You've heard the rumors. Profanity-laced tirades, showers of beer, bottle throwing.Notre Dame 1995. Michigan 2002 (and every year?). Texas 2005. You call your colleague to verify it's better now, but . . . USC 2009: beer showers and profanity. The home crowd at Ohio Stadium has earned an ugly reputation.
And yet? We could only just have had a nicer reception than we received. Ok, so it wasn't quite "Welcome to Ohio State, good luck," a la my first visit to Notre Dame wearing the opponent's colors, but it wasn't far off.
Maybe it was because we all wear the same color? Maybe OSU doesn't fear us (most of their fans seem to respect our program)? maybe we were well-behaved and gracious so they returned the favor? Whatever the reason, other than a mild comment at the gas station in Dayton and some mild (and deserved) post-game ribbing more associated with my own stone hands, the home crowd was gracious and welcoming.
From the walk across the Olentangy river to the woman on the jet way also returning home through DFW, our interaction with fans of the Ohio State University was universally positive.
Prologue:
We got the rain out of the way on Friday, which provided a muni golf course in Dayton to us all to ourselves. Saturday began with a beautiful, crisp fall day in the Midwest. Partly cloudy, sunny, and alternately warm and slightly chilly depeneding on whether the sun was behind a cloud.
We began the day with the drive into Columbus on I-70. We listened to Jim Tressel graciously dealing with callers looking for retribution against Jay Valai ("we can't spare any energy to waste on that; we need to go play a solid, fundamentally sound football game.") and questioning the team's fashion ("if brining gray sleeves back is really all we'll need to win those BCS games, I'll take a look into it!"). We arrived at our hotel at Capitol Square in time to watch the Badger players stroll through the lobby on their way to the game.
Then we caught a cab down to campus. Not wanting to get stuck in traffic, the cabbie dropped us off on the north side of the Schott. That gave us a chance to walk through some tailgating. We crossed the Lane Avenue and walked over to Woody Hayes Drive to cross the Olentangy over to the hulking north side of Ohio Stadium with its dome edifice.
The Tailgate:
Within a few minutes we reached our gracious hostess on the phone who guided us past the old basketball stadium to her Ford Expedition parked at the base of the Lane Avenue Bridge still on the stadium side of the river. While we helped her set up some tables and food (lots of food!), her father returned with appropriate technical support and the missing coax cable to get the satellite dish and TV up and running.
Under a Buckeye tent, beers in hand, and grill heating up, we settled into the Georgia @ Tennessee game. A party of four, fresh in from New York and decked out in Buckeye paraphenalia, arrived, introduced themselves, and added a bunch of beer and food to the already overstocked tables.
Over the next few hours (and beers) several more internet friends from the CFN Big Ten message board joined in the fun bringing along their guests. While everyone brought a nice contribution of beer, soda, and/or food, I cannot say enough about our hostess's hospitality. She and her dad provided brats, burgers, chips, potato salad, all the fixings, sweets, beer, an HD TV on a satellite feed, a shady tent, a lovely smile, and a welcoming attitude all to a bunch of strangers she "knows" from the internet.
You always wonder how such a meeting will go. Having never laid eyes on these internet personalities, you wonder what they will be like in person. Will you have anything to talk about? Will your non-CFN friends who don't know "the Board" and its personalities feel like outcasts? Will it all be very awkward?
As with CFN-inspired meetings past, this event once again fulfilled my high opinion of our little online community. In addition to our lovely hostess, every guest added something. We chatted, ate, watched football, drank (a little), laughed, and all got along very well. Not just well, but "next year in Madison" well.
After two-and-a-half quick hours, we were having too much fun to make it to the nearby "skull sessions," though I'm sure they would have been great. Despite the time we were having, my non-CFN friend and I decided to take a stroll around the campus to get a little feel for the place. What we saw reminded us of college in the Midwest. Nice old brick buildings with some gothic flair mixed with more modern [as usual, science] buildings and a scattering of drab 60s builds that probably everyone Midwest wide would love to see replaced.
Throughout our walk there was nary a nasty comment from the Ohio State fans. To the contrary, we received several well-wishes and welcomes. Returning to the tailgate after our stroll, we had time for a final bite and last pre-game beer before filing into the stadium for the main event.
The Show at the Shoe:
We walked up the stairs to the visiting section in the north-east corner of the Shoe (up diagonally from the "E" in the "Ohio State" end zone). Just walking around the Shoe is impressive. It is a giant and imposing tribute to one of college football's elites. Inside is no different. Emerging from the tunnel, the height and steep angles of the stadium are imposing. We climbed the steepest stadium steps I've ever walked to get to our towering seats.
As we walked through the tunnel out to Section 8C, TBDBITL emerged from their own tunnel, well below us and to our right. They whipped the crowd up with the Buckeye Battle Cry before the obligatory playing of the opponent's fight song, frankly, the oddest sounding rendition of On Wisconsin that I can recall (while forming a well-done Motion W on the field). Then Carmen Ohio before performing script Ohio, which just looks cool. I'm sure the sousaphone player who dotted the "i" loved doing it, and it was cool to see, but I was a little surprised at how understated it was, and how quickly it passed.
The school's Army, Navy, and Air Force cadets ran up a giant American flag for the national anthem, and as they say in baseball, "play ball!"
The Game:
I wrote more here, but I should add a couple of things. First, I held my head high at the end. There are blowouts where one team completely outclasses the other. Then there are blowouts where one team was better, but the final score resulted from a handful of unfortunate plays rather than a game-long domination in all phases of the game. This was the latter kind.
The Badgers can't make the mistakes Ohio State forced them to make and still survive against such a good team. Nonetheless, this young team can build from the experience and especially the defense can point to things they did very well.
