Tusk to Tail: A War Memorial finale (?) with Harvey, Hogs, mud, and beer

We’ve got questions, questions, and more questions, with no answers for any of them yet. Just conjecture, speculation and wild @*$ guessing coming from the usual media outlets on the fate of this season’s Razorbacks squad, War Memorial Stadium, and the track and timing of the remnants of Hurricane Harvey.

Luckily, Tusk to Tail and our trusty friends will be there to witness all of it. We will report faithfully to you each and every week as the season progresses and the tailgating unfolds on a campus or venue across the Southeastern Conference.

We plan to bring some new menu suggestions, drink recipes, and first hand live video and photos from the tailgates this year. Tusk to Tail will host a large tailgate for the first time in Columbia, S.C. (we’ve been guests during previous trips), and make return trips to Baton Rouge, the Grove, Tuscaloosa and Arlington. Our usual spot on The Hill has been reserved, and as always we have made a few upgrades to our operations to stay ahead in the tailgating arms race. The Joneses have to keep up with us. Those upgrades will be revealed for the first big game on The Hill against TCU next week.

At the time of publishing, the game in Little Rock this week against Florida A&M looks to be wet. Harvey will drift north by Thursday, and tracks to be in North Louisiana with rain bands reaching up into central Arkansas by then.

Due to the weather, lackluster opponent, and with it being a work day, the crowd will be decidedly small. Only the diehards will venture out to brave the conditions. That will keep the set-up minimal, as you have to figure everything that can get wet will and it will get muddy. Spreading some straw will help keep the mud away in the high traffic areas, so be sure to keep that in mind. Also, keep your generator out of the rain as much as possible and plan time for clean up as quickly as possible. You want to keep the mud from drying to your gear and prevent any mold or mildew from forming on the fabric of your tens and chairs.

Jamey Johnson is smoking pork for the game, and we will have dips and snacks available. If the forecast improves, we will have time to ramp up our efforts to accommodate a larger crowd. Once again this year, we have 14 cases of fine, locally crafted beers from Lost Forty Brewing. It’s just not an Arkansas tailgate without the best beer in Arkansas.

I’m personally starting to get excited for this game and the season. As I stated earlier, I’m not sure what to expect from this team. There are lots of shoes to fill from last season, and thus question marks at various positions. However, the defense really can’t be much worse than last year, and the offensive line will have more experience overall, so that has to be a positive.

I can see the potential to win nine games in this team, but as we have come to expect over the years, this coaching staff will lose some games they shouldn’t and then pull off an upset. Come back later this week as the crew with Tusk to Tail predict this game and season record.

It all starts Thursday night in Little Rock in what might be the last game for the Hogs there for a while. That would be a bittersweet moment for Tusk to Tail, but that is a question that remains to be answered later too.

Go Hogs, Beat Rattlers!
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Editor’s note: Welcome to the sixth season of Tusk to Tail – the sport of tailgating as organized, performed and perfected by a group of Hog fans who have been tailgating together sober and otherwise for more than a decade. Members of the Tusk to Tail Team are Sean Casey, Jack Clark, Dale Cullins, Greg Houser, Craig May, David Rice and Mark Wagner. Tusk to Tail is managed by Talk Business & Politics against the advice of attorneys and family. The diehards may also be followed on their Facebook page. Or follow the crew on Twitter — @TuskToTail