Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 108/134
A seemingly routine Big Ten slugfest turned into a Pandora’s box of points in an overtime thriller. The Wildcats and Spartans were tied at 10-10 at the onset of the fourth quarter. Then, offensive complacency turned into a panic, as though each team suddenly realized how important this late conference contest meant to their overall seasons.
Continue reading “Game 265: #16 Michigan State @ Northwestern”
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.
Michigan State and Wisconsin produced two of the year’s most memorable contests in 2011. Both games featured highly ranked teams and unforgettable finishes. The 2012 version would be exactly the same – minus the highly ranked part. Stumbles and struggles have pinned these teams to the middle of the pack in their respective Big Ten divisions. The Badgers, however, are still likely to reach the Big Ten title game as a result of Ohio State and Penn State’s ineligibility due to naughtiness. A cold and clear autumn afternoon in Madison served up all the usual action including a busy farmer’s market circling the capitol and a buzzed up State Street.
“Go Green!” “Go White!” All throughout the campus on gameday, Spartan fans see-saw this chant back and forth. The echoes converge on Spartan Stadium where one half of the arena blasts “Go Green!” while the other responds with “Go White!” The cheer is simple, but piercing and at times, intimidating. Watch the Spartan band as they pound and march their way toward Spartan Stadium – Sparty leading the way. They pass the nearly 10 foot tall Sparty statue that has become an icon on campus and a famous place in the area to grab a photo opportunity.
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”
October 22, 2011. An undefeated group of Badgers invade East Lansing with aspirations of a national championship in sight. Michigan State is still feeling short changed from defeating Wisconsin last year, yet still being shut out of the Rose Bowl due to three way tie breaker rules. The Badgers got the nod. On this marquis prime time matchup, the Spartans stun the visiting Badgers with a heart stopping Hail Mary pass that landed in the arms of a Spartan receiver as time expired. “Redemption” became the word plastered all over MSU tshirts and general conversation. I couldn’t help but think – well, what if these two teams meet again in the title game?
Continue reading “Game 193 – #10 Wisconsin vs. #17 Michigan State”
Seriously. How does Michigan State get away with playing their first game out of the state of Michigan in mid October. I know it’s an election year, but really, did they have to give THAT much to the senator’s campaign? Well, Northwestern isn’t much of a road trip. I’m not discounting the Wildcats’ ability, but home field advantage in Evanston is sometimes comparable to a Chucky-E-Cheese. However, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit reminded viewers that Ryan Field can put opponents to sleep. It has the same effect as poppies have on the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, and Dorothy.
Continue reading “Game 174: #7 Michigan State @ Northwestern”
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”
At the end of a college football Saturday, most fans catch the scrolling scores at the bottom of their television screen. There always is at least one score that results in a double take. This game provided that astonishing score. The Badgers rolled into East Lansing carrying a hefty 9-0 record and top five ranking. Michigan State has experienced nothing but extreme inconsistency and disappointment. Next week’s game at Iowa was supposed to be the struggle, but the Spartans gave Wisconsin much more than they could handle. The pride of the Badgers is their defense having held every team they played under twenty points. Wisconsin’s offense doesn’t exactly ignite fireworks, but they haven’t needed to light up the scoreboard with their suffocating defense leading the way.
There must have been a deliveryman between quarterback Jim Sorgi and wide receiver Lee Evans because everything Sorgi sent, Evans received. The student section bowed down to Evans as though he achieved deity status with his school record five-touchdown performance. Backup tailback Dwayne Smith packed in a career day with three scores of his own, but his efforts seemed overshadowed by the mystical receiving skills of Lee Evans.
