I hate tuba's! Excitement is in the air. I don’t hear any air raid signals so I know we are ready for a battle.

The team comes down the tunnel and we have smoke and now we have adult sparklers and a canon that fires off after every score. Matt kicks off and drives it deep for a touchback! Houston goes 4 and out and we take possession and drive down the field and score on an LC 1 yard rush. Matt connects with the PAT and Tech is up 7 – 0. The 2nd quarter starts and we drive down the field and Matt connects on a 30 yard FG. Houston comes back and scores and then Tech drives down and scores as well. Then Tech gets the ball back and drives down to set Matt up for a 47 yard FG. Matt goes out to kick and Coach Levine from Houston calls timeout to try and ice Matt. Matt's general rule is to go off of the field and come back in to the field of play like he is going out for the first time. Coach Levine recruited Matt pretty hard before Matt made the commitment to attend the great university of Louisiana Tech and I know he wanted to test his mental toughness. The snap is good, the hold is good and the kick is on it's way and Matt connects for a 47 yard FG. That young man is back. MB picks him up in celebration ! How cool is that? This is awesome! Matt kicks a squib kick and the half comes to an end! Happy Dance! Tech goes in at half ahead of Houston 20 – 7. Can you believe? Congrats to Ms. Toni for winning the Ultimate Tech Fan award at halftime! Sounds like a sushi celebration to me! I am stoked right now! Tech is playing lights out. The 3rd quarter begins and after a series by both teams Tech drives down and sets up for a 42 yard FG and one of those wacky plays takes place as a fake FG is executed to perfection. Matt fakes the kick,

TB completes a 12 yard pass to MB and a first down is achieved. Hoo Ya! Matt had 2 guys coming in from the sides to take on and when they tried to get up Matt grabbed both of their legs for a double take down! I am sure the adrenaline had kicked in! Thank goodness the refs were watching this well executed play and not the double take down! 2 plays later and the end zone is our friend. Wow! This is amazing! The 3rd quarter ends with each team scoring and Tech is up 34 – 14! I am starting to do a happy dance, but I know in the back of my mind that the pussycats have a quick scoring offense. The 4th quarter begins and before I can come back from the men’s room the pussycats have scored twice. What is going on? Where is this conservative play calling coming from? This looks like Guy V Lewis trying to win a national championship against NC State in 1983. It is not going to work and it did not work as U of H scores again! We worked so hard to have this happen!

Tech gets the ball back and our coach’s clock management rears its ugly head! Our clock management is like pee wee football. What the heck are we doing? The game comes to an end with the pussycats wining 35 – 34. This is not right! This team and the fans deserve more! How can you let a QB snap the ball with 10 plus seconds on the play clock? Something is not right or are coaching staff is not on the same page. Please explain to me how this happens. This would have been a signature victory for this program we lay a silver egg! I hope CD takes responsibility for this loss. I am not pleased! We make our way up to visit with Matt after the game.

Matt makes his way out and you can tell he is upset! His passion for this team and winning shows all over his face! He did not want to talk about his personal achievements as it did not matter. A win is a win and a loss is a loss as a team. There are no personal victories in football! Even though Tech lost it was pretty cool to see the kids come up to Matt and ask for his autograph. My thoughts are going everywhere as this team should be 3 – 0! I put the blame on the coaches. This is my opinion only! I can’t say anymore as I will probably step outside the box and say something that I will regret! My mouth and fingers are closed! I am proud of this team and will support them no matter what! We made our way to Rasing Canes and brought food back to the hotel to eat. Matt and Kasie met us at the hotel and we all ate dinner together.

After we finished eating dinner Matt received a call from BC (roommate) and he informed Matt that their house was flooded and they had 3 inches of water in every room of the house. We made our way over to Matt’s house and sure as shoot there was water flowing out of every door and the whole house was completely flooded. A hose on the washer had busted and water flowed for about 4 hours before it was cut off. The guys had several friends who came over to help and some went to the church to get wet vacs to help get the water out. I cannot believe the whole house is flooded. We help Matt as much as we can and about 1:30AM we head back to the hotel. I felt horrible for the guys. Matt’s computer was dripping water and everything in all of the guy’s room was soaking wet. I hope the land lord has insurance and can help these guys out. We loaded up and left early Sunday AM headed back to North Dallas. With my new job with Drytac I had a 5:00PM flight to Bentonville Sunday afternoon and time was of the essence.

Many thanks to Aunt Pat, Uncle Bob, Aunt Suzi and Uncle Glen for making the long journey down from Kansas City. Words cannot say thanks enough! I also want to wish a very special 14th birthday to my niece Mikayla! Happy Birthday from Uncle J! Many thanks to all of those who helped cook and clean up after the game. We are blessed with such a great family! Mississippi State is up next. The cow bell groupies are herding in their barns! The Texas A&M colored team is a bulldog want a be team! I don’t know much about them except we are going to offer up a butt kicking to these cow bell clanging rednecks! Listen to me! I am talking like a Mississippi State redneck! Not! I am talking like a La Tech Bulldog who is going to kick some cow bell butt! I will leave the pussycat game alone as I mentally prepare for this fake bulldog team in Starksville! Find a new mascot! The real bulldog is already taken! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eye and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game.

I don’t intend to hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! My opinions on the coaches and their decisions are only mine and no one else’s. Don’t forget to listen to J Ford with Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Central Arkansas 9/10/11

2011-09-24T08:00:00.007-05:00

I think I am finally drying out and my fingers and toes are no longer looking like prunes. I was beginning to wonder if they would go back to their original shape. I know I am old, but I am not ready for permanent wrinkles! I'm still pretty disappointed that we lost that game. I guess I need to take Matt's advice and only dwell on it that night because the next morning we start preparing for the next game. Onto the Central Arkansas game we go. I don't know that much about Central Arkansas except they have a couple of D1 SEC transfers, they sport a nice purple color on their jersey and they have a honey bear on their helmet. Our journey started later than normal but that is okay. The most important thing is we get to go to the game and spend time with family and friends. I talked to Matt several times during the week after practice and he said everything is going really well. He said the teams emotions are running very high and the passing game seems to be really clicking!

He said he kicked the ball really well and spent part of the time with team working on some crazy kicks in case the situation presented itself. Is Coach Dooley back calling the special teams plays? I'm still not a huge fan of all this crazy stuff. I guess they want me to wear extra drawers all the time! He did say that he cannot wait to get on the field on game day and was ready to kick some butt. We met my parents at Matt's house Friday night to load up the rest of the tailgate stuff. Matt has a storage shed in his backyard and it sure makes it sweet not to have to haul all of the tailgate stuff back and forth. It was great seeing my parents. The last time we were together was Christmas. We loaded everything up and made our way to tailgate spot number 52. After we unloaded we realized that the tent weights were missing. This is not a good! Since the team had already left for the team hotel we are in a mess with no extra key to Matt’s car. Janet decided to go check his car and luckily his back door was open. We now have tent weights except there are chicken feathers all over them. I am sure Matt will have a wild story about the chicken feathers.

Now that the tents and tables are all set up I am in need of an adult beverage. It was pretty late so we hung out at Johnny's Pizza before heading to the hotel. We watched a little football and opened a nice bottle wine. We visited with my parents a bit and then it was lights out. 6 AM came really early, but what the heck. It was game day and you need to soak up every minute of it. We made an ice run at 7:45 AM and then it was off to tailgate spot number 52. After we unload of the rest of the stuff it was Bloody Mary time! This is awesome! Football season in Ruston is now here and I am stoked. I brought a new grill with me on this trip. I have always wanted to cook on old-school diner type flat top griddle. Hot sausage, hash browns and scrambled eggs would be on our breakfast menu.

Nothing goes better with Bloody Mary’s than the good ole breakfast taco. I must admit they were darn good. It is now time to kick back and visit with our tailgate neighbors. We had lot’s of great people come visit. Bradley Walker, Dusty McGehee John Hamm, Mr. Ross Harper, Ms. Tony, Mr. & Mrs Garland, Mr. Rust, Dan Matthiesen, J Ford and Ross Barclay just to name a few. Speaking of Dan Mathiesen I need to give a shout out to him and the rest of the equipment/training staff. They do not get enough credit for everything they do along with the long/late hours they put in. Many thanks for everything that you all do. Janet's mom/dad and aunt/uncle all made their way over for the game from Houston and Dallas. All the family support is awesome! Our lunch today was going to be green chili cheese burgers, dogs and jalapeno sausage all cooked on my new old-school flattop Grill.

My goal this year is to serve lunch between 2:00 PM and 2:30 PM for 6 PM games. This way we can get stuff cleaned up and spend time with family and friends before the game. I am stoked to cook burgers and dogs on the flattop. My tailgate neighbor Mr. Bobby Cockrell is grilling design your own shish kebabs. This is an awesome idea where each guest can make their own flavor. One of the guests is making fruit cobbler and a Dutch oven.

I have seen this process on TV but not in real life. The canned fruit goes in and the cake mix goes on the top of that with lots of pats of butter. Nine hot coals go underneath the Dutch oven and 17 hot coals go on top. I'm not sure what this concept of 9 and 17 hot coals is, but after 45 minutes you have a perfect cobbler. Most of our family has already gone in to watch Matt warm-up. Mr. Rust and I talk strategy over a few adult beverages before we head into the stadium. It’s a beautiful afternoon for a football game. I am not sure what to expect of the team after the Southern Miss game, but I hope to see the same intensity by our defense and some new schemes on offense since we are not playing on a pond!

It’s game time baby! In the first quarter NI and QP hook up for 2 scores on a couple of long bombs and CA puts up 10 points. The second quarter we exchange TD’s and go into half with a score of 21 – 17. I am not sure of what to think so far except our defense is not the same I witnessed at the SM game. I was glad they were letting Matt kick deep on his kickoffs. No funny stuff please! We kickoff to start the 3rd quarter and CA comes away with a FG. Then we march down the field with 2 quick TD’s and are up 35 to 20. I like what I am seeing. Let’s keep this going! We give up a bomb to CA to end the 3rd quarter. Tech is up 35 – 27. The 4th quarter starts off with another bomb by CA and the make the 2 point conversion.

I do not believe what I am seeing. These honey bears have tied the game at 35 -35. At the 5:15 mark in the 4^th quarter Matt goes out for a 46 yard FG to take the lead and he pushes it slightly right. Man, I know he is going to beat himself up with this one. There is still plenty of time. CA gets the ball back and we intercept a pass and we are now in control. As we march down the field for a possible game winning FG we fumble the ball at the CA 27 and they run it back for a TD. This is really not happening! Is this a dream? We get the ball back at the 2:08 mark and march down the field for a 7 yard rush TD by RH. The PAT is good and this will be my first OT game to witness. I don’t know how to explain my emotions right now. This roller coaster is not good for me and the bottled water is not helping either. Oh adult beverage where are you? CA starts overtime and we stop them on 3 straight plays and they try a 39 yard FG and our defense penetrates and we block the FG. Are you kidding me? Someone please pinch me. Ok guys we have 4 plays to either get the ball across the line or through the goal post.

We run 3 straight running plays and LC rams her home. Can you believe? Oh my! Thank goodness for the extra drawers as they came in real handy for this game. I am lost for words and I am better off to keep my mouth shut and celebrate the win. The only thing I will say is that our play calling on both sides of the ball needs to get with the program! We went up to see Matt after the game. He hugged everyone’s neck and did not say too much. He was very happy with the win, but felt that he let the team down when he missed the FG to take the lead late in the 4th quarter. We went back to the tailgate area and Matt came over for a few minutes. We said our goodbyes and went back to the hotel. We met Matt, Ben and Will (Matt’s roommates) for breakfast at the Waffle House for breakfast. Matt seemed to be in better sprits! He said after he left the tailgate area Saturday night he went up to watch film. CT saw him and asked him what the hell he was doing. Matt said “Coach I want to watch film of all of my kicks. CT told him to get his ass out of the film room and go enjoy the win.

Matt amazes me more every day. He is such a perfectionist at his craft. His mental toughness and approach to a game still amazes me every week as he prepares for a game. He will grow from this and be ready for the next kick. His goal is to always go 1 for 1 and that approach will take him far. We finished breakfast and headed back to North Dallas. I will leave the CA game here. I could go on and on with my thoughts, but a win is a win and we move forward. I want to give a special shout out to special teams this week. The kickoff team, punt team, the return team and the FG team. Also a special shout out to JC, RA and TB. The deep snaps, punts and the holds have been awesome so far this year. Oh my, next week does not get any easier as the high potent offense of the U of H Pussycats come to town. CK is a 6th year senior and has some amazing passing stats during his career. I spent a lot of my younger life following the pussycats during the run & shoot days. That was some exciting offense during that time. It should be a great game! I am very excited about our U of H tailgate. My Aunt’s & Uncles are coming down from Kansas City. They follow Matt and La Tech every Saturday from the Show Me State!

My parents will be back, Janet’s parents along with her Aunt & Uncle will be back and my brother-in-law, sister-n-law and my niece will be making their first game of the season. It will be a true family affair. I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eye and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game. I don’t intend to hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! My opinions on the coaches and their decisions are only mine and no one else’s. Don’t forget to listen to J Ford at Bleed Tech Blue on ESPN 97.7 FM every Tuesday night. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Southern Miss - 9/3/11

2011-09-08T07:30:00.002-05:00

My heartbeat has increased and the anticipation is racing every left hand turn I can find! Do you know what this week is football fans? It is opening weekend of the greatest game on earth! College football is right here, right now! I think they should come up with a deodorant scent for game day. That would be very cool! I wonder what the flavor should be. Leather? Grass? Sweat? I guess it really would not matter. Anything that said game day on it I would wear. This is going to be an amazing week! I start a new job on the 6th (Drytac) and I am heading to Hattiesburg to watch the Dawgs play! Can I say Happy Dance! The weather report does not look too friendly. I am ok with that because I think all real sports should be played outdoors in the elements. I talked to Matt several times during the week. Practices have gone very well. Everyone is very upbeat and focused. Matt said he has kicked well during practice and was ready to move the clock forward to Saturday night. CT has him working on several different directional kicks and all of the funny kicks. I understand that if the situation presents itself they have to be prepared. That is the part I hate, but understand. With the unfriendly weather about a 150 % possibility Matt, Taylor and Josh decjded to practice in the water late Thursday. CT would put the ball in water for several seconds and give it to Josh. They would pour water on Josh's hands before he snapped.

Taylor had his hands soaking wet and they poured water on the spot where Matt's plant foot would be during the kick. Originally I thought this was pretty funny, but when I thought about it the reason behind it, it was pretty genius. Matt said he went 6 for 6 at different distances. The team would depart Ruston at 2:00PM and head to Hattiesburg. My adventure would begin by departing Dallas at 7:30AM with David (Janet's Uncle) from North Dallas. After a couple of stops we made our way to Ruston around 11:45AM. Matt met us at Johnny's Pizza for some lunch before he had to be at the field house. He was in good spirits, but was pretty quiet. I know to just ask a few questions since he was in game mode. After Johnny’s we made our way over to the Super One for some La Tech peanuts. It was a brand new display and I took the first 2 cans. Onward to Hattiesburg we go! We made our way to the Comfort Inn at 5:15PM and we needed a drink. Right on queue at 6:00PM the sirens blared as the team drove by the hotel on the way to the field for a walk through. That was really cool! I now know it is game on! I knew that Matt had a team dinner at 7:00PM so we made our way over to the team hotel shortly after and met Matt in the lobby to watch the Baylor/TCU game. This is a crazy game! Where did Baylor come from or where did TCU go? It was good spending time with Matt! They were going to a movie at 9:30PM so we headed out to grab some grub and watch the 2nd half of the game. All I am going to say is WOW! RG3 is a beast!

The big day is here and the rain and wind are upon us. Most games I go to I need extra drawers and this game was no exception. While getting ready for the day I realized that I had no extra drawers and a special run to Wal-Mart was needed. I made my way to Hattiesburg with everything else except my drawers. Go figure! After breakfast and my special Wal-Mart trip we made our way to the team hotel to visit Matt one more time before it was time to get my mind right. Matt had breakfast at 10:00AM and special teams walk through at 10:45AM in the parking lot. If you’re going to play in the rain you do your walk through in the rain. Matt had a window to visit between 11:15AM and 1:00PM. We sat in the lobby and watched Utah St and Auburn. Utah St has a freshman stud at QB. They are giving Auburn a good run. We left Matt and wished him luck. He was very focused and ready! I have waited long enough! It is time to jump head first in the adult beverages. David I made our way back to the hotel to watch as many games as our remote would take us to. Beer, peanuts and single malt whiskey was on the menu. Midway through the afternoon food started to enter our minds and someone on the BBB had mentioned the Po Boy Express. That is where we headed. It was located on 4th street on the east side of 49 very close to the stadium. The Po Boy Express did not disappoint! It was fantastic. We had the steak bomb! As they say, if you are constipated the steak bomb will clear all problems. You take a normal cheese steak and you pile it full with fried shrimp. Need I say more except it came with homemade onion rings! After not eating any bread products over the last 45 days, the last 24 hours has been bread abuse!