Buckeye fans need to remember that in the first half, with the game still in doubt, Pryor led them 88 yards in just over a minute to take the lead and retake the momentum that Wisconsin had steadily built. The next time he touched the ball, the game was decided and it would have been irresponsible for Tressel to allow Pryor to air it out when nothing good could come of it, and plenty bad could. He's a work in progress. He's shaky (as I said before the game), but he didn't take a meaningful snap in the second half, so don't worry too much.
The crowd was solid throughout, though never really got deafeningly loud. Had the tight game that defined the first half carried through the second half, surely the crowd would have turned the volume up to 11, but as it was 9.5 was fine.
Post-Game:
After the beat down, we trudged back to the tailgate to help break down. We had a few more, and watched the first quarter of the Michigan/Iowa tilt. With the parking lot clearing out, we had time for a random toss-around of the old pigskin, where I flashed my stone hands, and took a little mild ribbing from some less-than-sober tailgaters nearby. It certainly wasn't nasty, and it was appropriate to compare my lack of skill to the Badgers given the outcome of the game.
We got everything more or less wrapped up and jumped in a cab to hit our post-game spot. On the way to German Village we had quite the colloquy with our east-African cab driver about whether we were headed to Blanks or Planks (imagine "who's on first"), which resulted in him hitting a traffic cone before he got his eyes back on the road (lesson: always wear your seatbelt in a cab!). It didn't do any damage, and my friend's sharp eyes caught Planks on South High before we rocketed too far past.
It was a solid end to the evening as we consumed plenty more, watched Florida beat LSU back, and Iowa hold off Michigan. Things slowly petered out and after last call our hostess gave us a lift back to our hotel to end the evening.
In the elevator on the way up to our room my friend turned to me and said, "that was a perfect day." And it was. Well, except for the Badgers losing. A few more beers (God only knows why), and we called it a night.
On Wisconsin!
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
ROAD TRIP!!!
See ya in Columbus, suckas!
Cannot wait for this game. Should be a close fought, slugfest.
I wrote some more here.
On Wisconsin!!
Cannot wait for this game. Should be a close fought, slugfest.
I wrote some more here.
On Wisconsin!!
Through Rose [Bowl] Colored Glasses: Minnesota
For the second installment reaching out to hear what our opponents currently think about their squad, I go to another big roadie, a new beginning for the oldest rivalry. On October 3rd, the Badgers will play the Gophers for the 119th time, in Minnesota's new home, TCF Bank Stadium. The excitement for Minnesota is palpable. After years sadly borrowing the Metrodome, the University has sold out the first [outdoor!] season in its own place.
Although the Badgers have gone 8-2 in the series in the last decade, the last two have been unnecessarily dicey, and given our road record the last two years, there is reason for hope in the Twin Cities and concern back in Mad-town. Minnesota returns a bunch of starters whereas the Badgers have another quarterback controversy, a re-tooled offensive line, and a slew of new faces on defense.
In anticipation of what could be one of the biggest games in Minnesota in a decade or more (Game Day, anyone?), I sent the good people at the Daily Gopher a few questions. Those questions and their answers are below:
Although the Badgers have gone 8-2 in the series in the last decade, the last two have been unnecessarily dicey, and given our road record the last two years, there is reason for hope in the Twin Cities and concern back in Mad-town. Minnesota returns a bunch of starters whereas the Badgers have another quarterback controversy, a re-tooled offensive line, and a slew of new faces on defense.
In anticipation of what could be one of the biggest games in Minnesota in a decade or more (Game Day, anyone?), I sent the good people at the Daily Gopher a few questions. Those questions and their answers are below:
Doubling Down in the Twin Cities
(1) Defense has been the Gophers achilles heel for the last few seasons. What has Brewster done to cure the problem? What will the fix look like in 2009? - The 2007 defense was one of the worst ever to set foot on a Big Ten field. 2008 was markedly better, although still finished in the bottom third of the conference. But the improvement cannot be ignored, the details are below but the 2008 defense improved by giving up just shy of 12 fewer points per game and 135 fewer yards. The fix? Well we return 8 starters and finally some of the athleticism that was recruited in Brewsters highly acclaimed 2008 class will be seeing the field. So the fix will come from a year of experience and a year of maturation. Nobody expects this defense to rank in the top 3 of the conference and they will not duplicate their 31 turnover performance, but they will be capable of stopping teams on 3rd down and making the opposing offenses work for their points. Much of what ailed this defense last year was just one or two big plays at critical times. Up 7 at Wisconsin in the 4th qtr and has the Badgers at 2nd and 19 on their own 28. 17-yard pass to Toon (with a NEAR sack) plus a 15-yard penalty followed by a 39-yard pass to Anderson takes the Badgers to the 1 and it was all downhill from there. That was 71 yards given to the Badgers on two plays, that is where the improvement needs to happen.
Charting Change 2007 to 2008
Pts Allowed 36.7/24.8 (-11.9)
Rush Yds Allowed 229.3/143.3 (-86)
Pass Yds Allowed 289.3/240.3 (-49)
Total Yds Allowed 518.7/383.6 (-135.1)
Turnovers generated 14/31 (+17)
Opponent 3rd Down % 44.3/34.6 (-9.7%)
(2) Can Adam Weber be the man under center? Who will step up to take the pressure off of Eric Decker on offense? - I believe that Weber is the most underrated QB in the Big Ten. From his freshman season to his sophomore season he improved by 5% in completion and reduced his INTs by 11 on the year. All of this while he was sacked 31 times last year, had a terrible running game and was missing Decker for the last few games of the year. He is the man under center, a good leader on the team and I have complete confidence in him as the starter this year and next. As for who will step up to help him in the passing game? Well once again I'm going to the "plus one more year" theory and the JUCO help on the way. Last year we had a few talented receivers who were true freshmen. It was right around the Badger game that guys like Xavier Brandon and Brandon Green started to step up their play. Xavier is now gone, but Brandon Green and DaJon McKnight are expected to take big steps forward and help Decker out as other options in the receing game. The other guy worth mentioning is Hayo Carpenter who is a JUCO transfer that has Gopher Nation kind of excited. He has the tools to step in and be a threat immediately but that is often hard to gauge so time will tell.
