The Big Red Road Show
12 comments so far
July 6, 2007 by
Home games are great. Spending a crisp Autumn afternoon in Memorial Stadium (hot runza in hand) in the company of 80,000 Husker loyalists is hard to beat. But, taking the show on the road brings a whole other kind of fan experince. It's rewarding, but in a much different way.
You get to be part of a small band of folks traveling to another part of the country and entering a stadium full of people who would prefer you weren't there. Win or lose, you invested heavily in your team and lent your will to theirs. We at BRN have been to quite a few road venues in our time - in conference and out of conference, title games and meaningless blowouts, in the heartland, the coasts, and deep in the Republic of Texas.
In honor of our 2007 trip to ACC country for the Wake Forest game, I offer this run down of some of the more interesting road experiences from the recent past. I hope in inspires some of you to share your road-game memories. And, to let "Take Wake" be our 2007 call to travel.
Least Intimidating - Iowa State, 1998
This game had all the romance and allure of a trip to the dentist. And, don't think ISU fans didn't know it. NU was in the midst of what would become a 9-game win streak against ISU. And fans on both sides couldn't envision the events of 2002 transpiring yet.
So, NU fans came for the party and ISU fans stayed away. It snowed, NU fans overran the tailgate lots and the stands, and everyone had a buzzing good time watching Crouch, Alexander and company run through the Cyclones, 42-7. High school games in Texas and Ohio have larger and more boistrous crowds than ISU did that day. At no time did I feel the rush of intensity that comes with a road game. It was almost leisurely.
Toughest Envivonment - Penn State, 2002
It was great to meet up with Steve and other Husker comrades for this game. And Yuengling beer is a treat I miss from my days back east. But, State College isn't near either of PA's big cities, which makes it remote and hard to get to on two-lane roads. It's also a little bit like Bizzarro Lincoln, similar atmosphere but everything is in navy blue instead of red.
Environmentally, was an absolute recipe for disaster for Husker fans. It was a night game, in a 100,000+ person Big Ten monolith of a stadium. The locals and visitors both had all day to...uh...soak up the atmosphere. And, things got very lippy and heated leading up to game time. I remember that a cop had to basically escort our group of 7 fans part of the way from the bar district to the stadium. It was very uncomfortable. Once we got to the stands, it was a "forget about it" moment. The place was going absolutely berzerk, so much so that the visitors section (nosebleeds) would rock up and down when the home folks cheered. When the all-white clad (barf) Huskers came out of the tunnel, some still putting shoes and equipment on (they had issue with the aforementioned 2-lane roads), I turned to my future wife and said, "We're in big trouble."
The game was a disaster. The Huskers got whooped, 40-7, by the Larry Johnson-led Lions. Richie Incognito got thrown out for fighting. And, the brutal 7-7 2002 season began in earnest. It is one of the only times I've left a game early. And, we did so because we thought the hostility may be even worse after the game. And it was. So much so that the PSU chancellor sent a note of apology to NU's chancellor the next week. Whenever I remember this trip, the climatic scenes from "Last of the Mohicans" fill my head -- "Stay alive...no matter what occurs...I will find you!"
Best Environment - Notre Dame, 2000
Pardon the religious reference here, but South Bend is college football Mecca. And this was one of the all-time great road environments to behold.
The trip itself was eventful. My flight from NJ to Ohio (where Siffring was living at the time) got delayed twice. So by the time I arrived, we had to drive through the night to get to South Bend. We hit town around 4:30 a.m. and drove arround the campus blarring Hail Varsity. We found the tailgate lot closest to the stadium, parked his car and got about 2 hours worth of sleep.
Even JC had to hand it off some of the time
ND fans called us sacrilegious
It paid off, big time. We had a front row spot in the best tailgating lot a visitor could ask for. There were Husker fans everywhere, and the hosts from ND were mostly the gracious sort, ready to share football stories and refreshment. College Gameday was in town. We strolled around a fantastic campus, ate good grub, and took a picture in front of Touchdown Jesus. It was a great day.
