What was it like going to a college football game for the first time in 10 years?
Friday’s game at Autzen Stadium between MSU and Oregon was the first college football game I’ve been to since the 2014 Rose Bowl where, of course, the Spartans beat Stanford. Unfortunately, this one didn’t have quite the same outcome but it was a unique experience nonetheless. It would be my only chance to see MSU live this year so I wanted to make the trip to Eugene for this one. This was my first game as a member of the press. Thanks to O and the Oregon SID folks, who are first class, for making this happen.
What follows is a summary of that experience and what it was like covering my first in person game. Spoiler alert – it was a lot better than streaming MSU-OSU on Peacock. If you’re only interested in game day related stuff, go ahead and skip over the next few paragraphs.
When my press credentials were approved, flights from Orange County, CA or LA to Eugene were unaffordable so a rental car would have to get me there. I left after my work shift ended on Thursday night and drove through California’s vast Central Valley in the dark. I didn’t miss much. This area between Bakersfield in the south and Redding in the North produces roughly a third of the country’s vegetables and 75% of its fruits and nuts. It’s certainly a productive part of the country, but not much for scenery. After recharging with a few hours’ sleep in a surprisingly roomy Kia Forte, it was time to carry on.
Going through Redding, CA with the sun coming up, I knew the rest of the drive would be a lot better. Interstate 5 takes you past Shasta Lake and Mt. Shasta in Northern California before entering Oregon. My experience with Oregon is pretty limited but it’s still one of my favorite states. I had done this drive on I-5 once before, hauling boats in a previous career, and biked the Oregon Coast about 20 years ago. I haven’t seen Eastern Oregon but these two stretches on the west side of the state are beautiful. If I ever leave Southern California, this might be a spot to consider.
The ride into Oregon on Friday morning was bright and sunny but clouds rolled in late morning. When I got to Eugene, it was 52 degrees and raining. It didn’t last though and by the time I found the right parking lot, the rain had stopped and the sun was making its way back for the rest of the day.
I had hoped to get to Eugene in time to take a long walk around the University of Oregon campus but my timeline just didn’t allow for that. I was only able to explore the tailgate scene and some of UO’s athletic facilities around Autzen Stadium, which were impressive, perhaps due to the Phil Knight Nike effect. Oregon’s baseball field is apparently named for him.
I used to work at the University of San Diego, where they play FCS football, and went to some games there, but this was my first on campus FBS experience since I was a teenager going to Spartan Stadium almost 40 years ago. The tailgate scene pretty much looked like I remembered it though. It’s nice to see this aspect of college football appear to remain the same. The Spartan fans were definitely plentiful and noticeable in the pregame scene.
Autzen Stadium, with a capacity of just under 60,000, is not one of college football’s largest venues but it looks pretty impressive from the outside. Once inside, it was easy to find the press box and everything was organized with assigned seating. On the way to the press box, you walk past the TV booth where Fox Sports was putting the final touches on their set up.
While I don’t have anything to compare it to, and despite the relative size of Autzen, the press box seems WAY high up. Several media members had binoculars and if I’m fortunate enough to continue on this path, I should probably invest in some of those.
Probably like most college football fans, I had heard a lot about the noise level inside Autzen and, even pregame with the stands mostly empty, it seems like these rumors will prove true. Hip hop is blaring while players go through pregame warmups and, I swear, you can feel the press box swaying slightly. This would continue throughout the game. I promise I had not been drinking.
I had read something in the Oregon SID pregame communications about food in the press box but didn’t think much of it until I saw it laid about behind the press row; apparently they feed you! Pregame AND at halftime! They had a nice chicken taco spread before the game and then hot dogs and coleslaw at halftime. After subsisting on mostly coffee and energy drinks on the way up here, I definitely wanted to check this out. I found myself behind Brock Huard, the Fox Sports TV analyst who would be calling the game, in the food line. I wish I could have come up with something brilliant to say here and had a good story to get out of it but we just did the head nod thing and filled our plates.
I settled into my seat as kickoff neared and watched the Oregon band come out to perform. One thing I can still vividly remember from those long-ago games in East Lansing was the Spartan Marching Band taking the field. I don’t know if it’s still the same now but I loved the way they march out with the drumbeat and the BIG flags. Oregon’s band was great too, but I do think this is one area where the Spartans excel.
