Gimme’ Some Sugar

I spent the better part of December in a state of inner-turmoil.  My beloved Hogs were chosen to play in the 2011 Sugar Bowl in my beloved New Orleans…and I didn’t get to go.  Seriously.  I am a dyed-in-the-wool Razorback fan.  My entire family loves the Hogs.  I was raised to call them.  My favorite season of the year is football season.  I refused to get married in the fall and planned my pregnancies so that nothing would interrupt football season.  I love my Hogs.

And, oh, New Orleans.  I named my daughter after the city.  Rudy and I have vacationed there multiple times.  I have photographs and framed art all over my house of it.  I love the music, the food, the people, the spirit and the energy that it entails. 

Yet, a BCS Sugar Bowl trip was not meant to be for the Villines family this year.  The money wasn’t there and the timing was awful.  School started on January 3rd.  The game was on January 4th.  We would’ve had to take personal days to go and couldn’t have left until after school on the 3rd or we would’ve gotten docked pay for missing the day after a break. (One of those rules that only applies when you work in certain school districts.)  We just couldn’t do it.  Don’t think I didn’t try.  Don’t think I didn’t whine, pout and wallow in my own self-pity about it.  I did.  It just didn’t do any good. 

The electricity in the air in Northwest Arkansas on January 4th was palpable from the moment my alarm clock when off.  Almost everyone was walking with a little more energy in their step.  Everywhere you looked, there was a Hog, a red shirt, a flag flying.  Even people who aren’t usually fans were engaged in the excitement.  (Some only because their workplaces encouraged it, but still…)  You could feel the anticipation growing all day.  When I picked Caleb up from school, even he was jazzed up about the “BIG GAME.”  He started calling the Hogs in the backseat of the car and – I kid you not – I got a lump in my throat.  He wanted to sing the Fight Song and kept asking questions about the game and it was awesome.

When we got home, Caleb convinced Rudy to play a little front yard football.  Rudy was partially motivated by the possibility of exhausting the child so that he would go to bed easily while we watched the game.  I grinned from ear to ear when I heard Caleb tell Rudy, “"Daddy, you're the buckeyes. I'm the Razorbacks. I'm gonna' take you down!"

We had red beans and rice for supper and then settled in to watch the game.  The Hogs lost to Ohio State 31-26, after a sloppy first half and an amazing effort in the second half that almost brought home the trophy.  There were a lot of “if only’s” at the end of the game. 

This year, my Hogs ended the season 10-3, including wins over LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.  Our only 3 losses were to Auburn (who ended up winning the National Championship), Alabama (who was ranked #1 when we played them) and Ohio State.  It was the best season I can ever remember and I’m already looking forward to kickoff on September 3rd.