Oops - wrong game day.
I went to the Kentucky at South Caroline game Saturday - saw how some others do it.
We stopped and toured around Furman on the way in.
Nice little school.
Had a golf course. and a lake.
Their football team was over at Va. Tech losing 42-3, but they were nice to us as we walked around.
Hit Columbia around 11:00 am.
Went downtown and first toured the South Carolina Statehouse.
The old one was where the Rebellion of the Southern States began.
Secesh City.
The old one was burned when Sherman occupied Columbia in February 1865.
(Federal troops stayed until 1877. War ain't a sound bite.)
The current one was in the process of still getting built back then.
Had been under construction since December 1851!
It started as a "fireproof" building to house the records from the then-current wooden statehouse.
In 1854, they fired the architect and hired a new one.
He tore down everything and started over.
Sherman hit it with 10 cannon balls.
Didn't do much damage, so they just burned the inside.
But construction was halted until 1883.
It was finally completed in 1903.
52 years to build that sucker!
Yankee troops also "brick-batted" a statue of Gen George Washington - breaking off his sword.
It still stands there that way - a testament to Federal brutality.
Until a couple of months ago, it flew a Confederate flag.
Ate lunch at a foo-foo joint selected by my host.
They didn't serve sweet tea.
I ordered a special - "fried catfish with shrimp gumbo."
Turned out to be a scoop of rice, with a single catfish filet laid over it, with gumbo used as a sauce, not a bowl.
My menu reading needs to improve.
Toured the South Carolina campus.
It's like OSU - a large downtown campus in a fairly large city.
Attractive, but with much less "space" than IU.
All the girls were wearing black dresses. Never learned why.
Headed down to the stadium area.
The stadium is off campus, between a river and a rail yard - not many streets to serve the area.
4 hours before kick off and it was gridlock.
IU fans would have needed feinting couches.
As usual, we reconnoitered and approached from another angle, so our gridlock was only about 30 minutes. while others spent 2 hours sitting on city streets.
(Always follow the truck with a towed cooler.)
We parked out in the "white trash" section of the state fair grounds across the street.
The next section - behind a proper fence - had marked parking spots.
Middle class parking.
The next section had numbered spots and grassy areas.
As we got by the stadium, they were unveiling a statue of Geogre Rogers - their Heisman winner.
Many speakers.
At the sound of "our next speaker" - we left.
As did many others - and we hear discouraging words about "too many speakers."
Across the street to the south, USC had built (Saturday was its first use) a big park.
In the middle, about 50 yards wide - was grass and brick bathrooms and landscaping.
On either side was more "middle class" parking.
At the far end - about 1/4 mile away - was their practice fieldhouse.
Their walk now used the sidewalk through this park.
We happened to stand on the grass where the band was meant to play, so we got tossed.
Spurrier led the Cock Walk.
He is a snide guy.
Can't smile.
Limps badly.
I predict he retires this year.
Doesn't look like has any fun - and losing to Kentucky is more than he can stand.
Kick off 7:30 and they let us in at 6:00.
Our seats were Row 12, on the 5 yard line in the "Gamecocks" end zone with the seating (as opposed to the "Carolina" end zone with the scordoard):
When it was first built it held 17,500
Now holds 80,000+ depending on SRO on the ramps in the corners.
Their suites are above the lower arena and below the upper deck.
They are loud.
Always.
Except when they were on the field, could never hear their band.
I sat about 20 yards from the UK band, slightly behind.
Hardly ever heard them either.
An announcer said stuff.
Never understood him.
Refs would announce penalties.
Couldn't hear them either.
They have a "celebrity" announcer on the field.
Former players, etc.
They lead cheer - one side yells "Game" the other side "Cocks"
A video shows Spurrier saying "It's time for Carolina football" and they start the "2001 Space Oddysey" music:
Everybody has a towel.
Everybody uses it.
They "reveal" the mascot from a box on the field, with fireworks, and the team hits the field.
Very big deal entrance.
Kentucky played very well in the first half - took a 24-7 lead - and then hung on.
Kentucky forced 3 FG's while generally going 3 and out.
At 24-16, with their QB hurt, SC finally got a TD to make it 24-22, and went for 2.
Their star player fumbled it and Kentucky ran it back for 2.
Kentucky then killed 4 minutes and ran the clock out.
Only quiet time a moment of silence for the Charleston shooting victims.
I sat about 3 rows behind the father of Boo Williams - the Kentucky RB.
He was wearing shoulder pads he had painted blue, with small "traffic cone"-shaped things he had painted blue and glued on. He looked something like a blue transformer. Took "selfies" all night with folks.
Carolina fans did not take their loss well.
"Little ears" would have been cooked.
Kentucky fans curse with aplomb also.
Within a minutes after the game, Spurrier's post-game interview was piped in over the loudspeakers.
He said "We just went out and kicked some field goals. We're just getting our ass beat. That's all."
We took a side road over to Clemson on the way home.
Clemson is a large school (22,000) in a small town (14,000).
Death Valley seats 85,000.
We have Hep's Rock.
They have "Howard's Rock."
It's very small compared to Hep's.
Basically, the rock is on a pedestal about 15 feet away from the sidewalk.
About 5 feet behind it is grassy hill.
At the bottom of the hill is the end zone.
They get off a bus, walk into the gate, rub the rock and RUN down the hill onto the field.
On Sunday, they had a kid there letting people inside the stadium gate to take pictures with Howard's Rock.
And they had cardboard there letting kids slide down the hill.
After that we drove home through the Smokies to Knoxville, up and down Jellico mountain, and up through the Bluegrass.
Folks in Indiana don';t know what they are missing by not flooding Bloomington on a Saturday and being loud at a game.
PS - no band noise during the game - almost all piped in music.
