– Gary Segars (twitter: @proseveregary)
As with most trips, the alarm clock went off, and we weren’t ready to get up just yet.
The wife and I spent the night before preparing everything so that it would be easy to get up and leave when we were hoping to. Breakfast ready to toss in the oven, coffee ready to be brewed, rain gear ready, etc. We knew it would be a long day, so we wanted the morning to be as easy as possible. So we finally fell asleep around 12:30am so our alarm going off at 5:45am wouldn’t be so bad.
It was still bad trying to wake up…
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6:45 rolls around and we finally wake up. I go pre-heat the oven and turn the coffee pot on while the wife hops in the shower. I let the dogs outside and go brush my teeth. I come back into the kitchen, toss the “Pigs in a Blanket” in the oven, and look outside, where both dogs are currently sitting by the backdoor. Soaked. It started pouring outside while I wasn’t paying attention. So I let the dogs back in, and try like hell to grab a blanket and get them dried off before they shake all over the carpet etc. I wasn’t successful.
I ran and hopped in the shower as soon as my wife jumped out, and within 3 minutes of me being in, the smoke alarm starts going off, and the dogs start howling. Overcooked the pigs in a blanket. Jess (my wife) grabs those out of the oven and, luckily, they weren’t too burnt. So it was not a huge deal. After about an hour, we were finally ready to head out to Oxford.
1. Drivers on Highway 7 towards Oxford are maniacs.
I’m serious. These guys are insane. Passing on double yellows when I’m already going 10 over the speed limit, and passing groups of 4-5 cars. It’s a madhouse en route to the Grove. Everybody feels like they’re already late if it’s after 8am on gameday.
Everyone has their Ole Miss flags hanging from their windows, and they’re rolling around 75-80mph, even with it pouring rain outside.
But hey – cheers to these guys for wanting to get to the tailgate as early as possible. Trying to dodge these guys was one hell of an adventure.
We finally get into the Oxford city limits and I go around the middle of the city, around to Jackson Ave, making sure to miss all the traffic in the center where the University is placed. There’s no way I will be able to get through all of the mayhem just a touch before 9am.
You couldn’t find parking for cheaper than $30 anywhere around the campus. It was crazy. We pulled into the MSFCU parking lot, right next to the Oxford Mall, and tossed out $40 to make sure we had a good spot. We were right across the street from the campus, so it was an easy walk up fraternity row towards the Grove. We poured our Crown Royal and Deep Eddy’s Peach Vodka into our beverages and we made our way to the SEC Nation broadcast area.
2. Students will go through anything to be on TV
It’s true. Security had a huge section blocked off with barricades, and there were guards on one little path to make sure to pat each student down before they were allowed into the section.
The crowd was massive.
We walked over just to see what everything was looking like, and to catch a glimpse of Finebaum and Tebow, and the crowd had swelled in the Grove to standing room only. Everyone had their drinks in red solo cups, and we quickly realized that our 32oz drinks were not going to last us nearly as long as we anticipated, since we had only been walking around for about 30 minutes and they were already half gone.
I realized it was before 10am and I was already buzzed.
We walked into the student union and I called a friend that I had been hooked up with to visit his tailgate before the ballgame. After securing the location, we found our way through the Grove, through the mass of tents and drunken college kids, and found the group.
3. It’s true. Ole Miss tailgates better than other schools.
After finishing my whiskey drink, we walked up to the tailgate and introduced ourselves to the bunch. They had started early, and as soon as we walked up they offered “what do you want to drink? We’ve got beer or liquor – whatever your drink is.” Talk about hospitality.
I grabbed a Bud Light and a red solo cup and quickly got caught up on the Louisville – Fla St score. Lamar Jackson had already led the Cardinals to a 7-0 lead. The host and I talked for a bit about the blog and podcast, and he introduced me to several other members of their tailgate. There were several tents all hooked up together, with a DirectTV satellite in what looked like a portable briefcase hooked up to a big screen TV over in the corner, with folding chairs setup everywhere.