The game lived up to the hype. It was an over-time thriller. NU used Crouch's speed to overcome two (2!) special teams touchdowns by the Irish, and win 27-24. Inside the stadium, ND fans are more into the game than any fan base I have ever seen in person. Everyone was paying attention, because there is no gaudy jumbo board filled with cheesy programing. It's just about football. And, it was a moment of Husker road game pride, as a (ahem) significant percentage of spectators in the stadium were decked out in scarlet and cream.
Take Wake 2007!
We at Big Red Network have decided that Wake Forest will be our big road game to travel to this year. Why? It's the best non-conference road game available. We've never been there before (unlike Austin, Texas). And, Wake is coming off of their first-ever ACC title, so it should be a good game. That has all the making for a memorable road game.
If you want to share one of your own road game stories, please do so in the comments. It's great to hear people's stories. And if you are planning or hoping to go to Wake Forest this season, let us know. Maybe we can tailgate together in Winston-Salem.
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Staci Jul 06 07
Husker road trips are definitely some of my best memories of the past few years. There are definietly too many to write about, but Austin as to be one of the best. Yes, it was a long drive. But, it was made memorable in charter bus full of frat guys - I'm sure you can just imagine! The game was not good - but 6th Street was blast! I couldn't believe that they actually blocked off the street. It was a great atmosphere and a beautiful campus. I can honestly say that we didn't have a problem with any of their fans - they were classy and knew their football. Except for maybe the girls in high heels - who does that!?!
doombob Jul 06 07
I've never been to a Husker Road game before - only Home games. Living in Missouri now, I would love to get a chance to go to the Mizzou game, for the sheer fact that MU is selling tickets to every other game but that one to the general public (trying to max out the number of tickets sold to MU fans). It's July and Tiger fans are already starting to talk trash to me (everyone around me knows I'm a Husker).
Gregory Jul 06 07
I went with my folks to the '77 K st. game.
The game was a little closer than I thought it was going to be. 27-14, if I recall. I also saw a Kansas kid pull a tire cover off of a Nebraska RV. As a skinny 13 year old, I wasn't ready to "address the issue".
But, since you're making the Wake game, maybe you could invite (provoke) their fans at some point before the weekend of. Because it was too funny when Steve was less than complimentory of their recruiting class!
What was it- 50 posts? Good "smack" too!
Brandon Jul 07 07
My lil' sis is a senior at Wake, so we've been planning our trip for four years now. We had to become proud WF season ticket holders to do it, but we'll definitely see you there!
Southern Husker Jul 08 07
Looking forward to the Wake Forest game. Living in Georgia I don't get to see too many games live, All I have done is made it to a few Bowl games, but certainly looking forward to the trip up to Winston-Salem
CreightonOtter Jul 09 07
Two words: Texas Tech.
My wife (girlfriend at the time) was in her second year of graduate school in Lubbock, and I drove 14 hours straight from Omaha to West Texas through the night to get in town for what I thought would be a victory.
Um, that didn't happen. I had about the best tickets possible for about the worst outcome possible.
A lot of 'sker fans from Dallas and other parts of Tejas made the drive that weekend, but we all left with the same feeling no matter how far we had come -- Billy C. better get this thing turned around fast. After that evening in Lubbock, things could only get better.
Katie Jul 09 07
Well, it's been 6 comments and I have not heard much about the Purple Wild kittens from down south. (the easiest road trip to make) Although I have not had many "pleasurable" experiences in the little apple, they all have been memorable. To keep it short and sweet, I was actually URINATED on by a K-State fan. It was the same game that Eric Crouch got his neck turned around with no call. I will never get tired or feel sorry for beating K-State over and over from here on out. Most of their fans don't know how to win and in turn don't know how to be classy fans. So I think Nebraska should reward then in not giving them anything to cheer about for a long long time.