(3) The last decade has been good for the Badgers, narrowing the gap in this series by 8 games, including two Gopher losses that must have been very painful (the blocked punt - Barry's last Axe game - and last season's meltdown). Is Wisconsin in the Gophers' collective head, or should we look at the hockey series over the same time and shut the hell up? How will the new stadium change things (keeping in mind my most painful loss as a Badger fan anywhere, anytime was in the Metrodome in 1993)? Oh the
(5) Recruiting in Minnesota is heating up, but it seems like Wisconsin and others (like Notre Dame) are still doing well there; can Brewster end the poaching? Things are slowly changing with regards to the best from Minnesota staying in Minnesota. In the 2008 class Brewster lost the top two players to Notre Dame and Ohio State and kept just one of the top 5 kids from the state. But the 2009 class was a different story. The number one ranked player in the state did end up at Clemson but the 2 through 8 players ended up as Golden Gophers. The only player Wisconsin "poached" was Casey Dehn, a two-star lineman who's only offers were from Wisconsin and Minnesota. What is becoming interesting is the slow reversal of the recruiting battles. So far in the early 2010 recruiting battles the Gophers have received verbals from two of the top three or four in-state kids already and have put the pressure on a number of Wisconsin kids early. Tom Parrish will be a top 5 or 6 player out of Wisconsin who has verballed to Minnesota. And Konrad Zagzebski gave the Gophers an early verbal before changing his mind once the Badgers were forced to offer. I'm not suggesting we will have our pick of Badger State kids, but Brewster is putting Beilema on his heals just a little bit which never happened in the past. Enjoy David Gilreath while you can, because you'll have to start finding guys like him elsewhere in the future!
(6) Which is more important this year, beating Iowa or beating Wisconsin? This year? Wisconsin, without a doubt. I don't think the general fan base is expecting to beat Iowa this year (although being competitive should be expected this time). Wisconsin however, is viewed as beatable. We were right there till the end in Madison a year ago, the Badgers return just 11 total starters from a 7-6 team, the Gophers return a lot of their young talent and the game is at home as the first Big Ten game in the new stadium. This game will be a benchmark game for Minnesota. If we want to gain some level of Big Ten respectability you have to beat a team like Wisconsin at home. The Badgers are not a weak team by any stretch but they also are not at the Ohio State/Penn State level this year. I'm also not saying the Gophers are a superior team but Wisconsin is beatable this year and, like I said, if you want to gain some respectability you need to win home games like this.
Close, but no Burnt Orange Cigar
Update, 1/20/09: the new rumor is the deal isn't dead . . . yet.
With ESPN's help, Texas and Wisconsin were trying to work out a home-and-home with the Badgers playing at Austin this coming fall. Unfortunately, the return date in Madison couldn't happen before 2013, and they scrapped the deal.
Too bad. I suspect the fan base would have loved it, even with a four year wait for the return.
Moreover, it's too bad we couldn't reshuffle a game or two to make it work. It's hard to get marquis teams like Texas to come to Madison. I'm disappointed the athletic department couldn't make this one happen.
Here's the link:
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/01/15/0115texfoot.html
A little clarification on my perspective is in order. These things aren't easy. They are negotiations. You don't just pick up the phone and say, "hey, let's play a game." There's a reason the Badger athletic department didn't make the deal and it likely has to do with the terms, i.e. Texas's position in the negotiations. Nonetheless, it's a shame it didn't happen.
The Capital Times reports a slightly different reason that the deal hasn't worked (yet): each team wants to preserve their 7 home games. This makes a lot of sense. What joe-fan may not realize is selling football tickets is the lifeblood of athletic departments. Giving up that seventh game means a lot of lost revenue for the department. That's not going to happen. Unless they can find a way that both teams play 7 home games, the deal can't happen.
With ESPN's help, Texas and Wisconsin were trying to work out a home-and-home with the Badgers playing at Austin this coming fall. Unfortunately, the return date in Madison couldn't happen before 2013, and they scrapped the deal.
Too bad. I suspect the fan base would have loved it, even with a four year wait for the return.
Moreover, it's too bad we couldn't reshuffle a game or two to make it work. It's hard to get marquis teams like Texas to come to Madison. I'm disappointed the athletic department couldn't make this one happen.
Here's the link:
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/01/15/0115texfoot.html
A little clarification on my perspective is in order. These things aren't easy. They are negotiations. You don't just pick up the phone and say, "hey, let's play a game." There's a reason the Badger athletic department didn't make the deal and it likely has to do with the terms, i.e. Texas's position in the negotiations. Nonetheless, it's a shame it didn't happen.
The Capital Times reports a slightly different reason that the deal hasn't worked (yet): each team wants to preserve their 7 home games. This makes a lot of sense. What joe-fan may not realize is selling football tickets is the lifeblood of athletic departments. Giving up that seventh game means a lot of lost revenue for the department. That's not going to happen. Unless they can find a way that both teams play 7 home games, the deal can't happen.
Rumor Mill: Texas Series starting in '09?
There's a rumor floating out there that we might do a home-and-home with Texas starting this coming season.
I'm in the highly pessimistic mode on this one for a handful of reasons. It's true that we could add a date next year because we're playing @ Hawaii, meaning we can add a 13th game. It's also true that our OOC slate is pretty poor. Nonetheless, a home and home with Texas is going to be hard to come by for UW and I'm not at all sure it's what the AD really wants at this point.
Nonetheless, I thought I'd throw it out there in case it sticks so that I can look like a genius . . .
