Hey, Cincinnati, are there any of you left in the Queen City?
It feels like everyone and their uncle came down to Dallas to cheer on the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. And boy, do we know how to tailgate.
One whiff of LucyGate’s grill and it feels like home, even if we’re more than 900 miles away. That’s because grillmasters Eric Swartz and John Burgoon have perfected the art of the tailgate, complete with UC tents, flags, red Solo cups and enough Cincinnati pride to power the AT&T stadium through tonight’s game against College Football Playoff’s No. 1 team, the University of Alabama.
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At home games, Swartz and Burgoon say they regularly host tailgates for well over 200 UC fans. In Dallas, their group was significantly smaller in numbers, but easily tripled in UC pride.
One of the other founders of the LucyGate group and diehard Bearcats fan, Mike Story, died unexpectedly two years ago. Swartz said the team’s record has been excellent since then, confirming Story’s continued presence at every UC game since. Burgoon said he knows for a fact Story is watching over them today, too.
“He probably already knows the winner,” Burgoon grinned.
But don't worry about those of us who flew to the game without cars for store-bought beer and tailgate grills – we aren’t missing out on any pregame partying. UC fans found a hub at Texas Live bar, a stone’s throw from the stadium now bursting with black and red.
"We're the little guys," Lisa Gastright, of Florence, said. "But we're gonna win."
Inside the stadium, hours before even the earliest of tailgaters arrived, workers rushed to and fro getting ready for the madness of one of the biggest gamedays of the year. The sound of nacho bags being stacked and Jim Beam bottles being placed on shelves rang out through the halls as members of the media trickled in through security to set up cameras and get ready for pregame hoopla.
There are Alabama fans here, too, of course, singing "Sweet Home Alabama" and cheering for the Million Dollar Band out in the parking lots. And though it's hard to gauge which fan turnout is stronger with the sea of red representing both teams, it's fair to say the UC fans here aren't getting the least bit discouraged being the underdogs of this match.
Terry Jaspers, a UC fan with rhinestone football shaped earrings, thinks it will be a close game but is expecting to see the Bearcats play a "ferocious fight" against Alabama.
Marcus Jackson, a Cincinnati native living in Nashville, predicts a Bearcat win of 30-23. His fiancee Alexus Leggett, sporting a University of Alabama T-shirt, gave him a challenging smile.
She thinks we'll see an Alabama win today, but admits it won't be an easy win.
"It's going to be a close game," Leggett said.
At T-minus one hour until kickoff, UC fans are already celebrating like we’re on our way to Indianapolis for the championship game.
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