Blacksburg

All sports fans have favorite teams. And most sports fans have secondary teams. Those are the teams you root for when they are not playing your favorite team. The reasons for why we root for our favorite teams are deeply rooted in our upbringing and our identity. The reasons for our secondary teams are far more trivial. Perhaps we have family members who live there, or maybe we lived there when we were very young. Maybe they played a style of ball we liked, or had an ex-player from our favorite team there. Or maybe they are just a team from a different conference that was traditionally an underdog that we adopted out of some sort of sports related compassion.

For a good friend of mine that secondary team in college football is Virginia Tech. For several years we have talked about going down to see a game in Blacksburg on a weekend when Michigan is out of town. This weekend, we finally made good on that talk and took in the North Carolina/Virginia Tech Thursday night game.

The drive down was good. We left Wednesday night, stayed in the small town of Marietta that night and drove from there down to just outside Blacksburg on Thursday. The traffic was light, and the scenery was gorgeous. Southwestern Virginia is in full fall bloom right now, and one can easily see where the Hokie color scheme comes from, with a myriad of maroon and orange trees covering every hillside.

We parked in a residential neighborhood about a mile from the stadium early enough to stroll around campus a bit. After the requisite stop at the student bookstore to pick up some Hokie gear, we found a campus eatery for some dinner. It was the type of place you find on every campus, low prices, standing room only, loud music, and yummy greasy food. We especially liked the sign taped on the front door, written on the back of a sandwich wrapper that said they were closing at 7pm. They had to get to the game, just like the rest of the town.

Lane Stadium is set at the southern end of campus, on top of a hill, to the west of a somewhat dense thicket of woods, the type of which seemed to play a pivotal role in just about every major engagement in the Civil War. Approaching the stadium from the east, the massive light towers of the east structure glowed overhead, providing an almost eerie aura to the woods. Only a narrow path separates the woods from the stadium entrance, and after the game, we followed the crowd into the woods, expecting to find a path underfoot, but instead stumbling through branch after branch as we made our way to the tailgates on the other side of the hill.

The stadium itself is pretty basic. Two large stands on the east and west sides contain most of the 66,000 seats, with a large new press box and suite complex on the west side. The north stands are small, and the south stands have recently been expanded to include a second deck.

The atmosphere of the game was pretty electric. The Virginia Tech band is huge (330 people) and did a fairly elaborate pre-game routine that includes forming the shape of Virginia with a pair of tuba players dancing around the state to Blacksburg, spelling out Hokies, and some old fashioned "T-E-C-H" cheers. The entrance of the players was fantastic and is an example of how piped-in music can be used to effectively get a crowd jump started. I took video of the entrance, but I'm not sure I truly captured the entire effect. Somewhat surprising to me, no other piped-in music was played during the game.

We were sitting in what was supposed to be the North Carolina section, but it was only about half Tar Heels, with the other half various Hokie fans. Hokie fans were all decked out in Maroon and Orange, and were fully engaged in the game. The section stood for the entire game, and particularly came alive when Tech was on defense. Like the Michigan student section, the Hokie fans rattled their keys for "key" plays on defense.

Other in-game atmosphere enhancers included fireworks at the start and end of each half, after every Virginia Tech score, and at one random moment in the second half during a North Carolina drive. The score board also had a gobbler sound effect on every third or fourth down for UNC that was twice as annoying as the fake Lion sound they make at Penn State.

The game itself was a thriller, although you got the impression early on that Virginia Tech could have run away with the game if they could have just put together a little offensive execution. But they could put any points on the board while their defense was holding UNC to negative yards in the first quarter, and eventually the Tar Heels found some offense with some misdirection and creative formations. The Hokies responded with a decent passing game in the second half and got a huge turnover early in the fourth quarter to go ahead by three. But in the end, the couldn't stop Carolina from nickel and diming their way down the field. And with a few minutes left in a tie game, they fumbled away the game.

All in all, the game was a great experience, and Virginia Tech's reputation of one of the premier atmospheres in college football is well earned. I would recommend a trip to Blacksburg for any serious college football fan.

A Day in Death Valley

So our dear friend in New Orleans invited me down for a weekend to visit the Big Easy and attend the Alabama/LSU game in Baton Rouge. It seems that he discovered that members of the Louisiana state high school coaches' association can get complimentary tickets to any LSU game, provided you get there early enough.

So we left New Orleans around 9:30 for a 2:30 game. Traffic there was pretty light until we got about two exits from the campus. We parked just north of campus, in what appeared to be a typical student "ghetto". Along the walk to campus, there was plenty of "talent", all appropriately dressed for a warm, late-fall day. We stopped in a convenience store that was packed with young adults from both LSU and Alabama looking to buy beer. First time I've ever seen a security guard in a gas station. After a brief stop to visit an old colleague, we made our way over to the stadium. Because we wanted to make sure to get there early, we didn't get to sample the famous Tiger tailgating scene, other than just to walk through it.