I'm in the highly pessimistic mode on this one for a handful of reasons. It's true that we could add a date next year because we're playing @ Hawaii, meaning we can add a 13th game. It's also true that our OOC slate is pretty poor. Nonetheless, a home and home with Texas is going to be hard to come by for UW and I'm not at all sure it's what the AD really wants at this point.
Nonetheless, I thought I'd throw it out there in case it sticks so that I can look like a genius . . .
Initial Thoughts: Florida State
Since we have about three weeks until the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, here are some initial thoughts on the Florida State Seminoles. No, not expositions about Bobby Bowden's illustrious career, or that long run he had keeping FSU in the nation's top 5, or the speedy athletes mysteriously found in the south, or the hex some spurned field goal kicker must have put on Florida State's place kickers long, long ago. No, none of that (or at least not for now . . . ) just a quick look at the 2008 Noles.
8-4, 5-3 ACC. What's that mean? For one, they beat one decent non-conference opponent (Colorado, at home) and got the snot kicked out them when Florida visited Talahasee. Not too much shame there - the Gators would crush the Badgers, too. They feasted on Western Carolina and Chattanooga, and while outsiders might point to our close call with Cal Poly, I'd bet Cal Poly would feast on Western Carolina and Chattanooga, too.
So, 5-3 in the ACC. The ACC is a funny conference this season. Despite 80s and 90s powers, Miami, Florida State, and VaTech (not to mention consistently very good Boston College), the ACC just doesn't have a national title caliber team this year. What it does have, though, is a bunch of solid teams. A whole bunch. Ten of twelve are going bowling, and looking at their records against each other, every one of them is good one day, but suspect the next. The difference between 6-6 North Carolina State (PapaJohns.com Bowl), and 8-4 Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl) just isn't that big. FSU falls somewhere right in between (one Boston College loss from playing VaTech again in the ACC championship game).
The Noles even have a win over the aforementioned Orange Bowl-bound Hokies. Their three conference losses, not unlike the Badgers' five (good God, was it really 5!?!) conference losses are forgivable: Wake Forest (ok, that one sounds bad, but Wake is pretty good), Georgia Tech (who just beat pre-season #1 Georgia), and Boston College (loser of the ACC championship game). In addition to beating the Hokies, they had solid wins over Miami, Clemson, Maryland.
In short, Florida State is a solid, but not spectacular team. The Badgers will need a strong effort to beat them on what is basically their home turf.
More to come . . .
8-4, 5-3 ACC. What's that mean? For one, they beat one decent non-conference opponent (Colorado, at home) and got the snot kicked out them when Florida visited Talahasee. Not too much shame there - the Gators would crush the Badgers, too. They feasted on Western Carolina and Chattanooga, and while outsiders might point to our close call with Cal Poly, I'd bet Cal Poly would feast on Western Carolina and Chattanooga, too.
So, 5-3 in the ACC. The ACC is a funny conference this season. Despite 80s and 90s powers, Miami, Florida State, and VaTech (not to mention consistently very good Boston College), the ACC just doesn't have a national title caliber team this year. What it does have, though, is a bunch of solid teams. A whole bunch. Ten of twelve are going bowling, and looking at their records against each other, every one of them is good one day, but suspect the next. The difference between 6-6 North Carolina State (PapaJohns.com Bowl), and 8-4 Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl) just isn't that big. FSU falls somewhere right in between (one Boston College loss from playing VaTech again in the ACC championship game).
The Noles even have a win over the aforementioned Orange Bowl-bound Hokies. Their three conference losses, not unlike the Badgers' five (good God, was it really 5!?!) conference losses are forgivable: Wake Forest (ok, that one sounds bad, but Wake is pretty good), Georgia Tech (who just beat pre-season #1 Georgia), and Boston College (loser of the ACC championship game). In addition to beating the Hokies, they had solid wins over Miami, Clemson, Maryland.
In short, Florida State is a solid, but not spectacular team. The Badgers will need a strong effort to beat them on what is basically their home turf.
More to come . . .
Bowl Benefits
Of course we wanted more, but when you go 3-5 in conference, you'll take the bowl you can get. So, the Insight or Champs Sports? First, it's highly unlikely that I'm going to either, so travel doesn't matter to me, but it likely would to the portion of the fanbase that has budgeted for bowl travel this year. In the present economy do they want to spend the money to go back to Tampa . . . again? Tampa two days after Christmas (travel on the 26th?), or Phoenix for New Year's? That's the $64,000 (or 64,000 people?) question. Frankly, Phoenix for New Year's sounds more appealing.
Both games will offer good opponents for us: Champs Sports will offer a flawed ACC foe (aren't they all?), whereas the Insight likely offers a flawed Big XII foe (we, of course, are a flawed Big Ten offering).
Prestige? Seriously, we're going to evaluate prestige between two third-tier bowls? I'm not buying that Champs is that much better than the Insight. It pays more, but the money is shared in the Big Ten pot anyway (and after travel expenses, there won't be much leftover from either game), so it makes no actual difference to UW's program.
I'm not traveling and I get both the NFL Network and ESPN, so I'll watch either game, but Wednesday December 31st at 1:30 EST? That's DVR time for me and most people I know. This little thing called work. Sucks, don't it? Oh, and way more people have ESPN than the NFL Network. So Champs, on ESPN on a Saturday at 4:30 EST sounds like a clear winner.
Finally, who do *they* want? Does the Citrus Committee want to take a chance on the Wisconsin fan base skipping Florida this year? Or would they rather have the Minnesota fan base, riding a four-game losing streak with a blowout loss to Iowa, a not-close loss to Michigan, and a head-to-head loss to the Badgers? Oh, and with less helmetosity than Wisconsin?
