hesskilla
VILLAGE IDIOT
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2014
- Messages
- 1,776
Saturday Stadium Series - I
When I was a young child, I stayed up way too late watching Jimmy Johnson being carried off the field as the Miami Hurricanes had just won their second national title. I have been a fan of not just the “U”, but college football ever since that night. This is a passion I developed all on my own without any influence from anyone in my life.
I have never had a work schedule in my adult life that allowed me to attend games on Saturdays, but I still kept that passion for college football for nearly 40 years. Because of some recent changes in my life, most notably retiring as a bartender, I am now able to attend games on Saturdays. I have decided to attend one game in a different stadium each week as frugally as possible.
I have also decided to write my own personal review of each of those events. Here is my proposed 2024 schedule.
8/31 - UConn at Maryland *
9/7 - Bowling Green at PSU
9/14 - Coastal Carolina at Temple
9/21 - Rice at Army
9/27 - (FRI) Washington at Rutgers
10/5 - Boston College at Virginia
10/12 - Georgia Tech at North Carolina
10/18 - (FRI) FSU at Duke
10/26 - So Miss at James Madison
11/2 - Louisiana Monroe at Marshall
11/9 - Virginia at Pitt
11/16 - Tulane at Navy
11/23 - Baylor at WVU
11/30 - Miami at Syracuse
And so, without further gilding the lily, and with no more ado, I give to you my first review.
WHO: UConn at Maryland
WHERE: College Park, Maryland
STADIUM: SECU Stadium
a) Capacity - 51,802
b) Attendance - 35,421
WHEN: 8/31 @ 12:00PM EST
WEATHER: 85’ partly cloudy
TICKET INFO: $12 total for one ticket on 50 yard line approximately 30 rows up
PARKING: No cost, about half a mile away
The first thing I noticed as I arrived near the stadium was a plethora of cars just parked alongside the road. No parking fees. No parking garage. No $30 handed over to an underpaid, uninterested part time stadium employee. As I walked along the 4 lane highway to the game, I noticed a couple lots off the main drag used for tailgating before the event. Also of note on my journey, there were at least 5 or 6 large dormitory halls located within a footballs throw of SECU Stadium.
As I entered, I was in heaven. Football was finally here. The thunderous noise of the band playing on the field resonated deep inside of me. A very large contingent of coeds cutting me off to get to their seats allowed me to take in the atmosphere. This was college football. This was Saturday football. This unique sporting event only enjoyed in America on our weekends in the fall. I could not have been happier in that moment.
As I sit down, I notice that the stadium has no bad seats. There is a pregame compilation playing on the huge video screen and I’m digging the vibe. It reminded me of my experience in D.C. at all the Wizards games I have attended throughout the years. Hip hop was blaring on the loud speakers and the crowd was very diverse. The stadium is a horseshoe design with suites on one side and 3 levels on the other. Students take up most of the bottom part of the “U” part of the stands. There were two athletic/football buildings in the open part of the horseshoe.
I won’t do a detailed analysis of the game, but here are some thoughts. Both teams (Maryland and UConn) used the up tempo no huddle offense for most of the game. Maryland exclusively used shotgun, while UConn mixed in a little under center. Maryland’s QB #9 was above average at diagnosing plays/coverages, but is just average athletically. UConn’s QB, Nick Evers, is too small. He was shook, hit hard, and left the game with an injury. UConn as a team was undersized, especially in the trenches. Maryland used this to their advantage in the run game. Freshman RB for Maryland, Nolan Ray, was the most talented player on the field. I predict he will eventually be an all conference type player and maybe even play on Sundays one day.
Other things I noticed while walking around at halftime were outdated concessions, good beer selection, and several large murals of all the Maryland greats. A cannon would go off every time Maryland would score. They did this a lot and were winning 36-7 at the end of the third quarter when I decided to leave the game. On my way out I watched the Maryland Dance Team perform just before the fourth quarter begin. They had some real talent on their squad. The last thought that went through my head as I left was “the huskies have a really cool logo.” It’s much more impressive in person.
Overall, I had a great time. This was the perfect first game of the season to get me in the swing of things. I sat in a sea of both UConn and Maryland fans. Everyone was cheering, but also respectful. My only wish is that it was a much better game to watch.
