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Yesterday's Game - Oasis - 01-02-2014

Yesterday was painful, but not without some high points.  Here are a few general impressions:

First, the other side.  I found the Michigan State fans enthusiastic but polite. Their band showed some old-style sportsmanship by starting off with a salute to Stanford, playing "Come Join the Band."  That gesture deserved something like it in return, maybe a taunt at Ohio State or Michigan.  Instead we responded with the couch-burning number.  Maybe our band could find a way to say something good about opponents or spoof their rivals.  I would exclude from this idea those who have forfeited any claim to civility, including Notre Dame, Cal and USC.

As for the game itself, the main development IMO was that as the game progressed MSU increasingly dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.  Whoever dominates the line of scrimmage usually wins the game.  MSU's QB Cook impressed me by not getting rattled when he threw the pick-six.  He came right back and marched his team down the field for a TD.  MSU's pass defense looked better than ours.  Cook repeatedly hit receivers who were wide open for the catch, although our guys usually tackled them quickly.  Hogan had to throw into narrow windows all day.

With respect to Stanford's play-calling and other coaching decisions, it's easy to look back and criticize.  I don't want to do that because the world we reconstruct with hindsight  -- and hindsight bias -- is not the world the coaches and players experienced at the time.  I saw little that I could criticize as irrational ex ante.  I think we could've gone to the pass more in the second half as it became increasing clear that they were stuffing the run.  But I would offer this as more of a comment than a criticism.

My son plays D-III football and knows a lot about the game.  He and I have been through the wars with Stanford.  We spent yesterday together at the Rose Bowl, with good seats for a change.  This loss was bad for both of us.  We love Stanford and we love this team.  When I dropped him off at a friend's house after the game he said that close games come down to a few plays and they can go either way.  Those plays have broken our way often over the last four years.  Yesterday they didn't.  I agree with that.   

Re: Yesterday's Game - washingtonismoney - 01-02-2014

I, too, found most Spartan fans pleasant and spirited. But a special shout-out to the ass.hole sitting in front of me who decided to ruin the game for just about everyone in the section, capping it off by getting in a fight with his own son. You're a tough guy! Good job!

Re: Yesterday's Game - Hank 91 - 01-02-2014

One of the reason why I love college football is the coming together of opposing fans. The Michigan State fans that I spoke to yesterday were all incredibly nice, including the young couple in front of us as we entered the stadium -- they were amongst those who happily made a $200 season ticket deposit for the right to purchase four tickets from the Stanford ticket office. The wife's words: "It was our donation to Stanford."

There were a handful of Spartan fans peppered amongst our Stanford section, but there was never any taunting, even in the final moments. They were just thrilled to death that their team was winning the Rose Bowl, and who could blame them? Also, as we trekked back across the golf course to our car, a few Spartan fans made a point to compliment our team. (Though there was one drunk guy who thought he was the first person to realize a tree was an unusual mascot.)

But here was my favorite non-Stanford moment of the game. Soon after the game ended, maybe even after the trophy ceremony, a Spartan offensive lineman sprinted over to the band and student section. He was alone, and the crowd obviously loved it. He set down his helmet, then directed the entire section -- probably well over a thousand young Sparties -- in that modified "raise the roof" routine that they did after every Spartan score. Even as bitter as most of us were feeling about the result, you couldn't help but feel the joy of that moment. Even in defeat, college sports are beautiful.

Re: Yesterday's Game - yvonne - 01-02-2014

Well, I ran into some Stanford fans who said the day before at the pier in Santa Monica accosted them and taunted "wasn't that great how we came in and took your tickets?"

Still, most Spartan fans were pretty cool apart from that annoying go green yell.

Re: Yesterday's Game - Brannerite - 01-02-2014

I sat in the greenest portion of the stadium, full of MSU donors.  I never anticipated I would willingly sit in the heart of the opponent's territory, but the market for tickets was such that the only chance I had to buy face-value tickets was from MSU during their public sale.  I was thrilled to have the chance to buy these, as I might otherwise not have attended the game.  In the days leading up to the game, I tried to take solace in the fact that I did not have to place a season ticket deposit with MSU, but I'll admit, I was a little scared.  I told myself - it's not like they're going to burn a couch in front of you.  I did not realize that it would be us that would be burning a couch in front of them during the halftime show.

For the most part, MSU fans were just a spirited bunch thrilled to be in Pasadena. Of course there were some boorish brutes whose taunts made the other MSU fans cringe and want to cover their children's ears.  As I made my way to my seat, I was told by several fans I was in the wrong section, which was true.  The only overt hostility I encountered was after the half-time show.  The band did the whole Michigan furniture industry on fire skit, and there were immediate groans and a few chuckles by those who understood the reference. Then the booing started.  They didn't even all know what they were booing. One woman was outraged that they would make a lame reference to an event 15 years ago (the first time they burned couches).  She and those around her were clueless about the riots after the Big-10 championship a few weeks ago. But after someone confirmed the East Lansing events, she was gracious enough to issue an apology.  And fans who had no previous exposure to LSJUMB were just absolutely livid at having to watch them.  I mean, absolutely insane.  But there were also some nice fans who complemented us on what a great school we were and said what a good game we had played.

All in all, I still had a memorably great time at the game despite being crushed at the outcome.  May I never again be surrounded by the deafening chants of Go Green, Go White, an annoying chant regardless of affiliation.  May I never again be trapped in the midst of an MSU Rose Bowl victory celebration.  And may I never again be delighted at the sight of a U,S,C hat, which was the only blip of red I could see, 15 rows away.

Re: Yesterday's Game - fullmetal - 01-02-2014

I thought the boos started late because it took them that long to get it.  Slow MSU fans are slow.

Re: Yesterday's Game - ahuang06 - 01-02-2014

Speaking of unruly fans - the only "bad fans" I ran into were wearing Stanford gear. It made me much more sad than the game. The MSU fans that were there all seemed knowledgeable and into-the-game without being obnoxious.

Two drunk knuckleheads in front of me (section 8 - approx. 70% Stanford) kept taunting and cursing right in the face of an older MSU couple. Props to the gentleman who eventually traded seats with them. I ran into a couple other drunk Stanford fans outside the stadium trying to pick a fight with a USC fan.