“We are Marshall.” This is more than just a school motto. It extends beyond a mere battle cry. “We Are Marshall” is the spirit and unity of this university. These three words forged a strong bond during the aftermath of the plane crash that took the lives of the 1970 Marshall football team. From this tragic event, the Thundering Herd have rebuilt a program that could have easily vanished, and moreover, it rebuilt the hearts and minds of the Marshall faithful. It’s a story that has inspired the entire athletic world. Walking around campus, evidence of this fateful moment appears in the form of tributes honoring those Sons of Marshall that were lost. It’s a devastating, but significant component of Marshall’s history, and these tributes urge fans to never forget.
Arriving in Huntington, West Virginia for gameday was a welcome sight after driving through an entire landscape of Kentucky nothingness. Homecoming festivities filled the adorable downtown space adjacent to Pullman Square – an area complete with little shops and eateries that somewhat resembled the quaintness of a movie set. The dreary clouds and slow drizzle hardly dented the enthusiasm for another Marshall gameday – especially with the team boasting an undefeated record.
2007. Opening Day. Ann Arbor, Michigan. FCS member and largely unheard of against the fifth ranked powerhouse Wolverines. The game began with hope and anticipation for a championship season for Michigan and ended with the biggest upset in college football history. That game changed the trajectory of both programs, mostly for the Mountaineers.
Passion for football in the south does not solely reside inside the cavernous stadiums of the SEC. The tiny town of Troy, Alabama is proof of this fact. Game days begin with the Trojan marching band, The Sound of the South, gathering on the open green outside Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. Fans converge upon this spot to hear this active and talented band preview the upcoming halftime show. The band and fans then work together to form a tunnel leading the Trojan football team into the stadium. T-ROY, the Trojan mascot, along with a host of cheerleaders, greet the coaches and players as they exit their bus and lead the team through the band and the fans who stretch on their tiptoes to catch a glimpse. The band stays and entertains a while longer after the team enters their locker room and game day is officially underway.
A warm late November day graced the town of Troy, Alabama as fans gathered for the Trojans’ final game of the season. The open space outside Veterans Memorial Stadium swelled with folks anxiously awaiting their team’s arrival to the stadium. Troy’s marching band, The Sound of the South, formed a lane for the team to be welcomed in style. T-ROY, the Trojan mascot, along with a host of cheerleaders greeted legendary coach, Larry Blankney, off the bus and led the team through the band and the fans stretching on their tiptoes to catch a glimpse. The band stayed and entertained a while longer after the team entered their locker room and game day had officially kicked off.
Anticipation flooded the Western Kentucky campus for tonight’s matchup. A record crowd showed up for one of the biggest games to ever take place in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers’ battle versus Southern Miss put rumps in the seats not only because of the name recognition that the Golden Eagles bring to Houchens Smith Stadium, but also because Western is coming off a monumental upset of their instate rival Kentucky. T-shirts documenting the 32-31 upset could already be-spotted all over campus.
Throngs of fans congested the walkway from the team buses to the stadium as they glued their eyes to the band, mascot, and Hilltopper team strolling their way to the stadium. Stunned by the overwhelming amount of fan support for this matchup, one man exclaimed, “This is the most crowded I’ve ever seen Western! This is crazy man!” What can be defined as crazy or crowded is truly relative. WKU’s website urged fans to come early to avoid traffic and secure a parking spot, but the level of activity seemed no different than most campuses on gameday. However, sellout crowds and massive pregame hype are not the norm in these parts yet, so the university is erring more on the side of caution.
There really was no need for worry as all the festivities flowed smoothly. Fans herded toward the stadium to watch the pregame honoring of Jack Harbaugh, former WKU head coach. Coach Harbaugh and his wife, Jackie, had the stadium club named after them during the ceremony and Jack looked up proudly at the jumbotron as his two NFL coaching sons, John and Jim, praised their father for his outstanding achievements at Western. All the excitement that preceded kickoff made this night one of the greatest in Hilltoppers football lore. The outcome of the game would only add to the good memories. With fireworks blasting and red towels waving, Western Kentucky never let up and gave Southern Miss more than they could handle. Score after score piled up, and the Golden Eagles could only wish the clock could have mercy on them. An impressive 42-17 victory by Western poured more respect into the Sun Belt conference, and gave the Hilltoppers back to back marquee wins. After big wins by Western and fellow conference member, Louisiana Monroe (over Arkansas), the new phrase “Fear the Belt” began to spread. For Western Kentucky, a team still brand new to the FBS level, their stock has risen and a new energy has topped the hills in Bowling Green.
Sellout crowd
Big Red and me :)
Pregame prep is on and off the field
Hilltoppers take the field
Jack Harbaugh and WKU Coach Willie Taggart
Jack Harbaugh watches his sons honor him from the stadium screens.
Southern Miss fans displayed a sign reading “Nasty Bunch”
Jack Harbaugh
The stadium club named after Jack and Jackie Harbaugh
T-shirts documenting WKU’s big upset a week ago.
Southern Miss fans hope for a better result in the second half
WKU wears ’em down
Golden Eagle had limited opportunities to fly the flag tonight.
West Virginia football had lost some of it’s spark over the past couple years. Former coach, Rich Rodriguez had lofted expectations in Morgantown and the hope was that new coach and offensive wizard, Dana Holgorsen, would put the Mountaineers back in the spotlight. The Marshall game was his debut and the West Virginia offense opened with a three and out followed by an 87 yard punt return TD by Marshall. It didn’t exactly showcase the fruits of his labor. But highly touted Geno Smith quarterbacked his way back into the hearts of mountaineer fans as he led his team on several scoring drives.
A nail biting finish closed Appalachian State’s homecoming as the Mountaineers eeked out a win over Elon. In the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains, fans filled Kidd Brewer Stadium to see their team stretch their record to 5-0.
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.
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.
Middle Tennessee scored early causing an eruption of blue in the corner endzone.
L’ville band had little to play for early, but the excitement would pick up later…
Blue Raiders and Cards battle it out.
Beautiful day and beautiful setting!
Scoreboard view of the head coaches shaking hands at midfield.