“They don’t make those satellites anymore,” he told me. “They marketed em more towards campers and outdoorsy people, but they should have targeted tailgaters. They’d have made more money.”
He’s entirely right about this. The carrying case has another TV screen on the outside of it, so they’ve got 2 screens aiming in different directions so everyone can see whatever game is on. It was outstanding.
“You guys are gonna really disappoint me if you don’t eat something,” we’re told, and we’re handed plates and pointed towards the food tables. The food is something else entirely. I’ve been around some awesome tailgates, but this group of season ticket holders had an entire Italian meal prepared. Chicken cannelloni, Lasagna, cheese and crackers with prosciutto, with different breads, dips, etc. It was unbelievable.
So I grabbed another beer and we ate and watched as Florida St scored a touchdown to make it 14-10 Louisville early in the 2nd quarter. We told the crew thank you and headed over to another friend’s tailgate before heading to the stadium.
We walked over to the IMG Sports tent where the Rebel pre-game show was going on with Richard Cross and Brett Norsworthy. IMG had Outback Steakhouse cater gameday for them, and my college roommate happens to run an Outback Steakhouse, so he was involved in the catering for this since he and his family have had Ole Miss season tickets for a while.
He grabbed me a beer and we sat and talked for a while until I noticed people lining up.
“Why is everyone lining up on the sidewalk between these buildings?”
4. Rebel fans take the Walk of Champions seriously.
“Everyone’s lining up for the Walk of Champions in about 20 or 30 minutes.” 20 or 30 minutes? It’s 95 degrees outside and humid. It’s like walking through a wet blanket out here, and these people are lining up to hopefully get a high five from a Rebel player on their way to the stadium.
Intense fandom.
Explain this one to me as well – the team has to walk all the way through the Grove to the stadium? They’re walking a LONG way to that stadium. It doesn’t make sense. At other schools I’ve seen them walk through a parking lot into the stadium and people line up deep to see the team get into the stadium, but here, they go through the tailgate, between buildings, all the way around other buildings to get to the stadium.
Again, it’s a long walk. Especially on a 95 degree day after a morning rain.
But yeah, the fans were there, wearing their powder blue. It was a sight to behold. Eventually, the team came through, with Coach Hugh Freeze and his entourage of state troopers leading the way. We saw Swag Kelly in the middle of the pack with the biggest grin you’ve ever seen on his face.
He was excited about this game. And in the first half, we could see why.
We said our thank you’s and goodbyes to the Outback crew before we made the walk to the stadium.
It started raining on us as soon as we headed that way, but it cleared up just as quick as we got into the gate.
Our entrance to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was the same gate with some of the students, and the same location the Ole Miss band makes their entrance to the stadium as well, which blocked our path to our seats initially
I was dripping in sweat and my frustration was growing… but apparently I didn’t notice how much my wife’s frustrations were growing.
5. My wife tried to start a fight with a frat guy before the game.
This was partly my fault. I was mouthing off a good portion of the day about “these fucking kids” that kept jumping in front of us, or stopping in the middle of walking paths, like they’re the only people on the planet.
The band had blocked us from going up the ramp to our seats, and I was ready to grab drinks, scope out the place, etc. So I’m irritated. My wife has been talking to me as well while we were walking in – when a young blonde jumps in front of us in a line, and this young guy in a powder blue polo jumps in with her, completely disregarding the fact that we’re even there.
“These fucking kids…” she stated audibly to me.
“Kid? I’m 23 years old,” he looked back and told her. I laughed at this. Because he obviously didn’t realize that he fit the mold.
“You’re still a kid if you’re an inconsiderate little prick,” she said back. I didn’t laugh at this. The kid is obviously bigger than I am. And we’re in their stadium.
I’m outnumbered.
“How about you just enjoy the fucking game, aight?” he shouted back at her.
Now, I’m expecting her to chill at this point. But there’s no chill.
