Rutgers/Louisville - Part 2

In what will be a first for SixTalkingHeads, the following two part series will chronicle the November 9, 2006 Louisville/Rutgers football game. Two of the Talking Heads will be at the game and it is our hope that their perspective (though likely tainted by consumption of alcohol) might give you some insight into the madness that is Big East football. We hope to write like this about other games in the future. We hope you will read these writings. Realistically? We hope this doesn’t suck…

Rutgers/Louisville Part 2 – Lesson Learned

As a die hard college football fan who was trained and educated the Penn State way, I've always thought I knew pretty much everything there was to know about the game and what makes it great. The national championship is the pinnacle, 10 win seasons are a must, and anything less is unacceptable (unless you throw in an Ohio State or Michigan upset somewhere along the way). Enter Thursday night and Rutgers/Louisville. Though the BCS debate and talk of West Virginia had hit the airwaves while most of the cars were still in the parking lots, I left the game with a strong sense that regardless of what happens the rest of the season, the Scarlet Knights and their fans were walking away from their victory with the one thing that they really wanted on this night...respect. Perhaps my understanding of college football is not as complete as I thought it was. Let me share with you what I learned...

Following an hour and a half drive from Philly (and a much welcomed early exit from work), I and my fellow game attendees arrived in New Brunswick just about the time many of you East Coasters were dreaming of hitting the streets for rush hour. A newbie to the Rutgers campus, I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that the parking pass I had "wisely" ordered online with my tickets deposited us in an asphalt desert somewhere around the southeastern corner of Ohio. Undeterred and filled with optimism for the game, we pressed on and broke out the bbq and beers. As the empties piled up and our stomachs were filled, I began to notice that not only were we not alone in our parking lot of distant solitude, but I actually recognized some of our fellow exiles. Is it just me, or do the same 15 or 20 scalpers work every single sporting event in the United States? Would you really be surprised if you showed up for your nephew's little league game and Three Tooth Tony from Yankee Stadium accosted you with offers of "$5 hats - just FIVE DOLLARS!"? We need to stop encouraging these people.

As the night grew darker and the drunks more disoriented, I found myself struck by the beautiful weather. If November in New Jersey is always like this then somebody gave this state an entirely undeserving bad rep. Regardless of the local climate, the time had come to gather our senses and head for the game. Following a surprisingly short wait in a surprisingly long line, I found myself wedged into a commuter bus full of fellow drunken fans, each foolishly excited for the "short" busride to the stadium. After what seemed like a three hour journey, the stadium lights finally came into view. Fortunately, I had been able to spend the empty time in between assisting in rousing chants about the freshman dorms and "Des-ir-ee! Des-ir-ee!" (not sure who she is, but her father should probably be very worried).

For those of you who haven't been to a Rutgers football game (c'mon - you don't need help with a joke here), the stadium is open ended to the south side with upper deck seating along the sidelines. Though "Birthplace of College Football" is painted behind the north end zone, I'd estimate that many parts of the stadium aren't more than 10-15 years old. Taking advantage of the open air to the south, trees and a modern scoreboard (are they still called jumbo-trons?) create a nice backdrop to the action on the field.

As we found our seats in the seventh row at the ten yard line (shoutout to my people at "the internet"), I took notice that although the game was about to start many of the student seats were still being filled. This could only mean good things for the crazy level. No sooner had the national anthem been played and we were greeted with another college football tradition - the two drunks in front of us were escorted out by New Jersey State Police.

And there we were...time for kickoff. I'm excited to get to the action here, so I'm going to break from form and give you a quick rundown of the other news and notables that don't necessarily involve the game. I've already covered parking, but due to its incredible inconvenience I'll lead with it again...

• Parking: blah
  
• Port-a-potties: Important...I know. I know my readers. Unfortunately Rutgers does not. The southeastern Ohio lot we parked in appeared to have...well...roughly...zero. I actually didn't see any outside the stadium until after the game. The ones I did notice were either a soft mint green or a pinkish red. I might have seen 6 all night.
• "Robust Ronda" or "Robust Patty" or something of the sort: Yes, this was at the actual game. Some "lady" was walking around wearing a crown with a sign around her neck that said "Robust" and something else that I was never able to read. The sign didn't lie, but don't lose any sleep about the rest. I'm not sure what her mission was at the game so if any of you readers are familiar, feel free to clear this up.
• "It's a Rutgers....FIRST DOWN!": Somewhat comical announcement over the P.A. EVERY time Rutgers had a first down. I think he might have even yelled it after change of possession a few times. I'm guessing this goes back to the times when first downs were about the only thing to celebrate at Rutgers games.
• Cheerleaders vs. Dance Team: Neither will have their own calenders any time soon, but I gave my vote of the night to the cheeleaders. Two of my fellow game buddies opted for the dance team, but I think I'll hold off until it's determined that there were actual female faces under all that eye shadow.
• Food: I didn't have any in the stadium - didn't want to leave the game. A hot dog I saw on the ground looked pretty good. No...I didn't. Not that I'm above that or anything.
• Security: I assume there was some but I didn't see it. I'm thinking that if there's a "next time" we could probably sneak in enough stuff to tailgate inside the stadium.
• "R...U...": Seemed to be the most popular team chant. For the early half of the night I thought it was recognizing the first two letters of the school name (and I wondered why they never busted out the T). Somewhere around the second quarter I realized the U was for "University." I'm quick like that.
  

