Iowa State vs. Tulsa
The only rematch of a 2012 regular season game. The Golden Hurricane lost up in Iowa to the Cyclones in the biggest high wind related game of the year so let's bring the storming schools together in Memphis.
After that Sun Bowl I wasn't much in the mood for a usually entertaining game. The first quarter belonged to Iowa State but then the Tulsa running game and run defense kicked in and the Cyclones never scored again.
I was in charge of cooking dinner for New Years Eve so I had the game on while kicking around the kitchen. For dinner, I picked up a couple pounds of shrimp for an old family favorite, barbeque shrimp St. John's Bayou.
Lots of butter, garlic and spices on the shrimp on crusty, toasted bread. Easy to make and delicious. A tossed salad and a couple glasses of red wine for me, nice. This was gone quick, too.
While cooking and eating, Tulsa just ground out the second half while Iowa State could do nothing.
Hero of the game, Tulsa running back Trey Watts, the son of former Oklahoma great J.C. Watts. He carried the ball for 149 yards, leading a Tulsa ground attack that put up 320 total yards.
Tulsa 31 Iowa State 17
Game Notes:
-This is one of the older bowl games, back when going to a bowl was a real reward for a good season. It started in Philadelphia (check the logo) in 1959 but small crowds forced the game to move. The next destination was Atlantic City in 1964 inside the convention center to avoid the cold weather. The first indoor game in bowl history, played on a 4-inch thick pad of real grass and 2-inches of burlap underneath.
If the end zones look a bit small, it's because they were only eight yards deep. Utah whipped West Virginia in the game and it was moved in 1965 to Memphis, where it has been played ever since.
-Big turnout of Iowa State fans at the game. At least they had the chance to have a fun New Year's Eve on Memphis' Beale Street.
-A lot of bowl games have eating competitions in the days leading up to the game and being in Memphis, the Liberty Bowl has a rib eating contest. Ethan Tuftee bested the rest and won this Gibson guitar for his rib eating prowess.
Bowl swag - players make out nice in this game: Sol Republic Tracks HD Anthem headphones, Bulova watch, Nike athletic shoes and sandals, Nike sunglasses, Nike backpack, football. Bulova, not Fossil, classy.
I thought the Cyclones would win again despite their 6-6 record. Wrong.
I was making no friends at home with the fourth game of the day so I knew it was probably going to be a one quarter game despite the best match-up of bowl season so far.
#14 Clemson vs. #8 LSU
What a good first quarter. Both teams were jacked up and ready to play. We haven't seen much of that in bowl games so far. Right off the bat, Clemson loses its big play maker Sammy Watkins and LSU takes the ball in for a score. The game turned into the Tajh Boyd show, Clemson's quarterback who is destined for the NFL. He lead a swarming, high energy Clemson attack to an answering score, 7-7 first quarter.
My needed quarter in, I acquiesced to the family and flipped things over the all night tribute to Dick Clark on ABC. Although I was missing the best bowl game so far, it was fun watching the old American Bandstand and New Year's Rockin' Eve clips. A serious lack of Kool & The Gang though. They were New Year's Rockin' Eve when I was a kid.
While Clemson was winning the game in dramatic fashion, we were hanging with Ryan Seacrest and a shrieking Jenny McCarthy in Times Square. Ms. McCarthy kept squawking about needing someone to kiss at midnight!!! In Los Angeles, Fergie was holding things down in an obviously recorded situation. We counted down to midnight, sprayed some cheap champagne around and sounded an air horn to ring in 2013.
Clemson 25 LSU 24
12/31/12 was not my day - I wrongly picked all four games and Michigan State lost to Minnesota in basketball in their Big 10 Opener. Hope my picks for New Year's Day work out better.
Showed my wife the picture of the shrimp; I think she is going to give your combination a try.
ReplyDeleteHere's the recipe for two pounds of shrimp (four people)
ReplyDeleteStick of butter (or margarine)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt or powder
In a large frying pan, heat the butter medium low, turn up to medium high, add in shrimp and spices/herbs. Flip shrimp until just done, layer on the toasted bread. Make sure to get all the sauce from the pan drizzled over the platter.