Week 6: Ryan Visits Gobbler Country

UNC was playing at home against a 24th ranked UCONN team that I thought was really, really overrated and I felt really confident about them. I figured that sure they had the nations leading rusher, (a title actually backed by yds/carry not just total yards) but I figured with their QB out we could hold em and I like our offense right now. I also found it pretty difficult to find a ticket to the game, combine that with my Marie telling me that she had an extra ticket to the Va. Tech – WKU game. That meant road trip. I had always wanted to see a game at Lane Stadium, and now I had a ticket, a place to stay and friends to party with. You can’t not go when those three things come together, even when gas is $4.00 a gallon.



I drove up the Blue Ridge parkway, leaves just beginning to turn. I really hope UNC plays at VT somewhere in mid-october so I can make this drive when its REALLY pretty. Blacksburg seems like a pretty nice place. Its really a small town in a beautiful mountain setting. The people seem pretty nice in general and the bar scene is pretty awesome if you like sports bars. Unfortunately, in Chapel Hill, the sports bar scene has been lacking lately. Seven years ago it was great, but with rent skyrocketing on Franklin Street it’s hard for a lot to survive. After BW3’s closed there is only Woody’s/Four Corners and Ham’s left. But in Blacksburg it seemed like every bar was a sports bar, decked out I Va. Tech memorabilia, this is a college town, this is the way it’s supposed to be. A bar called ‘TOTS’ serves a drink called “The Rail”, if your familiar with “The Holy Grail” at Players in Chapel Hill, then imagine pouring that into a cup twice as big and filling it up with vodka and tequila. And that’s all I really remember about Friday night. Blacksburg….if you have the means…I highly suggest you go.

Wake up, 9:30 am. Start a mini-kegs and eggs in front of college gameday. Drive to the tailgate. I have no idea where we are. We are in some cow pasture it seems, where the hell is the stadium? I’m hungover. Someone points out the lights for me. “Oh.” I look dumb, everyone staring at me. I pop another beer. After 4 of us ripping through a 18 pack we go to the real tailgate. It everything you want it to be. See Lane Stadium isn’t really near the campus (I guess). What I mean is that its one of those football stadiums that is surrounded by parking lots, so tailgating can be massive. Drunk now, more drinking. Huh? Your giving me this airplane bottle? Ok…Wild Turkey? Guess that makes sense. Thanks! Whats on the grill? A what? A Lamb? A whole fucking lamb? Sweeeeeet. Drunk, full, walking to the stadium.

Eventually get to the seats. Jesus this place is big. Enter Sandman. Students jumping up and down. I shouldn’t jump, I’ll fall. I will anyway…..almost fall. After settling down and getting ready to watch Tyrod Taylor dismantle hapless Western Kentucky. I realize that I feel actually obligated to root for Va. Tech. This conflicts me. I don’t hate Va. Tech. I really don’t have a ton of feeling for them either way. And that is one of the reasons I think expansion has hurt the league. I’m not familiar enough with VT or BC to really have any dislike for them. I mean, I hate some of their former players, they have a very thuggish rep. The Vicks, DeAngelo Hall, ect, ect. In three years does anyone NOT expect to see “Tyrod Taylor arrested in Roanoke, Va. for attempted robbery” scroll across the bottom line during Sportscenter? Exactly. Tough to root for that. I look at the dude sitting in front of me. He had a t-shirt on of a quote berating UVa. football. This made me laugh. What unbelievable bitterness toward UVa that surrounded every Hokie fan. Guess who this reminded me of? The UNC/N.C. State and UVa/VT comparison really is spot on. I find it hilarious how bitter and resentful the land-grant universities are toward the ACTUAL universities of their state. You see it everywhere, MICH-MSU, UNC-State, Texas – TX A&M. Hatred born out of that ever persistent feeling of inferiority.

Anyway, the game itself was mediocre. Va. Tech obviously didn’t really show up to play, and I still think they are overrated. And….every time I think that I think about how we should have beaten them. Although, I must say just as we were seemingly unlucky to lose to VT, we were equally lucky to beat Miami. Maybe luck isn’t a goo word, Karma is better. ‘Karma’ is a good thing to believe in when it comes to sports. There are enough things in the world of sports that can’t be explained, except by Karma. Karma basically means that everything is gonna even out to the law of averages. The Miami and VT games evened each other out as far as out record is concerned. Karma is a bitch. That’s one of the golden rules of sports. Karma is a bitch.

After going through the motions of ‘cheering’ for VT and watching an all together ugly football game, I found myself a couple hours later in downtown Blacksburg watching the Heels. I don’t exactly remember what I saw. But I think it went something like this.

C’mon boys, c’mon!.....Hold ‘em D, c’mon….Ok we held em to 3…..yeah, ill have another Coors Light….pick!....good drive…alright we’ll take 3…good stop…Ryan Houston!!! TD!!! HELL YEAH…(getting weird looks from Hokie fans)....yeah, ill have another Coors light …BLOCKED PUNT!, damn it still went far, how the hell did that happen …..ANOTHER BLOCKED PUNT!!!.....HELL YEAH…Mam? COORS LIGHT!....Blocked again TD!!!!...and I watched the score balloon and balloon not being able to recognize who this UNC team was, and where they came from. I remember not knowing what the hell the delay was about (the sound wasn’t on). And I remember seeing the crowd to the wave. I remember UNC winning. I toasted my fellow UNC alums and we drank and partied the night away. Just a few happy Heels in Hokieville. I finished off the night by throwing up all over myself at a Karaoke bar called Gobbler’s. Classy.

The next morning I was driving home. A huge smile on my face appeared when I looked over the cliff while on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was looking over my home state. I was looking over North Carolina. I was coming home to Chapel Hill. And for the first time since I have religiously followed UNC football, we were ranked. Home sweet home.