In February of 2005 I was feeling the Longhorn football high. We had taken the “next step.” After three straight 10-2 seasons capped by Holiday and Cotton Bowls, in 2004 it was a BCS berth. The Rose Bowl against Michigan was one of the greatest games I had ever seen. Vince ran for 200 yards and Dusty Mangum hit the game-winning field goal as time expired.
You just KNEW that a big season was coming the next year and so, in February I decided I needed a new piece of game day attire. I found a special on ebay. $29 for a quality Nike Texas jersey – burnt orange with the number 1 on it. I’m certain that this was a store clearing old Chris Simms items, but I didn’t care. I decided that the number 1 on MY jersey would stand for where we’d be at the end of the year – plus I was a fan of receiver Sloan Thomas (an underrated receiver who went to my high school and wore the uno.)
My new jersey arrived a few days later and I decided to use it carefully. This was ONLY to be used for “big games.” I didn’t have to wait long to test it. Week two the Longhorns played the Ohio State Buckeyes. #2 vs. #4 in the Horseshoe. When Limas Sweed made that catch in the back of the end zone, my jersey was off to a great start.
I held true to my plan. I didn’t wear “Uno” for Rice or Missouri… and when it came through at the state fairgrounds with a 45-12 rout of OU, I felt I had caught lightning in a bottle. I kept the jersey on the bench when 24th-ranked Colorado came to town the next week (didn’t want to wear out the mojo) and used it wisely as we rocked #10 Texas Tech. I was out with friends the next week and not watching as Oklahoma State rolled up a 28-9 lead on us. When I got wind, I went home to watch the rest of the game and put on the jersey in a panic. The way I saw it, this had BECOME a “big game.” We scored 38 unanswered points.
The jersey was on my back for an easy win over the Aggies and was complete overkill for a 70-3 Big 12 Championship shellacking of Colorado. It was the only option in my bag as I flew to Pasadena and is in all of my photos for the greatest sports moment of my life. Undefeated season. Undefeated jersey.
The next season I messed up. I had a sideline pass for the big Ohio State home game and couldn’t wear my jersey down there. We lost. But the jersey was still unbeaten. Uno picked up another OU win and didn’t get much play for a while after that. I was in Michigan at a Wolverines game when we almost lost in Nebraska. A last-second field goal bailed me out, but I was just SURE my lack of jersey was going to cost us. On the road at Texas Tech we went down 21-0, but I assured my friends we’d be ok. I was wearing the jersey. 35-31 Texas was the final. I was travelling for work (without Uno) when we lost a bizarre game in Manhattan, Kansas and foolishly wore a novelty t-shirt against A&M as we took another loss. I blame myself for that one. Not the best year for the Horns, but still – Uno couldn’t lose.
In 2007 I wasn’t wearing it for K-State. Just didn’t seem like a “big game.” We lost to those guys AGAIN! And this time at home. Oops. I tried another novelty shirt for OU that did NOT work out. “Mobilehoma” was funny, but the loss was not. I was in Stillwater that year as Oklahoma State led us by 21 points midway through the 3rd quarter. Uno to the rescue. The comeback ability of this jersey is legendary. But then – finally - a chink in the armor when the Aggies beat us AGAIN – and this time while I was wearing the jersey. The Holiday Bowl win was nice, but my confidence in Uno was shaken.
In 2008 things seemed to be working out. I wore the jersey for Arkansas (just to test the waters) but was still gun-shy about OU. What if the juice was gone from the jersey and we lost? I can’t have that on my conscience. Mobilehoma got the job done this time as Texas won 45-35. This began a ridiculous gauntlet of tough games. I went back to my jersey. Uno was on-hand as we beat #11 Missouri and 6th-ranked Oklahoma State. All that was left now was a game at #6 Texas Tech. After some discussion on the Longhorn Nation website - and, yes, actual online voting - , it was decided that I would send the jersey with a friend who would actually BE at the game rather than wear it myself. The plan backfired. Uno suffered its second loss – and a costly one. Disgusted, I kept Uno in the closet until the Rose Bowl. A 24-21 win over Ohio State proved that the magic wasn’t completely gone.
Last year the jersey came out 3 times during the regular season – all victories – and earned itself a trip back to Pasadena. I did everything right. I even wore the same longsleeve t-shirt UNDER Uno that I had worn 4 years before. No dice. Colt got hurt and even Uno couldn’t bring the Horns back from the disastrous last play of the half. Uno had loss number 3 and I had a long flight home to think about how to use the jersey in the future.
After much deliberation this season I left Uno on the shelf for Texas Tech and we won. When we lost to UCLA I figured the jersey wasn’t going to help us much for OU, so I left it in the closet. We lost again. Next came the game in Nebraska. We were cooked - our season already ruined, but because of how much hype this game had gotten all year, because of how much we needed something solid to hang out hats on – and because it just couldn’t POSSIBLY hurt – I pulled Uno out of retirement and we beat a top 5 team on the road. Season saved. Assuming we didn’t need any luck against Iowa State, I put Uno back in the closet. You know how it’s gone from there.
So this Saturday, with another top 10 team coming to town, I’m bringing the jersey to Austin. This will be my final home game of the season and Uno hasn’t been inside the DKR in 14 months. Yes, we’re underdogs. Yes, things have gone badly this year. But if you think we’ve hit rock bottom and you’re considering placing a wager on Oklahoma State this weekend, you’ve been warned. Uno will be in the building. Sure, it’s a longshot, but at 18-3 lifetime, I wouldn’t bet against it.
No comments:
Post a Comment