westcoast_sooner
9/16/2006, 11:47 PM
Bunch of Sooner fans in the hotel
I got into Portland last night, didn't do much, but when I went down for breakfast this morning, I was really surprised at how many Sooner fans were here. They were all headed the 100 or so miles down to Eugene, all dressed in their Crimson, and I was in my #28 Sooner jersey.
Duck pregame radio show
As I got closer to Eugene, I wanted to listen to some football radio, and the thing that I got was the UO pre-game show. Ok, so they ARE the Duck guys, but for most of the show, the ONLY thing they wanted to talk about was how loud Autzen was going to be. They weren't even talking about the Ducks. When they finally DID start talking about the game, they obviously knew very little about the Sooners - didn't know that PT had been a QB, and made it sound like he was a converted WR. Come on guys - this is your job - spend a little time researching your opponent.
The ticket
I finally got parked about an hour before kickoff and went looking for a ticket. I had made a couple of attempts at finding a ticket before I got here, and finally just decided to find one on game day. I went walking toward where I had seen some guys on the street earlier - hollering out that I needed one. One of the Duck fans asked if I just needed one, and I said yes. She took one out of her pocket, handed it to me and said "Welcome to Oregon". I said how much? She just walked away. WOW - what generous fans!!!
Autzen
All week long, all we had heard was how loud it was going to be. I kept thinking "how can 50,000 fans be as loud as someplace like A&M?" To be honest, the place is loud, but no louder than some restaurants I've been in in California. Just kidding there, but even though it may have been louder on the field than where I was, it certainly wasn't as loud as advertised. It's a beautiful facility and unique.
I was standing in line to go through the gate and was surrounded by Duck fans who noticed my #28 jersey. One little old guy was drinking a screwdriver or something, and told me how he had been stationed in Kentucky during the Korean war, and how the best buddies he'd had were from Oklahoma. Pretty cool - wishing us well - too a point.
Give us some love
I finally got situated in my seat with Oregon fans around. This one guy wanted to strike up a conversation and talk about how great UO football was. I guess I gave the guy a little attitude (Oregon tradition? gimme a break) and he was on me most of the day. I'm just thinking that they have one RB named after the Mountain Man. They have some good players, but talk smack when you have at least one MNC.
3 Heisman winners
One of the highlights of my day was seeing 3 Heisman winners - all OU. In a section right next to me were Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White. Not sure how all that was arranged, but it was really cool to see the three of them. Unfortunate incident when some drunk decided he was going to get cute and threw water and got it all over Billy. Since the cops didn't see it happen, they couldn't drag his a** out, but they did keep an eye on him. I guess it's sweet that he left when the Ducks were down 33-20, so he didn't see the comeback.
All in all - great experience. The Duck fans, for the most part are great.
I wish we'd won, but the experience was pretty good.
I got into Portland last night, didn't do much, but when I went down for breakfast this morning, I was really surprised at how many Sooner fans were here. They were all headed the 100 or so miles down to Eugene, all dressed in their Crimson, and I was in my #28 Sooner jersey.
Duck pregame radio show
As I got closer to Eugene, I wanted to listen to some football radio, and the thing that I got was the UO pre-game show. Ok, so they ARE the Duck guys, but for most of the show, the ONLY thing they wanted to talk about was how loud Autzen was going to be. They weren't even talking about the Ducks. When they finally DID start talking about the game, they obviously knew very little about the Sooners - didn't know that PT had been a QB, and made it sound like he was a converted WR. Come on guys - this is your job - spend a little time researching your opponent.
The ticket
I finally got parked about an hour before kickoff and went looking for a ticket. I had made a couple of attempts at finding a ticket before I got here, and finally just decided to find one on game day. I went walking toward where I had seen some guys on the street earlier - hollering out that I needed one. One of the Duck fans asked if I just needed one, and I said yes. She took one out of her pocket, handed it to me and said "Welcome to Oregon". I said how much? She just walked away. WOW - what generous fans!!!
Autzen
All week long, all we had heard was how loud it was going to be. I kept thinking "how can 50,000 fans be as loud as someplace like A&M?" To be honest, the place is loud, but no louder than some restaurants I've been in in California. Just kidding there, but even though it may have been louder on the field than where I was, it certainly wasn't as loud as advertised. It's a beautiful facility and unique.
I was standing in line to go through the gate and was surrounded by Duck fans who noticed my #28 jersey. One little old guy was drinking a screwdriver or something, and told me how he had been stationed in Kentucky during the Korean war, and how the best buddies he'd had were from Oklahoma. Pretty cool - wishing us well - too a point.
Give us some love
I finally got situated in my seat with Oregon fans around. This one guy wanted to strike up a conversation and talk about how great UO football was. I guess I gave the guy a little attitude (Oregon tradition? gimme a break) and he was on me most of the day. I'm just thinking that they have one RB named after the Mountain Man. They have some good players, but talk smack when you have at least one MNC.
3 Heisman winners
One of the highlights of my day was seeing 3 Heisman winners - all OU. In a section right next to me were Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White. Not sure how all that was arranged, but it was really cool to see the three of them. Unfortunate incident when some drunk decided he was going to get cute and threw water and got it all over Billy. Since the cops didn't see it happen, they couldn't drag his a** out, but they did keep an eye on him. I guess it's sweet that he left when the Ducks were down 33-20, so he didn't see the comeback.
All in all - great experience. The Duck fans, for the most part are great.
I wish we'd won, but the experience was pretty good.