We got to the stadium about an hour and a quarter before game time. Most of the student section was already full. The marching band was already in their seats, as was the Alabama band. Our seats were in the upper deck along the eastern sideline. Because there are no basements in Louisiana, the stadium is not built into the ground at all. It appears to be a Huey Long-era, all-concrete project that has been added to and updated numerous times. The upper deck starts about six stories above the ground. It is also quite steep. Unlike Michigan Stadium, where the seats in front of you are at your ankles, the seats in front of you are below your feet. I could have put my feet up on the shoulders of the people in front of us, without too much problem. From our seats we could see downtown Baton Rouge, the state capital and the mighty Mississippi. The combination of the height and the angle was just enough to kick start my fear of heights and make me slightly uncomfortable, at least until the game started.

Shortly before the game started, the band left the stands and came onto the field for a pre-game show. No dramatic entrance like the high steppin' MMB, but still some nice numbers with nice formations and good audience participation. The entrance of the team was a big production with smoke, fireworks, and piped in music. The piped in music continued throughout the game, but the crowd really didn't react to it as much as they did to the marching band. According to our friend the piped in music is new this year, so maybe people haven't gotten used to it. Hopefully they'll reconsider and get rid of it. The sound system was pretty bad. As far as I could tell, there were no speakers in the upper deck. The video screens were also quite small, nothing like Texas' monster video board.

When the game started, the fans were very engaged. The fans near us stood to start the game, and remained standing for the entire first series. I was quite impressed, and wondered if they would actually stand for the entire game. Eventually, as the teams settled into the game, the fans did as well, sitting down for most of the action, but still standing at appropriate times. The noise level in the stadium was good, you can really tell how much the steepness of the stadium affects the noise level. It was curious that a lot of people who were sitting near us left early, starting in the 2nd quarter. To be fair, there didn't appear to be anyone checking tickets in each section, so it's possible they moved to lower seats. It was also clear that the fans were much more engaged in the second half. At the start of the fourth quarter, the PA announced, "The sun has now found it's home in the western sky. Night has come to Death Valley" With that the band played a number of tunes that got the fans fired up, and the team came alive. You could really tell that there is something special about night games there, and the fans and team knows that.

Interactions between Alabama and LSU fans around us was limited, but there were a few odd occurrences. At one point an old guy sitting near us stood up and started shouting at a few young Alabama fans about ten rows behind us. He threatened them, called them faggots, and told them he'd kick their asses if they were man enough to come down to his seats. The weird part is that there hadn't been any interaction between the guy and the Tide fans before his outburst. The whole thing had a "get off my lawn" type feel.

Only a few people said anything to me about my Michigan jersey. One guy told me that Michigan was losing to Minnesota (I found out later that there weren't) but not to worry, because Rich Rod would get it turned around in three years. Another kid informed me that Michigan was 3000 miles to the north. If I had thought quicker, I would have told him, "We're 2-7 and that's the best you could come up with?" I got a few other weird looks, and met one guy after the game who was from Michigan and was doing the same thing I was. "Had to see some good football this year," he said.

The game itself was a classic. The blocked field goal at the end of the game was unbelievable, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. I think they are both solid teams, with few weaknesses, save one glaring exception. LSU has a real issue at Quarterback. Like Michigan, they were hurt when the expected starter this year (Ryan Perriloux) left the team in the off season. His replacement, Jarret Lee, threw four interceptions, which is about his average for the season. I think their defense played well, and for the most part their lines got the best of Alabama. Alabama has few if any weaknesses, but they don't have many difference makers, other than freshman WR, Julio Jones. They remind me a little of the 2002 OSU team that upset Miami. I do think they will get trounced by Florida in the SEC championship game.

All in all, it was a great experience, and I hope I'll get a chance to get down there again.

Our eyes were upon Texas...

and they didn't fare to well.

