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Thursday, September 22, 2011

SCT-VII


JCAM from NE brings us this week's SCT.  Enjoy^

This is the B1G response to ZJW’s SEC weekend.  I am a long time Iowa Hawkeye fan (insert joke here) and also went there for a few years.  I usually attend at least 1 game a year and ever since I left Iowa I have been an enormous jinx every time I happen to go to a game.  To shed some light on how legitimate this jinx is I will give some examples:

1.        The last time I saw Iowa win live was Northern Illinois 2006. (Those of you that remember that was when Garrett Wolf was running for 250 yards a game.)  Iowa went on to lose out at home that year.   
2.       In 2007 (Iowa’s worst season in a decade) I had tickets for the Michigan State game and at the last minute while I was in Iowa City I had to miss the game. (I was giving a police report…but that’s another story.)  It was Iowa’s one good win that season as they beat Michigan Stage in double overtime. 
3.       The following year in 2008 there were 7 home games, and I happened to attend the only one they lost to against Northwestern (I hate Pat Fitzgerald).
4.        Iowa’s 2009 season happened to be one of their best ever, capped off by them winning the Orange Bowl.  Of course that was the 1st season in 7 years I didn’t attend at least 1 game.
5.        In 2010 I went to the Ohio State-Iowa game.  Iowa ended up losing late in the 4th quarter on an insane scramble by Terelle Pryor.  After that loss I knew I had to break the jinx so I decided to visit some friends up in Minneapolis and go to the Iowa-Minnesota game. This should have been a sure win as Minnesota was playing with an interim coach and was already 2-9 with a loss to the University of South Dakota (sorry ES in Las Vegas.) As I am freezing my arse off in Minnesota’s stadium watching this melt down unfold before my eyes I realize that I have a legitimate jinx that may need divine intervention to snap. 

Bringing this up to date, I had been offered tickets to the Iowa-Pitt game a few weeks ago and originally said yes, but after the heartbreaking loss at Iowa State the week prior, I decided against it.  One of my best friends who we will refer to as “Beast” ended up getting a few tickets for dirt cheap a few days before the game and pretty much forced me to go against my will.

I leave Omaha and head to Des Moines Friday night so we can get an early start on Saturday since it was an 11am game.  We leave from Des Moines at 4:30am on Saturday morning to get a parking spot and pick up some gear (editor’s note: in case you didn’t grow up in LeMars, IA or haven’t conversated with a person from that area, the term “gear” is typically reserved for items usually purchased at a gas station).  Our normal tailgating spot known as “the hill” had been shut down for the first time ever, and I figured this had something to do with my jinx. Luckily, another one of my friends had gotten a spot to tailgate out at Finkbine Golf Course which is about a 10 minute walk to the stadium.  As I get to the golf course I realize it’s not in the parking lot, but in the middle of the driving range (strange I know but it was actually pretty cool).   I was self conscious about my jinx all day, and the entire time we were out at the golf course I was half expecting some tailgater, a few beers deep, to tee up a golf ball and drive it straight into my forehead .  

After surviving the tailgate for a few hours, I made the trek to the game.  I was sitting in my seat well before the game.  I got split up from beast earlier and was wondering where he was because I had never seen him late to a game before.  Beast had gone to another tailgate to give his brother an extra ticket.  While there, he and his brother decided to do lineman drills in the middle of the tailgate. (Of course, Why wouldn’t they?) While showing the group a proper blocking drill, Beast ended up dislocating his middle finger at a 90 degree angle 15 minutes before game time.  (This must have been my jinx rubbing off on him for forcing me to come along.) Those of you that have never met Beast need to know that he is definitely a performer.  Not wanting to miss an opportunity to show off, he proceeded to show other tailgaters what he had done.  He proceeds to walk up to a group of girls to show them what happened and two of them instantly start vomiting in public (no exaggeration).  Luckily for Beast, there was a doctor nearby that snapped his finger back into place and taped it up for him before he headed off to the game.  (This in itself was an over the top performance.) 

Finally about 5 minutes before the game starts, Beast finally shows up at the game where I’ve been waiting for at least 20 minutes already.   He tells me the whole story as we settle in to watch what I hope will be the game to break the jinx.  It is slightly overcast and pretty chilly (perfect football weather) and we are sitting about 30 rows up right next to the student section.  As the game starts, I realize my jinx is starting to kick into high gear.  Iowa came out completely flat and couldn’t move the ball offensively running or passing.   If there could possibly be anything worse than their offense, it would be their defense.  Pitt was putting on a clinic through three quarter and brought the score up to 24-3 with no ending in sight.  It is about this time that I begin to get text messages from others who knew of my jinx.  I will give some examples word for word:  “U suck…why would u ever go to a game” and, “Please go home” and,  ”I hope you’re happy…leave the stadium and walk as far as you can” and my personal favorite:  “Leave.” 

It is about this time that my luck begins to change, Iowa finally starts driving the ball and scoring.  With 16:16 left in the game they are down 27-10 and proceed to finally put something together.  A quick touchdown drive followed by a 3 and out, followed by another touchdown drive to bring the score to 27-24.  Not once up until the middle of the 4th quarter did I truly believe that Iowa had a chance to win, but now I was beginning to think that they just might pull something out in spite of me being there.  It is about this time that ESPN has a screen shot on the crowd for about 10 seconds.  Right in the middle of this is Beast and I.  I watched this on DVR later and can distinctly read Beast’s lips screaming at me “We are going to win this F’ing game.”  (Unfortunately he is not waving his taped up dummy finger around.) Iowa proceeds to get another touchdown to put them up for the first time 31-27 with a few minutes left in the game and Kinnick is absolutely erupting.  Pitt begins to drive the ball down the field but ended up throwing the game deciding interception a few plays later sealing the first victory I’d seen live in 5 years. 

GO HAWKS!!     


I look forward to this Sunday's post in which I'll be revisiting the Tampa Bay Brewing Company which should make for a good post.  Enjoy the weekend!

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