If you want spicy wings, it doesn’t get much spicier then the Code Red wings at Mojo’s.
That’s exactly what Brian Wingerd, marketing associate for the Collection Bureau of Lawrence, ordered Wednesday evening as he prepared for the PlayStation 2 NCAA Football 2002 Challenge pitting his Kansas University squad against his friend, Jason Harris, a staff pharmacist at Dillon’s, who represented Missouri.
Leading up to every Kansas University football game, the Journal-World will hold an PlayStation 2 NCAA Football 2002 Challenge, pairing a representative from KU with the Jayhawks’ opponent. If you are a KU alumnus or a graduate of a school that is playing the Jayhawks in football this season, and you are interested in challenging an opponent at NCAA Football 2002, please contact Andrew Hartsock at 832-7216 or e-mail ahartsock@ljworld.com.
But someone could have taken those Mojo wings, doused them in kerosene and lit them on fire, and they still wouldn’t have burned as deeply as Wingerd’s hatred for Mizzou.
The hatred was instilled at a young age for Wingerd. On a family vacation, his father told him that he was about to have lunch in the devil’s town Columbia, Mo.
The hatred reached a boiling point during Wingerd’s freshman year in college. As a trombone player for the KU marching band in 1991, he proudly marched out onto the football field in Columbia and a Mizzou fan unceremoniously spat on him.
That’s probably why he took the video game so seriously.
“All of Lawrence rides on my shoulders,” he said, looking at his opponent. “You realize by playing with Mizzou, you’re playing for the devil.”
With the devil’s name being tossed around so much, it didn’t take long for the KU-Mizzou game to look like well, hell. Within the first two minutes of kickoff, Kansas had fumbled three times and Missouri already had thrown an interception.
Both teams calmed down in the second quarter, and KU’s Zach Dyer connected with Roger Ross on a 50-yard pass. Reggie Duncan capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.
The Kansas defense became inspired, and let loose a sackfest on the hapless Mizzou quarterback. It looked as if a junior high football team was trying to block the defensive line of the Green Bay Packers. The Mizzou QB couldn’t connect with his receivers, feeling the pressure of the Kansas defense.
Harris, astonished at the power of the Kansas pass rush, demanded to know what Wingerd knew that he didn’t.
“It’s because Terry Allen’s defensive coordinator is a genius!” Wingerd shouted. “And hopefully, if he reads this, he’ll give me free tickets.”
Dyer once again connected on a pretty play down the middle, this time to the tight end. The score was 14-0 midway through the second quarter, and Wingerd was feeling good.
But then Mizzou turned around and scored in a mere 11 seconds. Kansas answered with a 32-yard field goal from Johnny Beck just as the time expired at the end of the half.
In the second half, the offenses started lighting up the MegaVision scoreboard. Mizzou broke free for what looked like a wide-open touchdown, when an off-screen defender displaying Olympic-caliber speed caught the wide receiver, and stopped him just short of the goal line.
Harris once again cried foul at the unbelievable feat pulled off by Kansas.
“How did that guy possibly catch me?” he shouted.
“When someone programmed this game,” Wingerd explained, “they looked at Kansas and said, ‘Good.’ They then looked at Mizzou, and said, ‘Evil.’ That’s why I stopped you.”
With only 1:07 remaining, Mizzou scored on a 45-yard pass to make the score 31-27. All Kansas had to do was recover the on-side kick attempt, and run out the clock.
Kansas went brain dead, though, and fumbled the on-side kick. Miraculously, after the ball was kicked around by both teams, KU regained possession. That didn’t stop Duncan from fumbling on the next play. Mizzou recovered, and Wingerd started sweating like he had swallowed a dozen Code Red wings.
Mizzou threw four long bombs, each one barely missing a receiver, and time expired. Kansas had survived, 31-27.
“H to the izzo!” Wingerd sang. “Y’all gotsta feel me!”
Wingerd had finally exacted revenge on his own personal Devil.