FINAL TALE OF THE TAPE
FINAL SCORE: Maryland 50 - UConn 7
GAME EXPERIENCE: 2/10
VALUE: 10/10
ATMOSPHERE: 7/10
QUALITY OF TEAMS: 4/10
STADIUM: 5/10
TOTAL: 28/50
When I was a young child, I stayed up way too late watching Jimmy Johnson being carried off the field as the Miami Hurricanes had just won their second national title. I have been a fan of not just the “U”, but college football ever since that night. This is a passion I developed all on my own without any influence from anyone in my life.
I have never had a work schedule in my adult life that allowed me to attend games on Saturdays, but I still kept that passion for college football for nearly 40 years. Because of some recent changes in my life, most notably retiring as a bartender, I am now able to attend games on Saturdays. I have decided to attend one game in a different stadium each week as frugally as possible.
I have also decided to write my own personal review of each of those events. Here is my proposed 2024 schedule.
8/31 - UConn at Maryland *
9/7 - Bowling Green at PSU
9/14 - Coastal Carolina at Temple
9/21 - Rice at Army
9/27 - (FRI) Washington at Rutgers
10/5 - Boston College at Virginia
10/12 - Georgia Tech at North Carolina
10/18 - (FRI) FSU at Duke
10/26 - So Miss at James Madison
11/2 - Louisiana Monroe at Marshall
11/9 - Virginia at Pitt
11/16 - Tulane at Navy
11/23 - Baylor at WVU
11/30 - Miami at Syracuse
And so, without further gilding the lily, and with no more ado, I give to you my first review.
WHO: UConn at Maryland
WHERE: College Park, Maryland
STADIUM: SECU Stadium
a) Capacity - 51,802
b) Attendance - 35,421
WHEN: 8/31 @ 12:00PM EST
WEATHER: 85’ partly cloudy
TICKET INFO: $12 total for one ticket on 50 yard line approximately 30 rows up
PARKING: No cost, about half a mile away
The first thing I noticed as I arrived near the stadium was a plethora of cars just parked alongside the road. No parking fees. No parking garage. No $30 handed over to an underpaid, uninterested part time stadium employee. As I walked along the 4 lane highway to the game, I noticed a couple lots off the main drag used for tailgating before the event. Also of note on my journey, there were at least 5 or 6 large dormitory halls located within a footballs throw of SECU Stadium.
As I entered, I was in heaven. Football was finally here. The thunderous noise of the band playing on the field resonated deep inside of me. A very large contingent of coeds cutting me off to get to their seats allowed me to take in the atmosphere. This was college football. This was Saturday football. This unique sporting event only enjoyed in America on our weekends in the fall. I could not have been happier in that moment.
As I sit down, I notice that the stadium has no bad seats. There is a pregame compilation playing on the huge video screen and I’m digging the vibe. It reminded me of my experience in D.C. at all the Wizards games I have attended throughout the years. Hip hop was blaring on the loud speakers and the crowd was very diverse. The stadium is a horseshoe design with suites on one side and 3 levels on the other. Students take up most of the bottom part of the “U” part of the stands. There were two athletic/football buildings in the open part of the horseshoe.
I won’t do a detailed analysis of the game, but here are some thoughts. Both teams (Maryland and UConn) used the up tempo no huddle offense for most of the game. Maryland exclusively used shotgun, while UConn mixed in a little under center. Maryland’s QB #9 was above average at diagnosing plays/coverages, but is just average athletically. UConn’s QB, Nick Evers, is too small. He was shook, hit hard, and left the game with an injury. UConn as a team was undersized, especially in the trenches. Maryland used this to their advantage in the run game. Freshman RB for Maryland, Nolan Ray, was the most talented player on the field. I predict he will eventually be an all conference type player and maybe even play on Sundays one day.
Other things I noticed while walking around at halftime were outdated concessions, good beer selection, and several large murals of all the Maryland greats. A cannon would go off every time Maryland would score. They did this a lot and were winning 36-7 at the end of the third quarter when I decided to leave the game. On my way out I watched the Maryland Dance Team perform just before the fourth quarter begin. They had some real talent on their squad. The last thought that went through my head as I left was “the huskies have a really cool logo.” It’s much more impressive in person.
Overall, I had a great time. This was the perfect first game of the season to get me in the swing of things. I sat in a sea of both UConn and Maryland fans. Everyone was cheering, but also respectful. My only wish is that it was a much better game to watch.
FINAL TALE OF THE TAPE
FINAL SCORE: Maryland 50 - UConn 7
GAME EXPERIENCE: 2/10
VALUE: 10/10
ATMOSPHERE: 7/10
QUALITY OF TEAMS: 4/10
STADIUM: 5/10
TOTAL: 28/50
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