Today I'll look at one of the most anticipated road games in decades. Is this the first game that the players will fly to since, what, the 2000 O'ahu Bowl?
#1 A Sea of Red in the Desert. This is the first long distance road game in a long, long time. As Paul has repeatedly documented, the anticipation for this game is surprisingly strong despite the time and expense of a trip to Tempe. What I want to see is how many Dawg fans make the trip. I know the ticket office has sold the few thousand tickets officially allotted to Dawg people, but the real question is how many Georgia fans bought ASU season tickets or will scalp a pair before the game? My guess it that the upper deck at Sun Devil Stadium will have a strong red tint on September 20. What do you think? 10,000 Georgia fans? More? Plus, what has ASU's ticket office done to part this Red Sea?
#1 A Sea of Red in the Desert. This is the first long distance road game in a long, long time. As Paul has repeatedly documented, the anticipation for this game is surprisingly strong despite the time and expense of a trip to Tempe. What I want to see is how many Dawg fans make the trip. I know the ticket office has sold the few thousand tickets officially allotted to Dawg people, but the real question is how many Georgia fans bought ASU season tickets or will scalp a pair before the game? My guess it that the upper deck at Sun Devil Stadium will have a strong red tint on September 20. What do you think? 10,000 Georgia fans? More? Plus, what has ASU's ticket office done to part this Red Sea?
#2 The Arizona State Experience. I've heard great things about their coeds, but terrible, terrible things about their tailgating. Judging from this video, it looks like tailgating takes place in a parking lot and only requires a case of beer, a funnel, and willingness to scream at anything loudly. The girls are cute, though.
I also note that everyone is wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Maybe I'm off here, but I'd say most Dawg fans are usually in long pants and a shirt with a collar on game day. Does George Dean's sell red shorts?
#3 Drunk, obnoxious Georgia fan. Heat + Booze - Water = An Old-Fashioned Blackout. I talked to an LSU fan who went out to Tempe in 2005. He said that the heat is no joke. Being a Tiger fan, he had done his fair share of industrial-grade drinking, but he said the heat was like a booster rocket on normal consumption. By the end of the game, he had "embarrassed" himself because the booze had suddenly gotten away from him. Paul's water, booze advice should be heeded, but it won't be. I can't wait to see a drunk, shirtless Dawg fan telling some poor Arizona State fan about Pac 10 inferiority and how stupid their mascot is, all while asking the same fan for directions to the stadium.
#4 A dirty Rudy Carpenter. Arizona State's offensive line provided less resistance than Astroglide last year, allowing 54 sacks. That's more than four a game. That's 19 more than Hawai'i. The Sun Devils return only two members of that offensive line, so I suppose they can be worse than that. No matter who lines up on scrimmage, our D line should get familiar with Rudy Carpenter by slamming their bodies into him repeatedly. Arizona State has some quality receivers and running backs, but I think Rudy will have a difficult time throwing it to them under Jeff Owens and lying on his back. Look for '02 Florida levels of screen passes from the Devils.
Quinton
Quinton
35 comments:
Beating the dead horse, I've experienced that heat in Tempe and in my opinion tailgaing is borderline suicidal.
Save yourself the embarassment of falling out and being "that guy". Pony up at a nice bar/restaurant under some of those water mister deals that are everywhere and wait for gametime to make the dash to the stadium.
Sic Em.
Quinton,
+1 on the vid
FWIW, the Dawgs actually fly to most games. If the trip is over about 3 1/2 hours, they fly. Pretty much the only trips the team takes a bus to are Columbia, Auburn, Atlanta, Tuscaloosa, and, occasionally, Clemson. So, we'll be used to flying.
Check this out, though. Last year, Jacksonville was our farthest trip. This year, there are 3 trips (Lexington, Baton Rouge, & Tempe) that are longer than Jax. We're definitely logging some serious miles this year.
C - UGA will travel 7,338 miles this year. That's roughly 1/3 of the way around the circumference of the year.
PWD
The first photo on your post was taken from right behind my Sun Devil season seat - Section 232, Row 1, Seat 1 to give you some perspective. The fan wearing the gold wig is Matt. We'll see you at the game.
Quinton,
I think you logged some hours in the frat section. I would disagree and say that especially in the summer months, most fans are wearing a red and/or black polo shirt or quick dry golf shirt (like PWD's is selling- free plug) or if they are students a Georgia T-shirt and shorts (probably khaki).
