Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 108/134
Perfect timing – Arizona State really needed New Mexico. The Sun Devils have had a sluggish start to their season, and for the past few years, finding the Lobos on your schedule usually signals an opportunity to find success and improve morale.
Some of the best college towns are those that venture off from well-traveled roads. Taking I-15 north from Salt Lake City, urban morphs to quaint. The snow capped mountains guide you along the east, while to the west, the Great Salt Lake lies still, reflecting the skies above. To reach Logan, Utah, skew west from I-15 and head 25 miles toward the mountain ranges where the campus of Utah State welcomes with mountainous vistas and beautiful architecture. Old Main Hill is the epicenter of USU – the Old Main Building stands at the summit, shining its brilliant Aggie “A” in all four directions. It glows blue on special campus events or for significant Aggie victories.
Friday nights make for an energetic college football atmosphere – especially in remote college towns like Logan, Utah, where team spirit is the life blood. Romney Stadium (now Maverik Stadium), although smaller in stature, can create noise that echoes throughout the Cache Valley, and with tonight being senior night, many Aggie partisans braved the frigid temperatures to celebrate the final home game of what has already been a successful season. San Jose State became the sacrificial lamb on a day that belonged to Big Blue. Our day began with a slow drive up I-15, taking in the snowy mountain vistas and stopping by Willard Bay State Park to catch a glimpse of The Great Salt Lake. Driving into campus offered a gluttony of mountain views and beautiful architecture. We took our time on Old Main Hill where the tall and proud Old Main Building looks down like a guardian upon the USU campus. The views atop this hill satisfied the craving for entertainment.
A drive from San Francisco to Fresno will quickly remind you of how much remoteness California has to offer – you might glance at the gas tank gauge a little more often than normal just to be sure. Upon approaching the San Joaquin Valley and Fresno area, a sigh of relief might just envelop you as campus life and gameday action are just a couple of dirt clouds away. Fresno is relatively spread out and the campus area is in the middle of it all. Once on Bulldog Lane, all the expected pregame rituals begin to take shape. Bulldog Stadium itself is a bit difficult to see from the certain directions as it rests on a sports complex between other sporting and training facilities. Its unique crane-like lighting structures are quite visible, however, and point down on a place that has seen a lot of excellent football in recent years. Tailgating commences on all corners of the sports grounds, while the band and mascot weaves its way through playing the fight song and high fiving passersby.
Despite a couple hiccups, Fresno State fans have had much to cheer for in recent years and have come to expect victory at Bulldog Stadium – especially against teams that can’t run, pass, defend the run, defend the pass, kick, block, punt, or return kicks – namely Hawai’i. The Bulldogs were a lock to win as soon as they took the field coming out of a big inflatable likeness of their mascot. Fresno State fans comfortably settled themselves in ready to witness the carnage that would force Hawaii fans to question whether or not the frequent flyer miles are worth it.
Panic is defined by Wikipedia as “a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation.” Coming off back to back Big Ten titles and Rose Bowl appearances, Wisconsin had little reason to panic. However, the Badgers started this season with a frightening near loss to FCS foe Northern Iowa, which Coach Bielema referred to as a lesson learned without the consequence of a loss. The lesson was not learned as the offense limped through a 10-7 upset loss to Oregon State the following week, dropping Wisconsin from the rankings. Last year’s offense could have scored on many NFL defenses, and this year, the endzone is as frequently visited as Mars. Perhaps reason and logical thinking were compromised as Bielema fired the offensive line coach in hopes to right the ship quickly. Utah State would be the first test.
Michigan State should get a lot of credit for scheduling Boise State, a well known giant killer, in the opening game of the year. The Broncos are without much of the talent that took them to such great heights over the past few years, but are known to still never be taken lightly. A packed Spartan Stadium filled with green and white except for a couple bright orange corners that vibrantly represented the visitors from Idaho.
Continue reading “Game 194: #24 Boise State @ #13 Michigan State”
Last year’s San Diego State coach is this year’s Michigan coach. Finding each other on the schedule made for a potentially awkward situation. It’s like bumping into your recent ex-significant other with a new one on your arm. Aztec players would not have any time to have hard feelings with chasing Michigan QB Denard Robinson all over the place.
Continue reading “Game 186 – San Diego State @ #21 Michigan”
On a night hot enough to make a jalapeno sweat, Badger fans didn’t have to sweat through a nailbiter. Camp Randall Stadium was the scene for a rare Thursday night contest to open the 2011 season. Although fans were anxious to see the defending Big Ten co champion Badgers, all eyes were on senior transfer quarterback, Russell Wilson. A legend had hit Madison and he hadn’t even taken a snap yet.
Finish. That was the theme of the matchup between San Jose State and Wisconsin. There were signs of this all over Madison. The band finished its tribute to the fallen and heroes of 9/11 with power and pageantry. The cloudy skies and rainy weather finished around halftime of the game. Even the fans seemed to finish every gameday brat served on this football Saturday. The Badger football team, however, failed to get the message.
Continue reading “Game 167 – San Jose State @ #12 Wisconsin”