While we were there we chatted with the owner and he told us we could park behind the restaurant for the game. That was very cool! It will only take us 10 minutes to get to the gate. As the rain and wind was everywhere we drove around the campus. Not very many people are out and about except the parking attendants sitting in the rain with no one trying to park. We felt sorry for them as some of them we saw out there on our special Wal-Mart run. We made our way back to the hotel for our final consumption of adult beverages. We hit the road at 7:00 and parked at the Po Boy Express. Game time was at 9:00PM central time. I had a rain suit top and David had a rain suit top and bottom. It did not take very long and my bottom portion was completely soaked. Football games = elements so I am ok with it. We made our way into the stadium and I saw my very first football lake. Wow! This is going to be very interesting! I saw Matt and he was kicking a few kicks and he looked like a drowned rat. I am not sure how all of this is going to work, but maybe they will squeegee off the kicking area before they kick.

HaHa! The team went in and Matt came back out with full pads on. He kicked a few from different areas of the field. There were not too many areas that were not ponding. I saw some of his kicks they spotted the ball in the ponds and it looked like he was hitting an explosion shot out of a sand trap. Let the games begin! Matt will kick the opening kickoff! I was not sure how his plant foot would hold up, but he got a good kick off in the conditions. Southern Miss runs 7 plays and scores a TD. Oh no! That looked pretty easy. On our 2nd possession we get down to the Southern Miss 14 and go for it on 4th down and 1. I bet you wonder what happened next. We gave the ball back to them on their 14 yard line. I am not the coach so I guess I need to hush and not speak my mind, but I would call that a missed opportunity! Not! Back and forth both teams go giving the ball back to each other.

At the 3:30 mark we are on the Southern Miss 34 yard line with a 4th and 18. With 7 seconds left on the play clock we send the kicking team out for a 51 yard FG. 7 seconds is not long enough to get the play off so we get a delay of the game penalty. Who on the sidelines is in charge of clock management? When you are playing in a weather game every point is so critical. We are now at a 56 yard FG and CD sends in the punting team. I understand the chance of a block so the punt was the right thing, but why did the decision to kick the FG take so long in the first place? The half comes to an end with Southern Miss up 7 - 0 and another missed opportunity. The 2nd half starts and both teams go back in forth punting the ball to each other. The defense is jacked up! At the 7:50 mark Matt goes out for a 28 yard FG and connects! Great snap, great hold and blocking by the O line ensures the opportunity is there. The score is now 7 - 3. Southern Miss connects on a FG and then it is the Show me your Fitte show as Lyle takes it to the house and we have a ball game as the score is now tied 10 - 10.

Southern Miss adds another FG and we recover a bobbled punt by Ryan Allen. A few plays later and LC pounds the ball in for a TD. Matt connects on the PAT and we are rolling at 17 - 13. We allow Southern Miss 2 more FG's and we end up on the wrong end of a 19 - 17 score. I am upset with the loss. I personally hate to lose! We were so close! (Wind and 10 inches of rain did not help, but both teams played on the same field) We had so chances and so many positives! While there were some negatives they are not something we cannot fix! Our kids played with so much heart. I am very proud of this team! I will never understand coaching mentality as they beat the drum to a different beat than I do. We talked to Mr. Rust as we waited for Matt to come out of the locker room. I think we were pretty spot on with our observation on the game. You will have to ask Mr. Rust about his frog suit. He was completely dry after the game! When Matt made his way out of the locker room the first words out of his mouth were “I hate to lose”! “I am pissed”! “This team is too good to go down like this”.

“We had this game won”! All I can do is give him a hug and say great game! I know that is not what he wants to hear when you lose, but what else do you say? We talked about the game and the experience on the field. It is now 1:25AM and Matt heads to the bus and we head to the hotel. After a few adult beverages and David and I going over the game, 3:00AM has dawned its ugly head on us. We still have an 8 hour drive home to North Dallas tomorrow. The morning would come early and I am sure with a headache. As I lay in bed I reflect on the game. The QB play was good, the receivers had a hard time with a wet ball, the O line played better in the 2nd half, there was not much of a running game, the defense was amazing, special teams were WOW, missed scoring opportunities and the specialist came through when they were called upon. I am not sure if that captures it in a nutshell or not, but those are my observations.

Until this offense becomes a wrecking force you have to take the points when they are within your kickers range. Points are very important to this team. Don't get me wrong when an offense is clicking, try going for a 4th down at times, but in the meantime take the points! This is my opinion only! I am going to leave the Southern Miss game alone. It was a hard fought battle with some extreme elements. I am very proud of this team and what the future holds. Central Arkansas is next. I don't know much about them except they are called the Honey Bears and have a couple of D1 transfers on the team. On 2nd thought any male team called the Honey Bears deserves to have their ass kicked! I see a bulldawg butt whipping happening Saturday night. I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eye and the Bulldog team! I might not say the right things, but I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are during the week and during the game.

I don’t intend to hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! My opinions on the coaches and their decisions are only mine and no one else’s. Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every Tuesday night. Some of the photos are courtesy of Mr. Tom Morris. He is such an amazing photographer. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Tis the Season! Let's get this started!

2011-08-29T08:00:00.026-05:00

Camp is over and game week is staring us right in the face! I am not sure if anyone else feels this way, but camp seems like it flew by. I am sure the players would not agree with me. I am so ready for the season to start! My football juices are flowing! Please fast forward me to the opening kickoff. Matt went into camp with a smile on his face. He said this team is focused and have really come together during the off season. The team goals are in place! The personal goals are in place! The leg is fresh! The body is strong! Let the games begin! The team would be staying in the Mitchell dorms during camp. Matt is rooming with Ryan Allen this year. Matt said he was going to be kicking a lot during the first 2 weeks with team. He knows he needs to get the reps in with Josh and Taylor, but wants his leg to be as fresh as possible when the season starts. Matt said the first couple of days he kicked with team were interesting. One day there was not a goal post and he aimed at the camera guy who was filming from the lift tower.

The next day they had a temporary goal post, but it was not in the center of the end zone of the practice field. It was off center by about 10 yards. That would have been pretty funny to see. When he is not kicking with the team he is kicking and charting kicks from various distances for review with Coach Thommerdahl. Last year I did not get to make any of the practices. This year I was able to make the two full pad scrimmages. David (Janet's Uncle) and I drove over from Big D in time to catch the Thursday night practice before the scrimmages on Friday, but we arrived Ruston just in time to get pelted by a nice 20 minute hail storm. Due to all of the rain, practice was moved indoors so we did not get to see anything. I was pretty bummed! We caught up with Matt around 8:00 after he had to check in at the cafeteria. Since we were in town he could go eat with us, but he had to check in first. We went to Sundown Tavern.

This was my first visit and the Sriracha & Honey wings were amazing! I will be back! We went back to Matt's house and visited until he had to leave to check in the dorm before the 11:00 curfew. We made it to the field around 8:45 AM. The special teams scrimmage would start at 9:45 AM. Got to watch Matt warm up and I was pretty amazed how much his kickoff height and depth had increased. His approach to FG's and kick offs were more upright and moving forward. He looked really good. His work with Coach Zauner over the summer was paying off. I have never seen a special teams only scrimmage and I was impressed with how structured it was. I thought Matt kicked very well. Matter of fact I thought most of the special teams group and drills looked good. No, they were not perfect, but that is what camp is for. You work out as many kinks as you can before the season starts. After the scrimmage was over I saw all of the players walking towards the visitors' locker room. I could not figure out what in the heck they were doing. When I questioned Matt later in the day he told me that after every practice they are required to take a 3 minute ice bath. On heavy kicking days Matt said he will stay in for 10 to 15 minutes as it helps him recover faster.

That sounds pretty frigid to me and things could start shrinking! After Matt debriefed and checked in at the cafeteria we made our way to Dowling's for my rib fix and it did not disappoint me. Man they were good! We took it easy the rest of the afternoon until the evening scrimmage. Matt had to be at the field house at 3:30 for meetings. I was very excited to see how the team preformed. We arrived at the field around 5:00 so we could see some of the drills being run before the scrimmage. Matt was not going to kick in the evening scrimmage. This was strictly offense against defense. There were quite a few fans in the stands. I think everyone wanted to see the QB's take their turns against the defense. I did get to visit with Mr. Rust, Mr. Cockrell and Mr. Ford during the scrimmage. It is always good to talk football. Before the scrimmage was over they ran 160 plays. Wow! That is almost 2 full games. I thought all of the QB's had their moments and did well. That was the first time I had seen Nick and Taylor throw the ball and they looked good. I thought we looked good at all positions. There were mistakes made, but this is again what camp is for. I was pumped with what I saw. I would say excitement was in the air. We caught up with Matt around 9:00 and headed to Raw for some sushi.

This was my first visit to Raw and it was amazing. I had the Big Easy and the Ruston roll. I was later told after I was completely stuffed that I should of had the Baldwin roll as well. Looks like there will be another trip to Raw in my future. The team had off on Saturday and we met Matt at the Waffle House for a late breakfast before heading back to Dallas. I was glad I made the trip over to see the team do its work. I was very impressed. I talked to Matt later in the week and he had a less than stellar practice with the team. He had been kicking the ball very well, but this night he went 0 for 3 on FG's with the team. He was a little hot under the collar. Let's just say I could feel the heat wave through the phone. I asked about the misses and he said that for the ball to go through the uprights you have to have a perfect snap, a perfectly placed ball and a foot put on the ball correctly. He said they are misses no matter how close they are.

After practice was over Josh, Taylor and Matt went back and kicked from all 3 spots as practice went. Matt said he connected from each spot 4 times in a row and then took his ice bath. Then it was off to the film room to dissect the kicks. Matt is the most mentally tough person I have ever been around and he will grow from this. I am sure he stewed a little bit during the night replaying those kicks in his head. I talked to him the next morning and after film they knew what needed to be corrected. Our special teams chemistry is good! My goal is to go 1 for 1 and each kick is a new kick! Later that night he called after practice was over and said dad, we got it corrected. We went 6 for 6 on FG's and 2 for 2 on PAT's with team. I did not have to say too much after that. He has all of the body parts working for the kicking game and he is refining his mental game as he gets ready for the season. I anticipate he will have a great season. He is very goal driven and he has some very lofty goals this year. I think I will leave camp here.

I have to get myself ready for Southern Miss. Before I officially leave the camp experience I wanted let you know what a typical day was like for Matt with only a night practice that day. Wake up at 7:00 AM, breakfast with the team, weights, team meeting, special team meeting with film, offensive meeting, lunch with team, team walk thru, stretch and warm up an hour before practice, practice, ice bath, weigh in, dinner with team, break down film and curfew at 11:00 PM. Now I am out of breath! The coaching staff does keep them busy and I know all of the hard work will pay off big time during the season. I can't believe the Southern Miss game is less than a week away. We will be heading over to Hattiesburg on Friday and I cannot wait for game day to get here. I am very impressed with Coach Dykes and this coaching staff. Thanks for everything that you do. A toast also goes out to the equipment staff, the training staff, the strength/conditioning staff, the film guys and all of those associated with the team. All of the things that you do behind the scenes is greatly appreciated.

The season is here and I cannot wait! I will have my tailgate spot for all of the home games and I hope I get to introduce myself to all of those who I have not met in the La Tech family. We will be located at spot # 52 in the C Lot. Please stop by anytime. I think I have said enough! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. I write from my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. Matt, thank you for letting me live my dreams through your eyes. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Let the Games Begin 2011

2011-08-07T17:00:00.005-05:00

With the heat wave in full force this can only mean one thing. College Football fall camp is staring me in the eye. The anticipation is intense and I can smell the sweat dripping off of my forehead. Let the games begin, please! Enough of this waiting and torture! The team checks in the dorm at 2:00 pm today and a team meeting will be held later this afternoon. Matt will be rooming with Ryan Allen. Matt is very excited about the upcoming season and feels the team has really come together over the offseason. He is looking forward to getting the entire team back together. He said the mindset of the team is different this year and the whole team is completely focused on the team goals. Once the Spring Game was over Matt went to work to improve his strength with the help of Damon and Thomas. He has made significant gains over the summer. Not only has he spent his offseason in the weight room he has put in the field time perfecting his kicking game. His mental toughness always amazes me. He must have got that gene from his Mom. Since this is my first blog during the 2011 season I thought I would reflect on some of the things that Matt has spent his offseason doing besides his obligations to the La Tech football team and his studies earning his finance degree. Once Spring Football was finished Matt went back to work at Squire Creek Country Club. Some of Matt's responsibilities included getting the members clubs on the carts, picking up the balls on the range, cleaning the carts, running food and beverages out to the members on the course, setting up the range along with anything else that Brad needed him to do. With Matt's love of golf working at Squire Creek has been a blessing. Matt said that working the Big Whit golf tournament to raise money for the Whit 77 Foundation was an awesome experience. Andrew Whitworth who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals had several big time athletes come in to play golf and help him raise money for his foundation. Matt got to visit with Mike Nugent, Andy Dalton, Rey Maualuga and Joseph Addai. Since Squire Creek does not have hole signs on the course Matt got to take these guys to the hole they were starting on. He said Joseph Addai was hilarious and had never swung a golf club before so he got to witness Joseph's very first attempted golf shot. The other thing that stands out was while preparing things before the Bradshaw-Brooks golf tournament is he finally got to meet Mr. Bradshaw. He said that talking to Terry will be something he will remember for a lifetime. Matt and a few other players attended the Hico Elementary/IIC Picnic in May. Toni Patrick Cox set everything up with the players so the kids could have such a grand day. They played softball, autographed their shirts and ate lunch with the kids during their big day. Along with working at Squire Creek Matt would intern at Crossroads Church. He would be working with the youth group. (7th - 12th) During the summer Matt would mentor these kids, have bible study and hang out with them during their group outings. One of their outings included a 5 day trip to New Orleans/Gentily. They helped restore a house and a church that were located 1/2 mile from the levee that broke during Katrina. They laid plywood down for new flooring, primed walls for new paint, cleared out the attics along with many other tasks. Matt said this experience would stay with him forever and was so blessed to be able to be associated with these amazing kids from Crossroads Church and helping others. In the first part of the summer Matt moved into a house just off of Tech Dr. with Will Stagg (Should be on the Tech Golf team & interns with Matt at Crossroads Church) and Ben Carlisle ( Pitcher on the Tech Baseball team) It's a pretty cool 3 bedroom, 2 bath house. On top of this I forgot to mention the sumer workout schedule. The first part of the summer the workouts were M,T,T & F with W off. The second part of the summer the worked out M,T,W,T & F. Somedays they lifted and somedays they ran. 2 to 3 times a week he would get with Taylor Burch and Josh Cuthbert to work on their timing from snap to hold to kick. He feels like they have a great chemistry. For those who follow Matt know that he has spent most of his kicking career working with Chris Boniol. Now that Chris was hired by the Dallas Cowboys he can no longer work with Matt. With that being said Matt has developed a relationship with Josh Scobee. Josh recommended that Matt contact Coach Gary Zauner in Phoenix. After a few conversations with Coach Zauner Matt made a trip out to Phoenix to spend a few days working with him. Josh was out there working with Coach Zauner during the same timeframe. Coach Zauner reduced some of Matt's crunch when he comes through the ball so that he can finish his follow through up the field and relax his left arm bar during the downswing. Coach Zauner told him there would be no more walking like a chicken. You would have to see the video, but kicking with a crunch involved looking like a chicken walking. HaHa! Matt returned with some great things to work on and once mastered he will be kicking the ball straighter and further with less effort. Some of the kickers that Coach Zauner works with are Josh Scobee, Jeff Reed, Sebastian Janikowski, Billy Cundiff, Garrett Hartley, Jon Ryan and several other Pro and College kickers. This summer Matt has worked with some of the local high school kickers as well. He has helped the kickers from Captain Shreve, CE Byrd, West Monroe, Ruston and Steele high school. (Steele HS is where Matt attended in Texas) I think it is awesome that Matt takes the time to work with these young men to help them improve their kicking game along with discussing their mental approach to the game.
Matt got to come home last week after summer workouts were over. It was good to get to spend some time with him before the season starts. We spent a lot of time at Top Golf and actually got to go play 18 holes at Fred Couples course (The Bridges) where the old man showed Matt he could still beat him. Actually I only beat him by one stroke. With Matt's competitive juices flowing he has already requested a rematch. I will have time to brush up on my golf since Matt won’t be playing until after the season. Matt did have to buy dinner to pay off his bet! We found out this summer that Matt was on the College Performance Award watch list. We thought that was pretty cool. He was proud to be mentioned and excited the Matt Broha and Lennon Creer were also on the list. Wow, I am out of breath. I am not sure I can keep up with Matt's pace. I hope this gives you a little insight to Matt's summer as he gets ready for fall camp and the first game of the season at Southern Miss. We are very proud of Matt and his accomplishments. We look forward to the opening kickoff. I feel good about this team and I know good things are going to happen this year. Please get here soon as I need my tailgating fix. I hope everyone has an awesome summer and I look forward to meeting you at the games. My next blog will be after camp and then I will continue through the season with each game. I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment and sometimes I get a little carried away. I am very passionate about La Tech Football! I am just a College Football Fan and I love football! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Nevada 12/4/10

