I had forgotten that Austin is all uphill or up steps or up ramps. As a matter of fact, I didn’t forget, I just didn’t want to remember how hard it was on these old legs. As usual, our little pie-wedge of blue was tucked in a corner just over the Hobbit hole that our football team came in and out of. It seemed to me that they descended one at a time, but that just gave us more time to cheer them on.

Too late, I found out that our section was 50 yards beyond the playing field. Weird! If I looked straight ahead, I saw the UT dance team in sequined chaps and the canon-keepers and about 20,000 of the 82,000 standing, orange-clad Longhorn faithful. When did everyone decide that you weren’t a rabid-macho fan unless you stood up the whole game? When the 150-yards-worth of standing fans to my right stood up, I couldn’t see any of the field or the huge replay screen on my right.

In fact, I didn’t see any of the game until I got home and watched the video- taped replay on TV. I could see the scoreboard on my end of the field, but aside from the usual score, quarter, time-outs, and yards-to-go for a first down (which helped me follow the game,) UT only displayed the name, number, height, weight, and hometown of whomever the Longhorn was who made the last spectacular run or tackle. Big Deal!

The game? In retrospect, I wish we had those two touchdowns back that we lost to penalties. The score would have looked better anyway. If that unintentional tap on the back was a "roughing the passer", I have blue hair and the referee had orange underwear!

I thought our players were big and getting bigger, but their line really did outweigh us 50 pounds and stand 2 inches taller per man. They hit us just as hard as we hit Houston and Hawaii—and Zounds! Every Longhorn player tracked that ball like a birddog. We didn’t seem to have anyone at home when they ran our ends. That was tough on first down runs.

I know we’re stronger this year and faster than we have ever been, but the Longhorns were tree stumps with .4 flat hundreds. Benson, who really is a spectacle to watch, was a bowling ball, rolling, spinning, bull-dozing through our line. And I don’t remember our defense laying a hand on Young, much less a sack.

Henderson and Bailey had been scouted to the Nth degree, and Rice had to dig hard for every yard it made. Armstrong looked good, especially on that 44 yard hurtling run for a TD, and Sparks’ interception for a TD was a beauty. When their Senior quarterback, Mock, came in and played against our Freshman quarterback, Armstrong, Mock didn’t measure up.

Typically, Coach Brown said that the score wasn’t indicative of the game—"it was even because we took everybody out." Attention, Mac! Coach Hatfield played everybody on his Travel Roster. He emptied the bench, I’ll bet you didn’t do that.

The second half was certainly a draw, 7-7. David, you just needed some bigger rocks to throw at Goliath in that first half. 

No doubt about it, I yelled when my fellow Owls did, beat my blue balloons together, and was glad I was there to show my love for my Rice Owls, but next time, I’m going to take a periscope. If I ever have another mental block and decide to return to UT’s stadium, it will be because, like the song "When The Saints Go Marching In" says, I want to be among that number when the Owls go marching in!

Editor's note:  Joyce Pounds Hardy-McDonald graduated from the Institute in its football glory days.   She sent a whole generation of Hardy children to Rice, as both students and student- athletes  -- that familiarly-named classmate of yours was almost surely one of them.  Joyce has been among Rice's most omnipresent, loyal, never-say-die fans since before most of you were born -- and you'd better believe she's managed to develop an opinion or two about Rice athletics over the years. She'll be letting her opinions be known from time to time during the 2004 season.

Joyce's 2003 Distaff archives....

Previous years' Distaff archives....

Thank heavens, because I had two tape recorders set perfectly on Channel 51. Only problem, the old brain forgot that Channel 51 is really Channel 2, for some reason I have never understood, obviously. I rushed straight home after the celebration and the fantastic fireworks to savor a total replay of the victory over Hawaii no matter how late I had to stay up.

I'm glad that I have been lifting weights, albeit only 10 pounds per arm, because it is keeping me ready for all the clapping, balloon banging, and arm pumping as our Owls continue to amaze and delight us. The University of Houston game was no fluke! Defense, you were awesome. Another 5 sacks and only 7 yards rushing for Hawaii.

We knew the passing arm of Chang was going to be our greatest challenge, and it was, but knowing Chang doesn't like to run (unlike our scampering Henderson) our pass defense did a terrific job of causing some missed catches. I really wanted a couple of interceptions, but save those for U.T. next week and I'll be happy. The passing rush on Chang rattled him mightily, even though he was slippery as an eel and could step out of our charging linemen's way in the blink of an eye.

I had a hard time watching all the holding that the Gestapo surrounding Chang got away with. Of course, I thought it was pretty obvious that the referees seemed to be throwing yellow flags only at the blue shirts. I would have sworn that we had 20 penalties and was surprised to read this morning that there were only 9. I surely didn't remember Hawaii's getting 3.

With every long run (Moore,) first down (Henderson and Company,) or grinding drive through Hawaii's hefty defense (Bailey,) I held my breath until I didn't see a yellow bird flying somewhere. The yellow beak and yellow claws of our 50 yard-line replica of Sammy makes my heart stop for a second or two on every play until I realize they aren't flags.

The fumbles hurt, but the runners were always trying to make one more yard; that's one of those good news/bad news things--trouble is Texas is probably drooling over those unprotected balls and looking forward to making them fly. Get out the Elmer's, Coach.

The guys in the trenches, offense and defense, linemen and backs, blocked and tackled with consistent ferocity. Such tenaciousness has been a long time in coming and is much appreciated. Do me a favor, guys, and pack all of it in your duffel bags when we go to Texas next week-end. We'll need all of it, but I believe this team is going to do battle and surprise some of those 80,000 smug Longhorns.

I'm signed up for the Owl Club bus trip to the game in Austin, but we need more bodies to make it happen. Even though U.T.'s tickets cost $55 for our usual endzone seats, a little more blue in that sea of orange would be nice. Since it's Texas, the game will probably be on ESPN or Fox Sports SW and I can find those stations, but I want to BE there with our team, cheering and beating those kookie blue weiner-balloons and pumping my arms like a crazy woman for every yard that they gain.

And I can do it, too. That's why I'm lifting those weights.