Weekend Review After logging over 1,000 miles on the van and spending 18+ hours on the road, mostly at night driving through Mississippi and Alabama,(which by the way is the most scenic time of the day to drive through them there states-kidding!!)I'm home. It was a great trip if you were a Razorback fan. I won't refer to any of the stats of the game or boast about the incredible underdog victory. You've seen all that on ESPN, FOXSPORTS, CBS, blah, blah, blah. I do want to make note of a few highlights of the experience besides what happened on the turf..
CLASSY TIGER FANS. I haven't been to many other venues outside of Arkansas, but I was totally impressed with the way us Red Shirts were recieved by the sea of Orange. The Tiger walk was incredible. Approximately a half mile of admiring Tiger fans forming a walk-through for their players in route to the stadium. Not one time during, before, or after the game did a crazy fan taunt us, yell at us, or throw stuff at us. Instead we were assisted kindly with directions when asked, and engaged in many pre-game conversations with their crowd. During the game, our small contingent of 3,000 or so in sections 37 and 38, were screaming our heads off and singing the fight song at the top of our lungs. No one asked us to sit down or seemed irritated about it. I saw very few drinking. When Jeremy hit the final field goal that made it apparent that victory was ours, several fans around us came up and shook our hands and congratulated us on the win, and wished us a safe trip home. Are you kidding me? I thought I was in enemy territory! That would probably not have happened at Ole Miss or LSU. (I've been to Oxford and Baton Rouge)
A tiger fan came up to us at a restaurant afterwards and offered to buy us all a round of beverages. Unbelievable. I even have a new found respect for Tommy Tuberville. He accepted defeat very humbly, and said that his team was both "outplayed and outcoached," and went on to applaud several thinks about our program. So, thanks Auburn, Alabama for an incredible experience that I won't soon forget and its not just because we won. You folks are very classy people. See ya next year in Fayetteville, and I hope we can return the hospitality half as well as you extended it to us.
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WOODY is the name of a trick play that the Hogs pulled on Auburn after a shanked punt in the 3rd quarter. Our offensive coordinator, Gus Malzhan, has a boat load of them up his sleeve and he continues to suprise opponents with the trickery each week.(although my insider sources told me before the kickoff that the running game would be the choice of HDN for the most part; and it was-only 10 passes the whole game, and the magic show would have to wait another day). Reggie Fish is 5'6" maybe, and about 150 pounds. By far the smallest player on the field. Little number 7, lined up behind the right guard and tackle, literally hidden from the Tiger defense, crouching and waiting for Mustain to fake the sweep to Felix Jones and put the ball in his hands for a reverse. Reggie looked like a "fish out of water" as he dodged and darted around would-be tacklers for a 38 yard gain that would eventually lead to a TD. The old timers thought it was the "fumbleruskie" but it was even better. Reggie hasn't got many if any touches this year, and if this is his last one, it was a special one in a key game.
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BOWL BOUND The Hogs haven't been to a bowl game in 3 years and are hungry to do so. Our schedule is very favorable for October and we should be 7-1 going in November. A BCS bowl would be fantastic and within reach. We have 8 home games this year and have already won 2 SEC road games; Vandy and Auburn. The remaining travel games are at South Carolina and Mississippi State, one of which should be a write in "W". We will go bowling, but the question now is where. If we plan another Road Trip, I hope its by plane. I'm getting too old for these van trips. Where do we get ranked this week??? Homecoming next week. Everybody plays.  ¶ 1:16 PM