2010-12-08T18:19:00.003-06:00

I come into this game with a ton of emotion. Phillip Livas has a chance to break an NCAA record. Ross Jenkins is playing his last college game after the passing of his father. Matt is almost half way through his college career and this will be our last home game of the 2010 season. Hold it together College Football Dad this is what happens in Football Life! Why are things going so fast? Is this really fair? I am not even thinking about the possibilities for this team if we can somehow pull off a win over this high steppin' Nevada offense. Maybe I need to get into yoga and meditation. Can you imagine a fat guy doing yoga? I don't even want to think about it. As I get older I would hope that time would slow down so I could stop and smell something, but for some reason the conveyor belt of life keeps moving me faster than I want to go. I think I need to just sit in the corner with my box and get my mind right for Nevada. Nevada comes into Ruston with one loss and a stunner of a comeback win over Boise St. I wonder if they are spent emotionally and will looking past La Tech. I would hope that they would put their best players on the field and play the game since a share the WAC Championship is on the line. I guess I will have to wait until Saturday and see who shows up. Matt has been all over the place this week with excitement. Give him a tail and you could call him Tigger! I talked to Matt every day after practice and I am amazed at the possible play calls on all sides of the ball. If Nevada lines up this way we will do this, if Nevada lines up this way we will do this. I am not sure what to think about some of these possible play calls. I just hope that we pull everything out of the closet and put it in the play book this week. What do we have to lose? CF I don't care if you do not shave or do not wear socks with dress shoes, just grow a pair and bring it all to the field. Sorry about that, I had to say it. Now I feel better. Matt said he is really kicking the ball solid this week and his kickoffs have had good distance and hang time. His field goals have been spot on as well. I am so glad that he does not have dead leg towards the end of the season and that his leg is still fairly fresh. I just hope that CT can keep Matt from bouncing off of the walls. He is so ready to play the game and cannot wait to get on the field. I have decided to keep our last home tailgate rather simple. If the weather cooperates my menu of chili dogs and Frito pies my just be the ticket. We load up and head to Ruston early Friday morning. David (Janet's Uncle) is making the journey over with us. It should be fun! The dogs are dropped off and the Suburban is headed east to Ruston. We make our way into Ruston around noon. Matt wanted to go to Dowling’s Smokehouse. I was pretty excited about his selection. I was looking forward to eating a pulled rib meat sandwich on jalapeño cheese bread. I was not disappointed at all. I think this is my new favorite sandwich. Maybe Mr. Telford will open one in North Dallas someday so I don't have to drive so far to eat! HaHa! We spent a couple of hours with Matt before he had to make his way to the field house. They were going to be staying in Shreveport Friday night. We made our way over to the Fairfield Inn and got checked in. I still had a couple of hours of Travel Biz stuff to finish before the sun set. I was looking forward to dinner tonight. We were going to meet up with Mr. Harper. We went to Lee's Cajun Cafe and the company and the food was awesome. Mr. Harper is always such a blast to hang out with. Thanks Mr. Harper! We normally set up the tailgate stuff on Friday night, but decided to wait and set it up early Saturday morning. I must have been dreaming about touchdowns, because I woke up Saturday morning before I even went to bed. That was crazy! Now that I have consumed several cups of coffee I am wired. It is time to head to the stadium. The weather is perfect, the tents are set up, the grill is lit and the first Bloody Mary is poured. Cheers! Game Day is here and I am ready to put my pads on. HaHa! My oldest son Tyler is coming to the game and it will be good to throw back a couple of cold ones with him and the rest of the family before the game. The chili is hot, the dogs are cooked and the Frito's are waiting. You really cannot beat a chile dog with a cold craft beer! The food all went off without a hitch and many thanks to those who brought food for the tailgate. It has been an awesome day so far. We are at the 2 hour mark before kickoff and normally the team is here by now. Finally I can hear the sirens and the team is approaching. I am not sure why they are arriving at the 1 1/2 hour mark as this has not been the norm all year. Maybe CD has something up his sleeves. I get in line with the band and get to take a quick peek at Matt before he makes his way to the field house. He looks like he has his game face on as he passes by. No smile means game on! I made my way into the stadium right before the opening kickoff. Phillip takes the opening kickoff down to the 21 yard line and Ross marches the team down the field with and incredible pass to Eric Harper. Matt Nelson connects with the PAT. Hoo Ya! This is what we needed! We jump on the punting carrousel for several possessions until Colin Kaepernick leads Nevada for an early 2nd quarter score. This ties the score up 7 – 7 at the 12:52 mark. We take the kickoff and execute a 12 play series with a combo pack of runs and a few passes. Ross Jenkins pounds it in from a yard out and Matt Nelson puts the PAT through. I am very nervous! Matt kicks off into the end zone and Nevada brings it out to the 17. Nevada strings a 14 play series and scores on a Kaepernick 5 yard run. This makes the score 14 – 14 with 2:04 left in the game. The ball is kicked short to Phillip and he takes it 17 yards to the La Tech 33. We have to get points before the half. After a couple of runs and a couple of passes we are on the Nevada 49 with a 4th and 1. Don’t do it! You have to be kidding me! Remember we have nothing to lose and we punt the ball. Take you chance and get some points. We are not playing for the WAC championship. This is like throwing in the towel. WTH? Nevada gets the ball with 19 seconds left and thank goodness they run 2 plays and it is half. The score is tied at 14 – 14. I just do not understand! Conservative play calling is not for me. I thought we were bringing all of our guns loaded. Looks like we shot a blank on that one! Matt & Ryan come out to warm-up at the 9 minute mark before the 3rd quarter starts. The next thing I see is a La Tech promotion chick with a fake headset telling Matt and Allen they cannot kick. Are you kidding me! Does she know we are playing a football game? I would have booted her through the uprights. I have a feeling that CT will get that taken care of in the future. What a joke! Matt kicks off into the end zone again and Nevada brings it out to the 17. Our coverage team is putting a blanket on Nevada. Props to them! Kaepernick leads Nevada on another 12 play series and Nevada goes up 21 to 14. La Tech gets the ball back and rattles off 16 plays and settles for a 25 yard field goal by Matt Nelson. I am all for the points and now a touchdown will put us in the lead. We just need to hold Nevada on their next possession. Matt kicks off to the goal line and Nevada brings it out to the 27 yard line. The 3rd quarter comes to an end with Nevada up 21 – 17. We are still in this. The offense has to put the ball in the end zone or through the uprights and the defense has to stop their every move. It can be done! I am a believer! The 4th quarter does not start off good as Nevada scores very quick, making the score Nevada 28 -17. La Tech gets the ball back and goes 3 and out and we punt. Hey Mr. Coach in the press box! Is your gun loaded with bullets or did you forget to load it. Remember, WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE! Hello! Nevada proceeds with 6 plays and finds the end zone again. What are we doing? Nevada now leads 35 – 17 with 10:15 to go in the game. Nevada kicks off to Phillip and there he goes up the sideline. Can it be? Oh no! It is a saving tackle by the Nevada kicker. Phillip was so close to breaking it for the much needed TD and a NCAA record. Phillip, it was an awesome 60 yard kickoff return. La Tech has great field position. We run 5 plays and now are presented with a 4th and 6 at the Nevada 14. You are 3 scores down and you have to take the points. Kick the field goal and get within 2 scores. What do we do? We run call a QB run and we give the ball over on downs. I am speechless! What are these coaches thinking not taking the points? This has happened all year and has bit us in the butt all year long! We have to be the entire first chapter in the book “Coaches Bloopers & Blunders”. Nevada then plays keep away and comes away with a victory over La Tech. The score ends up Nevada 35 – 17. I am numb! I cannot believe the conservative play calling I have just witnessed. I am not sure how much time has passed away as I stare at the field, but the next thing I know is Matt is standing in front of me wanting to know what the hell I was doing. I had told him yesterday I wanted a picture with him after the game and I guess I was lost in Na Na land. I made my way up to the locker room area and took some pictures with Matt and the rest of the family. Matt was pretty upset that they lost. He thought it was one of his better games with his kickoffs. I asked him about the promotion chick and she told Matt it was a WAC rule that they cannot warm up until the 3 minute mark. Matt knew this was bogus and went back out to kick. Whoever the promotion chick reports to should tell her that we have a game to play and it is football, not the Papa John’s kissing cam! I am sure she has a difficult job, but leave the football players alone and worry about the fans in the stands! Enough of the promotion chick, she just got confused with the microphone on her head! Janet and I made our way back over to the tailgate space. The rest of the family was waiting. Matt made his way over and thanked everyone for coming to the game. We were not cooking this time after the game so we decided to go ahead and take down the tents and load up. David, thanks for helping us take everything down. Matt and several others were going to the basketball game. We will catch up with Matt before we head back to Dallas Sunday morning. What a season of ups and downs! I feel like a yo yo! I will save my comments on the season for my final blog of the 2010 season. I will wait until the bowl games are over before I post my thoughts. My shout outs go to all of the seniors who have played their last game at La Tech. I thank you for the experiences that you have given me. I wish you nothing but success in the future. I also have to give a shout out to the rest of the team that will be coming back next year. Many thanks for all of your efforts this year and I look forward to cheering you on to victory next year. Matt Nelson, as a College Football Dad I am so impressed with what you have accomplished in your college career so far. You have so much potential that is not even tapped yet. Your ability to kick the ball through the pipes is amazing. I have never seen so much heart and desire to accomplish someone’s goals on the field and the classroom that you have displayed to us all. I look forward to following you as you travel on your journey. As your father I am very proud of you and your accomplishments on and off the field. It probably does not get said enough, but, I Love You Man! Thank you for letting me be part of your life! Thanks for all of the football memories you have given us so far and look forward to many more. They are still memories even though I might sit in the closet during the games I cannot attend! HaHa! I have been pretty tough on the coaching staff this year. Some of it I feel like was deserved and some was just my own venting. I do have faith, but we need to win now, not in 3 years. I wish I had a team to pick on for our upcoming game, but our season has come to an end. I have met so many incredible people here at La Tech and I am so blessed and honored to have got to hang out with you. I want to thank all of our family members and friends for making all of the long journeys to come support Matt and The La Tech football team. Words cannot express our gratitude. I want to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Holiday and may your stockings be filled with joy and happiness. Please be safe in your travels! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment and sometimes I get a little carried away. I don’t intend to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Everything I say comes from my heart! I am just a College Football Fan and I love football! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every Tuesday night. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you know anyone who needs help with their travel plans just let me know. I would love to help. Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

San Jose State 11/27/10

2010-12-01T11:00:00.003-06:00

I am not sure I am going to be able to handle this bye week business. Do the people who make the schedules know that they are messing with my mind? When you are addicted to something they should not be able to take things away! Shame on you schedule makers for torturing me like this! One thing I know is that we will not have to mess with that monkey this week. He gets to spend Thanksgiving in New Mexico. HaHa! In all seriousness, 2 weeks without Tech football is probably good for the soul, but don't throw in a day of eating 2nds and 3rds! I already need to be on a diet. I spent the first part of the week trying to come up with a logo for Fantasy Cruise & Travel. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but they don't ever make it to the computer. Oh well, I will get one designed sometime soon I am sure. With New Mexico State in our rear view mirror, we now get to focus on the San Jose State Spartans. I have been looking for something on the Spartans and it is just not there. I know a Real Spartan is from Sparta, but how in the heck did they come up with this name for San Jose State. The web tells me they adopted the Spartan as their mascot in 1925. Why? What does it have to do with this teachers college? Prior to 1925 they had 5 different nicknames. The nicknames were the Daniels, the Teachers, the Pedagogues, the Normals and the Normalites. What the heck is Pedagogues? My dictionary tells me that it is a school teacher or educator who instructs in a pedantic or dogmatic manner. That is all just weird! Sammy Spartan, I hope all of your feathers fall out and you lose your shield! The team was going to practice for a few days and then CD was going to give them a couple of days off since they have a bye week. Matt said he had good practices and was kicking the ball well. He said he has not kicked as much this year, unlike last year and his leg really feels fresher towards the latter part of the season this year. Matt was going to spend his few days off with his Small Group from church. They were going to camp at Petit Jean State Park in Morrilton, AR. There is nothing wrong with some hiking and sharing each other’s ministry during some downtime from football. He said the scenery and views were incredible. He said his sleeping bag covered up everything except his nose. They had a team meal Sunday afternoon and then it was time to get his mind right for San Jose State. They watched a lot of film and had a few "Back Pocket" plays that the special teams worked on just in case the right opportunity presented itself. Matt has had several occasions where he and some of the players have given back to the community since he has been at La Tech. With this being Thanksgiving week the entire team was going to be out in the community giving back to those less fortunate. Matt said he went to a retirement center on Tuesday where he and several other team mates played bingo with most of the people who lived at the center. He said it was a blast and hopes they have more opportunities to visit and share with the community of Ruston. I think it is great that Coach Dykes and his staff encourage this with the players. I am very proud of this football team. Matt said the practices had gone well and he was making good movement through the ball. He said he liked hanging out with the sweet spot! HaHa! The team had an early morning practice on Thanksgiving Day and then a team dinner around noon. He said the turkey was pretty dry compared to the fried turkeys we normally make during the Thanksgiving. I guess that is what happens when you get spoiled to an injected bird fried in oil! The players were allowed to visit family or friends that afternoon as long as it was no further than 1 hour & 15 minutes away from campus and they had to let the coaching staff know where they were going and when they would be back. Matt spent the afternoon with Sutton Davison's family in Shreveport and ate some more and watched football. Thanks for having Matt over and making him feel like family. Matt made his way back to Ruston later that evening. The team left Monroe Friday afternoon and arrived San Jose 3 1/2 hours later. I talked to Matt after the team dinner and they were going to a movie and they will probably watch the end of the Boise - Nevada game when they got back to the hotel. I was going to watch the Boise - Nevada game. I had mixed emotions about this game! The only thing I will say about the game is that this was a true tale of two half's. As a parent of a college football player I felt like my heart was stabbed when I saw Kyle miss those two kicks. College Football is big business and don't let anyone tell you it is not! Kickers have to be so mentally focused to produce the product of a well executed kick! Life goes on, but the memories of that game will last a lifetime for the Boise faithful! Stay strong Kyle Brotzman, you are a good kicker! Game day is here and I am ready for some football! My drawers are in place and my box is being chilled. This is going to be difficult game for me! There will not be a visual of the game. Come on ESPN3 help us out here. Nope, not going to happen! I have decided to follow Patrick Walsh on the Game Day chat and listen to the game on All Access. Janet (wife) is setup in the bedroom and will be listening to the game broadcast with the San Jose State announcers. We cannot be in the same area. She paces and I normally move to a different area of the house and listen or watch from a far! We take the opening kickoff and in 3 plays Lennon Creer pounds it in from 40 yards out and Matt Nelson connects on the PAT! I have not even finished my first glass of wine! Wow! San Jose State takes the kickoff and in 2 plays they are in the end zone. No way! What just happened? Back and forth we go exchanging punts. We stay on the ground With Ray Holley and Lennon Creer and Lennon takes it in from the 1 yard line. Matt Nelson connects on the PAT! Hello, we need more of this! We exchange a few more punts and the Creer/Holley show is at it again and Ray Holley rams it in from 4 yards out and Matt puts the PAT through the uprights! Happy Dance and red wine in the glass! San Jose State starts the 2nd quarter with a 10 play drive and the score is 21 - 14 Tech. La Tech takes the kickoff and runs off 14 plays and Matt Nelson connects with a 33 yard field goal. That drive used up some time. After a San Jose State punt La Tech takes the ball down field and Lennon Creer is in again and Matt connects on the PAT. We throw an interception on our next possession and let San Jose State come back and score to end the half with Tech up 31 - 21. What are we doing? We cannot give up these easy scores. I think I need to take my box and go sit in the corner for halftime. San Jose State takes the kickoff and converts a FG. After the 4th exchange of back and forth punts Mr. Phillip "Saturday Night" Livas takes it to the house for an 88 yard scamper for a TD and Matt connects with another PAT. Phillip Livas has just tied an NCCA record. Happy Dance! Congratulations Phillip! The 3rd quarter comes to an end with Tech up 38 - 24. The 4th quarter starts off with the battle of the punts and then we let San Jose State run off 10 plays and score. This is not good! Why am I a nervous wreck? We take the kickoff and run off 15 plays and Ross Jenkins pounds it in from 6 yards out and Matt pushes the PAT through the uprights. I can now come out of the closet and sit by my computer! Woo Hoo! Wrong! We let SJS score and attempt and onside kick which we recover and then we have to punt. Thank You Chad Boyd as Chad intercepts the ball and the game comes to an end! Wow another road win, but I am exhausted! Way to hang on Dawgs! A road win good or ugly is still a road win! I hope we can figure out the pass coverage before we play Nevada. We gave up almost 500 yards of passing. We have so much talent on the defensive side of the ball. I wish I could put my finger on a fix! No matter what my game time thoughts are I am very proud of this team. We are coming home to play Nevada with a possible chance to get to 500 for the year and a possible bowl game invite. I had high expectations before the season started, but that was really not fair with a new coaching staff. The foundation is being laid and I can see that. My game shout outs go to Phillip Livas for the NCAA tying return record, Lennon Creer for 252 rushing yards and 3 TD's, Ryan Williams and Chad Boyd for key interceptions. Matt called before they had to get on the bus. He was pretty pumped up with the win. He said he was happy with most of his kicks. They had a couple of high snaps that Ross was able to get down. We did not talk very long before it was time for the team to head to the airport. I am breathing a little better now. That was very stressful! I hate non visual games. We have the high stepping Nevada Wolf Pack coming to Ruston on Saturday! I hope we show up in masses and rock Joe Aillet Stadium. Our team deserves it and our seniors really deserve it. I will be there loud and proud! Colin Kaepernick needs a Bulldog beat down and I have a good feeling that our defense is going the show him schemes he will never forget as he ends his senior year. Don't get me wrong Colin is an awesome QB, but he hit his home run against Boise State and Ross is on deck for his last at bat! I see a Ross Jenkins home run and a Phillip Livas record setting day! Safe travels to Ruston on Saturday and let's rock this joint! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Everything I say comes from my heart! I am just a College Football Fan and I love football! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every week. The photo’s are courtesy of La Tech Athletics and the World Famous Tom Morris. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you know anyone who needs help with their travel plans just let me know. Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