Ok...game time. I write this assuming that you watched, but if you didn't I'm sorry to say that you missed one HELL of a game. Louisville busted out of the gates strong, driving down the field with ease on their first possession. Before he got blown up in the second half, Brohm looked every bit the stud qb he's been talked up to be. He also seems to be blessed with a ton of speed on the outside. Late in the first quarter, Louisville took the lead for a second time after a 100 yard kick return by Jajuan Spillman. In what was a very confusing play for those in attendance, the Cards then got a two point conversion when they picked up their own blocked extra point and ran it in. Reactions by John Q. Public ranged from "So is that a safety?" to "This never happens in Madden." Confusing plays aside, I will say that the Rutgers crowd was completely into this game from the word go. I've been to alot of games in Beaver Stadium and I must say that if 110,000 could scream like that on a weekly basis (Ohio State, Nebraska, and Michigan aside) my beloved Lions would never lose another home game.

The beginning of the second quarter felt like the beginning of the end for Rutgers. The Cards were again driving very easily, racking up 10 points to push their lead to 25-7. At this point, I noticed some worry on the faces of those around me, but it seemed to be mixed with a good deal of confusion. How are you supposed to feel when your team ends up tanking the big game that they were never supposed to show up for in the first place? Thankfully, this question was never answered. Following an 18 yard run by Ray Rice (who runs alot more like Larry Johnson than Barry Sanders - considering his size), R.U. closed the gap to 25-14 at the half. It was at this point that I realized what was becoming an incredible trend in the game. Every time there was a "big play" in the game (which I wisely pointed out by stating to anyone who would listen "wow...this is a big play!"), that play would be eclipsed in importance by another BIGGER play 2 minutes later. That, my friends, is exciting football!

As the band hit the field (with some surprisingly kick ass hats) I ran over the possibilities for the second half. Rutgers was going to need to scores in bunches, but could they rely on their unproven QB? Could they survive a second half shootout with Louisville when they were already down 11?

When the third quarter arrived, so did the turning point in the game. You can look up the stats, but it appeared Brohm was faced with 3rd and long on virtually every series of the second half. Couple this with what seemed like 10 sacks from the defensive line, and the Scarlet Knight defense (along with the crowd) was rocking. Halfway through the third quarter, Rutgers got the break that it needed as WR Kenny Britt caught a 67 yard pass that he promptly fumbled somewhere around the 5 yard line. Lady luck threw in her hand at this time, as a fortuitous bounce brought the ball right into Britt's breadbasket as he lay on the ground. Rice's 4 yard td on the next play (and a clutch, "big play" 2 point conversion) pulled Rutgers within a FG...22-25.

I think it would be hard to overstate the performance of the Rutgers defense in the second half. Just as I asked the student next to me "why doesn't Louisville go back to the longer patterns?", Brohm was brought down once again. I'm not sure what Coach said in the locker room at halftime, but these guys played like a different squad in the second half.

The drama of the 4th Quarter has been replayed countless times on Sportscenter but I'll do my best. Minutes after the Rutgers kicker hit one of those "I can't watch this" 46 yarders for the tie, the Scarlet Knights got the ball back again on their own 10 yard line. After faltering to start the drive off, Rutgers QB Mike Teel (whose name kindof sounds like T.O. when you aren't listining closely and have no idea who he is) hit stud fullback (how often do you hear that?) Brian Leonard to complete a third and very long. Ray Rice took over from there, bullying his way down inside the 20 to run out the clock and set up what would be a certain 30-some yard game winner. Except...he missed it. Only he didn't. Or maybe he did. Has anyone else ever been completely confused as to whether a field goal is good in a live game? I myself have probably celebrated 3 or 4 "game winners" that actually missed the target. And I was never alone. It has something to do with the view that you have depending on where your seats are. Perhaps it's one of those optical illusions that always seem to get me. Regardless, I'd be more than happy if football teams would install hockey style buzzers and sirens at the goal posts. I'm not sure my heart can take another mistaken celebration. Fortunately, all was not lost in New Brunswick as a Louisville player (who will finish the season playing as "I Hate Me") was flagged for offsides. Rutgers' kicker got another chance and nailed what would soon be the game winner.

It was at this point that the weight of the moment really started to kick in for the Rutgers faithful. Fans hugged, chanted, and waved towels, but as they celebrated the coming victory they seemed to be asking "what do we do now? are we really going to win this game?" Left in such a quandary, they did the only thing they could think of...they stormed the field...before the game was over. As the scene at the stadium went from weird to bizarre, the P.A. announcer convinced the celebrating masses to clear the field just in time for one final Rutgers sack.

Jumping up and down on the R at midfield, I briefly felt conflicted about my presence at this game. I didn't go to Rutgers. I didn't know the chants. I didn't even know the color of the port-a-potties. Was it really right to be sharing in this moment? My reluctance lasted mere seconds as the infectious joy of the crowd overtook me. Excited to be one of the very first to storm the field (when the game had actually ended), I soon realized that 40,000 of the 44,000 at the stadium seemed to be on the turf as well. What was a high tension big time college football game had devolved into the world's largest disorganized gym class. Grown men tackled each other and rolled around on the ground as face painted co-eds made friends with elderly alumni. And each of them was loving every minute of it. When I finally climbed back into the stands 15 minutes after the game was over, I snapped the picture that you saw at the beginning of this post. The field was still filled with fans and celebratory music was being pumped through the P.A. system. Rutgers had earned it's national respect and these fans were going to bask in their moment...deservedly so.

Reflecting back upon the evening that was in the epic Rutgers/Louisville tilt, I find myself at a loss to describe it in my traditional simple and sarcastic terms. At times surreal, the game itself and the environment that surrounded it brought to the forefront an emotion that unfotunately is sometimes lost in the giant circus that college football has become - genuine happiness. As I recounted my experience to friends and coworkers on Friday (and as the fish in my tales grew exponentially), I found that every time I started talking about the game the same thing would keep happening...I couldn't stop smiling. If I could take that feeling away from every game I attend, I wouldn't care to see another BCS ranking in my life. Congratulations Scarlet Knights...and thanks for the lesson.