“Roll Tide, fucker,” she looks dead at him and says.
Yes. You read that correctly.
“Hotty Toddy, mother fucker!” he shouts back.
And then he was gone. And I was excited that I didn’t have to get into a fight with a 23-year old non-kid before the game even began.
We finally made our way upstairs and to our seats.
6. 50 yard line seats, directly behind the bench, are nice…
… but not as nice as you would think. We were directly behind the Alabama bench, where the sun
shines directly into the stadium.
Did I mention it was hot outside? I mean, abnormally hot for a mid-September Saturday. And people were feeling it. My polo was already soaked, but we were literally as close as you could get to the field.
The issue we ran into was not being able to see plays develop. I’m so used to watching from higher in the stadium, whether it be press box, or sitting in the endzone or up in the middle of the crowd on the sideline, that you can’t tell what’s happening when you’re right there on the field.
However, you do get to see exactly what’s happening on the bench, and who’s fired up and who’s not.
You also get to see the pom squad up close. And Allie LaForce.
7. Allie LaForce is even hotter in person.
On television, she’s pretty hot. But in person, she’s amazing. Talk about a beautiful woman. The sun and temperature were obviously getting to her too. She carried around several notepads, etc, along with her microphone, and had a staff member or two around her at all times. She walked the sideline looking for anything that might be deemed newsworthy, although there really wasn’t that much going on.
The crowd was pretty fired up early on. Even before the game, the Ole Miss fans were rowdy after spending the entire morning drinking in The Grove.
8. “Fuck You Bama” chants happened early and often.
The first one began with 10:51 left in the 1st quarter. Then it happened a few more times, and the prevailing opinion throughout the stadium, as has been the case at Ole Miss since the dawn of time, is that the referees have it out for their team for some reason.
Even when the Rebels were up 17-3, the fans around us (and throughout the stadium) were convinced that there was a conspiracy against Ole Miss. And it only heightened once there were 2 flags thrown on an Alabama punt return for a touchdown before the half that cut the lead to 24-17, and both penalties were on the home team, so the score stood.
We made our way underneath the stadium to try and grab something else to drink because – I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but… – it was insanely hot outside.
9. The stadium concession setup is awful, and they ran out of ice in the entire stadium at halftime.
Yes, the largest crowd for a sporting event in the state of Mississippi’s history (over 66,000 people) on a 95 degree, insanely muggy day, and they ran out of ice and bottled water. People were buying glasses of tap water for $3 a pop back there. It was ridiculous.
We had been in line for about 10 minutes, and were nowhere near the register to order, when the clock ran out to end the 2nd quarter. The concession stands are setup directly under both exits, and the crowd flooded into the section where the lines had already gathered.
There was nowhere for anyone to go.
My wife does not handle crowds very well and we could sense she was about to have a panic attack. We’re both short, and people gathered quickly with literally nowhere to go. Where the concession stands are setup is directly next to staircases that lead up to the 2nd level, and right under where everyone leaves the stands… so everyone is trying to get to the same place, and they all just stand there.
The panic starts to set in, and she starts to tear up, and I’m telling her to just breathe – nobody’s pushing or anything, we’re just surrounded and there’s nowhere to go.
People notice that she’s crying and having trouble breathing so they push us up behind the section where the registers are – both of us – and we’re trying to get ice or whatever we can… but we can’t get anything. There’s no ice, and no bottled water. When she finally cools down, my place in line is completely lost. I get her to a spot where nobody is around her, and I head out to try and find another concession stand.
Turns out there are no concessions on the bottom level – only on that 2nd level. Talk about an awful setup.
10. There were 1,092 official reviews, and the game took over 4 hours to play.
I started to pay attention to my watch because I was begging the sun to go down behind the stadium so it wouldn’t keep blasting right in my face. I had to watch a lot of plays on the jumbotron with my hand blocking the sun over my eyes. By the 3rd quarter, once Alabama had started rolling, my face was completely sunburned, to the point that it hurt. And there was nowhere to hide.
