INTO THE WEST: Thoughts from a Vegas Bowl Road Trip – Day Two

The drive from Rifle, CO, to Las Vegas was about as perfect a December 30th driving day as one could ask for when starting in the western Rockies. The temp was only 13 degrees as I hopped down to the Gateway Lodge’s breakfast “buffet”. Yes, they really call it that, but it included scrambled eggs and sausage, so that’s good enough for me – seeing bread, cereal, unripe fruit, oatmeal packs, granola bars and other assorted packaged mini-muffins and such long ago ruined the adjective “continental” for me.

By the time I hopped into the car in my shorts, it had risen to the high 20’s and the drive would end late Monday afternoon in the low 60’s. There were no high winds or temporary blizzard-like conditions to be found. Conversely, there was also no other Dick Butkus-ish Nebraska-bred woman purchasing cigs and Southern Comfort shot bottles as wintry weather raged.

The wildest gas stop event of the day was when I finished washing my hands only to find the towel machine empty when it dawned on me why several children had been running from the bathroom wringing their hands.

Oh well.

The sun shone all day on another unforgettable drive beginning in the western edge of the Rockies where the land began to take on the scenery of what most think of when “the West” comes to mind. Rockier mountains with sedimentary cliffs begin giving way to the striking buttes, mesas and spires of southern Utah all with snow-peaked mountains in the background. The landscape is so huge and awe-inspiring, I would feel like the car was hardly moving but look down to see I was still cruising around 87 mph or so.

Heck, even the I-15 segment to Vegas included an entrance to the last 40 or 50 miles to the city through rock walls on both sides which rose higher than it was safe to look while driving. I tried anyway – they were really, really high.

I did finally make it to the Virgin Hotels-Las Vegas which has it share of flashing lights and ringing bells. I’ll give them credit – they have much more affordable food options than Mandalay Bay, where we stayed for Big Ten Football Media Days back in August and WASN’T THAT ONLY LIKE A MONTH AGO????

Also, like Mandalay, it’s just too normal a crowd. There are far too many kids and far too few general weirdos, and, sorry, people-watching for the weirdos used to be one of my favorite pastimes, especially coupled with one of my others – maintaining that medium Vegas buzz which keeps things rolling along and makes people not care what time it is without unleashing a hangover. Hangovers must be avoided at all costs, because there is just so much to do – and you won’t get to do it all if you’re drinking ice machine tap water and endlessly searching for the cool side of the pillow while groaning sporadically.

But.

This is a working Vegas trip for me. And when the game concludes and the “Publish” button has been punched, I’m gonna hop in the car and shoot into Eastbound and Down mode as I attempt to drive through the night and next morning to make the return trip in one shot and enjoy as much of the CFP Quarterfinals as I can.

So in the name of working (as I am right now in a nifty Virgin room), here’s some random thoughts before game day. There’s one more presser tomorrow morning, but, honestly? At this point, the off-field drama is done and the quotes are all ones we’ve heard before. Let’s take our best guesses and get to it!

• T.J. Lateef pronounced himself full speed and I believe him. Although time has flown, he has had four weeks of increasing recovery since the Iowa game. It bears reminding, as Matt Rhule said the other day, Lateef is a mobile QB, not a dual-threat one. However, with Logan Fano, one of Utah’s biggest defensive threats opting out, T.J. may get a chance to extend some plays with his legs.
• But how bad will lack of full-speed reps hurt.
• Speaking of opt-outs, things evened up on that front. In addition to Logan Fano, his brother Spencer, an All-American, and Caleb Lomu, both offensive tackles expected to be drafted in the first round, will also skip the game to begin preparing for the draft.
• With two All-American lineman out for Utah, I think we can expect interim coaches Phil Snow, Matt Rhule and Mike Ekeler to, um, dial up the pressure a little. I know it’s crazy to expect a defensive line with horrendous run defense and light pressure on the quarterbacks to suddenly flip the script. But there’s an opening there now. And I fully expect a different level of effort.

• No Dylan, no Emmett (who is traveling with the team for support) and no Rocco. Can Mozee, Nelson and Knaak step in? Given the Nebraska line’s numbers on rushing yards before contact, the opportunity is there for a big rushing day by one or a combined effort from the two freshmen. Or might Kenneth Williams get one around the corner?
• Nebraska travels, but might the allure or warmer weather (instead of NYC December drizzle) and the, uh, multiple attractions of Vegas plus Utah’s closer proximity to the game combine to break the Las Vegas Bowl attendance record?
• We should check on Dana Holgorsen. He did confess Vegas had gotten him a time or two. Around here, we call those badges of honor. Let’s hope he left his Wolf Pack at home.
• Just kidding, Dana! In all seriousness, Holgorsen is my favorite press conference coach. Please let the Vegas Bowl be Chapter One of Matt Rhule removing the NFL yoke from Holgo’s shoulders. Let our guy cook.
• My weird fan behavior meter rattled loudly again. Why? Multiple complaint posts wanting to know where Dylan’s tweet or announcement thanking Nebraska for everything is. That’s a new one.
• The line is down to nebraska +14.5 – does winning one for your retiring coach coming off the table only reduce the spread by 1?
• This bowl season still needs a huge upset – can the Huskers be the one to pull it off? Why not? The Big 10 is still undefeated in the bowls/CFP/ Nebraska 23 Utah 20.
• Or Utah 38 Nebraska 13. Hell, I don’t know. But I would love this trip to be rewarded with an upset.

Go Big Red.