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