Driving down 23, it was great to see plenty of orange clad drivers and cars with BGSU decals. It made me very happy. My sister also enjoyed waving to the OSU cars with a stuffed Freddie Falcon (we also had orange BG hats hanging up in the back and were wearing orange). Traffic was not that bad and we were able to find parking decently well. We rode one of the shuttles over to a place closer to one of the Unions by the river. During our ride (on which I think we were the only 2 BGSU fans....I understand how it feels to be a minority now
), one of the OSU fans asked us about BG, like how big it was etc. His granddaughter had went there, but he didn't know much about the school (I gladly informed him). The OSU fans were also helpful in assisting my sister and I in finding St. John's arena.The Skull Session....sadly we did not get to be inside for it. The support fo the band is impressive. We treated extremely well by the fans. I did not hear one unkind word to us. We were asked several times if we had gotten one of the comemorative buttons (and we were called Bowling Green every time like it was our own names). I also stood and sang proudly when the FMB played "Forward Falcons" and the Alma Mater, and no unkind words.
On our way into the stadium, we were greeted cheerfully and once again asked if we had gotten out pins. We got to our seats in 29AA and saw a few BG fans, but it ended up that most of our section was cheering for OSU. My one problem the whole day was that the seats the tickets were for were eparated by an aisle. Apparently this was not just for me as a couple of my friends two rows in front of me had the same problem. It would not have been bad, but then people were sitting in my sister's seat (although we only sat during half-time). I didn't make a big deal out of it because I didn't want to get in a fight. The OSU fans around me were rather nice and didn't say anything (except one time) when I cheered for BG at the top of my lungs. Our seats were right next to the tunnel, so I was able to go and cheer the guys on as they came in and out of the locker room.
A few observations: OSU fans, while nice, are Pavlov's dogs. They tune out of the game until they hear the 3rd down conversion and then they're into the game again. Nothing bad against it, just a funny thing. Kudos to Tressel for preaching the good behavior...it worked. When they showed the ad saying be nice to our guests because they're already having a bad day, my sister and I laughed and then decided they were wrong because a)the Falcons represented themselves very well and made it a game closer than many predictions and b) we're not OSU fans.
Nice job by the Falcons on the field as well as the FMB and cheerleaders. We have family friends who are OSU season ticket holders and they were impressed with Gordon Rankin's lifting skills (the big flag guy). I only wish Freddie would have beaten up Brutus. Speaking of which, my sister and I got our picture taken together by an OSU fan who was very nice.
We hung around after the game to see the players load the buses. They all seemed fairly proud and happy with their playing. They weren't perfect, but they gave them a run for the money. They represented themselves and BGSU in a great way in which I am very proud.
Great job Falcons and now beat EMU!!!
