We didn’t have a ton of time because we had to get home to catch the second halves of the Alabama/South Carolina and the Carolina/Clemson games. It was a gorgeous day as the Professor poled me around the cuts and creeks. We saw about half a dozen redfish, but couldn’t get one on the fly. The only eat I had was this big ole crab who ate my shrimp pattern.

I will say, the closer I reeled it in, the more those pinchers were daunting!

The Professor was cool as a cucumber reaching for his pliers, that is until I swung the crab over the boat. The crab released his grip on the shrimp and fell right into the bottom of the boat, scattering about pinching at everything. In his very Professor-like tone he simply said, “Well, that’s no good.”

Oops.

Note to self: Keep The Crab and His Wiley Pinchers Over The Water, Not The Boat.

But the Professor scooped him up quickly with the net and all was well.

As a part of our pilgrimage to the Pascagoula Marsh we topped off the saltwater outing with a stop at Papa Rock’s for their off-the-charts hot dogs. This convenience store, which is nestled among gorgeous oak trees, sells 500-600 hot dogs a day! With a steamed bun and fresh toppings like sauerkraut, chili, Tabasco and jalapenos, it’s no wonder the line is nearly out the door for their dogs.

After a tasty lunch of beer and hot dogs, we drove our sodium-filled bellies home to watch a little college football. Even though we didn’t catch any reds, we felt pretty darn lucky. Just a perfect Saturday in the south…

Apparently we have a pretty deep bench because we never got the nod. But we were fired up and ready to cheer the Tarheels toward a miracle victory.

We actually had some decent plays in the first half but gave up so many more BIG plays to LSU. Despite the fact our non-traveling suspended players were mostly defense, our offense was simply offensive. Poor communication, total confusion, missed snaps. The quarterback seemed like a deer caught in headlights. LSU’s #7 kept returning our kicks and running straight through us like a hot knife through butter. We went into the half with LSU at 30, Tarheels 10. It felt like the second half might get really ugly.

But our defense held things together in the 3rd quarter and kept LSU scoreless. Finally (I can’t remember when, you’d have to check Sportscenter for the details) the Carolina quarterback came to life from back in his own endzone, completing a badass pass that we ran downfield for a total 97-yards and a touchdown.

As much as I criticized Yates, the UNC quarterback, in the first half I give him full credit for leading the Heels back into this game. Like the metamorphosis of Pinocchio from a awkward wooden puppet into a real boy, Yates suddenly morphed into a real quarterback. I felt like I was watching Colt McCoy. Drilling passes into the hands of open receivers. Moving the chains. Had the tigers on their heels.

We narrowed the gap to 30-24 and had the momentum with 2+ minutes to play. Nothing disastrous or humiliating as our first-half antics, but we just couldn’t make it happen. LSU gets the ball with 1:29 on the clock.

Figuring they would run down the clock by taking a knee all the way to the buzzer, we filed out of the Georgia Dome with the masses. Bummed, but glad it wasn’t worse.

We made it about sixty feet outside the stadium when we ran into some college friends and started chatting. But we barely had time to say ‘hello’ when crowds of people starting flooding back into the stadium screaming, “We got the ball back! We got the ball back!”

Goose bumps.

We scattered to TVs just inside the Georgia Dome in disbelief, only to confirm that somehow the Heels GOT THE BALL BACK!!!!!

We all huddled in corridors to see slivers of the field and watch the Heels drill the ball relentlessly toward the endzone. It was exhilarating. We were out of our minds screaming and cheering. A few yards from the endzone and 10 seconds on the clock Yates threw it behind the receiver. AAHHHH!!!

Two seconds on the clock, Yates fires it into the hands of the receiver who was completely covered up and couldn’t hold on. Crushing. (I know, I just watched it for about the 6th time on ESPN.)

LSU Tigers win. And as one member of our group said, “Moral victories are for losers.”

That said, it was pretty damn exciting to keep them scoreless for a full half of football, seize the momentum, stage a wildly unexpected comeback, and deliver a buzzer-beater for the record books.

Great college football game. Great times with good friends. And great to be a Carolina Tarheel.

Even if I didn’t get any playing time.

No matter! We decided to make the most of it and go anyway. We recruited my cousin and her husband to join us. Despite nosebleed seats and frigid temps we had a blast. On the way in we met other revelers who were passionate SEC football fans, just there for the booze. And we made friends with some Clemson guys seated in front of us, one of whom loved to fish and spent most of the game showing us fishing pictures on his phone and talking about South Carolina sheep-head with the Professor.

Kind of a problem later in the game when he received a text that his friends were detained by police. As he was trying to deal with the logistics of johnny-law, his phone ran out of juice. Oh well. It is my experience fisherman love to talk fishing at the expense of many things.

As it should be.

Cheers to our new Clemson fans, and I hope everyone is gearing up for a full, blue-moon New Years Eve and preparing to watch a lot of football tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy some shaky footage of our adventure at the Music City Bowl the other night:

Click here to view the embedded video.

#1 Trout on the Jefferson River in Montana, Sept 09

Like Colt McCoy these trout are smart, alert, strong and fast. Just when I thought I was starting to figure out their game, they kicked my fanny. They can run upstream on you, downstream, wrap around around a rock, pass, run, shuck, jive, and can find a weed-bed faster than Colt can find Shipley in the endzone. I could hook ‘em…but couldn’t seem to land ‘em. At least not the big guys. These Jefferson fish stay cool under pressure. Just when you’ve got your bent rod under control and are starting to think you have a Christmas card photo in the making, they’ll ignite the after-burners and spit the hook with ease.

