Seriously.
I wasn’t even going to post today because I may have mentioned I have a book that is technically due on Wednesday of this week and that means I’m a tad stressed. But even book deadline stress doesn’t compare to the stress I felt during the Aggie game on Saturday.
We went over to watch it at Gulley’s house because that’s my favorite game-watching destination since no one there judges me for my over enthusiasm and, in fact, embraces it. And I had a pit in my stomach because I just knew this wasn’t going to be an easy game. Truth be told, I felt like there was a good chance we were going to lose and Kirk Herbstreit didn’t help matters when he picked the Hogs on Gameday. I like to always believe in Herbstreit and this left me feeling torn between my love for him and his football acumen and wanting to declare that he had no idea what he was talking about.
On a side note, Gameday did a feature this week on SEC coaches’ wives and it may be one of my favorite things ever. If this was a weekly show, I’d watch it.
Anyway, the game got off to a great start. The Aggies scored quickly and easily. Perfect. But then the Razorbacks did the same and it all just seemed to fall apart. I mean when the opposing team’s punter scores a touchdown you’ve pretty much hit the bottom of the proverbial football barrel.
When we went down by two scores I felt like it was a lost cause. This is because I lived (barely) through both the Mike Sherman and Dennis Franchione coaching eras at Texas A&M. Comeback and grit weren’t really hallmarks of those teams. I even texted Sophie and said, “We’re going to lose.” This is nothing new for me. I tend to go through the seven stages of grief during at least three or four different games every football season.
But then we scored and were only down by one touchdown. At that point I stood up behind Gulley’s couch and begin to pace and occasionally even did a little prancing shuffle step because NERVOUS ENERGY. And then our defense held and then we tied it up and, clearly, I wasn’t going to be able to sit down again or even move from my position behind the couch until the game was over because I had singlehandedly changed the Aggies mojo with my prancing shuffle step.
When Malcolm Kennedy scored for the Aggies on the first play of overtime we all jumped up and down and screamed like idiots. Gulley’s husband had to get up and walk out of the room just to burn off some energy. And then when our defense held them and we won the game, we went nuts. Like we might have scared the neighbors and maybe anyone in a three mile radius. Caroline said afterwards, “Mom, it kind of scares me when you and Gulley scream like that.” Which is when Jackson told us that when he and Gulley were at Chick-Fil-A picking up a tray of nuggets before the game, Gulley screamed so loud when the Chick-Fil-A girl knocked on her car window that Jackson was startled to the point that he dropped his phone.
I guess what I’m saying is we get a little keyed up on gamedays. In fact, after the game ended I was only capable of texting in ALL CAPS and P had to tell me even hours later that I wasn’t using my inside voice.
And, listen, I’m a realist. We just barely won this game and we really shouldn’t have based on the first three quarters. And we have a bunch of tough games ahead of us, starting with Mississippi State this Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. and that means I have plenty of stomach aches and prancing shuffle steps ahead of me. Which is why I called Gulley and told her to get her brunch on because we’ll be at her house at 10:30 Saturday morning to do the whole thing over again.
I don’t know if we’ll win, but I know for sure that college football season is my favorite time of the whole year.