WinChill Factor: How About Another Glorious Win For Razorback Seniors

Glorious.

There is simply no other word.

I sincerely hope you took my advice to heart last week and braved the elements in Fayetteville.  If you did, you experienced a game (and crowd) for the ages.  The ball finally bounced our way and the Hogs made plays on both sides of the ball.  Repeatedly.  In doing so, they finally earned that elusive SEC win under Coach Bielema.

And yes, we rushed the field.  Go ahead and laugh naysayers, but it was necessary.  Cathartic.  Euphoric.  Glorious.

Demons were exorcised and monkeys were removed from backs.  Dogs and cats decided to live together and everyone wanted to hug one another.  The shared joy in that stadium was palpable.  No matter the age, sex, politics or religion, there was – if only for a little while after the game – a unique bonding on the turf of DWRRS.  It was, all in all, a most excellent way to spend a Saturday night.

It was also earned by everyone involved.  The crowd had the easy part – make noise and lots of it.  The spirit groups, the band and the student section all came through with flying colors.  The players and coaches, though, had the hard part and their perseverance was rewarded.  This was more than a win over LSU.  This was validation.  The win was tangible proof of the progress that this program is making after enduring more instability than a Kardashian marriage.

There is, of course, more work to be done.  We have two games left and the possibility of a 7-5 season.  First up, the Ole Miss Rebels with whatever politically correct mascot they have these days (not to mention one of the longest cheers in all of college football; seriously, y’all…edit the thing down to its essence and take a clue from WOOOOOOOOO PIG! SOOIEEE!!!).  After that, more Tigers (I’ll say it again:  This league needs a consultant on mascots).  I can’t speak for the team but it seems to me that, now that we’ve had a taste of victory, our appetite is now more ravenous than ever.  We now know how to win.

So, this Saturday, on a day forecasted to be tailor made for windbreakers, let’s do just that:  let’s win.

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This week’s WinChill Factor are our Razorback seniors (with apologies in case I omitted anyone):

Tiquention Coleman – Linebacker

AJ Derby – Tight End

Carroll Washington – Cornerback

Tevin Mitchel – Cornerback

Alan Turner – Safety

Braylon Mitchell – Linebacker

Patrick Arinze – Running Back

John Henson – Placekicker

Martrell Spaight – Linebacker

Daunte Carr – Linebacker

Johnathan McClure – OL

Chris Stringer – Offensive Tackle

Brey Cook – Guard

Luke Charpentier – Center

Alan D’Appollonio – LS

Demetrius Wilson – Wide Receiver

Trey Flowers – Defensive End

Sam Irwin-Hill – Punter / Australian

Saturday will be the last time these young men will play in front of the faithful at Razorback Stadium.  That bittersweet thought is hopefully tempered by the fact that their time as Razorbacks has required them to develop character beyond the norm of their peers.  The struggles they’ve endured will hopefully serve them well in the days to come.

Look, I’m just a windbreaker.  While that is, at times, fabulous in and of itself, I am sorely lacking in the ability to put into words the lessons learned during the last four years of the lives of these young men, these Razorback seniors.  Instead, I prefer the words on the elegant Maya Angelou:  “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.  In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

We wish these young men success and sincerely thank them for the hard work and sacrifices they’ve put into the program.

Until next time:  Fear the Sleeves.

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Coach Bielema’s Windbreaker made its physical presence known on August 31, 2013.  It is chock full of Razorback spirit, has an unhealthy hatred of sweater vests and fears nothing (other than a hot iron on the “Cotton/Linen” setting).  As game days approach, the Windbreaker can be found interacting with the Razorback faithful on Twitter (@BielWindbreaker).