New Mexico State 11/13/10

2010-11-18T13:00:00.004-06:00

I still have not totally recovered from the Fresno State game! We had those Bulldog wannabees right where we wanted and just could not execute at the right times. I just have to let it go! That does not mean it still does not hurt. When you get beat by a pussycat it takes time to heal. Darn, I hate to lose! Move on “College Football Dad” there is another game to get ready for. On the road we go to New Mexico State. This road monkey we’re carrying across the country is getting very heavy! Can we leave this monkey in Las Cruses, NM? I am sure the Aggies can supply a new home for it! I hate to lose more than anybody, but the girls at New Mexico State are taking their WAC losing streak to new heights. I ran across this article about a flier that stated the New Mexico State girls were on strike until the football team won. I will let your imagination run wild on what they were giving up until they won. HaHa! I find it quite interesting that three colleges have Pistol Pete as their mascot; Oklahoma St., Wyoming and New Mexico State. In 2005 New Mexico State's Pistol Pete had his pistol taken away and now he just carries a lasso. He now goes by Pete. How stupid is that? Now instead of shooting his water gun he is going to calf rope you! Watch out kids, Pete is on the loose! HaHa! Matt said he has had a great week of practice as well as the whole team. The intensity has been high! He said they have practiced a lot of placement kicks to different areas of the field. He told me not to be surprised if they did a few different things on kickoffs. I told him that nothing would really surprise me because Coach Dooley took care of that last year. Matt said that everyone was upbeat and they were ready to get on the road and take care of business. Matt was looking forward to visiting with Robert Clay #28 for New Mexico State after the game. They played against each other in high school. They got to know each other when they played on the HEB All-star team their senior year. They have stayed in touch and followed each other’s progress in college. Matt did call after they got checked in to the hotel in El Paso. He sat between Phillip Livas and Lyle Fitte on the plane and said they were a hoot. He said that he saw the Mexico/US border on their way to the hotel. They had a team dinner and a movie to go to before lights out! My game day is here and I have to finish some travel biz stuff, but that does not mean that I do not have ESPN Game Day on in the background. I live for Football Saturday! It feels weird not being outside with a grill and a tent looking at Joe Aillet Stadium. Early afternoon Janet (wife) and I met her Mom & Dad (Meggie & Papaw) and her Aunt & Uncle (David & Barbara) for a pre game meal at Gloria's in The Village at Fairview. The adult beverages were good and cold. My game watching party would be with ESPN3. This will be my first game this year to watch on ESPN3. My extra pairs of drawers are on and I decided to change up my adult beverage choice and go with beer. Full Sails Amber to be exact. I needed to do something different to help get this road monkey off of our backs. The kick is away and here we go! Three quick plays and we punt. What is that? Did that just happen? The Aggies get the ball and after 9 plays settle for a 26 yard FG. This was not the start I was looking for. Maybe the beer thing is a bad idea! We get the ball back and run some Ray Holley and there it is, a TD pass to Andrew Guillot. Matt connects with the PAT and I feel better. The Aggies go three and out and they have to punt. Six plays later Lennon Creer puts it in the end zone and Matt connects on another PAT. Let's keep this going! We get the ball back with a Chad Boyd interception and the Bulldogs are on the move. The first quarter comes to an end with the Bulldogs up 14 - 3. We start the 2nd quarter off with an incomplete pass and it is 4th down. Matt come out and nails a 47 yard FG. Wow! He made great contact with the ball! There was no doubt when he hit it! Awesome Matt! New Mexico State gets the ball and drives down field with 10 plays and scores a TD. Not good! We both exchange punts on the next two possessions. Tech gets the ball back at the 7:31 mark and we run 9 plays with Ross Jenkins scoring on a 7 yard run! Matt connects on the PAT and the 2nd half comes to an end with the bulldogs up 24 - 10. I can breathe a little now. The 3rd quarter did not go as I expected it to. We did have an awesome interception by Javontay Crowe, but we throw a pick 6 and Matt missed a 44 yard FG. He made good contact with it and by Matt's reaction he thought it had to have been close. The refs said no good! I hate my computer right now. I normally pace during these games and that is what I am going to start doing. I am done with the beer and it is time to move to the box. The 3rd quarter comes to an end with Tech up 24 -17. We start the 4th quarter off with an 11 play drive and Matt boots a 21 yard FG. That gives a little breathing room, but we need more. The Aggies come back with a 12 play drive and connect with a 31 yard FG. This is way too close and I think I am going to stand on the patio and watch my computer from outside. We take the kick off and 3 plays later it is Phillip Livas to the house for a 62 yard TD. Matt kicks the PAT and this patio thing just might be working! Matt kicks off and it is a sky left and we recover the fumble. I guess this was one of those position kicks he told me about earlier in the week. Six plays later and Phillip Livas scores again! Woo Hoo! Matt kicks the PAT and I am no longer in need of oxygen. Matt kicks off again and it is a squib right and it goes out of the end zone. I cannot say that I have ever seen a squib go out of the end zone. It looks like to me they are playing keep away from Taveon Rogers. Tech holds the Aggies and the 4th quarter comes to an end with Tech winning 41 - 20! I am doing the patio dance! The road monkeys are dead! We finally win on the road! On a short note, ESPN3 sucks! I hope I have enough box wine to celebrate with. This is awesome! The whole team played great. We had our moments, but in the end we showed how much heart and determination these young men had! I wanted to take a moment and say a prayer for Chad Boyd and his family. Chad was injured during the game and he was taken to a local hospital. Chad and the Boyd family my thoughts and prayers are with you! I am mentally exhausted. I really do not like watching games on the computer. This was an incredible win and I am very proud of the team and the coaching staff. I am so happy for Andrew Guillot scoring his first touchdown! I know there will be many more. I want to give a shout out to Ryan Allen. He had 5 punts for a 43 yard average and 4 of them inside the 20! I also want to give a shout out to Robert Clay #28 on New Mexico State. I watched him play in high school and he got his first start tonight. Great game Robert and 108 yards on our defense is pretty stout. I have a very special shout out to my niece Mikayla! She plays for the Liberty Hill Panthers 7th grade basketball “A Team” and they won their first tournament of the year. Way to go Mikayla! We are very proud of you! I am going to save my final shout out for Dan "The Equipment Man" Matthiesen and the entire equipment staff. They re-painted all of the helmets and those babies were shinning! They did look good! The equipment staff and the training staff do so much behind the scenes to get this team ready for battle. I thank you for all that you do. I did talk to Matt after the game and he was pretty excited with the win. He said he kicked the crap out of the 47 yard FG and the sweet spot was nailed. He said that the 44 yard FG was close and he hates kicking on fields that have high school height goal posts. He said if he gets good height on the ball it is hard for the refs to tell if it is close to the post. I asked him about his last two kicks and he said that CD and CT told him to put it in open space and keep it away from Rogers. He was shocked as well that the squib right went out of the end zone. Matt also said the special teams coach from New Mexico State came up to him after the game and told him that he had made huge gains in the weight room from last year and he really kicked the ball well. Matt thought it was neat that a coach from the other team would make those comments. He did get to visit with Robert Clay for a few minutes before heading to the locker room. Matt said on one of the kick returns that he was heading down field on, that after the play was over that Robert was jumping up and down saying "There is Matt Nelson, There is Matt Nelson" Matt thought it was hilarious! It was a great team win and he could not wait to get back to Ruston. Winning on the road is tough, but now that the monkey is staying in Las Cruses, we have no more excuses this year! Just take one game at a time! We play San Jose St. on the 27th. They are 1 -9 with their only win over Southern Utah. They play Hawaii this weekend. They have a mascot who wears feathers on its head and carries a spear. That is enough on San Jose St. for now! Just a quick side note on Chad Boyd. He was released from the hospital and was able to fly home with the team. We are very thankful for this news! The Thanksgiving holidays are next on my list of things to do. I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving Holiday! I hope your turkey stays moist and your pies warm your bellies! Please be safe in your travels and make sure you save room for seconds! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. I would be honored if you would share my stories with other college football fans! It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Everything I say comes from my heart! I am just a College Football Fan! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every week. The photo’s are courtesy of Gantt Graham and La Tech Athletics. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you know anyone who needs help with their travel plans just let me know. Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Fresno State 11/6/10