I'll say this, the Insight Bowl is mad as heck at Notre Dame for losing to Syracuse (or Pitt, or North Carolina). Can you imagine the ratings bump if they could've had Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin? But no, no 6-6 teams picked over a 7-5 team, so the Insight gets Kansas. Kansas vs. Minnesota? Yawn.
For all Potrykus has lobbied against Florida this season, I think -- and hope -- we're headed to Champs. Think it would help if I went and bought something there for Christmas?
Both games will offer good opponents for us: Champs Sports will offer a flawed ACC foe (aren't they all?), whereas the Insight likely offers a flawed Big XII foe (we, of course, are a flawed Big Ten offering).
Prestige? Seriously, we're going to evaluate prestige between two third-tier bowls? I'm not buying that Champs is that much better than the Insight. It pays more, but the money is shared in the Big Ten pot anyway (and after travel expenses, there won't be much leftover from either game), so it makes no actual difference to UW's program.
I'm not traveling and I get both the NFL Network and ESPN, so I'll watch either game, but Wednesday December 31st at 1:30 EST? That's DVR time for me and most people I know. This little thing called work. Sucks, don't it? Oh, and way more people have ESPN than the NFL Network. So Champs, on ESPN on a Saturday at 4:30 EST sounds like a clear winner.
Finally, who do *they* want? Does the Citrus Committee want to take a chance on the Wisconsin fan base skipping Florida this year? Or would they rather have the Minnesota fan base, riding a four-game losing streak with a blowout loss to Iowa, a not-close loss to Michigan, and a head-to-head loss to the Badgers? Oh, and with less helmetosity than Wisconsin?
I'll say this, the Insight Bowl is mad as heck at Notre Dame for losing to Syracuse (or Pitt, or North Carolina). Can you imagine the ratings bump if they could've had Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin? But no, no 6-6 teams picked over a 7-5 team, so the Insight gets Kansas. Kansas vs. Minnesota? Yawn.
For all Potrykus has lobbied against Florida this season, I think -- and hope -- we're headed to Champs. Think it would help if I went and bought something there for Christmas?
We Interrupt This Disappointing Season . . .
We interrupt this unbelievably disappointing, headscratching, pillow throwing, beer drinking (ok, that's every season), coach-questioning, etc. season, to report on a road trip to UNLV.
Work brought me to Las Vegas today and I'm one of those strange people that doesn't much like Casinos. As luck would have it, UNLV was playing at home against one of the top non-BCS teams, TCU. Not having anything better to do, I figured I'd head out there.
Las Vegas is, well, Las Vegas. Suspended reality. There isn't a thing here, at least not anywhere near the strip, that is real. Well, except for people losing money. Everyone here is in la-la land, getting away from reality. Makes for a strange crowd. Anyway, left that behind, and drove the 8 miles out to Sam Boyd Stadium (the Silver Bowl). The Las Vegas Valley is actually quite pretty, away from the strip, if you like high desert (lots of dry, red mountains).
Sam Boyd Stadium is small, probably around 40k at capacity, and tonight it was nowhere near it. The Runnin' Rebels were 3-5 headed into this game, with a big win over Arizona State and heart-breaking losses to Air Force and BYU. Anyway, at 3-5, the fan base for a non-BCS team isn't real fired up. There wasn't much in the way of tail gating, and the stadium was less than half-full. Though the Horned Frogs did a pretty good job bringing their fans along. In a half-full stadium, I was able to walk up to the ticket window and purchase a 45-yard line ticket for $29. Well, it was supposed to be $29, but the ATM at the casino gave me two $100 bills when I withdrew some cash. I gave one of them to the teller at the ticket window and realized when I took my money back out of my pocket after the game, that she gave me $81 in change. So the 45-yard line seat was $19. Much cheaper than hanging out in a casino for three hours.
It was kind of fun to see what a good non-BCS team looks like. TCU was solid. They run the spread pretty well and have a stout defense. They took their opening drive in for a touchdown, and their second drive, too. After that they put it in cruise, and after a final minute UNLV touchdown, won 44-14. And it could've been much worse, but for TCU's muffed punt, untimely penalties (we Badgers know something about that), and a pick, I think.
Anyway, the game wasn't that competitive, but I noted some other things. TCU's helmets are really purple. Really. Also, their place kicker, for kick-offs, is a toe kicker, not a soccer-style kicker. Can't remember the last one of those I've seen. Oh, and he was born without a left forearm (left arm goes just past his elbow).
UNLV's band is really small, but they make up for it with the "Rebel Girls." Future "gentleman's club" pole dancers? That's probably not very fair, but, you know, it is Vegas.
On my way out, I noticed a bunch of cattle right next to the east side of the stadium. That's a little different. Also, I was amused by the announcer's exhortation at the end of the game, "go ahead and take a chance on anything in our town, except on our roads."
And for a closing thought: I can't believe UNLV took us to the bell last season. Ridiculous. With the facilities and fan support they have, a game with them should never be close. Never.
From Las Vegas . . . until the next time.
Work brought me to Las Vegas today and I'm one of those strange people that doesn't much like Casinos. As luck would have it, UNLV was playing at home against one of the top non-BCS teams, TCU. Not having anything better to do, I figured I'd head out there.
Las Vegas is, well, Las Vegas. Suspended reality. There isn't a thing here, at least not anywhere near the strip, that is real. Well, except for people losing money. Everyone here is in la-la land, getting away from reality. Makes for a strange crowd. Anyway, left that behind, and drove the 8 miles out to Sam Boyd Stadium (the Silver Bowl). The Las Vegas Valley is actually quite pretty, away from the strip, if you like high desert (lots of dry, red mountains).
