Husker Football Tailgate Report: Week 1

It’s that time of year again….Finally! And you may have been practicing some at home, or on the road but it’s time for some Big Red Husker Football tailgating! The first game on tap is against BYU Cougars. I don’t know how well THEY tailgate. I mean there is never any attractive blue food and no one grills Cougar anything (hopefully). The quick facts are that Brigham Young University is located in Provo, Utah. The colors are Blue and White and their mascot is Cosmo the Cougar (sounds like a jello shot in there….). They boast 10 NCAA national titles between Football (’84), Volleyball (’99, ’01, ’04), Golf (’81), Track & Field (’70), and Women’s Cross Country (’97, ’99, ’01, ’02) and 1 Heisman Trophy winner, Ty Detmer. Enrollment is 35,955 students and they are in the West Coast Conference.

Center Tejan Koroma was named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List. (A pre-requisite is that this player must come from Texas) He is a sophomore but garnered LOTS of awards as a true freshman. Hopefully our newly minted Blackshirts won’t let him be effective.

Inasmuch as there isn’t any good BLUE food, in this installment I’m going to focus on a couple  of my favorite gadgets. First one is a portable tailgate table and more. It’s for the serious tailgater and won’t break the bank. What I like most about this unit is it folds down for easy travel and transport but has multiple uses. It can serve as a set up/prep table, a serving table or a bar table. The shelves and side pockets can hold cups, or mixers well. There are similar table setups out there, and smaller ones, so shop around for the one that best suits your needs. In addition to tailgating, this one works well for camping and for putting out on a patio at an apartment. I wouldn’t leave it out in the rain though as it’s not “weather proof.”

Another “gadget” or tailgate tip I will pass along is as simple as a Big Red picnic basket. I use mine to hold plates, bowls, silverware, napkins, salt & pepper shakers and toothpicks. It stays packed basically year round so I just need to grab one thing and I’m ready to go. I just refill the supplies when I put it away. Easy to store, easy to transport! BOOM!

Tailgate Gear (Photo Kelli Anne)

RECIPE TIME: In honor of the BYU mascot, I’m making the Cosmo jello shot. These will need to be consumed early as gameday weather will be warm and sunny.

Cranberry jello (usually can’t find it in sugarfree)

Vodka – Triple Sec – Lime Juice – Orange Juice

Mix 1/2 cup of orange juice and 1/2 cup of water together and heat until boiling. Combine with a package of Cranberry jello in a large (I use 4-cup) measuring bowl. Stir it well until the jello dissolves. Add in 1/2 cup of vodka, 1/4 cup triple sec, and a couple splashes of lime juice to taste. Pour into your jello cups and let chill!

More from Husker Corner

• Former Nebraska football star returns to the program in new role
• Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
• Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
• Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
• Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims

I’m predicting good things this season. I’ve been on board the Coach Riley train since I read up on him early on in the process. I think there will always be negative Huskers but that’s their problem. Don’t be one of them.

Get out and support the HUSKERS and be the great BIG RED fans I know y’all are at heart. See you at the tailgate and GO BIG RED!