2010-11-10T13:00:00.009-06:00

It seems like the Boise St. game has lingered on forever. We had so many what ifs in that game. We had blind zebra's, a prison inmate on the loose and a WAC Commissioner who graduated as a smurf! When you have all of that going against us it made the task at hand impossible! Boy Karl should be handcuffed, painted blue and strapped to a jack-ass dressed in a referee's uniform! Come on Boy Karl, your love for the Broke Back Mountain Broncos was shown to the nation in HD! You have to be so proud! All I can tell you is that I am ready for a home game. I am ready to serve up some home cookin'! We are given another 10 day week and I know our coaches will be scheming! November is upon us and not only is it “No Shave November” it is "The Battle of the Bone" No Shave November? Really? My research tells me that this is a tradition at some colleges in November where the man does not shave his facial hairs and the ladies do not shave their leg hairs (not good). I wonder what the winner gets. A big can of Nair? Sounds like everyone is getting ready for furry winter! HaHa! In New York "The Battle of the Bone" is a wing eating contest, but in our neck of the woods it is the "Big Dawg Battle" Fresno State, how can you even claim to be a Bulldog anyway? Your mascot looks like a cross promotional ad for a Friskies commercial. Do you bring your liter box to the games? You should be ashamed to have a cat named Timeout as you mascot! You are not a real Bulldog! Matt had a few bumps and bruises from the prison inmate ambush to heal from, but more importantly he was getting ready for Fresno State. After practice Saturday Matt & Kasie (Matt's girlfriend) made their way to Dallas for a quick visit to our new pad in the North Dallas area. We made pizza and watched college football into the wee hours of the night. It was a blast listening to Matt watch a game. We found some cheap tickets online and went to see Jacksonville play Dallas in the Space Ship from Mars on Sunday! We got there early so Matt could watch Josh go through his warm ups. Josh is really kicking the ball well. It was pretty weird to see Josh and Chris Boniol down on the field together. One as a current player and one as a kicking coach! It was like a La Tech kicker’s reunion except they were missing Matt Stover. Matt did run into Melissa (Josh's wife) and got to visit with her before the game started. Josh had a lot of family at the game. It was a good game and Jacksonville came out on top. Matt & Kasie decided to stay Sunday night and get up early Monday morning to head back to Ruston. Matt had weights at 11:00 AM. It was a short visit, but a great visit! I talked to Matt several times during the week. Practice was going extremely well. The team is hungry for a win! He said he kicked very well when kicking live with the team. The ball was making a good popping sound off of his foot and he was getting great height on all of his kicks. The special teams had a couple of new stunts that they might run if Fresno State lined up a certain way. The special team’s game is way too complicated for me. There are way too many options! I guess that is why I am a bleacher coach. I am not exactly sure, but Matt did say they were going to stay in Shreveport on Friday night. My tailgate preparation started on Wednesday. I had 5 gallons of chili to make. Our menu consisted of chili, chili dogs, Frito pies; lamb chops (for my uncle Glenn) and soft baked pretzels before the game. There would be pork tenderloin sliders, more chili dogs and grilled smores after the game! We have family coming in from Kansas City, Dallas, Houston (Surprise) and from Florida (The Villages). The guest list consisted of Pat & Bob (aunt/uncle), Glenn & Suzi (aunt/uncle), Scott & David (cousin’s husbands) John & Carol (mom/dad) T-Bone (family friend), Cathy, Wes, Parker & Peyton (sister's family), The Gunell's (family friends of 5), David & Barbara (Janet's aunt/uncle) Kaeley (Barbara's granddaughter) and Meggie (Janet's mom). I don't think I am missing anyone. Wow! That is a lot of people! That makes 24 with Janet & I and that will put a few butts in the seats! We loaded up the suburban Thursday night and hit the road to Ruston early Friday morning after we boarded the dogs. After a few stops along the way we roll into Ruston around 12:30 PM. We checked into the Fairfield Inn and iced the coolers down. My parents, T-Bone and my aunts & uncles have been in Shreveport since Wednesday. You know when you are retired you have an urge to gamble! We met Matt at Johnny's Pizza around 1:30 for a quick lunch before he had to report to the field house. My aunt Pat and uncle Bob had been to the bookstore and had several bags of La Tech goodies. Their granddaughter Sierra is a big Matt fan and he signed a shirt and a hat for them to take back to her in Kansas City. The pizza was really good! Uncle Bob, thanks for lunch! After a fattening lunch we headed over to the stadium and set our tents, tables, grill and chairs up for tomorrow. It makes it really nice to get this part already taken care of and many thanks to the La Tech Police for keeping an eye on all of the tailgaters stuff during the night. It was going to be fun time in Shreveport tonight. We were celebrating my aunt Suzi's birthday and my cousin’s daughter Kelsey who plays for UMKC (University of Missouri Kansas City) was playing Centenary in volleyball tonight. This was going to be my first college volleyball game and I was pretty stoked. It was a great match and UMKC won 3 matches to 0. Kelsey played awesome! Great spikes, great blocks and amazing serves! Their team was staying in Shreveport for the night so Kelsey got to go to dinner with us as we celebrated aunt Suzi's birthday. Happy Birthday Suzi! We made it back to Ruston around midnight and game day was already here. We loaded everyone up and landed at tailgate spot 52 at 8:30 AM. It was a very brisk morning and it was the perfect temperature for a day of food and football! After about 30 minutes of additional setup we are good to party. The bloody mary's are made and the grill is lit. Chili is warming in the pot and the bowls are waiting! About 10:30 some of the family starts to arrive. Mr. Hamm, Mr. Rust, Mr. Garland and Mr. Harper came by to visit as well. We did find out that my aunt Pat and Mr. Harper were born in the same year and on the same day. What a small world we live in. Mr. Harper, thanks for all of the water! Bobby & Julie were making jambalaya today. Bobby had this incredible jambalaya pot/burner that he was cooking in. He even had a stainless steel paddle! Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is one of these please! Bradley, Dusty and Bryan made fried fish and chips. The fish was fried to perfection and was awesome! Thanks for sharing! You guys are awesome! John (dad) and Flip agreed at the last home game that they would each bring a bottle of wine for a few of us to sample before the game. No one was disappointed as they showed up with a bottle of Caymus and a bottle of Nickel & Nickel. The bottles were gently opened, then poured and we swirled, sniffed, toasted and sampled these amazing wines! Thanks to John & Flip for sharing! I finally got to sample Bobby's jambalaya and it was incredible. The rice and flavor were perfect! I was in jambalaya heaven! You are an amazing cook Bobby and I am fortunate that I get to watch! The chili is hot, the foot longs are on the grill, the Frito's are in the bowl, the lamb chops are searing, the beer is flowing and the soft baked pretzels are warm! Finally food is served! About damm time! You made everyone wait forever! The tailgate grub was pretty good! What a great day for football! The weather is great and spending time with the family is even greater! We hear the sirens and the team is arriving. We make are way over to tailgate alley and get to see Matt before he heads into the stadium. As always his game face is on! After a few more beers it is time to head into the stadium. We need to bottle this weather! We take the opening kickoff and in six plays we hit pay dirt. Ross to Taulib and Matt connects on the PAT. Fresno St. fumbles on their first possession and we take advantage with a little trickery as Richie hits Ross for a 42 yard scamper. Ross fumbled at the goal line and Taulib recovers. Matt connects on the PAT and we are up 14 -0! Do you believe? Fresno answers with a TD and the score is 14 - 7. We take the ball and march down to the Fresno St. 27 where we are faced with a 4th down. CF decides to go for it and we fail. When you are within the range of your kicker you go for the points. IMO this is a momentum killer when you are sniffing the red zone and you do not execute and come away with some points! Fresno St. connects on a 49 yard field goal and the half comes to an end with La Tech up 14 - 10. Our 2nd quarter consisted of 6 plays for a total of 15 yards on two possessions. How do you do this? We trade punches in the 3rd quarter as we both score a TD. The 3rd quarter comes to an end with the La Tech up 21 - 17. Four fingers are up as we get ready to start the 4th quarter. Before I can blink, Fresno St. scores 16 points with two touchdowns, a field goal and a missed PAT. Tell me this is not happening! Fresno St. kicks off to us at the 4:10 mark and it is “Saturday Night Livas” to the house and a Matt PAT! I don't think Phillip was even touched. I think we have a chance. We hold them to a punt and oh no it is intercepted and Fresno St. runs it up the gut for another TD. We take the kick off at the 2:20 mark and score a quick TD. It is a high snap and the PAT is blocked. Penetration is a bad word when you are on offense. We had no blocks last year and this year we have had 2! Maybe we need to move back a half yard or so! We still are in this, but it is going to take a recovery on an on-sides kick to get the ball back with only 1:12 left in the game. The kick is made and it is a bunt kick! Why do you do a bunt kick on an obvious on-sides kick? Everyone knows what you are going to do. If I were the coach I would of called a spike right of left! I guess that is why I am in the bleachers! The ball goes 8 yards and the ball touches a Fresno St. player almost at the same time Matt gets to the ball. Matt has the ball at the bottom of the pile and the scrum is on. When the dust settles Fresno St. has the ball and runs the clock out for a 40 - 34 victory! I am exhausted and speechless! This game was there for the taking! Most of the family made their way over to the locker room area to visit with Matt and take some photos. I am sure he will not be a happy camper! I have to get the grill lit and I really, really need a beer! The family all made it back over to the tailgate area and shortly thereafter Matt made it over. He was a great guest of honor, but you could tell he wanted to scream! I did not ask him much. He had a pretty good scraping on his left arm. Matt said that once the ball touched the Fresno St. player he grabbed the ball and it got clawed away from him under the pile. He said you do not want to know what happens under there and he promises that if he is in that position again that no one will get the ball away from him! You could tell he was pretty upset with how the game ended. Pork tenderloin sliders, foot long dogs and grilled smores are served. Wow this has been a long day! The thing that stands out to me the most was that this team never quit or gave up. They played to the bitter end! Even though we came up short on the stick I still love the heart and the desire of this team! I will go to war with all of these guys! Our night comes to an end and I my back is stiff and I need a glass of red wine! I want to thank all of the family and friends who made their way into Ruston this weekend from many parts of the United States. We are so blessed and the support of Matt and La Tech has been incredible! Please have safe travels back to your homes! I want to give a special shout out to John & Carol (mom & dad) for making 4 home games and 1 away game this year all the way from The Villages, FL. Many thanks for all of the support! My 2nd shout out goes to Matt Nelson. He was officially named to the ESPN Academic All District Team for District 6. District 6 consists of D1/1AA schools in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. This now makes him eligible for the ESPN Academic All American award! Matt is not only dedicated to his craft on the field, he is also dedicated to his grades. We are all proud of all of your accomplishments Matt! Thanks for taking us on your journey! Sunday morning gets here faster than I anticipated. Janet & I load all of the tailgate stuff into the suburban and get ready to head back to Dallas. Matt stops by and we load him up with the leftover food. He was on his way to breakdown film before he headed to church. I don't know that much about New Mexico St. They are 2 -7 and have wins against New Mexico and San Jose St. This will be the 3rd Aggie team we have played this year. They have a kick returner who is averaging 28.4 yards on 30 kick returns. I was looking at their fight song and it reads like they already are going to lose. That is hilarious! New Mexico St. Fight Song: Aggies, Oh Aggies! The hills send back the cry, we’re here to do or die! Aggies, Oh Aggies! We’ll win this game or know the reason why! And if we win this game, we’ll buy a keg of booze, and we’ll drink it to the Aggies ‘till we wobble in our shoes! I know that there is no guarantee for a win, but we need to get the road game monkey off of our back! We need to take one game at a time! I predict the bulldogs will score at will and will score often. Best of luck in Las Cruces Bulldogs! Go kick some Aggie tail! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt Nelson through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Everything I say comes from my heart! I am just a College Football Fan! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every week. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you know anyone who needs help with their travel plans just let me know. Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Boise St. 10/26/10

2010-11-01T13:30:00.005-05:00

The week we have been anticipating is finally here except they gave us a 10 day week! When you play a top 10 nationally ranked team it is always good to have a few extra days to put in the right game plan. I know all of the Tech coaches will have great game plans called and cannot wait to see it all played out on the field! I was hoping to go to this game since La Tech will not be going back to Boise anytime soon, but when you are trying to start a new business those special trips will have to remain on hold! After 2 straight wins I am pretty excited about going into Boise. I always try to uncover some dirt on the team we are playing and the only thing I could come up with was this stupid Blue turf! Why would you want to do this? Boise AD Gene Blaymeier thought they needed some notoriety and in 1986 the Smurf Turf was introduced to the world. Chris Berman of ESPN calls it the "Blue Plastic Tundra" There are 3 colleges with colored turf. Besides Boise St. University of New Haven has a blue field and Eastern Washington has a red field. There are also 3 high schools that have colored fields as well. There is this crazy myth that, mistaking the blue field for a large body of water, birds have flown into the blue turf and to their deaths. Although Broncos coach Chris Peterson claimed to have found a dead duck on the field in 2009, the origin of the duck on the field has never been confirmed. Now that is funny right there! I talked to Matt many times during the 10 day gap between games. They had a couple of days off and then it was back to practice and meetings as usual. Matt went over with me a few pieces of the special team’s game plan that CT wanted to put in place for Boise St. I was really not sure what to think about it, but all I knew was I would need a few more boxes of red wine this week than my normal allotment and a few extra pairs of drawers on standby. Matt said that when they introduced the new game plan during live practice that everyone was blown away. Matt was super stoked about it and I was still trying to understand why! Matt said that all of the practices were intense and the team was really fired up and could not wait to get to Boise. They were confident with their game plans for the offense, defense and special teams and they had nothing but defeating Boise on their minds! If you have not read it, Patrick Walsh (Louisiana Tech Media Relations) wrote an awesome article on Chris Boniol. Check it out when you have a few minutes. Having a Saturday free of La Tech football gave Janet (wife) and I the opportunity to drive down to Huntsville, TX to watch my nephew (Parker Johnson) play football. He plays on the Vikings which is a senior league team (5th grade) out of The Woodlands, TX. He is a stud football player and plays tight end, fullback, defensive end and defensive back! You got it; he plays on both sides of the ball and plays every play. We left Saturday around noon and made it in time to watch him warm up and then it was game time. Parker played awesome with several tackles and a fumble recovery. I witnessed something at the game that I have never seen before. My brother-n-law (Wes) was on the chain gang and he was keeping up and doing a real good job. Then I see a referee huddle on the sidelines and he got kicked off of the chains in the 2nd quarter for telling the ref that a player on the other team was holding. The ref booted him from the chains! It was quite humorous! The Vikings won the game in the last seconds with touchdown to defeat Huntsville 19 - 18. Parker, you played a great game! I talked to Matt for a few minutes Monday morning after he finished his class. He was packing up and heading to the field house. Then it was off to the airport. They touched down in Boise right around 4:00. I thought they might have done a walk through on the blue turf, but they went directly to the hotel. They had a team dinner and then broke out to position meetings. Tuesday was a work day and I needed to be working, but I could not think about anything except the game. I thought about setting one of the tents up and sit under it for a while, but that would not work since I no longer have a yard. I am not waiting any longer! I open a beer and turn on ESPNU! This is much better. Now I am getting my mind right! After a few adult beverages I need to get the game food rolling. Our menu was quite simple with queso, tacos, margaritas and box wine. Sort of a private tailgate since it was just going to be Janet (wife) and me. I logged on to the live chat with Patrick Walsh so I could follow what was going on during pre-game. If you ever have the chance to do this there are quite a few folks who like to chat while watching the game live on TV. It was really very cool. Thanks Patrick for sending me the link. You do an awesome job keeping us informed through social media! My glass is in hand, clock shows 7:00, the TV is tuned to ESPN2 and it is game time. It looks like Tech is going to kick off. Matt on the Smurf Turf, oh my! The kick is away with good hang time down to the 5 yard line. That was great special team’s coverage. It looks like there is some wind, but I can’t tell for sure without really being there. Boise St. stalls on their first possession with a missed field goal and La Tech takes over. That is the first time this year the Boise St. has not scored on their opening possession. Great job defense! Our first possession we go 4 and out. Boise St. gets the ball back and in 6 plays they score. Tech gets the ball back and after a series of rush and pass plays we hit pay dirt and tie the score 7 - 7 at the 3:39 mark in the first quarter. I think I know what is coming next, but I don't truly know and yes it is the on-sides kick right and we recover. Oh know there is a flag for offsides. What a great kick and recovery! CD got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called and we are kicking off from the 12. CD, I am all for giving the refs crap! Especially these sorry WAC refs! Props to you for taking a stance! To be honest I have never seen a kickoff from the 12. Can you see the other goal post from there? The kick is away and the next thing I know Boise St. has run it back 54 yards. Janet (wife) hollers, where was Matt? Next thing she says is he must have got hit. I was watching the run and not the left side of the TV. Since I am on the live chat I got to see Patrick's comment that Nelson was limping off of the field on the live chat! Note to self: Dumb-ass, you do have a DVR and you are recording the game! Have you ever heard of the rewind button? Good now I feel much better! Janet (wife) sent a text message to Dan "The Equipment Man" and he confirmed that Matt got attacked by a Boise St. head hunter and he smoked Matt from his backside. I know football is a very tough hard hitting sport, but a cheap shot like that is uncalled for no matter whom it is! Dan did say that Matt was limping pretty well, but he was kicking into the net on the sidelines. Boise St. would score 3 times to make the score 28 - 7 at halftime! I am concerned about Matt! I am concerned about all of the non holding calls that these awesome WAC refs are making! Benson should not be allowed to require refs to wear blinders when Boise St. is playing. It is so obvious that this is the case. Dan shoots Janet (wife) a message that they are going to give Matt a couple of shots in his left hip to help with the pain. Matt is tough, I just hope he does not do further damage if there is real damage. I really don't know! We receive the kick opening the 3rd quarter and run 14 plays with an awesome pass from Ross to Phillip! Matt is in for the PAT and it is no good! I knew when there was no skip through on his finish that is was going to be pushed right. It was almost like his plant leg froze as he was kicking through the ball! I wonder if the pain shots have caused numbness in the left hip. I really don’t know, but it was not the normal Matt follow through. I know his critics are going to rub salt in his wounds on this one. That is just the way it is in sports. You have fans who are liker’s and you have fans who are haters! I knew what most of the kickoffs were supposed to be, but was not sure of the sequence. The kick is away and it is the sky left! It is muffed by Boise St. and La Tech recovers. Woo Hoo! Let's put this baby in the end zone! We run 7 plays and the ball goes back to Boise St. This was our chance to stick the knife in a little. The 3rd quarter comes to an end with Boise St. up 42 - 13! On our next 2 possessions in the 4th quarter we get inside the 5 and give the ball back to Boise St. We had no choice but to go for these 4th downs. I just wish we could have put the ball in the end-zone! We score at the 1:21 mark and I hope Matt can plant through the pain. PAT is good! Matt makes a good spike right and we almost come up with the ball. Boise St. runs the clock out and wins the game 49 - 20! Oh the non holding calls, the missed PAT, the pass coverage and the red zone execution, why did you do us that way? We had them back peddling in so many ways! Matt called and talked to his mom (Janet) before they boarded the buses to the airport. He was pretty sore and his head was a little foggy! He said #5 blew him up out of nowhere! He tried to get up and he said to himself, I might not be getting up real soon, but I am not letting the trainers help me off the field! Matt said the missed PAT was solely on him and the pain that shot down his plant leg at the time his left foot hit the ground caused him to open his right hip up. This pushed the ball to more to the right than he expected! He did not say a whole lot about the game overall except they had a great game plan across the board and things just did not go their way. I hope the wind blows downhill so they get back to Ruston faster! Way too many emotional highs and lows for me. I never have liked roller coasters! I hate to lose, but I love the direction this team is going! My hand goes out to this team and the coaching staff! The effort and the heart you showed tonight are going to take this program to the next level in many ways. Most of the family and friends have watched the video of the cheap hit on Matt applied by #5 of Boise St! I hope our AD gets a copy to Benson. I don't know if it will happen or not, but I can tell if we did something like that we would have players suspended before we arrived back in to Ruston! #5 circled back around the kickoff coverage and was on one mission and that was to take out La Tech's kicker! Coach Peterson you should be real proud! Go to ESPN3 and watch the kickoff from the 12 yard line at the 3:40 mark in the 1st quarter. Then you will see how this pre calculated ambush took place! Talked to Matt on Wednesday AM and he had to report to the trainers at 2:30. Keith told him he most likely had a hip pointer and a possible concussion. The team did not practice on Thursday and they would resume practice on Friday. As I stated before I hate all roller coasters, especially the emotional ones! I guess that is what makes college football the ultimate sport. We get do all of these crazy things as fans to support our team and at the end of the day we still love everyone of those players! Take one game at a time! We have 4 games left and all 4 games are possible wins! A good game plan and execution on the field will have us bowling! I want to give a shout out to Adam McGuirt the Director of LTAC and Zach Williams and Marshall Loeffler at the ticket office. These guys (other staff as well) do so much behind the scenes to make everything so easy for all of us! Thanks so much for everything that you do! The Battle of the Bone is staring us in the face. Fresno St. ventures into Ruston on Saturday, November 6th. What that dog doesn't know is that there is only one dog allowed in Ruston! Fresno St. comes in with a 5 - 2 record with losses to Mississippi and Hawaii. This is going to be a tough game, but with our fans and the way we play at home I feel very confident that our coaching staff will have this team very prepared and on point! Fresno St. has some offensive weapons and one those is junior kicker Kevin Goessling. He is 11 – 13 on FG’s and 29 – 29 on PAT’s for the year. On kickoffs he is averaging 63 yards with 5 touch backs and 4 kicks out of bounds. He is also a Lou Groza semi-finalist. Field position is going to be the key for this game along with play execution! Our kickoffs, punts and coverages are going to help set the tone for the game and might be one of the determining factors. Halloween is in the air, so please be safe out on the streets and I hope you get every candy flavor you ever wanted! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. On a side note I want to congratulate the Texas Rangers for making it to the World Series! They might be down in the series, but there is still a lot of baseball to be played! Go Rangers! It is such a blast to follow Matt through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to ruffle any feathers or hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Everything I say comes from beneath my feathers! I am just a College Football Fan! Some of the photos are courtesy of La Tech Sports Pix and were taken by the world famous photographer Tom Morris. Other photos were courtesy of Dan “The Equipment Man” Matthiesen and Gantt Graham. Thanks for sharing! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every week. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you know anyone who needs help with their travel plans just let me know. Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Idaho 10/16/10