Sam Boyd Stadium is small, probably around 40k at capacity, and tonight it was nowhere near it. The Runnin' Rebels were 3-5 headed into this game, with a big win over Arizona State and heart-breaking losses to Air Force and BYU. Anyway, at 3-5, the fan base for a non-BCS team isn't real fired up. There wasn't much in the way of tail gating, and the stadium was less than half-full. Though the Horned Frogs did a pretty good job bringing their fans along. In a half-full stadium, I was able to walk up to the ticket window and purchase a 45-yard line ticket for $29. Well, it was supposed to be $29, but the ATM at the casino gave me two $100 bills when I withdrew some cash. I gave one of them to the teller at the ticket window and realized when I took my money back out of my pocket after the game, that she gave me $81 in change. So the 45-yard line seat was $19. Much cheaper than hanging out in a casino for three hours.
It was kind of fun to see what a good non-BCS team looks like. TCU was solid. They run the spread pretty well and have a stout defense. They took their opening drive in for a touchdown, and their second drive, too. After that they put it in cruise, and after a final minute UNLV touchdown, won 44-14. And it could've been much worse, but for TCU's muffed punt, untimely penalties (we Badgers know something about that), and a pick, I think.
Anyway, the game wasn't that competitive, but I noted some other things. TCU's helmets are really purple. Really. Also, their place kicker, for kick-offs, is a toe kicker, not a soccer-style kicker. Can't remember the last one of those I've seen. Oh, and he was born without a left forearm (left arm goes just past his elbow).
UNLV's band is really small, but they make up for it with the "Rebel Girls." Future "gentleman's club" pole dancers? That's probably not very fair, but, you know, it is Vegas.
On my way out, I noticed a bunch of cattle right next to the east side of the stadium. That's a little different. Also, I was amused by the announcer's exhortation at the end of the game, "go ahead and take a chance on anything in our town, except on our roads."
And for a closing thought: I can't believe UNLV took us to the bell last season. Ridiculous. With the facilities and fan support they have, a game with them should never be close. Never.
From Las Vegas . . . until the next time.
On the Road: Fresno State
Thanks to a good friend who is better to the athletic department than I, I was able to go to the Fresno State game with three friends. Two I play hockey with, the third, a '61 UW grad, is the person who convinced me to look into the University of Wisconsin to begin with. We've shared many phone calls celebrating Badger successes over the years, but we'd never made it to a game together, and she couldn't remember the last time she saw the Badgers live.
There are those that deride Fresno as the middle of nowhere, but that's way off base. California provides two-thirds of the nation's produce. The heart of California's agriculture is the San Joaquin Valley, and Fresno, at just shy of 500K people, is the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. A trip to Fresno is a trip to as "real" a part of California as it gets. Driving the three hours from San Francisco, though, you do drive through a lot of fields . . .
Once in Fresno, we parked our car at a lot next to the stadium then got a ride back to my aunt and uncle's house. They graciously took all four of us Badgers in, plus two more, while also inviting several Bulldog backer friends of theirs to a very nice cookout. After several beers, a brat, some tri-tip, and a few other goodies (including apple pie!), we caught another ride back towards the stadium.
One bonus of a 41,000 seat stadium is the traffic and parking isn't nearly as bad as it is for a Camp Randall sized joint. We arrived to the tailgating area immediately adjacent to the stadium at about 6:15. The tailgating was limited in scope, but people were having a good time. Proud Badgers, we immediately sought out a beer tent. An hour before kickoff we found it next to the ESPN tent:
Just after we got in the long line, would you believe -- an hour before kickoff -- they ran out of beer? Who did they think was coming, Utah? BYU? Folks, we're the University of Wisconsin, and we like our beer!
After recovering from the shock, we trudged towards the stadium gates, which were a little overwhelmed with the capacity crowd trying to get in. Along the way we ran into several very nice people who welcomed us and thanked us, and the Badgers, for making the trip -- and for not backing out, as other "big-time" programs might have done. We also ran into a handful of less welcoming people, but nothing beyond what a visitor might hear around Camp Randall, and not too much of it.
One of those less-friendly exchanges did lead to my favorite quote of the night. Three young guys walked by, said something nasty about how the Bulldogs were gonna kill us, drew their fingers across their throats to the same effect, then went on their way. Immediately afterwards a nice young lady, who saw the unfriendly welcome, apologetically said to us, "welcome to ghetto California." A funny comment, but not reflective of our visit. The overwhelming majority of Fresno State fans were nothing but hospitable.
The stadium is small, with a capacity at about 41,000, but it was a good crowd. We arrived in time for the National Anthem (sung well by the Badger fans -- don't think the Fresno crowd normally sings along with their band) and the Air National Guard F-16 flyover, which is always cool (and they stoked their afterburners for us as they cleared the stadium). The Bulldog band is very big -- maybe as big as ours. They don't have quite the buy-in that the 5th Quarter does, and aren't as exciting, but they did their part. The public address system left a little to be desired. Most of the officials' calls were difficult to understand, and even many of the announcements by the PA announcer were unintelligible. The canned music was loud. Fresno State like showing their bulldog mascot chewing on a badger stuffed animal on the jumbo-tron. All the Badger fans in the crowd thought it might turn out a little differently if they tried that with a real badger.
By game time the stadium was packed, with standing room only. The Fresno fans greeted the Badgers with the requisite boos, as our boys entered under the student section. The Bulldogs followed to a raucous greeting. The only thing that went wrong for them is it appeared their air-tent collapsed as they were finished running out.
Then it was game time. Of course the right team won. The Fresno State D came up huge, stopping our first sustained drive on 3rd and 4th and goal, with just a yard or two to go. Still, we dominated the first half, and easily could have been ahead another 10, or even 17 points, but for the missed field goal (and poor time management) to end the half, that stellar goal-line stand the Bulldogs made, and a 10-yard holding penalty, committed behind the run on Evridge's option attempt near the Fresno State goal line, which led to the made field goal.