Of course the lawyers all wear white and light blue seersucker suits a la Matlock (kidding on this one).
Trying to mix us into the crowd instead of putting us all together will be ASU's biggest mistake of the weekend.
You can't stop what can't be stopped.
I'm having trouble reading that End Zone. It looks like "_______ THE STAND" with a Louisiana outline.
Anyone?
For all the hot girls they supposedly have at ASU, the guys there seemed more infatuated with Kimmel's aunt than anything else.
Where were all these hot women we keep hearing about?
It looked like they were tailgating at the Six Flags parking lot.
Chris Fowler will be so happy that these guys aren't over-dressed.
Agree with anon above---don't bother tailgating outside. You're talking about sitting outside in the middle of the day (game starts at 6pm) in September heat. Even with no alcohol you're nuts for doing that. If we were playing there in late November, then I might cautiously give you the nod---but not in September.
I spent some time in Tucson down the road, and I equate drinking in the heat there as drinking at some ski resort in Colorado at 10,000 ft---you'll get bombed quick.
I think the end zone reads "united we stand" with a logo of Louisana. That photo is probably from the '05 LSU game that was relocated to Tempe from Baton Rouge due to Hurricane Katrina. That was a nice move by the Sun Devils.
Looking foward to the trip. Doubt we will see the same type welcome mat though.
15-17 M dawg fans there
"I think you logged some hours in the frat section. I would disagree and say that especially in the summer months, most fans are wearing a red and/or black polo shirt or quick dry golf shirt (like PWD's is selling- free plug)"
Huh? You are agreeing with him. Last time i checked Polos and golf shirts have collars.
But yeah, we do have some fans that will wear T-shirts. But that just makes the rest of us look that much more classier.
I don't care if this game is played in Hades.........There is NO WAY that it can be hotter than the '02 Bama game in Tusky!
(We seemed to handle the heat pretty well in that one, don't you think?)
We are playing in Columbia, SC the week before. With the humidity, The Chicken Coop will feel like the depths of Hell Fire Damnation. Like one of the bloggers from a ASU website stated, Tempe in the late afternoon will feel like San Diego compared to the south's humidity.
Players actually fly to games multiple times each season, including the game in Jax every year.
http://www.dawgsgoneblog.com
OK, OK. How about this is the first game that they will HAVE to fly to since the O'ahu Bowl?
Let me ask everybody some questions: if this game was played when it wasn't going to be hot, would you be worried about the outcome at all? As much as you are the Auburn or Florida games? As much as the Alabama game?
I've got my thoughts, but I would love to know yours.
Sorry for commandeering your blog PWD.
PWD, this game doesn't scare nearly as much as it did last December. I've seen this story before, highly touted QB, talented at the skill positions but no O-Line (you can talk to Zabransky or Colt Brennan for further explanation). The talent and depth in our front 7 will just wear out the Devils up front.
Never played football in AZ, but I have golfed in Scottsdale in July (for whatever that is worth), from Noon - 4PM, at 116F -- stupid I know.... Anyway, I have golfed in GA at 88-92, with 65% humidity and as crazy as it may seem, I would prefer the 116F in Scottsdale. Both are exceedingly hot, but the humidity in the SE is just stifling and the sweat never evaporates from your body -- unlike in the SW. It is cliché to say it is a "dry heat", but there really are differences to what one may experiences in the East.
Also, I was still in GA at the time and attended the '02 Bama game in T-town and it was unquestionably the hottest game I have ever been to -- either playing or watching. Still not sure how no one died on the field that day.
A friend of mine discovered that you can make a modest, one-time donation (approx $400) to the ASU athletic department and purchase block seating in the upper deck (min 25 seats) for any game on the schedule. We decided to front the costs for 25 tickets (+ donation) not realizing the demand. They were sold ($71/per) out in 5 minutes. We now have a block of 70 seats for the game that are going to be filled only with UGA loyalists. Amazing, I thought.
BTW avg high temp is 99
"I don't care if this game is played in Hades.........There is NO WAY that it can be hotter than the '02 Bama game in Tusky!"
I would agree, but the '03 Clemson game was hotter. Sitting in the nose bleed section with them running out of water before halftime was horrible. But, it was worth it watching us shutout those Tigers. Bring on the heat!
