Sweet as Sugar!!

Jamie and I just got back last night from a short, but unforgettable trip to the Big Easy to see our Utah Utes play in the All-State Sugar Bowl. It was our first trip together, away from Taylor, and thankfully we had Grandma Ann (Jamie's mom) in town, wanting to get some alone time with her only grand-daughter. We feel lucky that she was able to stay with Taylor.
And usually when such is the case, parents look forward to getting some sleep. But there's no sleeping in N'awlins. Now, first let me just say that getting another undefeated 'regular season' for the Utes was special enough. As a Utah fan, I'm used to not asking for much more than a win over the Y and an occasional conference championship and a bowl win to remember. But Urban Meyer spoiled us. You see, he came in and in just two years, made the Utah program believe that they could compete on a national level. We went to the Fiesta Bowl in 2005 (the 2004 season), but then Urban left, and many Utah fans, including myself, couldn't help but think that the extra 'mojo' left with him.

But I would have NEVER guessed that Utah could possibly be talked about across the country as a team who should be considered national champions, but dreams do come true :)(here's just one of many articles: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28477417/).

The trip was so much fun. My dad and my brother traveled down with us as well. My brother was the captain of the team last year, and so he hooked us up with player tickets (12th row) and we were able to meet with most of the players before and after the game.

New Orleans is a city that was created for bowl games. And it sounds like I think I'm some sort of expert on bowl games, but the truth is, I've now been to six straight bowl games - including two BCS games. And while the Fiesta Bowl was fun (mostly because there were so many Utah fans), the Phoenix area is just so big and spread out and it made it impersonal. I really liked the more personal settings of the other bowls better. But in the Big Easy, you get the best of both worlds. You know you're there for a major event, but also, everybody is concentrated in the French Quarter and everybody there is either wearing Utah or Alabama apparel. So you see so many people you know (we ran into cousins, Jamie ran into high school friends she hadn't seen since HS, we ran into neighbors, etc.). And you can't help but love the French Quarter - the french architecture, the jazz clubs, the food, the food, and the food! Jamie and I planned out on hitting a few restaurants to take in the full experience there - you've got to hit the Acme Oyster company for fresh seafood (their oysters are incredible, as is their gumbo), you've got to hit Petunia's for breakfast (their pain perdue french toast is amazing - as is their cajun sausage breakfast), and we hit Nola - one of Emeril (BAM!) Lagasse's restaurants, featuring more home-style Nola cooking. It was awesome!

It was a blast just to walk around in the French Quarter, listening to jazz or taking in a beignet, or going on a carriage tour. Or seeing celebrities - we walked right next to Jamal Anderson, and Chris Kemoautu, and even John Stamos (Uncle Jesse's taste in women has gone down since him and Rebecca split, I can tell you that much). The Alabama fans were really pretty nice. But I was so intrigued by the fact that it seemed that every male Alabama fan (at least between the ages of 16 and 35) had the same look - feathered hair with the bangs brushed over (even when wearing their hats, they wear them up to show the bangs), dress shirts tucked in, and boat shoes. They also usually sport a Northface jacket or fleece vest as well. But after sunset, and from what I understand, on game-day, you usually see them with blazers on. If nobody was wearing Utah or Alabama gear, you could easily tell which guys were going to yell out 'Roll Tide', just from their look. It was really interesting. I guess that look is pretty known. Here's a funny article about the 'Bama bangs' (http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/9721273). I really envy Alabama's rich football tradition (they've been to the Sugar Bowl now 13 times, have been to 55 bowl games, and have 12 national championships) and their fans passion (you see them wearing Alabama slacks, Bear Bryant groundstooth scarves and hats, and everything in between) - and they yell out 'Roll Tide' every five minutes, usually every time they see an opposing fan. But I must say that 75% of the Bama fans we met were really classy - and very gracious in defeat (the other 25% were arrogant and/or ignorant - comments about religion, etc. - and every fan base, including Utah, has those types).

But as fun the Big Easy was, the game was that much more memorable. I knew Utah was good and that teams out west are underrated. But I never would have guessed that Utah would have spanked them the way they did. Alabama gave up just 27 points in 13 games in the first quarter - combined. Utah put up 21 points in the first quarter against them. Their fans were absolutely blown away. Alabama couldn't do anything - just 200 yards of offense - less than Utah State had put up against the Utes. And the crowd was into it. One Alabama lady, at the end of the game, said that she had been going to bowl games for 19 years, and Utah's fans were the most spirited she had ever seen. After the game, the police blocked off the streets from the SuperDome to the French Quarter - that's a path you would normally never walk at night. But with 10,000 fans hooting and hollering, it felt like we walked the 1.5 mile walk without our feet touching the ground.

A screen-shot of Jamie and I from footage from the game on Fox.

It was a trip we won't soon forget - and I have a feeling that Utah's success will go a long way to bringing credibility to this program, respect to the MWC, and if we're lucky, maybe even bring down the BCS. Hey, we can hope, can't we?