#2 Tarpon in Marathon Florida, Oct 09

These saltwater titans in the Sunshine State are a lot like Tebow. I hesitate to use the word “explosive” since I think Lou Holtz has over-used it all year to describe any & every player he likes. So let’s just say these tarpon were massive and intimidating and constantly on the move. It’s as if they were palming my face in their hand, holding me at arm’s length while I swung (and casted) away like one of The Three Stooges. I did jump a couple of baby tarpon and even those brushed me off like Tebow lightly patting the helmet of a deflated opponent long after the whistle has blown.

#3 Redfish in the Mississippi Marsh, Nov 09

Not just because of their crimson hue, these redfish are Mark Ingram…stout, stoic and stubborn. Just as I was confident that I had some of them cornered in a shallow braid or narrow finger of water, they would find any seam, any hole, any pocket, and they would simply bury their heads, bear down and blow right out of there — leaving me scratching my head and blinking my eyes.

As you can see I’ve been up against some worthy opponents this season, perhaps sending me into a bit of a fishing slump if measured merely by the scoreboard at the end of  the day. But you won’t see me tapping my helmet to come out of the game. After the chaos of the holidays is out of the way, it’s back to the water just as soon as possible. 2010 is my year.

Why is it so quiet in here?!?!

Alright, I know I know. I’ve been radio silent. But to tell you the truth, I have a very good excuse… I just haven’t had a damn thing to say.

No self-promoting fish pictures to broadcast, no play-by-play of days on the water with family and friends, no color commentary of neon life in the honkytonk bars of rural Montana. So I simply had to tap my helmet and come out of the game for a bit.

Not to mention, I haven’t been fishing lately! Well, that’s not entirely true. I ventured out with a spinning rod. Now that was a whole new ball game for me. A story for another day.

But there’s been no fly-fishing for this chick since summer wrapped up. Instead, I have temporarily traded my fishing addiction for an unhealthy obsession for college football.

Really, it all goes back to my New Years Resolutions for 2008. I’ve long since given up lofty resolutions like weight loss and financial success. Those are a recipe for disappointment and self destruction. I like to make new years resolutions that are both tangible and achievable. So my objectives for this year were pretty clear cut:

1. Attend a Texas home football game

2. Attend an SEC football game

3. Start drunk dialing friends

Now truth be told, at this stage in life I don’t think I even drink enough to qualify as a drunk dialer. So I’m probably going to fail on that one. Or at least roll it into 2009.

But no worries because I am doing extraordinarily well on Resolutions #1 and #2. You have to admit, it’s been a pretty exciting college football season. It’s so fun. I don’t understand why any man, woman or child wouldn’t love college football. It’s beyond me! As my dad says, it’s the original TV Reality Show. I have re-arranged MyYahoo to feed me the latest NCAA Football news round the clock. Sunday evenings I start hitting REFRESH on espn.com to get the updated rankings. I am brainwashing my child with stickers and t-shirts.

It’s been a season of David & Goliath upsets, mid-season firings, nailbiter finishes, heartbreaking injuries and bizarre referee calls. But we’re at the mid-point and we’ve got 3 venerable football teams at the top of the pile. Darwinian if you think about it. As this ESPN article explains, the 70s are back baby!!

I love that Tennessee fell from grace early. And that USC got walloped on the nose like a bad puppy that peed on the carpet. I loved the Vanderbilt Cinderella story. And watching the Alabama-Georgia game with my daughter as we were battling it out (mother vs daughter) with respective elephant and bulldog stuffed animal webkinz in hand. I loved being at a Texas tailgate watching Carolina upset Miami. I loved being at a Carolina tailgate watching Texas upset OU. I love the SEC, I love the Big 12 and I love the Tarheels.

The best part is that I have been to some fun games this year. Of course my diet has gone to hell, because I’ve had more hot dogs and popcorn in the last six weeks than I’ve had in my lifetime — delish. I actually drank a bourbon & coke in a plastic cup last week. Haven’t done that in ages….funny how it comes right back to you. The smell of bourbon, the roar of the crowd, dancing at a fraternity house late night.

Yes, it has been a fun season of college football. With hopefully more on the horizon. But while I shift my mind toward the trout and chilly rivers that are in my near future, I thought I would share a few pictures from my football adventures this Fall. Enjoy. Show your colors. Cheer hard. But most of all MAKE SOME NOISE!!!!

ALABAMA beat CLEMSON 34-10 in the Georgia Dome:

I love the fact that I saw this game with my own eyes at the start of it all. Bama shot out of the tunnel this season like a cannon and hasn’t looked back. Tough days now for Tommy Bowden, but anyone else who was at this game will tell you Clemson’s troubles started right here in Atlanta.

TEXAS beat RICE 52-10 at home:

Okay so Rice wasn’t a terribly big threat. But we were ready. And this was a hell of a fun day.

TEXAS beat ARKANSAS 52-10 at home:

This game was rescheduled due to Hurricane Ike, so then it conflicted with the ACL music festival. No worries though because I think I could see the festival all the way from here. Went to the game with great family friends and took Little Chick which was a real treat.

UNC beat NOTRE DAME 29-24 in Chapel Hill:

This was the best of all. We had a big reunion in Chapel Hill last weekend for this game — we’ve been planning this gathering since last February. Carolina is my alma mater and I haven’t been back in 9 years. We showed up and cheered hard and I can say I had more fun last Saturday night in that football stadium than I had the whole four years I was in college — and that is saying a lot.

This Carolina defensive stand was incredible. Led us to victory. And almost gave me a heart attack: