Rutgers' 7-6 season that culminated in a blown 17-point lead and 44-41 Rate Bowl loss to Kansas State in Arizona the day after Christmas failed to match the preseason hype, but BREP Nation put forth yet another National Championship-level tailgate season in 2024!
 |
Rate Bowl hijinx with
Legrand bourbon toast |
 |
Rate Bowl watch in NJ
(kudos to Tom going to AZ!) |
The on-field product and busy schedules sapped our strength to blog much since the UCLA and USC debacles, and so we'll briefly recap the final two home tailgates for Minnesota (November 9) and Illinois (November 23); the latter a brutal 4-hour loss to the Illini, which cost RU a better bowl as Coach Schiano saw it wise to ice the kicker on a 57-yard attempt he had zero chance of converting.
The Minnesota result, a pleasantly surprising 26-19 win as quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for three touchdowns against his former team, improved Rutgers record to 5-4.
 |
| Final '24 group shot |
 |
| My one Minn shot |
From a tailgating perspective, with
another noon kickoff, the Nation stood strong and produced a nice menu of breakfast themes, and Andy's Minnesota-themed ham and cheese sliders on Hawaiian buns. It was a solid day for the penultimate 2024 tailgate.
The Illinois tailgate, despite the football result, was a picture-perfect close to our season.
Dana's Illinois-themed Italian beef sandwiches were the culinary highlight of the day and maybe one of the most savory dishes we've had; adding fresh-made giardiniera to it was outstanding.
 |
| Inspecting the spread |
Pete's pierogies were a wonderful complement to Chicago-oriented foods, while Andy thought outside the box to bring Sayreville specialty Mr. Dee's chili to create delicious chili-cheese hot dogs.
 |
| Bad loss, but fun group |
Plenty of bourbon was shared, too, including the
customary Legrand shot and spiked hot apple ciders.
In the months ahead, we begin preparations for the 2025 tailgate season and more great times with fantastic friends creating more wonderful memories. The schedule is already out; not the start times, but let's hope we don't get mired at noon every week again. See everyone in the Black lot next season!
2025 Home Schedule: August 30 (Ohio), September 6 (Miami, Ohio), September 13 (Norfolk State), September 20 (Iowa), October 18 (Oregon), November 8 (Maryland), November 29 (Penn State)
 |
Pierogies, Giardiniera
& Italian beef |
 |
| Dig in, Pete! |
 |
| Andy's sliders |
 |
| Andy serving up... |
 |
| Mr. Dee's chili-cheese dogs |
 |
| Ja-kobe beef? |
 |
| Pregame brick visit |
 |
Not symbolic of game outcome,
but a great shot nonetheless |
Lot of fun this (last)season, looking forward to next (this) season.
ReplyDeleteYou're no slouch yourself Bill, bringing the tailgate A game every session, you're quite the inspiration to try and live up to. :P