These are the actual temperatures in Tempe on September 20th for the past few years. I found a site that tells you what the temperature was at 7:51pm, so roughly about the time you'll be in the stadium at your seat for the 8:00pm broadcast.
2007:
Daily High - 98
At 7:51 - 91 with 23% humidity
2006:
Daily High - 94
At 7:51 - 87 with 10% humidity
2005:
Daily High - 105 (record for 9/20)
At 7:51 - 98 with 21% humidity
2004:
Daily High - 88
At 7:51 - 80 with 18% humidity
Now just for fun, let's compare that with Athens:
2007:
Daily High - 80
At 7:51 - 72 with 73% humidity
2006:
Daily High - 77
At 7:51 - 66 with 47% humidity
2005:
Daily High - 94
At 7:51 - 82 with 64% humidity
2004:
Daily High - 73
At 7:51 - 63 with 67% humidity
So go look up what the temps/humidity are for our games when its Noon or 3:30...we don't have the fortune to play games that late in the evening most of the time.
Thank you emotional fescue.
But, its a 6:00 pm kickoff Tempe Time. An 8pm EST.
So how what does that handy dandy Farmers Almanac website say about two hours earlier?
Aside from the continued focus on the heat...
I find it interesting when teams and prognosticators tout returning starters. What if the team is really bad? How many of those starters would you want back? For instance, ASU gave up more sacks than Kroger on the day before Thanksgiving. It might be better to have new people in place.
I know that experience plays a role, but sometimes it just seems that those players were not good enough (or coached well enough). If ASU's line improved over the course of the year, then I would say this is a bad sign for them, but if they were just as bad at the end of the season as early, then new people might be the best thing.
Another aspect is to look at the number of players who played a lot. For instance, let's say you had a senior starting but a sophomore who played as many downs and the soph is now starting. To me, that might not be a drop off.
Just saying that returning starters can be misleading either way.
Ski-
Presumably those new guys couldn't beat out the seniors that gave up all those sacks last year.
anon at 12:31 we did the same thing
I am an ASU alum and been to many hot games in SDS but most games are played at night and I've been a UGA season ticket holder for the last 10 yrs. ASU played a day game against Nebraska in September back in 1987 and ran out of ice at halftime - I felt like it was groundhog day when I was at Bama in 02. I say it was a tie for hottest I have ever been at a football game - though by the end it wasnt so bad in Tuscaloosa except for the fights breaking out on fraternity row - very scary.
Anyway....please dont try and tailgate all day. Go to a bar and alternate beer with water - you will thank me later. Otherwise you will end up being "that guy" as the first poster mentioned. You may be disappointed that you were only able to score some upper deck seats for this game....dont be....seats will be at a premium and while it aint as crowded as Neyland it will be one of the situations where if you stand up you might have to use some hip to get your butt back onto the bench seat (especially if you are on the end of the row). Plus, everyone will be sweating like crazy so it aint us fun being in the lower level where there is no air movement and everyone will stick together. Unfortunately there arent a lot of cool breezes in AZ at night...but if you are in the upper deck you will at least feel them if they are around. SDS is in a need of a makeover and probably in the same shape as Neyland (the bathrooms suck) - though not as nice as Sanford.
One final thought - back in 96 Nebraska came into SDS ranked number 1 and the stadium looked full of red - Mill Ave was full of Nebraska fans hours before kickoff- it ticked off the Devils and they came out and beat the Huskers 19-0. However, that aint gonna happen again this year cause Matt Stafford could play with one arm and play better than Scott Frost. However, dont expect a cakewalk. ASU will pull out all the stops (Erickson needs a signature win and will open the playbook) and being at home will be an advantage. My guess is that in the 4th UGA will pull away.
Enjoy the game and the AZ hospitality.
I gotta say, brings a tear to my eye to read all the prep-info. i've been planning since the game was announced to go--I'm one of many SO CAL DAWGS (in LA--the city, not the state) and we are going to be enjoying the first short commute to a game in a loooong time.
Oh, and since everyone's comparing Athens to Tempe for weather purposes...does it really matter?
This year, any house is OUR house.
Come down to the lower level sometime. We LOVE wearing shorts.
I'm making the trip, shouldn't Dawg fan wear white, since the team will be in white? Makes sense
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