2010-10-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

I am not sure I am going to be able to contain myself this week. I am still on cloud 9, high or whatever you want to call it. I am not sure what being high feels like so I will stick with being on cloud 9. HaHa! Now that I have said this, what does the heck does being on cloud nine really mean? I have used the expression before, but I really do not know. Research tells me that this expression for a feeling of euphoric exultation (extreme happiness) comes from U.S. Weather Bureau terminology. Clouds are divided into classes, with each class further divided into nine types. No. 9 is the cumulonimbus, the towering kind often seen building up on hot summer afternoons. It may reach 40,000 feet (12,000 meters), so if you're on Cloud Nine, you're high indeed. Wow! I did learn something new today! You know, you have to start somewhere with a win to have a winning streak and ours started by kicking the Blue Aggies down the trail back to Utah! I don't know that much about Idaho except that they have a strong passing attack. Enderele has thrown for 1411 yards and 10 touchdowns so far this year. They are ranked the #5 passing offense in the nation. Didn't we just play the #1 team in passing offense a few weeks ago? I hope our defense is ready! We gave the game away last year in the Kibbles & Bits dome and I would like nothing better than to make a few potato pancakes this coming Saturday. Can I say 2 wins in a row? I really like our chances being at home and that the game is at 3:00 and it should be pretty warm for the spuds! I need to uncover some dirt on these potato people! What is a Vandal? They say don’t use your dictionary to find Idaho’s definition of a Vandal. No, Idaho’s student-athletes go by a name earned nearly a century ago by a basketball team coached by Hec Edmundson, whose teams played defense with such intensity and ferocity that sports writers said they “vandalized” their opponents. Now that's funny right there! We are the ones who are going to cause damage and destruction! You will feel vandalized when you leave Ruston. That nickname needs to go back in the ground and grow a little more! HaHa! I spoke to Matt everyday this week and he said practice was intense and everyone had a little more pep in their step. It is amazing what a win can do! You wake up a little earlier in the morning, you can't wait to get to class, and you practice with emotions knowing that you can smell that next win! What a great recipe! Matt said the special teams meetings have gone well and there could be some magic in the air. They are working on a few new wrinkles that need to be ironed out. HaHa! Matt said he is still making good contact with the ball and his leg feels good. After they broke down film on the blocked FG against Utah St, Matt said the placement of the ball could change from time to time depending on what the defense was showing. Matt said he talked to Josh Scobee early in the week and congratulated him on his perfect game with 5 FG's. Josh sure is mentally focused this year. Keep doing what you do Josh! I am still waiting for Matt to tell me what this word is that he, Ross and Vince are going to submit to Merriam Webster. He has been kind of secretive about it. I think they are still working on the definition! Since this was the last home game in October we decided to go with an Oktoberfest theme. Well sort of! We were going to have a baked potato bar, country style ribs, soft baked pretzels and several different craft beers before the game and then cook several types of sausage and let them bathe in beer after the game. Meggie (wife's mom) was bringing a funky pasta salad and a German Chocolate cake. We are set with the menu! My parents (John & Carol) are making the drive to Ruston from The Villages on Thursday. I think this is game # 4 for my dad. They hit Ruston around 7:00 PM after their 12 hour drive. They met Matt and Kasie (Matt's girlfriend) at Portico for dinner. It was good that Matt got to spend some time with them before the rest of the crew headed over on Friday. After Matt's morning class he took them out to Squire Creek to show them what a real golf course is! HaHa! They were both impressed with Squire Creek and they do have some good courses in The Villages as well! Our journey to Ruston started out very early on Friday. I still cannot figure out why I bring so much stuff. I am about to run out of room in the suburban. This is crazy! We hit Shreveport around 11:30 AM and made our way over to Maxwell's Market to pick up a few things for the tailgate. Ross was there so we got to visit with him for a little bit before making our way over to Ruston. Matt had a 12:30 class and had to be at the field house by 2:30. We had just a small window to grab a quick lunch with him and my mom. He was in good humor and was really excited about the game with Idaho. He said the team was jacked and Thursday's practice had gone well. He said the team dinner was at the Log Cabin again and then off to the pep rally at the stadium before heading to Monroe. He said the movie they were going to watch was JA 3D. That should be interesting! After we checked into the Fairfield Inn I had some work to attend to. It sure is nice when you have free Wi-Fi! My dad had gone to Shreveport to win some money and made it back to the hotel just in time to make a small adult beverage to head over to the pep rally. There were plenty of people at the pep rally, but I thought there would have been more with it being homecoming weekend. I thought Teresa Weatherspoon's message to the team and fans was awesome! She is a great speaker. I thought maybe CD would have spoke to the students, but he did not. The team’s buses were on the east side so we got to visit with Matt for a few seconds before they loaded up. Next it was off to tailgate spot 52 to setup. One of these days I am going to learn to pack the tents last so I don't have to take everything out to get to them. We set 3 tents up along with the grill and tables. There were several others setting up nearby as well. We opened a bottle of wine and sat under the stars at the stadium while we watched Idaho walk the field. They look pretty big! Popeye’s fried chicken and another glass of wine would finish my evening! My bed was calling and tomorrow was going to start early. The bodies are loaded, flags are flying, coolers are iced down and Mc Donald’s sausage Mc Muffins are in the sack! Joe Aillet here we come. We hit spot 52 at 8:30 and the rest of the setup began. After about 30 minutes, myself, Janet (wife) and my mom & dad had everything in place! It was time for bloody mary's and screwdrivers! It's not too early, we deserved them! Most of my tailgate neighbors had started rolling in. Andrew had setup the night before with his trailer. Bryan, Bradley, Matt, Dusty (showed up late - hunting) and their team were setting up, Bobby was unloading and Ross (MarketDawg) was waiting for his tents to show up. The next thing I know Mr. Harper pulls up and drops off an ice chest full of water and then hands me a package. What is this? Christmas is still down the road. I open it up and I was in shock! It was a chef’s jacket with the Tech logo, my name and the words Super Tailgate Chef on it! I was truly speechless. It was so awesome and Mr. Harper I will never forget it. Thanks so much! Can you believe it? You have to see it! I don't know if I can even cook today! Wow! I hung it up under the tent next to the grill so it would be ready when I cranked up the fire. I have got to talk about the Smoothie King Group. They are doing a breakfast tailgate with bloody mary's, mimosas, coffee cakes, sausage balls and 2 egg omelets in a zip lock baggie! What was that last part? 2 egg omelets in a zip lock baggie? Seriously, are you kidding? I kid you not, I witnessed this and it was true. They put 2 eggs, cheese, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and bacon in a zip lock bag. They whisk it up with a fork and seal it. Then they drop it in boiling water for 13 minutes and out comes this amazing omelet. I about fell out! It was really, really good! I am going to have to try this at home and then try it at the tailgate. Thanks for introducing me to a new cooking technique. Mr. Harper joined us again and Mr. Hamm stopped by as well. Chef Bobby had his grill lit and these amazing pork tenderloins stuffed with crawfish boudin (minus the casing) were staring at me! They looked so good! They need to be on the cover of Food & Wine magazine. Someone has made that Butt Naked cocktail again! I really need to find out whose recipe that is so I can give them credit! Ha Ha! David's wife made this incredible shrimp dip as well! I need to go hide next to my baked potato bar. There is gourmet food everywhere. Ross (Marketdawg) has filet mignons on the grill and Andrew has giant chickens on the smoker. I am surrounded by so many great chefs! You need to come check these guys out. They are worth every penny of your game ticket just to pull up a chair and watch! The sirens were off in the distance and that meant the team was close by. Decked out in my new chef jacket I headed down tailgate alley so I could see Matt and get a few photos. He looked focused and the rest of the team did as well! My grilled/baked potatoes were done, pretzels were hot and the country style ribs had taken on just the right character. Keeping butter and sour cream chilled in the October heat wave was a chore. Pretzels and CS ribs were awesome as well! I sampled several craft beers during our Oktoberfest celebration. I had a Full Sails, Bear Republic Racer 5, Real Ale Devil's Backbone and a MOA Noir. All of these were incredible! Mr. Rust came by and was carrying a 32 oz Miller High Life in a brown paper bag. What is this? Then Dan the President of the 32 Crew comes by and asks if I would like to be a member of the 32 Crew. I said ok, what do I need to do? He said you have to drink a 32 oz Miller High Life in a brown paper bag and then you are a member. Dan left for a few minutes and then presented me with my very own 32oz can to drink. It had been a long time since I drank a beer out of a brown paper bag and it was worth every sip. Thanks for letting me part of the crew! Game time is here and my seat is waiting for me. This was the latest that I arrived into the stadium. I hit my seat at 2:30. I did not get to see Matt warm-up, but many family members did so I could get an update. Trace Adkins, Kix Brooks and sky divers oh my! The best start to a game ever! Wow, this sun is bright and it is hot! October, you are not doing us right! Just a little cooler please! Matt is kicking off to start the game! Matt strikes the ball well and Idaho knee's it in the end-zone for a touch back. What a great kick to start the game! Idaho rolls through 14 plays including a bogus roughing the punter penalty and a missed field goal. La Tech takes over and we pass, we run and we score. PAT is good! What a great combination! Matt kicks off again and puts the ball in the end-zone. Idaho runs it out and they are busted at the 17. Idaho drives down the field and the first quarter ends tied 7 - 7. Matt connects with a 31 yard field goal to start the 2nd quarter. After a Tech turnover, Idaho scores quick and now leads 14 - 10. Tech ran the 2 minute drill to perfection with a series of passes with the last one connecting with Paige for a 32 yard score. PAT is good and the half comes to an end with Tech up 17 - 14. Matt missed a 38 yard field goal attempt in the 2nd quarter. He will not be a happy camper after the game. I know there will be some steam under that helmet! I am feeling pretty good about our chances. I like what we are doing on offense. Tech would own the 3rd quarter with 3 TD's and would go into the 4th quarter with a 38 - 21 lead. Our defense held Idaho to only one touchdown. Where has this mixture of plays been? I love it! Can the 4th quarter hurry up and end? Idaho scored pretty quickly! I don't like the way this is starting out. Matt connects with a pretty 39 yard field goal. Our defense holds Idaho on their next possession and then it is the Creer run fest. Creer runs 4 straight plays and scores. The PAT is good and Tech goes on to win 48 - 35! Wow! Where has this team been? Ross you lead this team down the field like the field general you are! Great game! Lennon, keep running down the field! Great game! Great performance by everyone! I am on my knees with my hands on the floor bowing to the coaching staff. We might just have turned the corner! I have been pretty hard on CF for his play calling, but today I give praise to CF. The whole entire game plan was awesome by all of the coaches. I can't believe it! We are on a winning streak! I did not make it over to see Matt after the game. I had a grill to get lit and Oktoberfest needed to continue! Sausages were on the grill and the beers were flowing! Matt made his way over to the tailgate area. He was super pumped with the win. He said it was a blast out on the field. The team played with great emotion. I know it probably was not the right time to ask, but I asked Matt about his missed FG. He said it was his best kick of the night! It just went straight! The snap was good, the hold was good and the ball went straight. Normally I have a little hook on the ball. I knew he was disappointed and would correct whatever needed corrected. He had a good game and it was a great team win! I’m Happy! Dinner is served! What a long day it has been, but it has been a great day! Family, Friends and a Tech win! Just awesome! My shout out goes to the Entire Team! You played one heck of a game! Our defensive backfield got picked on a bit, but when you are playing the #5 passing team in the nation stuff is going to happen. You all should be proud of your efforts and take those positive emotions into Boise! I do want to give a special shout out to the entire coaching staff. You put together an awesome game plan and everything came together. My prior comments have been harsh and I have been told by some that as a player’s parent I should not say things like that about the coaches. I am sorry if I offend some, but I am a college football fan as well and it is not always a rosy picture. My hat goes off to the coaching staff for a job well done! I hope that you continue to bring mystery to the future games. It is always fun to see the opposing team and coaches scratching their heads! Our night comes to an end. I think there‘s bed and a glass of wine calling my name. I want to thank all of the family members who made their way to the game this week. Thanks for all of the miles you drive! We appreciate all of the support and the time we get to spend together! Sunday morning comes way too early again! We load the tents and grill. Matt stopped by and visited for a few minutes before he headed to church. He was still excited with the win and was anxious to breakdown film and put Idaho to bed! Off to Dallas we go! What a weekend! I think I need to sleep another night before I try to put a rope around Boise St. This is going to be a true test for this team. I hope the coaches have the right game plan and they keep the team's emotions running high. Boise St. is going to be tough. The weather could be brutal! They are ranked #3 in the BCS poll and have one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Kellen Moore is the top rated quarterback in the nation and they average 14.8 yards per pass play! They play on the smurf turf which is a joke in its self. They should be required to wear all white at their home games including their helmets and cleats. This camouflage crap is for the birds. I am not totally sure, but I read somewhere that Brokeback Mountain was filmed in Boise. I wonder if Boise St. supplied any of the extras. Bronco Bustin' at its finest! HaHa! I don't think Boise St. is going to get what they see on film from us! I bet there will be a few tricks up our sleeves! Halloween is right around the corner and my treat will be a La Tech victory! ESPN are you ready? The Dawgs are coming to Boise! Give us some love! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to upset or hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! I am just a College Football Fan! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every Tuesday night from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. It should be a great show as always! May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you need help with your travel plans just let me know! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Utah St. 10/9/10

