Or: The MSU offense, it's even more inept in person.
What better way to cap off a few weeks of quality family time than to go to State's first bowl game in six years in the comfy confines of our old stomping grounds of Memphis? Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Somehow, my tickets were actually good. We were in the corner of the nice maroon MISS. STATE endzone four rows up. Like a dumbass, I left my camera in the car (which was parked in a suspiciously close parking spot right by some of the huge donor MSU fan RV's). But here's my ticket stub and souvenir cup.
Anyway, a huge thumbs down to the city of Memphis who acted like they had no idea that 65,000 people were traveling on four roads in town towards the same place. Sure, they were glad the game was a sellout and made us State fans feel at home with the big cow-judging stalls right next to the stadium, but Airways was a glorified parking lot going in. Central was the same going out. I saw TWO cops the whole time and only one was directing traffic. And memo to the "Event Staff" guy I hit with my car: Just because you have a yellow vest doesn't mean you can cross four lanes of traffic without looking first. Another huge "fuck you, MPD" from my brother, sister-in-law, and former roommate who spent the first quarter stuck in a non-moving mass of people trying to get to their seats while another non-moving mass of people tried to get to the restrooms and concession stands located right by the turnstiles. The crowd only started to clean out once an elderly person passed out and needed oxygen. I shit you not.Anyway, back to the game, it's not like the latecomers missed anything, because the first quarter was one of pure offensive ineptitude. The endzones might as well have been draped in barbed wire (like everything else in the fairgrounds area). The much ballyhooed Kevin Smith was pretty good, but UCF seemed like a one-trick pony for the most part. The MSU offense was the one I've come to accept over the season. They think they can pass. They say they run the west coast offense. They'll pass on any down. Do they complete any of these things? No. The protection was non-existent, and we had a great view of constantly saying "oh crap, that one's up for grabs." Fortunately, the Central Florida passing game was a total non-factor, too with Derek Pegues ending up catching as many UCF passes as some of their receivers. Long story short, one good drive by the offense was all it took for State to get a touchdown and the win. To put it mildly, this game was ugly. For the views of people who get paid to write about this kind of thing, there's this from ESPN, from the Clarion-Ledger, from the Commercial Appeal, from CBS, and this again from ESPN. As one of those fans getting their pride back, this season has been a pretty big suprise. After the game, most UCF fans were gracious, if not disappointed, but then this morning at the hotel, I encountered this:
If you can't tell what it is, it says UCF! =) (smiley face not pictured) on the rear spoiler of my dusty car. The totally adorable smiley face clearly indicates the work of a girl or total amateur. This smack, much like the football played in Conference-USA might appear to be competent to the casual viewer, but is eventually, only found to be superficial at best. Really, drawing on a dirty car? I went to an SEC school. I expect pee-stained tires, gum under the door handles or broken bottles behind the tires. I had an elderly Alabama fan swear at me once while he was parked in MY yard! This half-assery is bush-league! Step it up, UCF (oh, and get a field goal kicker while you're at it). At least some of your fans were wearing jorts in the hotel lobby this morning (and it was 35 outside!). So to sum up: so what if the game was dull as hell? I got to spend some quality time with the family, some friends I haven't seen in a while, and got to savor some barbecue nachos while enjoying a win. That should be a good enough weekend for anyone.
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