My Thoughts From the Stadium (Ole Miss 2023)

[abw0004 10,398]

Good morning all,

I hope this thread finds you well as we inch closer to Halloween.  This time of the year is always the best when it comes to the football season.  Leaves are turning and the temperature is cool.  No more 90 degree weather in 100% humidity.  Saturday's outcome was not ideal, but there are still a lot of takeaways.  Let's jump in the begin the week!

Booing:  I wanted to address this first because it has been the topic of discussion a few times already on here.  I am not stranger to the crowd booing.  In the past it is typically the crowd booing the opponent.  The last year it was the crowd booing Harsin, and honestly at that point Harsin zapped so much energy out of me I didn't even care if I heard the boos.  This game was a little surprising.  No, unlike what al.com is pushing, the crowd was not booing all game.  Honestly, there were only two times I could clearly hear the boos, but they were very poorly timed.  The first time was when Peyton Throne was announced as the starting quarterback.  I know the recruits heard it and that was disappointing.  The second time was when we failed to earn a first down in the third quarter, which still was not ideal, but understandable.  For everyone's knowledge, if you are confused, when they announced Hugh Freeze as the head coach, fans are not booing.  They are saying "HUGH."

Gameday Experience:  For those that have not been to a game this year, Auburn has been improving and enhancing their gameday experience.  They have kept the traditions of course, such as the Eagle flight, and the marching band still does everything (except the loop around the stadium when it is one hour until kickoff).  But the hype videos have increased, and the LED light shows have increased.  I absolutely love it.  It keeps the audience engaged and keeps the energy up.  With the day and age where across the country game attendance is decreasing, Auburn is doing a great job of making fans want to come back, regardless of the product on the field.

Media Team:  Speaking of gameday experience, shout out to the media team in the stadium.  They really threw everything they could to keep the fans going, which in turn, kept our team going.  I especially loved that before the game, whenever the Ole Miss band tried to play a tune, the media team simply turned up the music.  Petty?  Maybe, but I loved it.  Who really wants to hear the Ole Miss band anyways.

The Good Fight:  The outcome of the game was not ideal, we know this.  But I have to commend our team for never giving up.  Even on the sidelines, whenever the defense was on the field, Ashord continued to keep warm throwing the ball.  Players not on the field were throwing their towels in the air trying to get the fans to stand up.  They did not quit.  That was always a trait I admire about Malzahn's teams, is they never gave up.  I hope to see this with Freeze's teams as well.

The Rebuild:  Look, I know losses are frustrating.  I get it.  I also understand coaching has room for improvement.  This rebuild is going to take some time.  As much as we want to recreate 2013 in Malzahn's first year, we can't.  I will give you an analogy that hopefully you can relate to.  One of my pastimes is working out, specifically in the powerlifting arena.  Last year I had to have surgery on my lower back, that would not allow me to sit or lay on my back for three months.  After that, all I wanted to do was get back into the gym to prevent any more losses from the weight I could put up.  I had to learn to be patient and slowly rebuild.  I tried to rush into it at first and developed tendinitis in my IT (iliotibial) band.  Long story short and my point is, it is better to do things the right way and take your time, than to go for the immediate gratification.  Freeze is recruiting well, and even with that, those recruits need to develop.  Heck, our guys we have now still need to develop after not being developed by the two previous regimes.  We will get there in due time.  For now though, there really isn't a reason to let this season ruin your day.  Focus on the positives and move forward.  That's all you can do.

Marching Band:  I want to end on a good note, and talking about the marching band's performance Saturday night sure is a great note to end on.  It is by far the best performance I have seen and I have seen everything to batons on fire to tap dancers.  If you have not seen the show, I recommend watching it.  The show was completely done in the dark and the marching band uniforms were lit up with LEDs along with the instruments.  As a former marching band guy, I want to emphasize to you how difficult that is to pull off.  When you are marching, you are looking at two things, the drum major and the 5-yard markers/hash marks.  Well, in the dark, you can't see the yard-line or the hash marks.  To hit every set perfectly takes a lot of practice and trust in yourself that you are going to the right places.   I really hope you take the time to watch a video of it, especially if you are a Metallica fan.  Link is below for those interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zZJdNhynYQ

Mississippi State:  I have no idea who will win this game, but I sure am excited to be back in Auburn.  Fans are asked to wear ORANGE to the game.  

[augolf1716 22,032]

Thanks for sharing for those of us who can not attend the game.

[abw0004 10,398]

Here is the official marching band video:

https://youtu.be/WD707cDiKuo?si=yf3rB7x6YiBOsOf-
 

[aubiefifty 18,463]

8 hours ago, abw0004 said:

Good morning all,

I hope this thread finds you well as we inch closer to Halloween.  This time of the year is always the best when it comes to the football season.  Leaves are turning and the temperature is cool.  No more 90 degree weather in 100% humidity.  Saturday's outcome was not ideal, but there are still a lot of takeaways.  Let's jump in the begin the week!