I noticed we were getting later and later in the day, and we were still in the 3rd quarter. Ole Miss fans were visibly agitated now that Alabama had grabbed a lead, and the longer the game went, the more restless the fans got.
11. Scott Cochran gets under people’s skin.
Alabama’s strength and conditioning coach was audible from our seats. He was active and running and jumping and high fiving players, getting everyone fired up. And Ole Miss player was injured on the field – he didn’t have a clue what was going on because you can’t see from the bench – and he was screaming at the players “WE JUST GETTIN STARTED! JUST GETTIN STARTED!” and the frat guys surrounding us were so irritated with this that they started screaming at him.
“HEY! SHOW SOME RESPECT! SHOW SOME CLASS!”
Of course, they yelled the same thing when he was still doing it when an Alabama player was down and he was still getting his team fired up.
Has anyone ever noticed it’s always the guys that have no bass in their voice, who aren’t scary at all, who get the most irritated and want to start screaming at the opposing team? I mean, these guys were all of 5’7″ and weighed about 150lbs soaking wet, but they’re yelling at these monsters on the sidelines like they’re ready to fight.
Alcohol and frustration are a dangerous combination.
In the meantime, Alabama breaks off a long run and scores from a yard out to take a 34-27 lead. Which fires up the crowd even more. This is a 31-3 run for Alabama in about 17 minutes of play.
12. A young Ole Miss fan walks over and gives the Alabama bench double birds.
This kid couldn’t have been older than about 9 or 10, maybe younger. He makes his way down right in front of us and silently puts both of his middle fingers in the air towards the Alabama bench and starts waving them around.
I can’t help but laugh… loudly. The kid turns and looks at me.
“Whatchya doin there, buddy?” I ask him.
“Giving them middle fingers.”
I laugh again at the kid.
“It’s ok,” he says. “I know how to do it.” He turns and gives them one more bird and then runs back to wherever he came from.
Some of the players had noticed and were laughing as well. God bless SEC fans.
13. People quit on their teams way too early.
Ole Miss, down 41-30, had driven down the field and were in a position to score when Chad Kelly was rushed and fumbled / threw an interception to defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, who bumbled down the field for a 75 yard touchdown to make the score 48-30. Immediately, as soon as he hit the endzone, the Ole Miss fans around us all got up and headed to the exits. There was a little over 5 minutes left in the game and it was basically empty around us except for the Alabama fans.
I started telling them as they were leaving me “Hey – I’ve seen crazier stuff happen. I wouldn’t leave just yet.”
They collectively told me the game’s done and they’re heading to the Grove.
And then Ole Miss drives down the field and scores in about 2 minutes.
Then the onside kick works to perfection and goes right over Calvin Ridley’s outstretched hand and is recovered by an Ole Miss player. Chad Kelly then comes out and throws a perfect 37 yard touchdown pass. The 2 pt conversion fails, and it’s now 48-43 with 2:51 left in the game. And the Ole Miss fans are gone.
And rather than attempt another onside kick, Coach Freeze decides to kick it deep and Alabama runs for 2 first downs, effectively taking the air out of the ball and ending the game. But, man, was it ever entertaining.
14. Foot traffic back to the Grove was insane, as was the traffic around the University.
After a fantastic day of football, the crowd trying to get to the Grove was relentless. They estimated there were 85,000 people on campus, and I think that may be shortchanging them. The game was over a little after 6:30pm, and we finally got to our car by 7:15pm, and were effectively in moving traffic by 8:15. There was nowhere to go.
Once it cleared out a little, everything was back to normal in this little town. It was definitely a great venue for tailgating and to watch college football
We left our house at 7:45am and made it home around 10pm. It was a full day for a 50 mile trip.
Next time, Ole Miss, make sure you’ve got enough water and ice when it’s gonna be over 90 degrees all day.
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