The Woe of the Buffalo

October 27, 2012

106 miles to the stadium

Colorado Buffaloes at Oregon Ducks

12:00 kickoff

51 degrees, wind from the south, 90% chance of rain, but we know It Never Rains At Autzen Stadium!

Sitting on the bumper to avoid the, um, wet stuff.

The table is the only thing to make it out of the truck before Kimi decides to plead our case with our friend, Mary, who is tailgating a couple of rows away from us under not one, but two awnings! We also have an awning, but it's at home in the garage. Somehow when we were packing for the game, we thought it would be smarter to bring the dogs instead of the awning. Come to find out, dogs are pretty useless against the weather. Cute, but useless. 

Mary and her party are not only cute, but gracious too! They invite us under cover and we quickly join them. We know we're at the right tailgate when we see this on one of the RV doors:

We're even more sure of our location when we learn of the Buffalo Balls stewing in the slow cooker! 

 Tailgating under the ! Our spirits may be wet, but they're not dampened!

It's a great tailgate, and apparently, the word is out because soon even more people show up. Recognize these jackets?

They are the jackets (and bodies!) of Olympians Ashton Eaton and his fiance, Brianne Theisen. If you don't know, Eaton is a decathlete and Theisen a heptathlete. They, too, know a good tailgate when they see it and head straight for the food!

The gold medalist gives a thumb's up to the tailgate, the food, and no doubt, the company! 

Soon, he asks for a group picture! 

Kimi manages to get one of just her and Ashton (yeah, we're on a first name basis now!).

Someone, somehow, eventually remembers there is a football game to be played. After all, the Colorado Buffaloes are in town. Who wants to miss that? Kimi and I grab our tickets and head in...

Fresno State? Arkansas State? September games? We each take a ticket, a wrong ticket, to the game. Luckily, the lady at the gate is very kind. She believes that we really are season ticket holders who each grabbed a wrong ticket, albeit different wrong tickets at the car, and lets us in. 

BRING ON THE GAME.

Well, that's short-lived. The Buffaloes are down 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, they're extinct. 56-0 Ducks at the half.

A sweet 6 points:

Another highlight from the day is watching the world's greatest athlete celebrate his Olympic gold medal on the home field. 

The Oregon Ducks definitely Win The Day.

A total blow out.

70-14 Oregon.

The meat of the season starts next week. See you from the Coliseum!

Thanks for following the Duck Tale.