Anatomy of a Road Trip - Escaping Spartyville with a "W"

There is nothing better in CFB than seeing your team "upset" an opponent on their home turf. For those of you who have yet to see the Cats play in Spartan Stadium, I highly recommend it. Here is a bullet-point breakdown of the experience.



THE GAME

Winning solves all doesn't it? How the heck can you argue with these highlights ensuring an awesome weekend....








THE TRIP
I made the trek with my wife and three kids complete with a stocked mini-van. While the drive is only about four hours, I highly recommend the train! If you're making this trip with "adults" then it is pretty easy. Even being an "adult" it is hard not to chuckle when passing the town of Climax, MI on I-69, which is of course followed by the next town - Coldwater. I kid you not.

THE PREGAME - OUTSIDE
Again, considering my buddies and I have kids, our tailgating took place at his house in the form of a big breakfast. Getting four hours alone with college friends to watch a game more than offset the lack of tailgating. We parked in East Lansing High's parking lot ($5) and walked through campus on M.A.C passing sorority lane and off-campus apartments. It was a gorgeous 85-degree day and downright muggy, but how can you complain in October?

As we made our way to the main campus, the main drag boasted an impressive college town feel. The place was teaming with students in their "We Are One" white t-shirts and alums were everywhere. As we wound our way through campus we came across the MSU marching band which was performing on an adjacent field and listened as they played both the NU fight song and the MSU fight song. I'm a big fan of NUMB, but hearing their band (at least 2X as big as NUMB) play our song led us to say "that's what it is supposed to sound like".

The campus was very idyllic - lots of brick buildings meshed nicely with the near peak of foliage. The only thing missing was the Fall weather. Saw a pretty healthy tailgating scene - very spread out - and very tempered. Did not see the RV-fest I thought I would.

THE STADIUM
This was the most surprising part. My buddy had connections so we had the chance to get on-field for the pregame. The exterior of the stadium was impressive, however it looked brand new. The inside was impressive - the seats are literally right on top of the action. The stadium is less imposing than the Shoe and more imposing than the Big House. If they ever build an upper deck on either end zone it would become the Autzen Stadium of the Midwest.

There is less space to the cement wall on the sidelines and endzone than any stadium I've ever seen - including Notre Dame. I can't believe they haven't had more injuries as a result. Nearly the entire stadium is white bleachers which served to create a dutch oven on this day. My first order of business there would be to paint the entire stadium bleachers green. It would add a whole 'nother level of imposing.

Getting around the stadium was a breeze. They have the whole concession stands/bathroom thing figured out unlike Ryan Field. It made for a "grab two waters and go to the bathroom" all during a timeout possible. Major bonus points.

We sat in the upper deck corner under an overhang which was about as far away from the action as possible, yet I thought they were great seats. We were still close to the field and watching the spread develop from this height was a thing of beauty.

THE ATMOSPHERE
Pretty sweet. I was in the stadium 45 minutes before kickoff and there were already 10,000-15,000 students standing and chanting. There student section was about 15,000 or so and was completely in white. Very cool. The official attendance was approx 67,000, but it felt pretty darn close to capacity (77,000). Their band sounds amazing and the acoustics are such that it gets VERY loud. On third downs, the PA system asks "what's your profession?" and the crowd "whoofs" three times. On each first down, the student section yells 1-2-3 "B&%CH". This classless call got a lot of press last week.

THE FAN TREATMENT
There were a smattering of NU students near us, but we were in a family friendly part of the upper deck. It was the type of game when you just laugh and turn to the MSU fans and say "your turn" since it was we score-you score - we score. The only negative experience ALL day was walking back to the car past the frats and hearing one guy yell at me "F@#$ Northwestern". That is pretty darn impressive considering how disappointing this loss was.

THE COVERAGE
The Lansing State Journal was outstanding. A multi-page preview on Friday and Saturday and some of the most objective in-depth reporting in the Sunday (headline was "Fans and Michigan State get SCORCHED". Kudos to teh LSJ sports staff - they were knowledgeable, objective and offered insights that I don't see in Chicago coverage. It made me jealous of being in a place that is such a college town. Meanwhile, not one article on the Cats in today's Chicago Sun-Times.

TICKET STUB SAVING QUOTIENT
9 of 10.
Incredible game, great experience and hopefully a defining moment in Fitz coaching career. I highly recommend a trip to any NU fan.


COMING HOME TO HOMECOMING
It's time to start thinking ahead to Saturday and a key game (what game isn't?) against the Gophers. The Cats are favored by 7 in this Homecoming game. I'll spend much of the week breaking down the intriguing match-up and key storyline of NU facing their former OC, Mike Dunbar. You've gotta believe Dunbar is spending a lot of time with their DC this week giving him the insights on how to stop us. There is noone better equipped to do so than Dunbar. Here is a great overview article of the current Gopher angst and potential QB controversy brewing thanks to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.




LTP FOR HIRE?
My road trip good karma continues. The following is a list of venues in which I've seen the Cats on the road, along with my in-person w/l record:

@ Illinois (2-1)
@ Indiana (2-0)
@ Michigan (1-0)
@ Michigan State (1-0)
@ Purdue (1-0)
@ Wisconsin (1-1)
@ Ohio St. (0-1)
@ Boston College (0-1)
@ Notre Dame (1-1)
@ Rose Bowl (0-1)
@ Citrus Bowl (0-1)

So, not bad - 9-7 overall and an amazing 8-3 in Big Ten play. Ichallenge you to find someone with a better NU road record than LTP with a minimum of 10 games attended.

There are three venues I've yet to see the Cats play:
-Minnesota (will wait til TCF Stadium opens in 2009)
-Iowa (LTP choice for 2008 road trip)
-Penn State (Don't play until 2009)

Get your tickets now for 2008...Kinnick here we come.

BACHER's BATCH OF AWARDS PART II.
As everyone knew, CJ was officially named Big Ten offensive player of the week today. In case you were wondering, here is how his 520-yard performance ranks all-time in the Big Ten:

1. 621 yards - Dave Wilson - Illinois (1980)
2. 558 yards - Chuck Hartlieb - Iowa (1988)
3. 522 yards - Drew Brees - Purdue (1998)
522 yards - Kyle Orton - Purdue (2004)
5. 520 yards - CJ Bacher - Northwestern (2007)

Pretty good company eh?