Booing:  I wanted to address this first because it has been the topic of discussion a few times already on here.  I am not stranger to the crowd booing.  In the past it is typically the crowd booing the opponent.  The last year it was the crowd booing Harsin, and honestly at that point Harsin zapped so much energy out of me I didn't even care if I heard the boos.  This game was a little surprising.  No, unlike what al.com is pushing, the crowd was not booing all game.  Honestly, there were only two times I could clearly hear the boos, but they were very poorly timed.  The first time was when Peyton Throne was announced as the starting quarterback.  I know the recruits heard it and that was disappointing.  The second time was when we failed to earn a first down in the third quarter, which still was not ideal, but understandable.  For everyone's knowledge, if you are confused, when they announced Hugh Freeze as the head coach, fans are not booing.  They are saying "HUGH."

Gameday Experience:  For those that have not been to a game this year, Auburn has been improving and enhancing their gameday experience.  They have kept the traditions of course, such as the Eagle flight, and the marching band still does everything (except the loop around the stadium when it is one hour until kickoff).  But the hype videos have increased, and the LED light shows have increased.  I absolutely love it.  It keeps the audience engaged and keeps the energy up.  With the day and age where across the country game attendance is decreasing, Auburn is doing a great job of making fans want to come back, regardless of the product on the field.

Media Team:  Speaking of gameday experience, shout out to the media team in the stadium.  They really threw everything they could to keep the fans going, which in turn, kept our team going.  I especially loved that before the game, whenever the Ole Miss band tried to play a tune, the media team simply turned up the music.  Petty?  Maybe, but I loved it.  Who really wants to hear the Ole Miss band anyways.

The Good Fight:  The outcome of the game was not ideal, we know this.  But I have to commend our team for never giving up.  Even on the sidelines, whenever the defense was on the field, Ashord continued to keep warm throwing the ball.  Players not on the field were throwing their towels in the air trying to get the fans to stand up.  They did not quit.  That was always a trait I admire about Malzahn's teams, is they never gave up.  I hope to see this with Freeze's teams as well.

The Rebuild:  Look, I know losses are frustrating.  I get it.  I also understand coaching has room for improvement.  This rebuild is going to take some time.  As much as we want to recreate 2013 in Malzahn's first year, we can't.  I will give you an analogy that hopefully you can relate to.  One of my pastimes is working out, specifically in the powerlifting arena.  Last year I had to have surgery on my lower back, that would not allow me to sit or lay on my back for three months.  After that, all I wanted to do was get back into the gym to prevent any more losses from the weight I could put up.  I had to learn to be patient and slowly rebuild.  I tried to rush into it at first and developed tendinitis in my IT (iliotibial) band.  Long story short and my point is, it is better to do things the right way and take your time, than to go for the immediate gratification.  Freeze is recruiting well, and even with that, those recruits need to develop.  Heck, our guys we have now still need to develop after not being developed by the two previous regimes.  We will get there in due time.  For now though, there really isn't a reason to let this season ruin your day.  Focus on the positives and move forward.  That's all you can do.

Marching Band:  I want to end on a good note, and talking about the marching band's performance Saturday night sure is a great note to end on.  It is by far the best performance I have seen and I have seen everything to batons on fire to tap dancers.  If you have not seen the show, I recommend watching it.  The show was completely done in the dark and the marching band uniforms were lit up with LEDs along with the instruments.  As a former marching band guy, I want to emphasize to you how difficult that is to pull off.  When you are marching, you are looking at two things, the drum major and the 5-yard markers/hash marks.  Well, in the dark, you can't see the yard-line or the hash marks.  To hit every set perfectly takes a lot of practice and trust in yourself that you are going to the right places.   I really hope you take the time to watch a video of it, especially if you are a Metallica fan.  Link is below for those interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zZJdNhynYQ

Mississippi State:  I have no idea who will win this game, but I sure am excited to be back in Auburn.  Fans are asked to wear ORANGE to the game.  

thanx for posting. i enjoy your articles.........

[aubiefifty 18,463]

7 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

thanx for posting. i enjoy your articles.........

let me clear something up. my post on things i saw at the stadium was not a shot at anyone. i was trying to be funny.looking back i can see how some might think that but i promise.remember i added stat in the post and it was not a shot at him either. if i pop something off at someone i own it. i have never had a cross word with abw and think he is a great poster. it was failed humor and nothing more.

[abw0004 10,398]

16 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

let me clear something up. my post on things i saw at the stadium was not a shot at anyone. i was trying to be funny.looking back i can see how some might think that but i promise.remember i added stat in the post and it was not a shot at him either. if i pop something off at someone i own it. i have never had a cross word with abw and think he is a great poster. it was failed humor and nothing more.

Oh I didn’t take that negatively at all my friend.  You are 100% fine.  

[aubiefifty 18,463]

2 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Oh I didn’t take that negatively at all my friend.  You are 100% fine.  

thanx.......i just wanted to make sure! i do get froggy once in a while and sometimes i surprise myself. you bring value to the board and i appreciate it!