Back in Las Vegas after a great weekend in Laramie. A few reflections:
- After 17 months with no attendance at Cowboys games (or much of anything for that matter), how great was it to see a full WMS? We can nitpick the gameday experience, but I had an absolute blast. I dropped my daughter off for her freshman year ago, in a virtual ghost town. The restaurants were quiet, the usual chaos of the dorm move-in was nonexistent, and War Memorial was locked up tight. Fast forward 12 months and the town was bustling and the tailgating scene was vibrant. I loved every minute of it.
- Speaking of that, I'm so happy for the students like my daughter who are now experiencing attendance at UW the way it should be. Yes, college is about learning first and foremost. But it is also about building social bonds and experiencing a lifestyle that you only get one shot at. Thankfully UW is managing this situation in a way that allows students to attend events, attend class in person and in general live the college life we all think of.
- As the performance on the field, like most of you I was disappointed that we didn't display more offensive firepower. Seeing MSU throwing downfield confirmed for me that Vigen wasn't the stubborn one in terms of running the offense. I had a giant pit in my stomach at halftime that persisted until the beautiful throw and catch that put us in the lead with 44 seconds left. That said - my optimism for the season hasn't ebbed. Seeing the other scores certainly made me feel better (Griz over the Huskies for example), and I recognize that "lesser" teams often scare the "better" teams. Hell, UW has been there many times: we hang in until the end when the superior team decides enough is enough and makes the plays to win. Until I see more games I'm not going to give up hope that this can be a championship team. Next weekend will be telling.
