The 2012 edition of the aptly named Texas Farm Bureau Shootout left Baylor fans in a joyous mood as the Bears defeated the the Texas Tech Red Raiders 52-45 in OT at Cowboys Stadium. It has been an entertaining college football season in DFW including the Cowboys Classic (Alabama def. Michigan 41-14), the opening of TCU's sparkling new Amon Carter Stadium, the day-long monsoon for the State Farm DFW Duel (TCU def. SMU 24-16), the AT&T Red River Rivalry (OU def. UT 63-21) and Texas Tech's 56-53 triple OT victory over TCU in Fort Worth, but this 'shootout' ranks at the top for pure excitement.
The tailgating scene outside Jerry Jones' football palace was a particular highlight on this nice November afternoon. The setup belonging to Dennis DeWeerd sat in Lot 4, directly between Cowboys Stadium and Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, had over 50 people gathered around to partake in food that ranged from burgers, hot dogs and sausage to shrimp wrapped in bacon. DeWeerd, owner of Ellis County BBQ in Midlothian, had a corner with Texas Tech tents and a flat screen TV showing the game on the off chance that friends wanted to stay for seconds and arrive a few minutes after kickoff.
From the outset, this was my kind of game: very entertaining offensive shootout with very little defense being played. Granted, I can watch a 1-0 pitcher's duel in baseball and be on the edge of the seat, but a low scoring football contest when I have no rooting interest often has me reaching for the remote. Coach Art Briles' Bears finished with a Cowboys Stadium-record 674 total yards and with their sixth win are now bowl eligible for the third straight season.
Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner while playing for Baylor, was on the sidelines for the game and gave quarterback Nick Florence plenty of encouragement. RG3, who was in town with the Washington Redskins for their 38-28 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, witnessed the senior who replaced him pass for four touchdowns en route to the OT victory.
Next up on the DFW college football scene is OU's second visit of the year to North Texas as the Sooners take on TCU on December 1st at 11 am at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
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