The second half, particularly the 3rd quarter, was another story. Chryst appeared to get a little too tricky by half, mixing in a little too much first-down passing for an offense that was dominating the line of scrimmage on runs. On top of that, we really hurt ourselves with holding and false-start penalties. On the other side of the ball, Fresno began to take advantage of over pursuit, running misdirection running plays, and our soft coverage, where the Bulldogs could hit a 5-7 yard out just about anytime they wanted. Poor tackling by Casillas and Valai led to the long touchdown on an underneath crossing patter that looked much like something you might see Beckum run for us.
Mistakes all over the place for both teams. Both teams defenses dropped what may well have gone for pick-6's (Levy had no one in front of him and a short way to go; the Bulldog corner probably would have gone the distance, but had a much longer way to go). We had the kick at the end of the half, and a punt in the 3rd quarter blocked. Fresno State's kicker didn't sleep well, after missing 3, maybe 4 (?), field goals. Finally, Pat Hill should have gone for it at the end on 4th and 16 with two minutes to play. Whether they get the first down or not, they have to hold Wisconsin without a first down to get the ball back. Why not take your shot at mid-field, using the downs you have? Of course, Badger fans weren't thrilled with the fumble that was overturned -- I understand ESPN's commentators felt the same way.
The crowd was excellent. 42,000 people can't get as loud as the Camp at capacity, but they were pretty darned loud. In the second half when every series counted and the game was close, they made it tough on the Badgers' offense, probably leading to some of the false starts. The only real negatives I saw from the Fresno fans was the couple that threw t-shirts (shot out of a cannon into the crowd throughout the game) at the Badger cheerleader running our flag in the endzone after a score. Classless, but that was just a couple of bad apples. The rest of the crowd was great. At the end, the Bulldog fans were sober and downcast -- as any team on the losing end of that kind of game would be. But they did their part, represented Fresno State and supported their team as well as a home crowd can.
Not surprisingly, Badger fans were a testament to our school. We easily sold our allotment of tickets, and there were more sprinkled throughout the stadium. During the official time-out for the review, the FSU coaching staff was a little ashamed at the noise coming from the Badger's cheering sections, and had to exhort the crowd to retaliate and drown us out. Similarly, the Bulldog band, seated in front of us, was called on a few times to try and play over us.
Leaving the stadium was a slow process, as there aren't enough gates, but the near-full moon over head was a nice bit of scenery while we waited. Appropriate that visitors from America's Dairyland would feel like cattle heading in and out of the stadium. Again, traffic wasn't too bad, and we made it back to my aunt and uncles' to share a couple more beers, have breakfast in the morning, and drive -- very happily -- back to the Bay Area.
All in all, a great trip. Both teams played hard, and both defenses were a testament to their schools. I fully expected an offensive show, but between both offenses making mistakes, and the Defenses stepping up and making plays, it was anything but. Although our over sized offensive line had a clear advantage over Fresno State's front 7, those guys battled and made a bunch of big plays.
Kudos to the Bulldogs. We look forward to seeing you in Madison next year. I recommend a home-and-home with the Bulldogs for any Big Ten program worth its salt. The meek need not apply.
There are those that deride Fresno as the middle of nowhere, but that's way off base. California provides two-thirds of the nation's produce. The heart of California's agriculture is the San Joaquin Valley, and Fresno, at just shy of 500K people, is the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. A trip to Fresno is a trip to as "real" a part of California as it gets. Driving the three hours from San Francisco, though, you do drive through a lot of fields . . .
Once in Fresno, we parked our car at a lot next to the stadium then got a ride back to my aunt and uncle's house. They graciously took all four of us Badgers in, plus two more, while also inviting several Bulldog backer friends of theirs to a very nice cookout. After several beers, a brat, some tri-tip, and a few other goodies (including apple pie!), we caught another ride back towards the stadium.
One bonus of a 41,000 seat stadium is the traffic and parking isn't nearly as bad as it is for a Camp Randall sized joint. We arrived to the tailgating area immediately adjacent to the stadium at about 6:15. The tailgating was limited in scope, but people were having a good time. Proud Badgers, we immediately sought out a beer tent. An hour before kickoff we found it next to the ESPN tent:
Just after we got in the long line, would you believe -- an hour before kickoff -- they ran out of beer? Who did they think was coming, Utah? BYU? Folks, we're the University of Wisconsin, and we like our beer!
After recovering from the shock, we trudged towards the stadium gates, which were a little overwhelmed with the capacity crowd trying to get in. Along the way we ran into several very nice people who welcomed us and thanked us, and the Badgers, for making the trip -- and for not backing out, as other "big-time" programs might have done. We also ran into a handful of less welcoming people, but nothing beyond what a visitor might hear around Camp Randall, and not too much of it.
One of those less-friendly exchanges did lead to my favorite quote of the night. Three young guys walked by, said something nasty about how the Bulldogs were gonna kill us, drew their fingers across their throats to the same effect, then went on their way. Immediately afterwards a nice young lady, who saw the unfriendly welcome, apologetically said to us, "welcome to ghetto California." A funny comment, but not reflective of our visit. The overwhelming majority of Fresno State fans were nothing but hospitable.
The stadium is small, with a capacity at about 41,000, but it was a good crowd. We arrived in time for the National Anthem (sung well by the Badger fans -- don't think the Fresno crowd normally sings along with their band) and the Air National Guard F-16 flyover, which is always cool (and they stoked their afterburners for us as they cleared the stadium). The Bulldog band is very big -- maybe as big as ours. They don't have quite the buy-in that the 5th Quarter does, and aren't as exciting, but they did their part. The public address system left a little to be desired. Most of the officials' calls were difficult to understand, and even many of the announcements by the PA announcer were unintelligible. The canned music was loud. Fresno State like showing their bulldog mascot chewing on a badger stuffed animal on the jumbo-tron. All the Badger fans in the crowd thought it might turn out a little differently if they tried that with a real badger.By game time the stadium was packed, with standing room only. The Fresno fans greeted the Badgers with the requisite boos, as our boys entered under the student section. The Bulldogs followed to a raucous greeting. The only thing that went wrong for them is it appeared their air-tent collapsed as they were finished running out.
