Hey Tiger fans... I went to the National Championship game last night (45 minute drive for me). Got adopted by a bunch of good OK fans (I wore an Iowa shirt) and had a great time. I told them I came to cheer on Stoops (who, as you probably know, played at Iowa and was a grad. asst. coach under Hayden Fry) I mean no offense to OK or USC fans, but a few observations: 1. Especially for a NC game, some pretty mediocre tailgating. The Cap1 tailgating made last night look like a snooze-fest. I remember arriving at Pro Player 2 years ago when Iowa played USC in the Orange... I had goosebumps seeing literally hundreds of Iowa flags and grills going... I counted 5 big OK flags last night. I've seen LSU fans tailgate twice (I went to a game in Baton Rouge in 2001) and your tailgates are incredible, much like Iowa. I have a new appreciation for our fans. 2. Five times more tickets available than the Cap1 or Orange when we played there. I scalped a $150 ticket for $50 4 hours before gametime. 3. A few thousand empty seats in the upper decks. 4. I was in the middle of the upper deck about the 35 yard line and even after OK went up 7-0 the OK fans weren't making much noise in our section. I told my new OK fan next to me that we were going to get things stirred up, so he and I stood on our chairs and turned to the crowd behind us with the typical arms us "come on!". Several people around me commented that it was pathetic that it took an IOWA FAN to get them fired up. 5. The fans WERE cool, even the USC fans. USC fans ribbed be some about our beating there 2 years ago, but they were pleasant. 6. TENS OF THOUSANDS of fans going into the game 2 full hours before the game? Nobody could explain that one to me. Anyways, I am glad I went and even more so now am a "fan of your fans". Good luck!
USC and PAC10 teams do not travel as well as B12/SEC/B10. When WSU played OU in the Rose a few years ago, they returned thousands of tickets - what a joke.
I had the privilege of attending the Cap One Bowl this past weekend to watch my Tigers play Iowa. One thing I was really impressed with is how well Iowa fans support their team. The noise level was deafening when you guys scored or made a good play. You guys really have some loyal and enthusiastic fans. I really enjoyed being in Orlando and watching some good football. Good luck to both Iowa and LSU in the coming season. BTW, never stay at the Days Inn on International. ....unless of course you like bathing in brown water.
Tygrr, Thanks for the sentiment... WITHOUT EXCEPTION, every Iowa fan I spoke to before and after the game came away equally impressed with LSU fans... Our group had a great time with many of your fans... LSU fans got VERY loud on our last 2 possessions when you were making that phenomenal comeback. I can honestly say that your fans were some of the best I have ever encountered... LSU is now hands-down my favorite SEC team and I will be pulling for you every game... that is until we meet in the Rose next year for the NC! :thumb: Good luck with your new staff... and Geaux Tigers! :helmet:
I was really impressed with Iowa fans. My boss is an Iowa grad and has giving me a bit of a jab here and there. I will indeed cheer for Iowa in the future. I also stayed in that Days Inn I. Gross.
That is one thing that I've heard... Iowa fans know how to tailgate. I wish I could have gone to the Capital One Bowl to see it.
If I were skip, I would be arranging a home/home series with Iowa in the future. That was a classic bowl game with two of the best supported programs in the nation. I would welcome Iowa fans to Baton Rouge with open arms, and would definitely enjoy a trip to Iowa.
There is no doubt that the tailgating at the Cap One was great, I was very surprised at howm many Iowa fans drove that far to attend the game instead of flying. I wouold guess that very few California based USC fans drove to the game and maybe not a lot of OU fans either. So looking at that it may be why many folks headed into the game early and also why there may not have been a lot of tailgating going on. It's hard to tailgate w/o a car/truck. Also, LSU has so many big tailgaiting groups where each individual doesn't have to bring hardly anything and that really helps our fanbase.
Chalk one up for the Comfort Inn North on Lee Road. I think there was mildew forming on the drywall by the window. I was worried about mold spores, but it looked mostly like a stain. Oh, and our toilet overflowed. The awesome part about Orlando is the restaurants are all non-smoking (at least the ones I went too) As for Iowa fans, they were alright. I think we shocked them by our Tigerbait's (Florida fans still freak out), but for stadium noise, I thought it was pitiful across the board. Maybe it was because I was in the endzone, but for at least 2 quarters, you could hear a pin drop. The silence was deafening! The 4th quarter displayed how loud our fans can be. What a difference a QB makes. Reminds me of the Peach Bowl.
