Last Week’s Game

Seth: Well, that didn’t exactly turn out like we wanted. After having some time to reflect on things, I still think that a few of those penalties were bad calls and despite some of those really bad calls, I thought that this team was pretty much in this game and could have gone either way until the safety and then interception. Not to put it all on the quarterback, because I mentioned after the game that the running game has to be better, but those end-of-game mistakes were pretty critical and hopefully Bowman can learn from them. What were the big takeaways from the Iowa State game for you?

Travis: We were pretty busy on Saturday so I didn’t get to watch most of the game, but I listened, pulled up on my phone and paid attention to my text threads. By all accounts it looks like we got the short end of the stick on at least two drive-saving penalty calls and questionable on another. The radio guys were really mad about the unnecessary roughness when the WR fell down and I saw the replay of the roughing the passer when he tackled his feet while the QB still had the ball in his hands. It’s just awful that we have to overcome crap like that and if I was Kingsbury I’d be pissed.

But with all that, it’s still disappointing that we had a ST and defensive touchdown and couldn’t muster enough offense to get a win. I know there’s a ton of frustration with the offense right now and Bowman appears to be hurtling back toward earth at the wrong time. We need him playing at a high level right now.

Suburban Gangsters

Travis: So we went with a superhero theme on Saturday and the boys went as Batman v Superman. They absolutely loved getting to dye their hair and are looking forward to it again on Wednesday. Sounds like you have a busy week ahead?

Seth: Well, your boys and my boys would have made an incredibly tough combination, although two universes would have collided as your boys, part of the DC universe, would have teamed up with two Avengers, from the Marvel universe.

Yes, it’s going to be a busy week. I’m leaving on Friday to go to the game this weekend. It’s the second game I will have seen this year, the first being the Houston game (I hope I’m not bad luck, although I probably am bad luck, but maybe the boys are good luck). We’ve got a crew going this year, last year staying in an RV, this year we rented an VRBO and posting up there. I’m leaving early enough on Friday to eat dinner in Lubbock. I don’t remember how I stumbled on this on Twitter, but I found this place, Gwynn’s Home Cooking that sells African food. Youssouf has talked about fufu, a starch that he said that’s all he ever ate in the Congo, for breakfast and dinner (he said he never got to eat lunch). Well, Gwynn sells fufu, although it’s not on the menu, I’ve communicated with Gwynn via Twitter and I think we’re hooking Yoyo up with some fufu on Friday. I’ll probably also get some kebabs, meat pies, and it will be a great meal. I’m excited to try it, but I’m more excited for Yoyo to take a step back in time.

And Saturday, it’s going to be a long day, especially with kids. Fitsum does not give a rat’s ass about football and/or going to the game. He just doesn’t care about sports, which is great. I don’t need him to care, Youssouf either, whatever makes them happy. I’ll need to be prepared with books, and electronics for Fitsum to entertain himself for tailgating and during the game. Fitsum will also want to ask me questions about superheroes during the game, which is fantastic because here I am, all nervous about the game and Fitsum is considering who the main villain of Green Arrow or Cyborg is. It lets you know what’s important and it certainly isn’t football.

Travis: That’s funny because we have a similar dynamic going on in our house. Cade is all about sports but Cash is pretty indifferent. I was watching a Spurs game last week and he stood by my chair for a good thirty minutes telling me about the biggest bat in the world. It’s the Fox face bat from Australia. We looked it up on google and damned if that bat doesn’t have a face that looks just like a fox.

The Best Thing Ever

Seth: My best thing ever this week is kids for Halloween. There is something magical about watching kids dress up and be somebody or something they are not, complete with superpowers and invincibility or a magic wand or a princess or whatever. Our neighborhood does a hayride trick or treat and the kids run around, have a great time and get lots of candy. It’s a win, win, win.

Travis: And I’m with you on the best thing ever. When Claire was younger she always loved getting dressed up for Halloween and going trick or treating with the neighborhood kids. And now the boys have taken it to a whole different level. Cash starts thinking about Halloween right after the Fourth of July and starts the hard countdown sometime in August. They really love getting dressed up but the real prize is the candy haul. They’ll go out for a couple of hours, come back to the house and dump their booty all over the floor. Some hardcore negotiations follow and serious trades get made. Then they package everything up, we store it in the pantry and they spend the next month begging for just one more piece.

Random Top Five

Travis: I can’t remember if we’ve done this before, but what are your top five holidays?
Mine have to be:
1. Christmas
2. Thanksgiving
3. New Year’s Eve/Day
4. Halloween
5. Fourth of July

As you can see my holidays are heavily weighted toward the fall/winter. This is my favorite time of year. The summers in Texas seem to never end so I tend to enjoy the cooler weather for a few weeks.

Seth: I’m right there with you on the cooler days of fall and winter. The older I get, the less tolerant I am of the sun. I just want to stay inside as much as possible. Onto my top five holidays:

1. Thanksgiving (food, family, & football)
2. St. Patrick’s Day (this is my Dad’s birthday)
3. Father’s Day (the one day I get toss any chores list in the basura)
4. Christmas (food & family)
5. Halloween (kids and costumes)

This Week’s Game

Seth: This week’s game looks to be an absolute nightmare scenario for David Gibbs because the Oklahoma offense is as good, if not better than they were last year. That seems improbable, but they are doing it. Add to the fact that the Texas Tech offense has been wobbly at best. I’m more than concerned about Saturday’s game. I think this is going to have to be one of those “things just fall the right way” sort of game because keeping pace with the Oklahoma offense is going to be incredibly tough. There’s just so many weapons that you have to stop.

Any thoughts on how you think the game will play out?

Travis: This is one of those games where it’s best to not go in with any expectations. Then, if something good happens, it’s a pleasant surprise. Coincidentally I often go into the OU game with this mindset and it seems to payoff. I remember how much fun that 2007 game was when we pulled off the huge upset.

Game Predictions

Seth: Ultimately, I think OU is so good offensively and as good as Bowman has been, asking him to keep pace is unfair and I think the defense is very good, but holding the Sooners to 40 would be an accomplishment. I’ll take OU, 48-35 or something like that.

Travis: So with all that, I don’t know how to predict this game with any accuracy. I’m hoping Bowman can play at a high level, that Kliff mixes in a healthy dose of running plays and that the defense can get three or four stops. If all of that happens, we’ll have a chance. Might as well win this game.