Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 113/134
Fresno State should have no concerns entering this big matchup. The Bulldogs have been to enough high-intensity college football stadiums to start their own college football tour. Camp Randall Stadium? They are not anxious about this stadium that is considered to be one of the most daunting in the country.
Early evening summer kickoff in Madison = perfect day. The day begins with a stop around the Capitol to experience one of the Midwest’s finest and largest farmer’s markets. Fans draped in red herd over to the terrace to enjoy a beverage by the lake and take in a peaceful afternoon. From here, your choice of tailgates are endless finishing with the pregame band concert near Camp Randall Stadium.
On this late November day, the curtains closed on a very historic college football trophy. Northwestern and Illinois have played for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk trophy for over six decades. However, the Illini had recently been stripped of their mascot due to its perceived disrespectful nature to the surrounding tribal nations. Anything bearing any reference to Indian culture had to be removed from the campus or they would suffer probation. Included in this cleaning process included the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk trophy. This would be the last game where the trophy would be awarded and even if Illinois won, they were not allowed to keep it.
It has been ten years since I last visited Iowa City and despite the frozen temperatures, I was reminded of how fantastic the atmosphere is at Kinnick Stadium. One week after the Hawkeyes’ enormous victory over #3 Penn State, the aftershock still shook the area. It certainly was the hot topic of conversation. At Purdue, the hot topic is coach Joe Tiller’s departure. The Boilermakers aren’t going to a bowl this year, but they sure played like a bowl team…
This game was over as soon as it was scheduled. In fact, after the 35-0 halftime score, I thought ESPN might switch their broadcast to the national knitting competition. Florida’s stellar QB, Tim Tebow, was responsible for all five touchdowns that occurred in the first half of play, and the Gators strolled to a 42-14 final.
Just forty five minutes south of Nashville lies Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This is not the type of town that will be found in bold print on a map, but the passion for their Blue Raiders is well highlighted. Middle Tennessee State’s campus pops up in the middle of this sleepy town with the stadium being the focal point, as many southern schools are. Being in the Sun Belt, one might expect to find a dinky stadium that seats only a few willing fans. However, this double decker stadium is impressive and holds a congregation of very involved fans.
Homecoming at Middle Tennessee State did not provide a marquis game by any means with both teams edging the abyss of non-bowl eligibility. But, the game turned out to be a nail-biter as the Blue Raiders jumped out early and held onto a 24-21 victory.
Continue reading “Game 153: Louisiana-Monroe @ Middle Tennessee State”
With the big presidential election coming up, so many vital questions are nagging the nation: Will America have its first African-American president in Barack Obama? Is Sarah Palin enough to lift John McCain’s numbers in the polls? Will the Wisconsin Badgers end their four game losing skid on homecoming to Illinois? I’m happy to say I was able to report on one of these highly anticipated questions this past Saturday…
Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium is one of the few college football stadiums named after a company. But, that does not mean that it has sold out in the quality of atmosphere. The city of Louisville experiences a bit of an identity crisis as it is the southern point of the north and the northern part of the south. A sign providing all the different pronunciations of the city welcomes you into the stadium and it illustrates the identity issues this place possesses. The stadium is located on a sports complex that houses every sporting arena imaginable from swimming to lacrosse. The walk up to the stadium is interesting as one side reveals the many sporting arenas and a Papa John’s pizza joint (of course), while the other side is grossly industrial. It’s as if you are walking on the border between two different countries.
Continue reading “LOUISVILLE – PAPA JOHN’S CARDINAL STADIUM”
I know fans are crazy in the south, but I have been holding onto a misconception that the extreme craziness was reserved for the Southeastern Conference…until I ran into a throng of Middle Tennessee State fans. The passion began to border hostility which certainly was amazing for fans cheering on a 2-4 team from the Sun Belt conference. Anyhow, the Blue Raiders took an early 14-0 lead with an interception return for a touchdown followed by a halfback pass for another score. From there on, Louisville took over…
Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium was not exactly booming with excitement on this homecoming Saturday, but the fans came in good force on a beautiful day that really was meant for football. The early lead by Middle Tennessee State caught the crowd off-guard. But, it did not take long for the Cardinals to make a second half push and hold off the Blue Raiders 42-23.
While Louisville fans casually walked away from an expected victory, Blue Raider fans kept the fervor comin’. A late mess of poor calls by the referees had the fans in blue screaming, yelling, and taking it out on those clad in red. All of this from a team working out of a conference that earns only one bowl bid a year? If this were a MAC team like Western Michigan or Akron, there would a few groans and grunts, but not the outright southern inhospitality that was displayed on Saturday. Honestly, I was impressed and wished more of that same passion from lower echelon midwestern teams. Nevertheless, Cardinal fans went received a happy homecoming while turning a deaf ear to their neighbors from the south.