BEAT WESTERN!
I went to the Kentucky at South Caroline game Saturday - saw how some others do it.
We stopped and toured around Furman on the way in.
Nice little school.
Had a golf course. and a lake.
Their football team was over at Va. Tech losing 42-3, but they were nice to us as we walked around.
Hit Columbia around 11:00 am.
Went downtown and first toured the South Carolina Statehouse.
The old one was where the Rebellion of the Southern States began.
Secesh City.
The old one was burned when Sherman occupied Columbia in February 1865.
(Federal troops stayed until 1877. War ain't a sound bite.)
The current one was in the process of still getting built back then.
Had been under construction since December 1851!
It started as a "fireproof" building to house the records from the then-current wooden statehouse.
In 1854, they fired the architect and hired a new one.
He tore down everything and started over.
Sherman hit it with 10 cannon balls.
Didn't do much damage, so they just burned the inside.
But construction was halted until 1883.
It was finally completed in 1903.
52 years to build that sucker!
Yankee troops also "brick-batted" a statue of Gen George Washington - breaking off his sword.
It still stands there that way - a testament to Federal brutality.
Until a couple of months ago, it flew a Confederate flag.
Ate lunch at a foo-foo joint selected by my host.
They didn't serve sweet tea.
I ordered a special - "fried catfish with shrimp gumbo."
Turned out to be a scoop of rice, with a single catfish filet laid over it, with gumbo used as a sauce, not a bowl.
My menu reading needs to improve.
Toured the South Carolina campus.
It's like OSU - a large downtown campus in a fairly large city.
Attractive, but with much less "space" than IU.
All the girls were wearing black dresses. Never learned why.
Headed down to the stadium area.
The stadium is off campus, between a river and a rail yard - not many streets to serve the area.
4 hours before kick off and it was gridlock.
IU fans would have needed feinting couches.
As usual, we reconnoitered and approached from another angle, so our gridlock was only about 30 minutes. while others spent 2 hours sitting on city streets.
(Always follow the truck with a towed cooler.)
We parked out in the "white trash" section of the state fair grounds across the street.
The next section - behind a proper fence - had marked parking spots.
Middle class parking.
The next section had numbered spots and grassy areas.
As we got by the stadium, they were unveiling a statue of Geogre Rogers - their Heisman winner.
Many speakers.
At the sound of "our next speaker" - we left.
As did many others - and we hear discouraging words about "too many speakers."
Across the street to the south, USC had built (Saturday was its first use) a big park.
In the middle, about 50 yards wide - was grass and brick bathrooms and landscaping.
On either side was more "middle class" parking.
At the far end - about 1/4 mile away - was their practice fieldhouse.
Their walk now used the sidewalk through this park.
We happened to stand on the grass where the band was meant to play, so we got tossed.
Spurrier led the Cock Walk.
He is a snide guy.
Can't smile.
Limps badly.
I predict he retires this year.
Doesn't look like has any fun - and losing to Kentucky is more than he can stand.
Kick off 7:30 and they let us in at 6:00.
Our seats were Row 12, on the 5 yard line in the "Gamecocks" end zone with the seating (as opposed to the "Carolina" end zone with the scordoard):
When it was first built it held 17,500
Now holds 80,000+ depending on SRO on the ramps in the corners.
Their suites are above the lower arena and below the upper deck.
They are loud.
Always.
Except when they were on the field, could never hear their band.
I sat about 20 yards from the UK band, slightly behind.
Hardly ever heard them either.
An announcer said stuff.
Never understood him.
Refs would announce penalties.
Couldn't hear them either.
They have a "celebrity" announcer on the field.
Former players, etc.
They lead cheer - one side yells "Game" the other side "Cocks"
A video shows Spurrier saying "It's time for Carolina football" and they start the "2001 Space Oddysey" music:
Everybody has a towel.
Everybody uses it.
They "reveal" the mascot from a box on the field, with fireworks, and the team hits the field.
Very big deal entrance.
Kentucky played very well in the first half - took a 24-7 lead - and then hung on.
Kentucky forced 3 FG's while generally going 3 and out.
At 24-16, with their QB hurt, SC finally got a TD to make it 24-22, and went for 2.
Their star player fumbled it and Kentucky ran it back for 2.
Kentucky then killed 4 minutes and ran the clock out.
Only quiet time a moment of silence for the Charleston shooting victims.
I sat about 3 rows behind the father of Boo Williams - the Kentucky RB.
He was wearing shoulder pads he had painted blue, with small "traffic cone"-shaped things he had painted blue and glued on. He looked something like a blue transformer. Took "selfies" all night with folks.
Carolina fans did not take their loss well.
"Little ears" would have been cooked.
Kentucky fans curse with aplomb also.
Within a minutes after the game, Spurrier's post-game interview was piped in over the loudspeakers.
He said "We just went out and kicked some field goals. We're just getting our ass beat. That's all."
We took a side road over to Clemson on the way home.
Clemson is a large school (22,000) in a small town (14,000).
Death Valley seats 85,000.
We have Hep's Rock.
They have "Howard's Rock."
It's very small compared to Hep's.
Basically, the rock is on a pedestal about 15 feet away from the sidewalk.
About 5 feet behind it is grassy hill.
At the bottom of the hill is the end zone.
They get off a bus, walk into the gate, rub the rock and RUN down the hill onto the field.
On Sunday, they had a kid there letting people inside the stadium gate to take pictures with Howard's Rock.
And they had cardboard there letting kids slide down the hill.
After that we drove home through the Smokies to Knoxville, up and down Jellico mountain, and up through the Bluegrass.
Folks in Indiana don';t know what they are missing by not flooding Bloomington on a Saturday and being loud at a game.
PS - no band noise during the game - almost all piped in music.
BEAT WESTERN!
