World-class tailgate with great friends. Check.
Perfect weather for the Blackout under Friday night lights and synchronized UFOs. Check.
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| Greeny making mega-donor Dana's day |
Pregame BS at the Jacoby brick. Check.
In our seats before 7:30 p.m. per Rutgers' guidance. Check.
Yet, sadly, another hype-filled event where Greg Schiano's team couldn't get a must-win to send the record 55,000+ attendees home yearning for the next home game and similar atmosphere. Check.
Iowa 38, Rutgers 28. SMH.
Rutgers dropped to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the B1G with an ominous schedule ahead and a low probability of going .500 in league unless it can win consecutive road games at Minnesota and Washington, and then one weeks later at Purdue.
Tall order for a team with a Swiss cheese defense that killed our chances with a bad 4Q penalty, special teams that gave up a 100-yard TD return on the opening kickoff and missed two field goals, and running game that produced only 70 yards (2.3 yards per carry).
Not your typical Schiano success profile.
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| From front to back: firehouse chicken, corn, apple crisp, Iowa Maid Rites, wings, mac and cheese (not pictured: collards, empanadas) |
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| Cheers to 52! |
If you thought turncoat season ticket holders behind the visitors' bench selling their seats to Iowa fans was a headscratcher on Friday night, wait until later this year.
It's shaping up as a grim season on the Banks for football, but at least we're killing it in the Black lot and will continue to bring it for better or worse. There's no better group of friends and Rutgers fans.
As Keli Zinn and her crew attested, BREP Nation brings the passion and top-notch food and drink, not to mention tailgater-curated music and the weekly LeGrand bourbon toast (with butterscotch Krimpets).
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| Perfect conditions for Al to give Pete **** for missing too many tailgates |
Anna and Andy set up camp sometime around 3 p.m. Just because.
The rest of the Nation arrived promptly at 4 p.m. ahead of the 7:30 p.m. pregame festivities (a.k.a. fans turning on their cell phone cameras...no drones until much later) and 8 p.m. kickoff.
The Iowa-themed menu went off as well as possible considering the vanilla options, with John and Dana providing tasty Maid Rite sandwiches, elevated for those wise enough to top the loose meat with yellow mustard and pickle. The steamed onion roll proved to be the winning bookend.
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| TMZ reports of Pat burning eyebrows off grilling wings proved to be unfounded; plus we have ex-firefighters Andy and Anna at the ready just in case |
Andy's firehouse chicken was a delicious low-calorie (maybe for an offensive or defensive lineman) hit, as were the jerk chicken wings and mac and cheese from 2025 BREP Nation newbies Dana and Pat Cotter; the latter working up a sweat over open flames to provide proper crisp to each wing - a feat unto itself considering Pat's late-night kegstand tutorials until 3 a.m. with son, fraternity pledge and scratch golfer Brian.
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| Flags waiving proudly, picture-perfect weather |
Tom of the "Tom's Music" branch of BREP Nation picked up some award-winning collard greens that accompanied our Jersey corn to round out the health food portion of our dining experience.
Special guests Jenny and John Bemben piled on with delicious empanadas.
Shane whipped up a scrumptious apple crisp that was devoured, and reintroduced friends Zac and Harrison to the joys of tailgating.
It was nice to see the Witkowskis return to the tailgate after their beach vacation hiatus, as well as the 2025 debut of legacy BREP Nation member Basil.
Kudos, too, to whomever made the Iowa puppy chow and brought the boujee cheese and cracker platter.
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| Happier times in Sect. 121 |
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| Luis Guzman sighting? |
At least in our quadrant of the Black lot.
After four straight weekends of tailgating and recent football suffering, we get a much-needed breather before hosting sixth-ranked Oregon on Saturday, October 18 at either 6:30 or 7 p.m.
Let's do some homework ahead of then to figure out our next tailgate theme.
It's a neighbor to Washington, so we can do salmon or the like, but be sure to check out Nong's Khao Man Gai in Portland for some great Thai cuisine within earshot of Eugene, Oregon. I'm inclined to make at least one of the items.
Assuming the weather cooperates, I anticipate a massive turnout and can't wait to bring it again.
Football notwithstanding.
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We got there around 3:15 ( I was just following orders) and were not the first ones there if you include the camp across from us who set up the big white tent on the corner with the Notre Dame flag, as well as the cornhole guys behind them who set up right in the middle of the busy street. they were both going full tilt already when we pulled in :P
ReplyDeleteThere was talk of doing the next game Oktoberfest-style being its the only one in that month but i'm flexible.
Everything was delicious, and Shane's Molten Apple Crisp was incredible.