Trip to Oxford, Part II

The Grove
There is nothing like Ole Miss on game day in all of college football.  I haven't been to a lot of different venues in my life, having grown up in Big Ten country and having lived my adult life in Mountain West and Big XII (now Pac 12) country.  But I can say that I cannot imagine anything else like what I witnessed on a hot, muggy day in Oxford, MS this past weekend.  Nothing I have been to has ever come close to it.  Thousands of tents, tens of thousands of people, hundred of thousands of dead (and fried) chickens.  Literally as far as the eye could see were red, blue, and white tents, with people bustling underneath each one of them.  A lot of them had big screen TVs (some tents with three or four of them) with college football on.  All of them had way more food and beverage than the people in the tents could possibly consume in a day's work.

It starts up by the student union building with an arch, titled "The Walk of Champions."  There is a slightly downhill walk from there through a grove of trees.  About two hours prior to game time, the fans in The Grove line up along this walkway.  The team pulls up in two buses and begins the walk.  They shake hands and talk with friends, family, and fans.  If that doesn't pump you up as a football player, I don't know what does.  It was a surreal experience to be there and witness that entire spectacle.

My Walk of Champions
I arrived about an hour before my brother got in from Georgia, and two before my sister arrived from Louisiana.  I took that opportunity to walk through The Grove starting at the arch, checking out the scenery, taking pictures, and talking with the folks.  I listened to people converse with each other about the game, about BYU, about Houston Nutt, about the food.  In the process, I met a lot of people, got offered a ton of food and beverages (Coke, of course, because they knew I couldn't have beer, though some of you might argue that I can't have Coke either, but that's a story for a non-sports blog), and watched some football.  Everyone was abuzz about Utah State beating up on Auburn.  In the words of some fans: "y'all are beating up on Auburn, that's not a good sign for us today."

We arrived at the tent of a friend of my brother's friend's wife when an older gentleman stopped us and asked us if we were hungry.  We had a 7-year old with us, and he said he had some candy as well.  We just assumed he was in the party at the tent we were at, so we accepted his offer.  He walked us halfway across The Corner to his tent and introduced us to his whole family.  He told us a couple of stories.  He chatted with us about football, the history of Ole Miss campus, and The Grove.  He was a great host.  We all had cold beverages, the kids ate some food and candy.  We chatted.  This was just one specific example of the hospitality.  Afterwards, he told us to come back at any time throughout the day.  Then we made the long trek back to the tent we started at!

The scene was unbelievable.  The scent was unforgettable.  The hospitality was unequivocal.  Everybody welcomed me (and us once my brother arrived).  The combination of chicken, ribs, dogs, etc. in the air was intoxicating.  The school pride that flowed through the air was every bit as real as the humidity.  It is an experience I will never forget.  BYU could have played a lot of places for their first game as an Independent (in fact, the game SHOULD have been at Washington until they bailed a few years back), but they could not have chosen a more memorable venue, nor played the game to a more exciting finish.  Even after the game, walking through The Grove with my sister and her 9-year old son, the fans were gracious and friendly, though much less talkative than hours before.

The SEC Stadium and Fanbase
The stadium itself was pretty neat.  It was a bit smaller, though somewhat similar in shape to LaVell Edwards Stadium.  The crowd came early, cheered loud, and wore school colors.  The fans were very knowledgeable, respectful, and kind.  It was a family friendly atmosphere.  It got loud when it was supposed to get loud (without need of urging from the cheerleaders).  It got quiet when it was supposed to get quiet.  The fans knew what was going on at all times.  They knew the situations and what they meant.  The atmosphere was more intense than anything I ever saw in the Mountain West.  It just had a different feel to it.  I know most season openers are a bit more like that than some other regular season games, as optimism springs eternal from March to August, but the SEC factor made it all the more amazing.  The stadium and fans weren't overly intimidating, but they were definitely impressive.  I met a few fans after the game as we waited in line for dinner, and they were just as nice as the ones I met before the game.  They love their football.  But they love people more.  Except Georgia fans, they hate Georgia fans...

Old Faces
I ran into several people from the distant past who traveled in from across the country.  I met a former Elder's Quorum President at BYU Joe Ostler, a former ward member (who also served with my brother in the Donetsk Ukraine Mission) Nate Benson, and an old mission buddy, Kevin Hill, from the Budapest Hungary Mission.  The three had traveled from Columbus, Kansas City, and Chicago, respectively.  All told, in the handful of BYU fans I talked to on the trip, I met people from 9 different states, and I bet at least triple that many states were represented in the 6,000-8,000 BYU fans in attendance.  It was quite an affair.  There wasn't much to cheer about through 3 quarters, but the 4th more than made up for that!

Run-In With Franchuk and Lloyd
As I got in line at the Southwest ticket counter, two guys dragged their stuff up behind me and I turned to look.  I did a little double-take as the faces were very familiar.  It was Daily Herald BYU beat writers Jared Lloyd and Jason Franchuk.  We initially did a little chatting as we went through the line about the game.  They were very gracious.  Then, we met up again at security and continued our discussion.  They were gracious again.  Then, we wished each other well and I took off for my gate.  A minute or two later, they showed up there as well, though at this point I gave them a break and let them work!  We boarded the plane, which was very full.  Wouldn't you know that the first open seat was right next to the Franchuk/Lloyd row.  During the flight, on an occasion or two, I had some discussions with Jared Lloyd, who shared the aisle with me.  I tried not to be a nuisance, but it was difficult for me.  Franchuk is one of my favorite BYU writers, and Lloyd achieves in his writing what I seek to achieve in mine: a more stats-oriented approach while writing from angles that others might just ignore or not even think about.

Upon arriving in Denver, the two continued to chat with me on the way out.  Typically, I think professional sports writers can come off a bit arrogant and self-centered, particularly the national guys.  These guys were every bit as down-to-earth as they appear in their writing.  Franchuk asked me a lot about me and my life, what I do, what drives me to follow BYU across the country, etc.  Lloyd also seemed quite interested in what my take was from the game as a fan.  They were very personable.  They were very friendly.  They were class guys.  I am sure they often get BYU fans bugging them as they go about their travels, but they didn't once act like they were bothered and seemed genuinely interested in me.

Franchuk explained something to me that I had never thought about.  He grew up in Boulder, graduated from KU, and could cover any number of Big XII schools.  He said "look at what I get to do, where I get to go, reporting on BYU.  I've been to Notre Dame twice.  Ole Miss.  Boise State next year."  There are a myriad of others he has been to and could have named had he not turned the conversation back to me, asking me about this little blog I write, what I do for a living, what games I plan to attend this season and beyond, and my family.  Class guys.  It was great to meet them.  I hope I have a chance to run into them again after BYU victories.  To have some seriously intellectual conversation about the game was great.

Well, with that said, I am off to watch the replay of the game now, so I can write a more seriously intellectual analysis of what happened on Saturday.