Lame Rivalry

[Falcon137]

The last meaningful game in this rivalry was with Gradkowski and Omar.

The 4 years I was in school there was 0 excitement for this game, moving the game to the day after Thanksgiving killed a lot of people's feelings towards this game.

I attended 1 BG UT game while I was in school. I drug my girlfriend 2 hours from Dayton, sat in 30 degree weather in an empty student section.

[bgsufalcon24]

[quote="Falcon137"]The last meaningful game in this rivalry was with Gradkowski and Omar.[quote]

+1

That game in 2005 was an absolute classic, two great quarterbacks and most importantly two strong teams that were fighting for a shot at the postseason, in BG's case a trip to the MAC Championship game. We needed 2 overtimes to decide matters in that game. The crowd was loud, the players showed passion on the sidelines, and to this day I've yet to see the tension in Perry Stadium rise as high as it did that night.

And for all those folks that hate midweek games, that game was played on a Tuesday night, on a brutally cold and windy night (22 degrees at kickoff with 20-25 mph winds), and the game was damn near sold out. I know they announced something like 18k for the attendance but anybody that was there knows that number was bullsh*t.

The worst thing they ever did was move this game to the day after Thanksgiving. They totally killed the student turnout, the 2007 and 2009 games in terms of overall crowd noise and intensity were a night and day difference from 2005, and those were years in which BG had good teams.

[kdog27]

I had some memorable times at some UT games. I had an awesome time at the 1999, 2001, 2003 and even the 2004 game we blew. Can't say much for the current state of the rivalry being out of the area, but it seems that we rarely face each other when both teams are good and the games are rarely close.

[Falcon Commander]

[quote="Falconfreak90"]I must be in the minority. NOPE!


I despise everything about tsun at all times. YEP!

[hammb]

I'm sorry 137 & 24, but you're WRONG.

Moving the game to the Friday after Thanksgiving is NOT what killed the rivalry. The 2001 game was the best student section I ever sat in during my 4 years in school..and was just as great as any student section the following couple years as well. The 2003 game was probably more of the same, but I couldn't get IN the student section for that game it was so packed, so I had to sit in my actual seats.

Both of those games were played on the Friday after Thanksgiving and both of them had crowds that the Doyt won't ever see again since we lowered the capacity. Both of them featured student sections that were rocking and rowdy and the 2001 game ended with Urban Meyer cheering us on as we carried the goalposts down Wooster St.

The day after Thanksgiving may make it more difficult for some students, but it definitely makes it easier for many alumni and locals. And when the game was worthwhile students still came back for it.

What killed this rivalry is:

A) During Gregg Brandon's tenure the attitude for BG football went back to almost Blackney era. Clawson has yet to rekindle that fire. For all that made Urban great the BEST thing he did (IMO) was make people WANT to follow BG football.
B) BG & Toledo haven't both been good for a long time
C) BG going back to the East...personally I prefer us in the West, and I know I'm in the minority on that account.


Either way, '01 & '03 were 2 of the best crowds you could ever ask for at the Doyt and both were on the day after Thanksgiving.

[truth]

I was a freshman in 01 and came back for the game. Got seated in the first row of the student section nice and early. I was a pretty vociferous fan already, but that experience locked it in for me.

[TG1996]

Either way, '01 & '03 were 2 of the best crowds you could ever ask for at the Doyt and both were on the day after Thanksgiving.

'03 was ridiculous. I can only imagine the 2001 game.

And wasn't '03 like an 11am start or something insane like that?

[truth]

As for the rivalry. I like to think any time we play another Ohio MAC school that there are some bragging rights on the line. My sister and her husband are MU alumns. Lots of people I work with are from OU. We gotta win them all!

I like the Toldeo rivalry most of all because it is the battle of NW Ohio. Its an easy game to travel for when it is in the Glass Bowl. Also, good things happen the week of this rivalry that actually bring the fans of both schools together for good causes.

[Flipper]

03 was early and it SNOWED the night before...that "F**K UT" message traced in the snow on golf course hill was the perfect welcome mat. That was a great day....

[hammb]

03 was early and it SNOWED the night before...that "F**K UT" message traced in the snow on golf course hill was the perfect welcome mat. That was a great day....

Absolutely Flip.

My dad & I got there to start tailgating at like 6 AM. There was one group of like 4-5 guys that spent the night out there. They were already drunk and I kinda egged 'em on to go write the message in the snow... I wish I could say that I got my own ass up there to write it, but they did a fantastic job.

2 bottles of jaeger were consumed that day by my friends and I...it kept us warm anyhow

Details of the game are a bit foggy, but it was a GREAT crowd, that much I remember.

[Dayons_Den]

03 was early and it SNOWED the night before...that "F**K UT" message traced in the snow on golf course hill was the perfect welcome mat. That was a great day....

Absolutely Flip.

My dad & I got there to start tailgating at like 6 AM. There was one group of like 4-5 guys that spent the night out there. They were already drunk and I kinda egged 'em on to go write the message in the snow... I wish I could say that I got my own ass up there to write it, but they did a fantastic job.

2 bottles of jaeger were consumed that day by my friends and I...it kept us warm anyhow

Details of the game are a bit foggy, but it was a GREAT crowd, that much I remember.

This seems correct to me or am I foggy on this? (I was out there bright and early that day too!)
Not only was the game on Friday at like 11am or Noon the day after Thanksgiving, but ESPN had us move it to that time from Saturday less than 14 days out. So all the pocket schedules and season tickets had that game listed as being on Saturday.

[camkru9701]

03 was actually at 12 PM the Saturday after Thanksgiving. ESPN picked it up at the last minute and got it switched to Saturday. The original schedule was on Friday at 6 PM

[BGWriter]

Now granted, I'm an old timer, but I cannot imagine people saying the BG-UT rivalry is "lame" under any circumstances.

I attended games in the 70s and saw some great battles between the two schools, in front of sellout (or close) crowds. It was loud, raucous and downright nasty at times, and we loved every second of it.

When I think of UT, I think of that high school in the bad section of town that produced nothing but trouble and was an academic crap hole.

The next thing I know my heartbeat is a little quicker, my blood pressure a little higher and I'm ready to kick something...

Don't ever let that feeling go away if you went to BG. Find a way to recapture it.

Go Falcons! Kick the crap out of TU!

[WhoDeyBG]

Yea, I remember it being on a Saturday. It was Sat. Nov. 29, 2003. One of the coldest days of my life.

[TG1996]

Details of the game are a bit foggy, but it was a GREAT crowd, that much I remember.

I remember the Magner to Harris throwback TD that I was in the men's room for.... I also remember.. um... uh... "a friend" who went back to the car at half time, had a few more beers, then filled his pockets with cans for the second half.

Things haven't been too positive in Falcon Country the past couple weeks, but going out there and sticking one to Toledo in front of 20+ thousand could make for a long and happy evening Saturday.