Hooked: UT Football through a UK lens.

It was Thanksgiving yesterday, something that I dearly missed out on being in the UK this year. I LOVE Thanksgiving. I love the food, I love the family, I love the football. Magic.

Alas, we don’t do thanksgiving on this side of the pond, so we went all in on Christmas early instead. My parents came round and helped us bring the festive magic, and Stephanie and I are clearly rubbing off on them. Dad was actually the one to throw the horns up and say “hook ’em” in the sequence of photos we took. As for mom, God loves a tryer. Poor execution, but it was all heart, and I love her and her peace sign for that.

In other news, I’m having surgery tomorrow! The second most stressful thing about my Saturday, after the Aggies game of course. No word of a lie, there was a part of me that wanted to postpone surgery until after Christmas. I can’t miss the Aggies game. Cannot. Will not.

It’s hopefully an “in-and-out” same day surgery. When I was told there’s a possibility of an overnight stay, there were instant contingencies running through my mind. How can I watch the game? Will there be stable internet? Where is the good laptop we used to use to watch the games on to bring to hospital? Is it charged? Will I have a private room? How loud can I shout? Please can they please put me first on the slate of surgeries so I can get home?

In all seriousness, I know my health comes first. I’m glad to be going in and getting myself sorted ahead of Christmas and a trip to Texas in a few weeks time. I just hope I don’t feel too rough and I can watch with some semblance of what’s happening on the field, even if I do end up feeling the desire to be sedated again after.

Speaking of sedated, was Steve Sarkisian out of his damn mind last weekend? It is unfathomable to me why he didn’t bench Quinn Ewers 2 drives in to the 3rd quarter. We had a strong enough lead, an offensive line that was ballin’ out, and a defense that was rolling too. Put Arch in. For the love of all things good in the world. Had we lost, it’d have all been on that coaching decision.

People with cataracts could see how gingerly Quinn was moving. He had no mobility. Quinn is highly valuable to the team. He’s STILL QB1. Make sure QB1 can make the trip to College Station and doesn’t get drilled or go over awkwardly on a leg imitating a limp noodle. Manning was ready for that moment, and will have learnt a lot in the time he’s been a duster on the bench since Ewers returned to bring that game home.

As it was, a rejuvenated Kentucky team took us all the way after a heavy momentum swing. Quinn looking battered by the final possession. We were lucky to come out of that game with a W when it looked somewhat of a foregone conclusion that we’d walk out of DKR on seniors night with comfortably happy faces and optimism for the Aggies and beyond.

So now we face an Aggies team that will be going for the jugular. Quinn will start and will be tested. Expect pressure, and a lot of it. They’ll want to collapse the pocket early and often and test the leg. And as much as I love Arch, the pressure of this environment is going to replicate the bottom of the Mariana trench, where there’s a good chance he buckles, regardless of his pedigree.

When all’s said and done, we beat the Aggies 32 – 27 for my money in what is going to be an absolute spectacle. This one is going to be close. The occasion huge. My nerves are going to be shot, and there’ll be holes in my throat to match those in post-surgery stomach.

Send me all the good vibes you have for tomorrow, and I’ll hopefully be cheering on from the comfort of home.

Hook ’em.