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.

Roll Over And Play Dead - Good Dawg.

October 6, 2012

106 miles to the stadium

Washington Huskies at Oregon Ducks

7:30 kickoff

65 degrees with a light wind from the north - It never rains at Autzen Stadium!

Roll over and play dead - the only tricks the Dawgs knew Saturday night!

The local media debated all week whether the Oregon/Washington rivalry was done. Mostly, because the Dawgs have been so irrelevant lately with Oregon taking 8 straight games from them by no less than 17 points. Coach Kelly even got into the action, dismissing the extra hype surrounding the game by claiming that "most of the acrimony between the two teams occurred more than a decade ago." He went on to say that the kids on his team were 8 years old and watching Spongebob ten years ago, not football. Maybe so, but us Duck fans weren't. And neither were the Huskies. Instead, we were watching this: 

And things like Kenny Wheaton's pick to beat the Huskies in the final moments of the game to send the Ducks to the Rose Bowl don't die easily... for either team. 

To be fair, the Huskies have danced on our hearts (not to mention our field) a few times too.

So let's get one thing straight:

WE HATE THE HUSKIES AND THE HUSKIES HATE US.

There's no debate. Now, let's get onto the tailgating.

We pile into the parking lot on yet another beautiful and sunny Saturday afternoon happy to be "back home." There's an energy in the air. Nervousness? Excitement? The reason is difficult to discern under the blue sky and yellow and green shield.  

Living the O

After, yes you guessed it, sausages, chips, and beer, it's time to gather our tickets and sweatshirts, and head into the stadium. Except, this is the Huskies. We need one more thing....

DAWG BONES!!!

Stacey and I fill our pockets. We know we'll run into some "deserving" dawg.

About to head in - Kimi is really excited!

The team called for everyone to wear yellow. I think we did a good job! 

"Go," yell the fans on the north side. "Ducks," respond those of us on the south side, over and over, louder and louder threatening the eardrums of all who were in attendance. The energy from the parking must have had a ticket and got through the gate because it is now in Autzen Stadium. And the Ducks know it. By the end of the first quarter, we're up 21 points and have held the #23 ranked Huskies to a big fat zero. 

Kimi reacts after Avery Patterson scores on a 43-yard interception return.

The one Husky fan in our section watches with his head down as his team tries to compete, but it's clear they're in over their heads and don't stand a chance. The Ducks are up 35-7 at the half causing the Husky fan to quickly disappear from his seat. No doubt he's headed to the club to drown his sorrows. Before going to the club myself, I leave a cup filled with dog bones in his cup holder. Only, he'd never return, leaving the dawgs in the dawghouse to fend for themselves.

The Huskies go on to score a touchdown in the 3rd and 4th quarter, but we keep pace and this game is in the books. The Huskies leave Autzen Stadium whimpering.....

HO HUM, just another blow out. 

Autzen, Home of the O

Final score: 52-21 Ducks

NEXT WEEK IS A BYE WEEK, SO BYE.

OUR FLIGHT LEAVES AT 6:30 TOMORROW MORNING.
WE'RE GOING TO HAWAII TO RECUPERATE.


SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS FROM PHOENIX!

Thanks for following the Duck Tale! 

Ducks Fly

September 8, 2012

106 miles to the stadium

Oregon Ducks vs. Fresno State Bulldogs
3:30 kickoff

Mid-eighties, a light NW wind & sunny - It never rains at Autzen Stadium!

Clint talking about the season's potential.

Raw footage from the Willie Nelson concert on Thursday night.

Speaking of magical, Aidan helps decorate the truck in Portland before heading South with the flock for his first Duck Game. 

Hard to believe it was his first game - he was such a good web-footed little guy all day! 

Aidan sees Autzen and the parking lot for the first time. Remember your first time? Magical.

Phyllis Diller once said, "the reason women don't play football is because eleven of them would never wear the same outfit in public." Ms. Diller, we beg to differ! 

Annie asks if she looks like a natural (it's her first game too!) and Aidan perfects his throw ~ "Mom, you gotta step forward when you throw." Future Oregon Quarterback perhaps?

After all that throwing, we're hungry. Luckily, Jacob, Annie, and Anish, master barbequer, are on it. 

Sausages, chips, and beer beg a very important question...

in what part of the country do they call them wieners?

Ty shows us it's this part of the country!

Reunited by spirit, bonded by name. U of O.

Kimi, Ty, Treben, and Jacob feeling the feathers   

All good things must end, and this was a GREAT tailgate. No better way to spend a day! 

"We've got lots of little feet, so it's time to find our seats." -Stacey

"There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done."

-Johnny Unitas

LET'S GET THE JOB DONE.

 

TOUCHDOWN!

     TOUCHDOWN!                           TOUCHDOWN!

KENJON BARNER GETTING THE JOB DONE 

A yellow so strong even the lemonade agrees

Once again, the sun eventually sets over Autzen Stadium, and the Fresno State Bulldogs too. Final score: 42-25 Ducks. 

Thanks for following the Duck Tale!

SEE YA NEXT WEEK!

(Oregon motorcycle picture by Scott Olmos, Kenjon Barner picture by Thomas Boyd)