2010-10-13T10:30:00.004-05:00

Wow! Where does time go? It seems just like yesterday that I was up way past my bedtime watching the Haka, drinking red wine out of a bottle and then out of a box! My head still hurts! What are they thinking when they schedule all of these games back to back? We (the fans) show up at the stadium 6 plus hours prior to kickoff so we can mentally prepare for the game. We watch the game in all sorts of crazy weather and give it our all from the first whistle to the last whistle. Then we spend several more hours decompressing and going over the game film in our minds after the game. We all know how to coach and what plays should have been called. On top of that we sampled many adult beverages during the day. I think the fans need a bye week to recover every now and then. Even though we do not get to step on the field, we work and coach hard out there! HaHa! We have met so many amazing people and I would not trade my game day process for anything! I am not sure what to think about Utah St. yet! They hung tough with Oklahoma and they blow away BYU. This is going to be a tough game, but it is one we must win if we have any hope of post season play. Borel is an outstanding quarterback and he runs as well as he passes. Coming into his senior year he already has six Utah St. records in his pocket. I hope our defense takes him out of his game this week. I am sure CS will have the defense playing with mean eyes! I always like to uncover some skinny about the team we are getting ready to play, but this week when reading about the Utah St. mascot "Big Blue" I decided to leave the team alone. Originally Big Blue was a real white bull painted blue before each game. When the Spectrum (basketball stadium) was first built there was concern that Big Blue would scuff up the new basketball court, so Big Blue was donned with red rubber boots; this was a disaster. Because of the damage done to the football field and the basketball court Big Blue was discontinued and sent to the packer. Why in the heck do you paint a bull blue, strap on some red boots and bring them to a basketball game? I can see a football game, but come on, red boots? Which frat house was in charge of painting the bull blue? There had to be alcohol involved! HaHa! In 1987 Big Blue got a second chance when they bought a blue bull costume and put real horns on the mascot head. What are these Blue Aggies thinking, real horns? It is just a mascot uniform! Only in Utah does this happen! Matt said practice has been much more focused this week. The team has worked extremely hard and things are clicking. There will be some new wrinkles in the offense and the defense has a few new things up their sleeve as well. Matt said he was making good contact with the ball on FG's and PAT's. The timing between Josh and Ross has been spot on and they have developed between the three of them incredible snap to kick speed. Some of the times Matt tells me are mind boggling! He said his kickoffs have good hang time and as long as he explodes through the ball after the kick, he was getting the distance he wanted. Kicking off is like hitting a driver on the golf course. When the big stick comes out, you want a swing smooth, a good follow through with your head down and finish. The key in my book is the finish! A good finish equals a good delivery of the ball on the field and in the fairway. Matt also told me that during study hall that he and Vince Cano were playing around with the word Perfect and Per-fect. It is spelled the same and has a similar definition. Matt was trying to explain to me the difference between a homonym and a cognitive synonym. I am not going to lie, but I had no clue what he was talking about. Matt with the help of Missy submitted their questions to Merriam Webster and they responded some crazy dictionary jargon answer. Matt talked with Josh Scobee during the week. Josh made a 59 yard game winning field goal against Indy and is perfect for the year so far. That is a long kick in a game situation and it is every kickers dream to kick a game winning field goal! Congrats Josh! Keep making the Bulldog Nation proud! My dad surprised me and flew in from The Villages, FL. This will be his 3rd game to attend this year and it was quite a shocker when he showed up. Our trip to Ruston started early Friday morning from Dallas. We made a stop at Maxwell's Market in Shreveport to pick up a couple of items we needed to complete our menu for our tailgate. We made our way into Ruston around 1:00 PM and met Matt at Johnny's Pizza for some amazing grub. Matt always gets Pepperoni and Bacon pizza and I lost count on how many pieces he ate. Matt said the team was ready and he had a different feeling about this game. He was in a good mood, but you could tell he was extremely focused. He had to be at the field house at 3:00 for special team meetings and then a walk through. Then it was off to a team dinner at the Log Cabin and a movie before heading to the team hotel. Matt said he was going to see Secretariat. I bet it is a good movie! We said our goodbyes and wished Matt the best of luck against Utah St. We headed to the bookstore to see if there was something we really needed and then checked into the Fairfield Inn. It was time for an adult beverage! I think I need to get mentally focused for tomorrow’s game! If Matt can, I can as well. We made our way over to tailgate spot #52 around 7:30 PM so we could setup our tents, grill and tables. I think it is awesome that the La Tech police keep a watch on the tailgate area at night so you can setup early. We setup a couple of chairs and imbibed on a couple of adult beverages and just took in the surroundings. This university and town are amazing. Why would you not want to go to school here? We ended up at Portico Bar & Grill for dinner. We had a few appetizers and the food was pretty good. The place was packed as well. During dinner Matt sent me a text that he, Ross Jenkins and Vince Cano had come up with a new word and he was going to submit it to Merriam Webster to see if they could get it added to the dictionary. They told CD and he thought the word was hilarious and might just work. It was all based on the answer that Matt got back from them earlier on the word Perfect and Per-Fect. Once I am given permission I will let you know the new word and what the definition is. Morning arrived before I knew it! After a couple of cups of coffee I was in game mode and was ready to head to the stadium. We arrived around 8:15 AM and got the rest of the gear unloaded. It was a beautiful morning! My dad was craving a Bloody Mary, so we had to jump start the morning with one. Bradley Walker was setting up early as well. (Tailgate spot 47 & 48) He had to get the satellite and TV setup and their TV expert was not going to make this game. It was a Bloody Mary for Bradley as well so he and Bryan could focus on the satellite setup. Jambalaya was on their menu today! We got to visit with Andrew and his group as well. (Tailgate spots 54 & 55) They we going to fry everything! They had fish, shrimp, hush puppies, biscuits, pickles and Oreo's. I am going to be close by for sure! JFord, Ms. Toni (Dawgmatic) and Mr. Harper (TechsasDawg) came by and we got to visit and talk about Tech football. The Guillot's (son is #19) stopped by as well. They are all amazing people! It's grill time! We had decided to low key things before the game and them pickup the cookin' after the game. Our pre-game grill grub consisted of pork poppers, bacon wrapped shrimp and the all mighty atomic turd poppers. I guess I should have said I was cookin' bacon. HaHa! As the grill is heating up Bobby & Julie Cockrell pull in to their tailgate spot. (#53) I kid you not; I am surrounded by so many awesome cooks. This is a dream come true! Bobby was cookin' his World Famous Teriyaki Beef. This is something that their family has made for some time and Chef Bobby has perfected it. I am sure if you stop by, Bobby will share his recipe with you. You need to bring pen and paper. There are a lot of ingredients. HaHa! Tailgating at La Tech is an awesome thing! Dusty McGehee and his wife Rachel made some incredible Jambalaya and a fried crayfish beignet that we got to sample. Dusty made the traditional spicy Jambalaya and Rachel made an awesome black eye pea Jambalaya. Thanks for sharing! It was awesome! Chef Bobby and his sous chefs David & Michael continued to cook the teriyaki beef and I finally got to sample it. It was amazing and I was in heaven! Chef Bobby also made this incredible Maque Choux. I sure love all of this food. I also got introduced to my first "Butt Naked" concoction. You start with a big drink dispenser and you add a big can of pink lemonade concentrate, 1/2 bottle of vodka and 6 to 8 cans of cheap beer. You shake it up and serve over ice. I was told that after many of these you will run "Butt Naked" anywhere! I must admit, it was pretty tasty! No, I did not streak down tailgate alley! HaHa! After all of this awesome food and adult beverages I am a stuffed duck. I hear the sirens and the team have arrived. We make our way over to watch the players make the walk through our awesome band. I see Matt and he is lookin' straight forward and I know he is focused. I am ok with him not looking at me. I know his game face is on. His Mom (Janet) wants to see eyes! I was very disappointed when I saw CF peel off and go to the field house around the west side of the stadium and not walk with the team down the field. What message does this give this team? If your a team player then walk with the team! I can tell you I do not like the message! After a couple of more adult beverages I am game ready. We normally sit next to the tuba players, but this time we sat in the upper level right behind the band. I liked these seats. I feel good about this game! Here we go! Matt kicks off and the height was good but the distance was so so. There was some wind, but we were able to stop Utah St. at the 25. Utah St. ran 14 plays and attempted a 40 yard field goal. No good, wide left. Here we go! Ross, Lennon and Tim all take their snaps at QB. Wow! This is different! 12 plays later and Ross connects with Tim! Matt makes the PAT and I am smiling. Back and forth we go in the 2nd quarter and we score again. Who is calling these plays? I like what I am seeing! Matt kicks a 38 yard field goal and Utah St. connects with a 40 yard field goal and the first half comes to an end with Tech leading 17 to 3. Holy Moly! I am first half satisfied and like what I am seeing. The play calls on offense are crazy good and the defense is playing lights out. Where has all of this been? The 3rd quarter goes by pretty quick and Utah St. gets a 22 yard field goal. Our defense is rockin'! The start of the 4th quarter we run one play and Matt lines up for a 45 yard field goal and I watch Matt from my lens and I hear block! I have pictures, but I did not see it. Was it a good snap, was it a good hold, was the line pushed back, did Matt get a low kick off? I just don't know! This was Matt's first block in his kicking career. Whatever the problem was Matt will say it was on him. That is just the way Matt is. I am ok with this and the film and pictures will tell. Matt will still take all of the blame and that is ok. That is what makes Matt, Matt! I know Matt will beat himself up over this and he will be better because of it. Tech gets the ball back at the 9:38 mark and they march down and score with Lennon running for a 10 yard score. Tech goes up 24 - 6 and this would be the final score. I am not sure what happen in practice or in the locker room this week, but we need to try to duplicate the same intensity. It feels so good to get a win! Way to go Dawgs! I make my way back over to the tailgate area while the rest of the family goes over to the field house to see Matt. I would see him later as he and some of the players were going to come over and get some food and visit for a bit. The grill is lit and ready to cook. We are cookin' pork tenderloins for some pork sliders, sausage for some sausage wraps, pork poppers, and some more of those famous Maxwell's Markets atomic turd poppers. The family made its way back over and said Matt was pretty pissed that he had a block. He goes into all FG's and PAT's going 1 for 1 and that did not happen. We all know Matt and he will grow from this experience! Mr. Harper, Ms. Toni, John Sr., Janet, Mr. Rust, Matt, Dan "The Equipment Man" Matthiesen, JFord (Pop Corn Man), Kasie (Matt's girlfriend) and David & Barbara (Janet's Aunt & Uncle) all made their way over and were starving! Food was served and great football conversation was happening. What a great day it has been. I talked to Matt some and he was not sure exactly what happened except the defense got tremendous penetration. He was upset for the special teams and knew they would grow and learn from it. Dan I know you will get your double real soon! There is nothing wrong with a single as long as you have several of them! HaHa! I love ya Dan! With the early start of the game many of our tailgate neighbors cooked after the game. This was really cool and I wished many more on tailgate alley would have done the same! There was even a Dancing with the Stars competition. I think Dusty was the Big Winner, but I must state "What happens in Ruston stays in Ruston! Dusty is going to kill me on this one! Our night comes to an end! Wow, I am tired, stiff and I am in need of a bed! I was so impressed with the whole team! They played as one unit! Maybe it was the players. Maybe it was the coaches, but whatever it was, it worked. My first shout out goes to the entire team and the coaching staff, it was a job well done by all. A win makes everything good. I hope we continue with a similar game plan against Idaho. My next shout out goes to Missy Farrar, she is the academic advisor for the football team and she does not get enough credit for everything she does for this team. She works behinds the scenes and keeps these athletes in check with their school work and study hall. I appreciate everything you do for the team and for keeping Matt in line with his grades. La Tech is very blessed to have such a wonderful person like you! Sunday morning comes way too early! We take the tents down and re-load the suburban. Then it is off to the Waffle House to meet Matt and Dan for a quick breakfast. Matt was anxious to go watch film and see what he needs to start working on for the Idaho game. What a weekend and I hope the La Tech supporters will show up in masses for the Idaho game. We need everyone to be in attendance. I will end my Utah St. experience here! This is going to be a busy week for me. It is the World's Largest Cruise Event week and I hope to be super busy as I share my passion in travel. It is time for me to get my mind right for Idaho. Idaho is 3 - 2 on the season and is coming off of a great season last year. It is going to be a tough game for us, but one I feel like we can win. We had them last year and let them come back and beat us. Matt missed a 56 yard game winning field goal last year wide left. I can tell you that Matt thinks about that kick every day and wants revenge on Idaho this year. Idaho potatoes need to be put back in the ground! They are not ready for La Tech this year. I know it is cold in Idaho during the fall, but why do you have a dome? Who came up with this Kibble & Bits dome concept? You would think that you would want your opponents to have to play in the elements. Is that why you are the Vandals? Are you a person who deliberately causes damage or destruction to personal or property in public view? No wonder why you have to hide in your Kibble & Bits dome! Bring your Vandal butt’s to Ruston! We are ready for you spuds! I have to give another shout out to Josh Scobee! He made 5 field goals and 3 PAT’s on Sunday. Josh is on fire this year. My fantasy team loves all of the points! Congrats again Josh. The Bulldog Nation is pulling for you! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt through his eyes and the Bulldog team! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to upset or hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at Tech Nation Radio every Tuesday night from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. It should be a great show as always! May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you need help with your Travel Plans just let me know! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Hawaii 10/2/10

2010-10-07T21:30:00.002-05:00

The time is here! The time is now. It is Hawaii 5 0 week. I mean Hawaii at 5:30 Island time week! Hawaii? Are you kidding me? I want to go! What an experience for those who have not been to Hawaii. I don't know much about the Hawaii team except that they are the #1 passing offense in the nation. I think what they do is get teams to travel 10's of hours, get them leied, cook them a whole pig and then perform some sort of hula voodoo on them before the game. Is that even fair? No wonder their passing game is #1, they hypnotize you before the game! HaHa! Hawaii is an awesome place to visit on vacation, but it is a long ways to travel from Ruston to Honolulu, especially when you have a game the week before and the week after. What scheduling genius did this, Benson and his monkeys? Come on CUSA please call our name! We are ready! Even though I am in the travel business, Matt has not ventured away from home too much until he started playing football for La Tech. This will be an awesome experience for him if he can sit still for the 8 hour plane ride from Dallas to Honolulu. Matt, it is time to chill, read a book, watch a movie and before you know it you will be getting leied in Hawaii. I have made the flight from Dallas to Honolulu and it always seems like it takes forever. I am not an upright sleeper, so I have to find something else to occupy my time. Looking at the Hawaii team from the outside they have some horses at wide receiver. Salas #1 and Pilares #21 look like to go to guys for Moniz. Both receivers are good size and they have amazing stats so far this year. It is going to be tough to win in Hawaii, but I hope our coaching staff has our team prepared for this all pass team. Here is a little history on Hawaii football. In 1909 The College of Hawaii “Fighting Deans” played and won its first game against McKinley High School 6 - 5. Because of limited travel opportunities, Hawaii only played local high schools, military and club teams for its first eight seasons. In 1920 The College of Hawaii becomes the University of Hawaii and the football team plays its first intercollegiate game against Nevada. They won 14 - 0. In 1923 a rainbow appears over the football field after UH upset Oregon State, 7-0, at Moiliili Field. Reporters begin calling UH teams the “Rainbows.” In 1946 after taking a four-year hiatus due to World War II, UH returns to the gridiron as a member institution of the NCAA. Hawaii played in the "TERMITE PALACE" Nicknamed for its deteriorating facade, Honolulu Stadium was home to Hawaii football from 1926-74. In 1975 Aloha Stadium made its debut and all Hawaii games are still played here. Currently UH has 19 players playing in the NFL. That is an amazing stat by its self. This is enough of Hawaiian Haka football lore. Matt said it was going to be a tough week for him. He had to get all of his school work taken care of in advance and get himself mentally prepared before they took off on Thursday to Hawaii. He said practice had gone well. The ball is still popping off of his foot well. His FG's with team and by himself have been pretty spot on. His kickoffs are getting deeper and his hang times have been all over 4.0. He said he had a few over 4.3 seconds. I would think our coverage team should be able to get down field and pin them within the 20 yard line with 4 plus hang time. One thing that Matt has done this year is limit the amount of kicks he is doing during the week. I feel like this will keep him from getting dead leg at the end of the season along with keeping him fresher for game time. Matt said the team looked good and the intensity on the field was high. Matt has his daily special teams meetings he attends and has been attending the offensive team meetings as well. He feels like this gives him a better grasp of the total offensive scheme. Thursday they have an early light practice before they bus to Shreveport to catch flight #1 to Dallas. The team arrived in Honolulu on flight #2 around 4:30 PM Hawaiian time. They checked into the Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort and they had free time the rest of the evening. Matt, Ryan Allen & Chandler Spence went to PF Chang's on the beach and had dinner. Matt said eating with a view of Waikiki Beach was awesome. They got to walk around the beach some Thursday evening as well. Friday morning the team went to Aloha Stadium and did a walk through. He kicked few kickoffs and field goals. He said the wind was weird because of the stadium configuration. Next they were off to Pearl Harbor. I think this is awesome that the team gets to do this. I hope Matt enjoys the experience. Going to Pearl Harbor is one of those things in life that you need to do. Friday night they have a team dinner and Saturday is meetings, mental walk thru and then it is game time. This will be my first game to not see Matt play in person this year. It is a little sad and all will be ok. My weekend would start off by sampling a few beers from my Pumpkin Pack! I know it is pretty stupid, but I made my own six-pack from Oktoberfest, autumn and Pumpkin themed beers. Some were good and some were not so good. Pumpkin Pie with a fizz is a little strange. My favorite was Sierra Nevada Tumbler Brown Ale and my least favorite was Shiner Oktoberfest. Our lunch on Saturday consisted of Sushi in honor of playing Hawaii. I am good with real sushi, but Janet (wife) is not a fan. I convinced her that she could get some rolls with cooked stuff inside and she trusted me. HaHa! It is true; you can rolls for the non adventurous people. We found 3 rolls that she committed to order and she was surprised how good they were. If you run into her in the tailgate area ask her about her sushi experience. I know she would love to share! We watched the LSU - Tennessee game and I about fell out on the floor when the announcers made the comment when Tennessee did not send out their replacement (Palardy) true freshman kicker to kick a 46 yard FG. Lincoln had a sore hamstring so he was not playing. They said Dooley would not send out a true freshman to make that long of a kick. History tells me that they sent Matt out for a 58 yard FG against Hawaii last year. CBS needs to do their homework! Janet's parents (Meggie & Papaw) were in town and came over in the early evening. We pigged out on wings from the Wing Stop and consumed just enough Red Wine to be roasty toasty before the 10:30 PM CST kickoff. I sure am glad we have to watch only one game this late this year. We ordered the video stream from the UH athletic site. Janet (wife) had a cable that went from her computer to the TV so we could watch it on a larger screen. This was really cool. Last year I did not know what to expect watching games on TV. I wore multiple pairs of drawers and stood in the kitchen and watched. It will be interesting to see how I handle myself, but I am going to start out with only one pair of drawers this year. Well it is game time, my cheeks are rosy (red wine kickin' in), the radio is on in one room and the game is on in the bedroom. Well it is late and Janet (wife) needs to lie down to watch the game. As she gets older it is harder for her to stay up past midnight! HaHa! La Tech kicks off and Matt kicks it 5 yards deep for a touch back. Great kick Matt! Hawaii pulls off a FG after 14 plays and I am numb, but ok with them only getting 3 points. La Tech gets the ball and on no, it is 3 and out on our first series. CF is this how it was designed in the first series? We hold Hawaii to a punt and here we go again with another 3 and out. WTH is going on? Hawaii gets the ball back and continues to pick our safeties apart. I just don't understand! We are now down 24 - 0 and I do not have enough red wine in the house. I am watching in one room and listening in the other. Nothing I am doing is helping the team. With a little more than 6 minutes left in the 2nd quarter we make another QB change. If I were a QB, I would be afraid to start! You know you are going to get pulled! This is the craziest offensive scheme I have ever seen. Instead of High Octane we are watching the Sound of Music! This Musical Chair's game is not a football process. We have made full circle with our QB's and Ross is now in the game! About time we get some senior leadership in for this team. Before I go any further I need a definition of Musical Chairs! Musical chairs is a popular adult’s game throughout the world. Whether you play the traditional version or one of its variations, adults of all ages will have good time trying to impress the coaches and grab a spot at quarterback in this game of speed, hitting the receiver’s hands and agility. Ok, I feel better! We are playing the game correctly! Ross leads the team down the field in 10 plays and we score a touchdown. Where has this been? The play calling looks awesome and the execution looked awesome. Even though we are still down in the game I liked what I just witnessed. The first half would end at 24 -7. We take the opening kickoff in the 3rd quarter, cruise down the field and Ray Holley punches the ball in for a score. Maybe we have found our pieces to the puzzle! We would score one more TD and Hawaii would score 2 more TD's and a FG. Hawaii would defeat La Tech 41 -21. I hate to lose and even though Matt made all 3 of his PAT's and Ross came in and led the team to 3 scores I still question the coaching in this game. We have to get everyone on the same page. Coaches need to call plays that work with our current players and the players need to execute the plays that are called. This is D1 football. It is time to step up and finish this season strong. We need to protect our house and go get the road games we are supposed to win. Ross I am proud of what you came in and did. I saw a leader emerge and the team embraced you. I would love to see the same thing happen on the defensive side of the ball. I hope the CF & CD have a little more patience at the QB position. Putting in a new QB every other set of downs is not working. On the defensive side we have to quit giving up so much open space to the receivers. We should not get picked apart like that. If we can win the game at the line of scrimmage we will finish the season strong! We have to protect our QB and we must get penetration on their QB. With all of this being said, I did see some positives come from the game. I love this team and university and want to win as much as everyone else does. I say things that might upset people, but I say what I feel. I want to give a shout out to Richie Casey, Tim Molton & Ray Holley. Great touchdowns! I also want to give a shout out to the equipment staff and the training staff. Jeff Springer and Keith Bunch do not get enough credit for what they have to pull off at these away games. A special thanks to one of the hardest behind the scenes guys goes to Dan "The Equipment Man" Matthiesen! Thanks for all you do Dan! Utah St., are you ready for us? I don't think so. You are going to see a team that you never expected to see. We play three Aggie teams this year. That is just crazy! What is a Blue Aggie? Do you have an all male cheer leading squad as well? What the heck is your Beno Club? I know what Beno is at the drug store! The definition given by the Blue Aggie web site is stupid. The term Beno came from some Salt Lake City students, while still in high school, had approached their principal at West High about starting a club. The principal's response was that there would "be no" clubs. The experience stayed with the young men, and when they came north to attend Utah St. the name stuck with them.Today one can become a "Beno Club Member" by receiving a kiss on the "A" (statue) under a full moon at midnight by somebody who already is a "Beno Club Member," or on Homecoming or A-Day by somebody who is not. This True Blue Aggie tradition is run by the Student Alumni Association and Beno Club members. I will end my Hawaii experience here! Bring it on Blue Aggies! You are going to get your ears thumped in Ruston! Go kick some butt on Saturday Dawgs! I will be there cheering as hard as I can! If you are out and about before are after the game stop by tailgate spot 52. We have cold beverages and something to nibble on. Matt will be there after the game as well! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt and this awesome group of young men! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to upset or hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at La Tech Nation Radio every Tuesday night from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. I was not there to take any pictures and I want to thank Woody Rust, Hawaii Sports, Dan Matthiesen and Gantt Graham for letting me use their awesome photography in my blog. May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you need help with your Travel Plans just let me know! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!