The game experience at Oregon was impressive, starting with the Duck leading the team to the field on the back of a Harley Davidson. I think Colorado has their Buffalo, Texas their Longhorn, and, of course, the Purdue Boilermaker Special. I don’t know what it has to do with Oregon but, at Autzen, the Duck rides in on a Harley. This is what they do and, as far as I know, it’s unique to Oregon.
Again, I don’t have much to compare to, but Oregon seems to have it together as far as game day experience and fan involvement. Once the game started, the noise really ramped up. This crowd was into it and I wish I could see what it’s like next week when the Ducks take on Ohio State. They were incredibly loud at key points in the game when MSU had the ball. The student section started to empty out when it got to 31-0, Ducks but those that were left were still screaming on third downs when MSU finally mounted their only touchdown drive when the game was out of hand.
This was Oregon’s “Stomp Out Cancer” game featuring special all yellow uniforms designed by head coach Dan Lanning and his family. Between quarters, they would bring a cancer survivor onto the field and honor them. The crowd, Spartan fans included, gave a raucous cheer each time.
The student section and entire crowd was into it during breaks as well, singing along to “Shout” during the break between the third and fourth quarter. Bottom line, it seemed like a great game day experience for the fans but this is probably because they have a good team to get behind. I don’t know if Oregon needs these extras to fill their stands. The fans are there because they want to see the Ducks win and they almost always do. Oregon hasn’t always been a football power. There were stretches in the 70’s and 80’s where they were pretty mediocre. I’d be surprised if the Autzen experience then resembled anything like it is now.
It would also be interesting to compare Autzen to Spartan Stadium during MSU’s most recent pinnacle from 2013-2015. Or the 2021 Michigan game. When the team is exciting, maybe the game day experience follows with that. I haven’t been to enough recent games to say. Someday, when MSU gets back towards the top, I’d like to make it back to East Lansing and be able to make that comparison.
Most of the reporters started making their way down to the press conference areas midway through the fourth quarter. This was about when MSU was putting together their scoring drives and I wanted to stay to the end. The reporter sitting next to me was still there as well and he looked like he knew what he was doing. I asked if I could follow him to the MSU press conference and he was kind enough to oblige.
We ended up in the elevator with the MSU coaches who were in a booth near the press box for the game, including offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren and several other coaches and staffers. The reporter I was following fit in the elevator just fine. He motioned me in but I kind of had to squeeze. I sensed my mistake pretty quickly and tried my best to become invisible. However, this is challenging when, at 6’-5”, you’re slightly taller than the average person. And everyone in that elevator. And of course the 4’-10” elevator operator insisted on pointing it out. I wanted to get to the press conference and probably wouldn’t have found it on my own, but this should have been a private moment for those MSU coaches. Yes, I get it, they get paid pretty well compared to the average person, but I think it’s really hard to win a college football game and these guys invest an incredible amount in that goal. To do that, and have this outcome, had to sting a bit.
I did make it to the MSU press conference where Jack Velling, Charles Brantley, and Jonathan Smith spoke to the media. This is the only part of what Oregon does that seems to be a little bit lacking. Or, it’s also possible that it’s like this for every visiting team across the country but, at Oregon, the visiting team press conference is in a small tent between the stadium and visitor’s locker room. The microphones and speakers weren’t working for Velling and Brantley and it was hard to hear them over all the noise from fans outside the tent. This was fixed when Smith took to the podium.
I’ll have more on what was said post game in another article this week but Velling and Brantley went first, still in their full game uniforms. After leaving the field, I don’t think they had more than a few minutes to decompress and collect their thoughts but I thought they politely and respectfully addressed every question. The same is true for Coach Smith. We’ve all seen coaches who have chosen to behave differently at press conferences. It can be entertaining but, again, I think I have some idea of how much time and effort goes into getting ready for a competition on a weekly basis. To do all that and then have this outcome is tough. It would be easy to just want to get through the press conference and be done with it but each of these guys were thoughtful and addressed each question.
So, there is a recap of what a college football game is like for a first-time reporter. Or at least what it was like for me. I was too tired to start back for home after the game but didn’t have time to explore around on Saturday either. I had work on Sunday and it was a long ride back listening to the Tigers drop game 1 of the ALDS, Alabama getting shocked by Vanderbilt, and UM losing the national title game rematch to Washington. Maybe Michigan should look at joining the rebuilt Pac 12.
Go Green.
