Piercing the Cone of Silence

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Ok y'all...the Infamous Cone of Silence is currently underway if haven't noticed. Oh, Cone of Silence, how I have missed you!

Since our chance at the championship game died in Texas yesterday, I had actually wanted to do a season in review for my blog post today. But this cone of silence situation is quite intriguing.

What does it mean? Has UTSA managed to stall bowl slot negotiations? Has our brain trust managed to pull a negotiation coup and announce the Hawaii Bowl? Has R+L decided that what this guy says is true and so they don't want to put USL through the agony of puckering up to lowly Tulane?

Tomorrow there is to be a conference call. About what, who knows. Tulane just loves making easy things difficult, so we shall see soon enough. I have 100 latkes going in a bet (with applesauce) over what is to be announced tomorrow.

What I do know is that the longer that this drags on, the less chance you are going to have out of state alumni who are going to re-arrange their holiday plans to come be in New Orleans in 3 weeks.

My town daughters are already organizing carpools to the airport the week prior, ready to depart the very second when their exams finish. Tulane wouldn't ever like do something reasonable like announce in advance for extended dorm closings until December 22nd. So don't count on any students making plans to go to a bowl.

So the Rice game: We didn't go to Houston. This is a picture of us in town after the game. We did manage to put on cute gameday outfits nonetheless. I was holding out hope that I would be able to pack up at dawn on Saturday and roll into Rice Stadium before kick off. It just wasn't meant to be. I need to get on Coach Hullabaloo to get us a Cessna though so that we can jump off to a game on a moment's notice.

I can't say who, but I had a VIP celebrity wedding that needed to be tended to by Boss Lady Stationery (me) and I was reprinting placecards and extra menus until literally a half hour before the guests were seated for dinner. Could you imagine if I had been already tucked away in Houston and getting desperate phone calls from their wedding planner about this or that?

Coach Hullabaloo and our friend Bald Boy and his uncle
So instead, I was fielding the desperate phone calls from Bruno's where Coach Hullabaloo and I had gone to partake in that great American pastime of Watching Saturday Football at A Local Watering Hole.

'Tis a fine tradition that is enjoyed by the majority of American College Football Fans and Alumni, but which has sadly eluded Greenwave fans for decades for many self-inflicted reasons.

Absent were the Greenbackers who were either at home or across the street at Rocco's as they are currently still on their boycott of Bruno's.
I will say this about the controversial Bruno's. Other than praying I don't get cancer from all of the secondhand smoke, I was pleased that the bartendress was wearing a Tulane shirt on gameday. Like we are a for real college team and this is a for real local joint.

How refreshing for a change! But getting the game on the TV with sound was a bit touch and go at first. And we weren't sure if we were even gonna get sound after they finally got one of the sound-less TVs going. But we finally did get sound, and thank goodness - because this yet again:

And this wasn't even my phone. So no, I am not the sole crazy lunatic who doesn't get iheart to work for Tulane games or for the radio shows.

So anyways, I ended up having to skip out for a spell and was therefore actually only able to watch the first and fourth quarters, as I spent quarters 2 and 3 tending to said wedding paper emergencies.

From what I saw Tulane's defense was absolutely boss. More specifically Nico Marley was who was boss.

Nico Marley with an assist on the strip from the always awesome Darion Monroe.
Moment captured by Smiley Pool.
However, if there were a prize for completing passes out of bounds - we'd be a lock. Juan Kincaid said on WWL that Tulane left our offense Uptown and that pretty much describes what happened at Rice. Our first 1st down was in the 3rd Q. ha! So we go out the door, losing to RICE. Lawd have mercy.

Oh well. Quelle Dommage. We close out the season in bittersweet fashion.

The silver lining is that our loss didn't give anymore fuel to the notion that UTSA should have a claim to the exCUSA championship game. Because that would have been a gag me situation imho.

Alright, so now for the retrospective portion of my final blog post of the regular season:

Mrs. Hullabaloo's favorite wins:

I am so glad we got to sucker punch Tulsa. Lawd how I disliked their stupid, rude fans. Too bad we get to still see them on the other side.

I am also sooo glad that we embarrassed ECU, and it was more delicious in that they called us everything in the book: including referring to us as a bunch of "homeless people." Well you lost to a bunch of homeless peeps. Hoo-ray!

Mrs. Hullabaloo's favorite away game ideas:

The DJ in the student section at Syracuse.

FAU's beach inside of the stadium in lieu of corner endzone seating is truly awesome. And I am also jealous of their in game entertainment and PR/marketing. Their sideline hostess kept spectators' attention going throughout between downs and timeouts so that there was never a lull. It is such a stark contrast with our shoestring plan of having a TAF staff member mumble something inaudible on the field here and there, or undergraduate interns toss some kind of marketing something together. I hope TPTB was taking copious notes.

Ruston. Oy. We barely knew ye. But I did love your alumni pavilion for tailgating.

Mrs. Hullabaloo's favorite tailgate theme of the season:

Challah-baloo was my favorite-est tailgate theme. Savory kugel and roasted brisket - fantabulous. I can't wait to do more Jewish tailgating!

Mrs. Hullabaloo's favorite plays of the season:

Xavier Rush's reception on 3rd and 24 for a touchdown at Louisiana Tech.

The strip/fumble/touchdown by Jordan Batiste and Dominique Robertson at ULM.

Darion Monroe's blocked FG at homecoming.

Strozier's shoeless pick 6 from Poydras to Girod at the ECU game.

Cairo's clutch FGs for our overtime wins.

Another fond memory:

Shaking my boutte to the Greenwave brass band at the senior game.

Ok Greenies.....signing off for the season, I'll see you when I see you.