Southern Miss 9/25/10

2010-09-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

Yellow Buzzard, Yellow Buzzard where art thou? I have watched Southern Miss play on TV twice this year already. Against South Carolina they looked like the got the mustard squeezed out of them and against Kansas they looked like they just came out of the car wash all sparkled up. Now they are headed to Ruston sporting their new doo! Which team will we get? I will take either one of them. Bring your best buzzards and I think you will leave town a loser after the Bulldawgs have hiked their legs and rained on your new doo! All funny business aside, I am looking forward to playing Southern Miss. They are where we want to be in the CUSA and what a great chance for us to fill some butts in the seats and show the CUSA we have it going on! Very similar to Navy, Southern Miss has been to a bowl game for the last 8 straight years. I think this is a tradition that we would like to start here at La Tech. We are not playing the powder puff team. We are playing a very good football team! When I look at Southern Miss football and school traditions they are all over the map. Every student gets a handbook called the Drawl. What kind of name is a Drawl? History says that the school name has Southern in it and what do Southerners talk with? Really? Is this a joke? The next thing I found was the Yellow Buzzard Code of honor! If you are a Yellow Buzzard this is the oath you must abide by: A Yellow Buzzard always does the right thing, is punctual and respectful (gets there on time and stays to the end), is always a lady or a gentleman and is true to the Black and Gold (Yellow). Do you have to sign a document to buy a ticket? I think they are just making things up! The Nasty Bunch is the name of the football team’s defense, and it is also the team’s defensive cheer. “Nasty Bunch! Nasty Bunch! Nasty! Bunch!” It is used each time Southern Miss holds an opposing offense on third down or when the Nasty Bunch makes a significant defensive play, which is not often! The song “Are You from Dixie?” is played after every extra point scored during a Southern Miss football game. Enough of this Yellow Buzzard BS! We have a football game to get ready for. I spoke to Matt several times during the week and he said practice has gone well. Staying mentally focused and going through his check list in his head before each kick. The ball seems to be popping off of his foot better than anytime so far this year. I keep telling him to practice his golf swing and your ball will always land on the green! Josh Scobee contacted Matt early in the week to see how things went. Matt told him things went well during the Navy game and then he told Josh thanks for getting him 8 points for his fantasy football team. Josh thought that was pretty cool! Chris Boniol checked on Matt as well. I think it is great that these guys take the time out of their busy schedules and take a deep interest not only in Matt, but the school as well. Matt's plant leg is getting stronger and he feels like he is about 108%. He worked on a few more kickoffs during the week with the team and was getting good distance and 4.2 plus hang time on his kicks. His legs still feel fresh and is ready for Southern Miss. Matt said the team has had a good week of practice and is pumped and ready. Before they head to the team hotel Friday evening they are going to go see the movie Wall Street "Money never Sleeps". Good luck Dawgs! Let's kick some Yellow Buzzard butt Saturday evening! My trip to Ruston for the game will not be a typical trip. My wife informed me early in the week that this was going to be a "Visitation Tailgate" What? I am not going to a funeral! She said get your beer, wine, chair and set your tent up. Then sit your butt in the middle of it and visit! Are you kidding me? No cooking? No way! Do you know what this makes me look like? After many rounds back and forth I decided to give in and say "Yes Dear" if this will make you happy! It damm sure does not make me happy, but I agreed to do it this time and only this time! Does she not know I am surrounded by professional chefs at tailgate spot 47 and 48 (Dusty, Bryan and Bradley) tailgate spot 53 ( Chef Bobby Cockrell) and tailgate spot 56 (Master Chef Ross, AKA Marketdawg)? These guys are going to want to know if I am wearing a skirt this weekend! I will take my medicine this time only! It worked out ok because we could not drop the dogs off in North Dallas until 8:00 Saturday AM. We swung by Johnny's and picked up some muffaletta's and hit the tailgate spot at 12:15. It makes no difference how many times you stop it is a solid 4 hour trip. The tent is setup, my chair is in the middle of the tent and my butt is drinking an Abita Turbo Dog! Let the visiting begin! HaHa! My tailgate neighbor Chef Bobby Cockrell had 15 slabs of ribs going, Master Chef Ross had his shrimp boil going and Dusty, Bryan and Bradley had the wings going. What did I have going? My tail between my legs! This is not looking good! Since the team arrives at 4:00 (Janet likes to go watch Matt warm up! It calms her down supposedly!) I would of only had 3 hours and 30 minutes to get things setup anyway, so it worked out Ok! Don't tell Janet (wife) that I said this worked out ok! I told her I was still not happy! During my Visitation Tailgate I got to visit with Jonathan Ford and Mr. Ross Harper. Thanks for the beer, water and sodas Mr. Harper. You are an awesome ambassador for the school! After I served my visitation time in the chair Mr. Harper & I walked around and he introduced me to many of the Bulldawg family. We even walked up the hill and visited with the BBB group. I saw Adam, John and got to meet Dwayne. I was hoping to see Dawgmatic and introduce myself to HD, but they were not there. That was my first time to go that direction during a game day! I was surprised how many people were tailgating up there! Very cool! We made our way back to the visitation tent and Meggie & Papaw (Janet's mom & dad) along with David & Barbara (Janet's aunt & uncle) had made it in for the game. While I was walking around with Mr. Harper, Dusty and Bradley brought over some wings to sample. They were awesome guys! I had been watching most of the afternoon Chef Bobby (tailgate spot 53) cook these ribs. Yes my tail was still between my legs. He had this awesome charcoal technique that turned his Weber grill into a rib cookin' machine. He was cookin' 15 slabs with his chef coat on! That is what I would love to do! Bobby is an awesome cook/person and I have a lot to learn from him this fall! Oh and the ribs were to die for and you need to come ask him about his cookin' technique and his rib recipe! Thanks to everyone for the food samples! I owe you big time! Mr. Woody Rust came by and we shared some football stories and drank a few beers. It is always good to talk to him about the defense. That is a part of the game that I do not know too much about. He has a very good knowledge of the defensive game and explains it so that am learning some! I had a very special visitor come visit right before we were headed to the stadium. I had heard awesome things about him from Matt and I finally got to meet Matt Graham! Wow! What an amazing visit. Thomas Graham has taken Matt (#33) under his wings since he arrived at La Tech and we as a family are so grateful for Thomas & Matt Graham. They are just awesome! Thanks for being someone Matt (#33) can lean on! It's game time and with a beer (Abita IPA) in hand I head to the stadium. We sit in the general admission area and try to get as close to the tuba players as possible. I love the band and we get into the "Move the Chains" after a first down! I only got to see Matt kick a few kicks before game time. When Southern Miss came through the tunnel they looked pretty big to me! We take the opening kickoff and start on our own 26 yard line. 3 passes to the feet and we have to punt! This is not starting off very good! I would think our first possession would be scripted rock solid! Southern Miss starts out on their 36 and goes 3 and out! Ok, everything is equal now. High Octane Offence you can kick in now! Oh no! Southern Miss just intercepted and is on our 16! This is not good! It is 3rd down on our 4 yard line and a pass to the corner of the end zone is intercepted by Josh Victorian. Great pick Josh, but you have to take a knee there. A new QB is in already? It looks like Coach Franklin has no patience for any mistakes made on the field tonight. The first play out of the shoot and it is a pass play good for 38 yards. Woo Ho! It was only woo ho for a moment as we had to punt again. Southern Miss drives down and kicks a FG. Tech gets the ball back and we drive down and kick a FG! Score tied 3 - 3. Way to go Matt! It looks like your golf game is spot on! Back and forth we go for the 2nd quarter and the score is still tied a 3 -3. Southern Miss starts the 3rd quarter with the ball on our 40 yard line and in 6 plays they score a TD and lead 10 - 3. Southern Miss would kick another FG while we were kicking punts! The 3rd quarter would come to an end with Southern Miss leading 13 - 3. It has been an awesome night weather wise for me until the rain came pouring down, but that is ok with me. This was going to be fun! We are still in the game! Our first possession of the 4th quarter starts by throwing an interception. Our next possession we score, the PAT is good and the score is 13 - 10. The next thing I know I see Matt going in to kickoff. Ok, maybe they have a special play called. Nope, it is a normal kickoff, but we are offside’s. We backup 5 yards and kick again. The Southern Miss kick returner makes his way through a huge hole and Matt gets an assisted tackle. It was a good tackle, but it did not matter and they had an illegal block in the back. They run 3 plays and our defense holds them, they go to punt and Rufus Porter blocks the punt. We had several chances to get the ball in the end zone, but the punter knocked the ball out of the end zone for a safety. Wat to go Rufus! Tech is within one point and the rain is still coming down. The fans that stayed were getting loud and we still have a chance to do this. I am waving my towel, yelling until I lose my voice and jumping up and down trying not to injure my plant foot on the slippery aluminum seats. Whatever I was doing it did not work! Things would not go so well for us as we fumbled, punted and threw an interception in the last 10 minutes of the game and Southern Miss would win 13 - 12. We had so many chances, but had WAY TOO MANY 3rd and shorts that we could not accomplish. I know a FG would of been difficult with this rain, but at least give a chance to win the game. Throwing 40 yard passes in the rain is not going to cut it. Where is our running game? I think we need some super unleaded for our high octane offense! Using regular is not cutting it! This is a very tough loss for us. With conference play starting next week we have no room for error the rest of the season. The rest of the family made their way to the tent and Janet, Kasie (Matt's girlfriend) and I made our way in the pouring rain to the locker room area. The rain sure felt good to me, but the loss was very painful. Matt made his way out a little later and we visited for a few minutes before he went and took his shower. As we all do, Matt hates to lose and was pretty quiet! The only comment he made to me was that he was mentally/physically ready for a game winning FG if the game presented that scenario. Matt said he will be ready when called upon! I made my way past the Southern Miss locker room wondering what if! I kept playing these what ifs in my head. I made it to the tent and everyone was under it. It was really pouring down. I had loaded some things before the game, but not everything. Matt drove over and helped us get some things loaded and we would leave the rest to pick up on Sunday. Matt & Janet went to pickup pizza at Johnny's and would meet the rest of us at the Fairfield Inn. It would be Johnny’s pizza and ESPN until early in the morning on our agenda. I cannot get these what ifs out of my head! My personal shout outs go to the defense for playing 4 quarters, the punting game, Rufus Porter, the remaining fans who stuck it out until the bitter end in the rain, the amazing band and our fantastic student section! I am not sure what to say about the offense. I hope Coach Franklin gets this side of the ball moving in the right direction. I feel like we have the right players on the team, but the players need to execute the plays that are called. We are very young at the skill positions and they need more game experience! When we miss blocks, throw interceptions, fumble balls it makes the coaches look like the bad guys. I think the best is still to come from this team and coaching staff! I have said enough about the Southern Miss game. I have lost my voice and I have not gotten over this loss yet, but it is time to move on. Early Sunday AM we make our way over to the tailgate area and load up the rest of our gear and start our journey back to Dallas. It is time to get my mind right for Hawaii! WAC play is here now and we have to get focused! I am ready for this team to go to Honolulu and kick the Haka out of their Hawaiian butts! Haka? Is this a type of food? Is that what you do when you have a hair ball? The Haka is a posture dance that involves the entire body in vigorous rhythmic movements, which may include swaying, hip gyrations, slapping of the chest, butt and thighs, stamping, and gestures of stylized violence. It is accompanied by a chant and, in some cases, by fierce facial expressions meant to intimidate, such as bulging eyes and the sticking out of the tongue. What in the world is this? Do we need to bring our guns? What does the term Rainbow Warriors represent? I know what it means if you have a rainbow sticker on your bumper! I guess I will never understand these huge guys wearing diapers either! Who helps them pin things back up when Mother Nature calls? HaHa! I will end my Southern Miss experience here. Good luck Bulldogs as we take on the Haka Queens from Hawaii! It will be a 10:30 PM CST game, so get your nap in before the game! HaHa! I appreciate all of those who are following my journey. It is such a blast to follow Matt and the Bulldawgs! I write from the bottom of my heart and what my feelings are at that moment. I don’t intend to upset or hurt anyone, but I am very passionate about La Tech Football! Don’t forget to listen to my friends at La Tech Nation Radio every Tuesday night from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. It should be a great show as always. If you want a picture of your favorite player make sure and visit Tom Morris at La Tech Sports Pix! Mr. Rust I hope you have a blast in Hawaii! May your Football Season be filled with many Football Victories, Sunny Smiles, Sandy Dreams and Travel Your Way! If you need help with your Travel Plans just let me know! Until our paths cross again, have a blessed week! College Football Dad!