I agree with Staci, Austin was a great place to go watch a game and they sure do have a nice bar scene. Although, it was very easy for them to be nice to us as they beat us by 25+ points. We began to wonder how many play calls Solich had for 3rd and 20+yards. Overall I was not all that impressed with the longhorn knowledge about college football, but they sure do throw some good tailgates.
I will give the football knowledge nod edge to Sooners, they REALLY know their football. The game in Norman I attended was the first time I knew we were not going to win the game. Even if we played our BEST football and Oklahoma their WORST football, we really did not belong on the field. I will never forget drinking a 24 oz beer right in front of the ticket gate in Norman. No wonder people get arrested in Lincoln for open containers. Every other college stadium seems much more liberal!
I was also at the aforementioned Penn State game and will agree with my husband that we didn't stand a chance in that game the moment we stepped on the field, what really hurt about that game was we thought we did.
I also attended the Pittsburgh game when the town flooded. It was a pretty UGLY game, but I will say it was nice to have the accommodations of a pro-stadium!
There are many stories inside stories of different road trips. Let's hope I will have another one to write about the Big 12 title game in San Antonio.
omarhuskerfan Jul 09 07
Last Year I went to my first away game at USC. Man I discovered that if the same type of Nebraska fans showed up for home games that would be nuts. It seems to me that we had so many fans up there that usc people didn't really know what to make of it. I had such a great expirence that i decided that road games are where it is at with nebraska fans.
Scott Jul 11 07
The Rose Bowl in 2002 was unbelievable. Even though we were trounced 37-14 by the Clinton Portis led Hurricanes of Miami it was something special to see all of the Red inside one of the greatest stadiums in college football. The 'Canes even had good fans.
The Colorado fans are all pretty much on crack.
Tyler Dale Jul 13 07
My brother and I went to the USC-Husker game last year, and while the result was forgetable, what happened with us will stay in my memory for the rest of my life. We had been drinking at my uncle's house all day, and then snuck a fifth of Captain in to keep it going during the game. Anyways, we were in the heart of the Husker section, about 20 rows up from the walkway dividing the lower level from the upper, and as it became apparent we were going to lose, this one jackass who was probly 20 years old kept getting up and insulting the entire Husker section, mocking our GBR chants and other Nebraska staples. I'm all for supporting your team, but degrading a fan base who travled halfway across the country is not something I am going to stand for, especially when I've been drinking. So it gets to the point where my brother and I look at each other at the same time, nod without a word, and head down to confront the guy. We reamed him a new one for his disrespect, and it's funny how he backed down when someone decided to get in his face. What was best is that after the game, about 50 different Nebraska fans came up to us and said something to the effect of "If those guys had taken a swing, we had your back. We wanted to do the same thing the entire game."
That moron is lucky that Nebraska fans are a class act.
Pa.Husker Fan Jul 21 07
I have been a Husker fan since 78, I have been coming to Lincoln for the past 8 years for games. I have been to 2 away games, The Penn State and the USC game. I could not believe what a bunch of jackasses those PSU fans were, I was not even out of my car and they had started with me, I didnt feel comfy at all the whole night, I even had to leave the game early cause I was so mad and shocked I knew I would be throwing fist by nights end. The USC game was pretty cool, I never been to southern cal, will never go back, but the fans were ok, I thought it was cool to be in that stadium, could not believe the Husker fans that showed up, it was awesome, I am about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, so it was along trip. But there is nothing like being in Lincoln on game day. The fans and the people are awesome, it is such a pleasure to be around so many good people. See you guys in October. GO BIG RED!!!!
Huskerjax Aug 15 08
PA Husker fan... I am also a Husker fan (and grad) living in Western PA... about an hour north of Pitt. Do you know of any alumni chapters in our part of the state. It is so hard to find Husker fans to watch games or get together with our here.