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Go Hogs
Go! ... cont'd
 Tusk, a
huge Russian boar, rode majestically inside a large, caged trailer. On
top of
the trailer, sat the Tusk surveyed the scene with a critical eye and a grunt. Obviously, he approved. Cap moved with the crowd as the parade passed, up Dickson to the Greek Theater, on campus, for the pep rally. The Chi Omega Greek Theater, listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, is used for commencements, concerts, dramas and pep rallies, on campus. The band filed in and cranked up the music while Big Red (“the Fighting Razorback”), and Pork Chop pranced and Sue E. danced, and the Cheerleaders and Pom Squad revved the crowd into a frenzy. Cheerleaders from the past were recognized, and of course, there were speakers – with braggin’ and brave predictions of a victory tomorrow. The crowd, mostly students, was raucous, wild at times, breaking loose. When the rally broke up, the crowd surged back to Dickson, where the revelry was already full-scale. Nightlife on He fell into bed and as he drifted into a deep snooze, he saw…Tusk, grinning, winking, and in a deep baritone voice, singing, “For it’s A-R-K-A-N-S-A-S, for Then Tusk was running right at him, snorting, breathing fire. Cap jerked upright in bed, chest heaving, heart pounding, looking frantically for a way out… but it was just a dream, a powerful vision to be sure…but only a dream - and it was over, all was well – it was morning, it was…Gameday. Gameday  Cap
stumbled out of bed, shaking. As he showered, shaved and dressed, he
wondered
what the dream could mean. He confirmed the essentials: game ticket;
binoculars; camera; fold-up schedule of match-ups and game times,
nationwide;
lineups; cash. Check.Next, he scrutinized his gameday look - classic Arkansas Cardinal and White: Cardinal cap with the picture of a Hog on the crown; Cardinal shirt, “HOGS” across the chest - and the Hog snout over his nose - okay, but something was missing, something was wrong. And then it came to him - of course - the dream. Tusk was telling him, “if you’re gonna go, go Whole Hog or not at all!” He tossed the cap onto the bed, and sat the Hog Head on his head, like a crown. The image in the mirror was nasty, intimidating. He felt great. It was early when Cap parked in the lot at West and Dickson and stepped off toward campus. With a mid-afternoon kickoff, he wanted to get an early jump – find a place to catch GameDay then check out the tailgating scene. He walked at a steady pace to the Arkansas Union, picked up a java and sweet roll in RZ’s Coffee House, and found a primo seat in the TV Room. The ESPN GameDay show was just coming on, live from Around the stadium and down It was all there – RVs, smoking grills, freezers chilling, TVs blinking, fight songs floating and footballs flying through the crisp fall air. And food. Brats, burgers, dogs and barbeque, lots of barbeque. A hefty bearded Hog fan, wearing a Hog Head, (the guy looked kind of like Tusk, really) offered Cap the feature dish of the day, “Roasted Rebel.” There was no way to detect just what was in the mysterious-looking substance, but he could see that it contained plenty of meat, and besides - anyone wearing a Hog Head could be trusted. He took a plate and woofed it down, no questions asked. Quite tasty. TC wiped his hands and fell in with the Hog Army moving toward Razorback Stadium. He stopped short, remembered, and pulled out his wallet. A warm feeling swept over him. Back in January, he had planned this trip. He had called the athletic ticket office and learned that single-game tickets go on sale on a date certain. He marked his calendar, set his alarm and called early. His efforts were rewarded in August when it showed up, magically, in his mailbox. And now the pay-off – he pulled it out: “ticket in hand.” He entered Razorback Stadium on the west side and discovered “Bowl Alley,” in the concourse underneath, with displays of each  Inside,
Tusk was pulled on a tour around the perimeter of the field in his
chariot, and
then parked by the tunnel door behind the north end zone, where he
would have a
good view of the battle. Boss Hog - the 9-foot-tall inflatable mascot -
joined
Big Red, Pork Chop and Sue E., cranking up the crowd. The
Razorback Marching Band came down the field playing the Arkansas Fight
Song,
followed by the Alma Mater. Then the band formed up in the shape of a
giant “A”,
with the top of the “A” near the Hogs’ locker room. Houston Nutt led
the team
run-out onto the gridiron through the “A,” and within minutes it was
on: Ole
Miss vs. Ole Miss
jumped on top with a safety when Matt Jones was flagged for intentional
grounding in the end zone, 2-0 Rebels. As the
second quarter unfolded, the contest turned into a shoot-out, with the
Razorbacks
having the upper hand, and after Jones connected with George Wilson for
a TD,
it was 27-11 Big Red and
Sue E. were decked out in formal attire, as part of the halftime
Homecoming
Ceremony. Extremely regal, Cap concluded.
At the
final gun Houston Nutt climbed the tall ladder in front of the student
section
and led the band and fans in playing and singing the Arkansas Fight
Song. As
Cap worked his way slowly along, past Old Main and down the hill to Woooooooooo, Pig, Sooie Woooooooooo, Pig, Sooie…Razorbacks!” As
the sun sank over Razorback Stadium, the
throng flowed down the hill and into the restaurants and bars along
Dickson,
filling the area with fans – Hog Wild and happy. Cap chowed
down on a scrumptious barbeque dinner at Benson’s, then headed across
the
street to The Gypsy, where he quenched his powerful thirst – still dry
from so
much Hog calling – and watched the nation’s showdowns flash across the
screens
throughout the bar. He left the
experts in Brewskis replaying the victory, and wheeled slowly back to
the Best
Western. In his room it was GameDay
Final, with scores, highlights and helmet stickers.
Cap fell into a peaceful sleep with the words
of the Alma Mater in his ears, “…From those who adore to one who adores
us--
Mother of Mothers, we sing unto you…” No dreams, no visions tonight –
those
demons were behind him. Sunday morning, after one last dip under the flags, he drove to the Common Grounds for a gourmet breakfast: a Cinnful roll with pecans, a Spinach Parmesan Scrambler, and a mocha latte’. Then he cruised slowly around the campus, past the stadium, down With the
morning sun climbing to his right, Cap’s thoughts drifted back over the
weekend. What defines the Arkansas Razorback football experience? Dickson Street, Senior Walk, Razorback
Stadium, the Cardinal and White, Frank Broyles, the Museum at the
Broyles
Athletic Center, Big Red, Boss Hog, Pork Chop and Sue E., Tusk, the
Razorback
Marching Band, The Arkansas Fight Song, the Alma Mater, the “A”, the
snout and
the Hog Head, calling the Hogs and Old Main. The blast
of a horn jolted him back to the present. He looked in his rear-view
mirror and
there, through the back window, laughing wildly, was…Tusk! Cap
squinted, shook
his head and looked again. Nothing. Tusk
had vanished.   |