A recap of our Longhorn football experience:
After listening to the audio feed from the UofM website for the first half of the UM/Northwestern game, we decided not to go watch the game at one of Austin's finer drinking establishments. Something about watching Mike Debord continually bang his head on the wall in an attempt to break through to the other side when there is a door two feet to the left didn't appeal to us, so we decided to skip going to the bar to watch the Michigan game, and instead grabbed some cheap tex-mex, shot a few games of pool at the local pool hall and then headed down to game. We parked on Guadalupe, which is that sort of street that marks the edge of campus and the start of the retail sector on almost every big campus. We walked through the campus with a scattering of fans heading to the game. We passed the infamous Texas Tower, and the very nice Littlefield Fountain, which looked like it could be a great site for a celebratory swim after a big UT win. The north end of the stadium is under construction, but it still an impressive sight, standing several stories taller than the other campus buildings it is next to.
-We didn't see many tailgaters, but I think we approached the stadium on the wrong side. Most of the tailgating takes place on the I-35 side of the campus. We decided to do a lap of the stadium before we took our seats. Texas fans definitely get points for their colors. Everyone was wearing burnt orange. The south side of the stadium was a little more crowded, but it still seemed like a somewhat muted atmosphere. Very little chanting or singing, even near the student entrance.
-Vince Young was at the game. I overheard more than a couple Longhorn fans saying some version of, "VY is in the house, we can't lose", even after they fell behind by 20. Just about the only non-Texas gear I saw were Titan #10 jerseys. That guy will never have to buy a beer in Texas again.
-Our seats were pretty good, near the goal line in the lower level of the western sideline. We were right next to the construction they are doing in the north end zone and the KSU fans on the other side of the construction. I was surprised to see that there were some empty seats along the eastern sideline.
-Overall I was not impressed by the Texas fans. They did a good job at singing the fight song, and got loud when the scoreboard told them to, but as for general rowdiness, they just didn't have it. If Michigan has a symphony crowd, Texas has a library crowd. The students were pretty non-descript, I couldn't even tell where they were sitting. The biggest cheer of the game came when they announced that Oklahoma had lost.
-They have a ridiculously large video board they call Godzillatron. With the somewhat tame crowd, at times like it seemed like we were watching the game at home.
-Unfortunately it started to really pour at halftime, so we sought some shelter and didn't get to see the band show.
-The rain let up in the second half, but came back in the fourth quarter as K-State was putting the game away. This caused a majority of the Longhorn fans to flee the scene.
-The Longhorn team was equally unimpressive: Four INTs and a couple more passes that should have been picked for Colt McCoy, Horrible special teams play, and a defense that got little to no penetration all day. They were completely dominated. The post game shows sounded very similar to the ones in Michigan at the start of the season. Everyone want to blame the coaches, especially the offensive coordinator. Burnt Orange Nation breaks this down a little further.
-Overall it was a fun experience, despite the outcome and the rain. I would love to see Michigan schedule a home and home with the Longhorns, just so I could return to DKR Stadium.

Deepinthahearta...

So, for the first time in like two decades, I won't be able to watch or record the Michigan game today (thanks Comcast!), so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to get out and see some other teams in action. I made my way down to my brother's abode in Austin, TX, and the two of us, along with my dad, secured some tickets to the Texas / Kansas State tilt this afternoon.

I have not watched much of either Texas or Kansas State this year, so I don't quite know what to expect. Texas will probably have the talent edge at most positions, but I do know that Texas fans have been somewhat dissatisfied with their performance so far this year. Heck they almost lost to Arkansas State. For more info and analysis on this game, I refer you to one of the best Texas blogs on the planet, Burnt Orange Nation. I will try and take good notes today, and will do my best to compare and contrast the Austin game day experience with the Ann Arbor one.

Not much to say about our game today. We should be able to run at will against the Mildcats, and given how the season started, I doubt we take them for granted. Still, this is the first road game (although, there is often as many Michigan fans as Northwestern fans in Evanston), it is a spread offense, and the possibility exists that it is closer than it really should be. My guess, something like 35-14, with us putting it away early in the second half. Chad Henne starts, plays two series and then gives way to the young, tall Texan, Ryan Mallet.

After watching South Florida's historic win last night, I don't know if I should be happy, worried, or disinterested. On one hand, it always nice to see a home underdog win. The crowd was excited, the team was enthused, and the whole scene was electric, much like the Rutgers / L'ville game last year. On the other hand, South Florida is only an 11 year old program. That's right, the players have little brothers and sisters who are older than this program. There is some sense that it big time success shouldn't come so quickly, or so easy for them. Sunday Morning Quarterback had an excellent article on this from the perspective of a Southern Miss fan. Southern Miss, the model mid-major program. 13 straight winning seasons, the occasional upset over an SEC team, probably the premiere program in the CUSA. Now they have to watch this upstart surge towards the brink of BCS bowl? Then again, maybe I shouldn't worry about this game at all. After all, the Bulls did beat West Virginia last year, and they still have to travel too Rutgers and play Cinncy and L'ville (who has to find a defense eventually, right?!?) at home. They could easily end up the same 8-4, whatever.com bowl team they were last year.

The big game in the Big Ten this week is MSU / Wisconsin. State has started out the season 4-0, as they've a number of times in the last few years. But each time they've done that, they've lost a tough game (to ND last year, at OSU a few years back) and have just collapsed. Given that, it's not surprising that most Spartan fans are still in wait and see mode with this season and with their new coach. If they beat Wisconsin, look out. They will jump into the big ten title conversation, and Coach Dantonio will be hailed as the second coming of Duffy Daugherty. Of course, even if they do win today, there is at least a 30-40% chance they lose at home to Northwestern next week.