Tusk to Tail: When it comes to generators, sound, not size, matters. And Go Hogs!

story by Dale Cullins

Editor’s note: Welcome to the fifth 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
––––––––––––––––––
Welcome Ole Miss, the team we have all come to love to hate. You knew these guys couldn’t start winning at their recent level without having a few tricks up their sleeve.

As Ole Miss has been investigated for multiple NCAA violations within the past year, all of that has been cast into the light of day. Most everyone just nodded their head and said, “You see, I knew they were cheating.”

That is unfortunate.

Oregon and Oklahoma State built up their programs the old fashioned way – by finding an extremely wealthy donor to invest. Ole Miss skipped a step, and went straight to winning. There were too many red flags with that, and now they will have to pay the piper. But not before all of that talent gets to come back for one more trip to Fayetteville.

It will be another 6 p.m. game on ESPN this Saturday, and the game time temperature looks to be warmer than expected for October. Tusk to Tail crew looks forward to another beautiful day in the Ozarks. We have invited all of our Ole Miss family and friends to come up and join us from Little Rock. Some of them hosted us all so graciously in The Grove last year. We look forward to the opportunity to return the hospitality afforded to us last year before and after the game. Considering how last year’s game ended, it was a relief to be treated with class.

It’s hard to see where this game might be going. The Hogs offensive line is much less prepared than expected for this season and the defense, which we all expected to be improved, has turned out to look unprepared, slow, and completely incapable of an open field tackle.

Quarterback Austin Allen has looked better than advertised, and you just wish the team was keeping up with his effort. Austin has a lot of upside. Though it appears this may not be his year, it still looks to be exciting to watch him progress.

In an effort to keep things fresh, our friend Nathan Nailling arranged for First Security Bank’s Teal Grill to be rolled in for us to promptly grill off about 80 burgers, brats, wings, and a couple dozen hot dogs this Saturday. I hope we can accomplish this in about an hour or so with the huge grill. None of our crew enjoys being stuck behind a hot grill all day. It’s not the work that bothers us, but more the sense of isolation that comes with grilling at a tailgate. Not many folks come over to check on the progress of the food. They are more interested in the end result.

We had a large full time crowd last week at the Alabama game, as well as a lot of drop-ins. I expect to have a large but slightly smaller crowd this week. Some of the luster may be rubbing off this team, and that may be reflected in the attendance, despite the beautiful weather.

Lastly, I have a pet peeve to throw out there. If you are tailgating in a confined space that is limited in the distance you can place your generator, don’t go cheap! You have invested a lot of money to rent the space and to provide a fun environment for your family and friends. Why subject them to the ear splitting decibels of a run of the mill generator? Last week and two weeks ago in Little Rock, we had to listen to loud generators that had no place being so close to tailgating tents. Spend the extra $400 and get a Honda silent generator. You will not regret it and trust me, your tailgating neighbors will appreciate you for it!

Go Hogs, Beat Rebels! Or Bears? Whichever, beat’em!