Then it was game time. Of course the right team won. The Fresno State D came up huge, stopping our first sustained drive on 3rd and 4th and goal, with just a yard or two to go. Still, we dominated the first half, and easily could have been ahead another 10, or even 17 points, but for the missed field goal (and poor time management) to end the half, that stellar goal-line stand the Bulldogs made, and a 10-yard holding penalty, committed behind the run on Evridge's option attempt near the Fresno State goal line, which led to the made field goal.The second half, particularly the 3rd quarter, was another story. Chryst appeared to get a little too tricky by half, mixing in a little too much first-down passing for an offense that was dominating the line of scrimmage on runs. On top of that, we really hurt ourselves with holding and false-start penalties. On the other side of the ball, Fresno began to take advantage of over pursuit, running misdirection running plays, and our soft coverage, where the Bulldogs could hit a 5-7 yard out just about anytime they wanted. Poor tackling by Casillas and Valai led to the long touchdown on an underneath crossing patter that looked much like something you might see Beckum run for us.
Mistakes all over the place for both teams. Both teams defenses dropped what may well have gone for pick-6's (Levy had no one in front of him and a short way to go; the Bulldog corner probably would have gone the distance, but had a much longer way to go). We had the kick at the end of the half, and a punt in the 3rd quarter blocked. Fresno State's kicker didn't sleep well, after missing 3, maybe 4 (?), field goals. Finally, Pat Hill should have gone for it at the end on 4th and 16 with two minutes to play. Whether they get the first down or not, they have to hold Wisconsin without a first down to get the ball back. Why not take your shot at mid-field, using the downs you have? Of course, Badger fans weren't thrilled with the fumble that was overturned -- I understand ESPN's commentators felt the same way.
The crowd was excellent. 42,000 people can't get as loud as the Camp at capacity, but they were pretty darned loud. In the second half when every series counted and the game was close, they made it tough on the Badgers' offense, probably leading to some of the false starts. The only real negatives I saw from the Fresno fans was the couple that threw t-shirts (shot out of a cannon into the crowd throughout the game) at the Badger cheerleader running our flag in the endzone after a score. Classless, but that was just a couple of bad apples. The rest of the crowd was great. At the end, the Bulldog fans were sober and downcast -- as any team on the losing end of that kind of game would be. But they did their part, represented Fresno State and supported their team as well as a home crowd can.
Not surprisingly, Badger fans were a testament to our school. We easily sold our allotment of tickets, and there were more sprinkled throughout the stadium. During the official time-out for the review, the FSU coaching staff was a little ashamed at the noise coming from the Badger's cheering sections, and had to exhort the crowd to retaliate and drown us out. Similarly, the Bulldog band, seated in front of us, was called on a few times to try and play over us.Leaving the stadium was a slow process, as there aren't enough gates, but the near-full moon over head was a nice bit of scenery while we waited. Appropriate that visitors from America's Dairyland would feel like cattle heading in and out of the stadium. Again, traffic wasn't too bad, and we made it back to my aunt and uncles' to share a couple more beers, have breakfast in the morning, and drive -- very happily -- back to the Bay Area.
All in all, a great trip. Both teams played hard, and both defenses were a testament to their schools. I fully expected an offensive show, but between both offenses making mistakes, and the Defenses stepping up and making plays, it was anything but. Although our over sized offensive line had a clear advantage over Fresno State's front 7, those guys battled and made a bunch of big plays.
Kudos to the Bulldogs. We look forward to seeing you in Madison next year. I recommend a home-and-home with the Bulldogs for any Big Ten program worth its salt. The meek need not apply.
Road Trip!! What to do in Fresno
Other than this . . .
Well, it's maybe a little late, but here's a little knowledge about Fresno. If you have extra time, Yosemite National Park and Kings Canyon/Seqouia National Forest aren't far away and they are worth the trip. This time of year, Yosemite won't be crowded and it is beee-you-tiful.
Most folks from Wisconsin are probably flying into San Francisco or LA. Enjoy the sights there, Fresno is less appealing, aesthetically speaking. But take note while making the drive, California is an agricultural state . . . a very big agricultural state. It's only on the coast that California is, well, California (the one you see in the media).
Once you make the drive down (or up) 99 (which will be hot -- possibly in the 100s during the day on Saturday), what's in Fresno?
My friends in Fresno tell me Me-n-Ed's Victory Grill is a solid sports bar (Link), as well as the Red Wave Inn (here) near the university, and the Dog House Grill (here).
For a great sandwich, The Meat Market (link) at Ingram and Alluvial.
The Forestiere Underground Gardens sound interesting: link
Other than that? Um. A couple of malls, with all the standard chain restaurants, and Indian Casinos, if that's your thing.
Most folks from Wisconsin are probably flying into San Francisco or LA. Enjoy the sights there, Fresno is less appealing, aesthetically speaking. But take note while making the drive, California is an agricultural state . . . a very big agricultural state. It's only on the coast that California is, well, California (the one you see in the media).
Once you make the drive down (or up) 99 (which will be hot -- possibly in the 100s during the day on Saturday), what's in Fresno?
My friends in Fresno tell me Me-n-Ed's Victory Grill is a solid sports bar (Link), as well as the Red Wave Inn (here) near the university, and the Dog House Grill (here).
For a great sandwich, The Meat Market (link) at Ingram and Alluvial.
The Forestiere Underground Gardens sound interesting: link
Other than that? Um. A couple of malls, with all the standard chain restaurants, and Indian Casinos, if that's your thing.
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