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Does anyone know if they've had the tarp down on the field with all of this rain coming or for what has already fallen? I know they need to paint and prep the field, but we all remember what happened during and after the Toledo game last year. The field got tore up and we had to patch it up for the MACC. Luckily, the ground was cold for the MACC and the patches pretty much frozen in place. We've still got three games to go after Ball State and grass doesn't grow late in the fall. I hope they're able to keep the field as dry as they can.

Heck, do we even have a tarp for the field? I know I've never seen one. Also, the field last year for the MACC wasn't as frozen as you though. That was just one big pile of mud and sand!

I thought we had a tarp, because they talked about how they pulled it the night before the UT game last year and ended up with a soupy mess. I could be wrong though.

Yeah, there was a lot of painted mud and sand there last year in the MACC. But I think with it being cold, it all stuck together relatively well. That was a mess out there. Those field conditions are exactly what has sparked a lot of northern schools to go with Fieldturf. It will be interesting to see how it all holds up this Saturday. Because last year, I thought we had one of the best looking fields in the north for the NIU game, and one of the worst looking fields in the country for the UT and MACC games.

I thought we borrowed one from the baseball team. That is why they couldn't get one on before the Toledo game because all of the baseball players went home for Thanksgiving break.

I think it is a matter of time before we go artificial. I just hope it doesn't look like Terdledo's.

BGSU33 wrote: Yeah, there was a lot of painted mud and sand there last year in the MACC. But I think with it being cold, it all stuck together relatively well.

Marching on it, I'd have to say it wasn't as stuck together as it might have looked Everytime you would try to turn, your foot would start sliding deeper into the mud. I will agree that from the stands it did look like it was froze together!!

I can confirm that we DO have a tarp over at the Doyt, at every game. They keep it rolled up in the North endzone between the fence for the sidewalk and the ads in the endzone. I dont know how big the tarp is when its rolled out, but I know the Maggots and percs have definately gone and sat up on the thing on countless occasions before pregame. Thats all, Jeff

GoFalcons4 wrote: I think it is a matter of time before we go artificial.

That would be criminal.

Yes we have a tarp for the football field.........yes it is ON the field!
They did not have to borrow a tarp from baseball (their's is ORANGE), but the baseball team put the tarp on the field in the past, as they ahve experience, and it takes 25-30 people to put it on.
The problems last year were two fold:
1. inaccurate weather forecast
2. students were on break, thus no one to put it on the field (baseball team)

bgmaggot00 wrote:I can confirm that we DO have a tarp over at the Doyt, at every game. They keep it rolled up in the North endzone between the fence for the sidewalk and the ads in the endzone. I dont know how big the tarp is when its rolled out, but I know the Maggots and percs have definately gone and sat up on the thing on countless occasions before pregame. Thats all, Jeff

Wow, I am officially retarded. I've sat on that thing before halftime! I guess I just never realized what exactly it was. At the time it was something soft to sit on before I had to spend 15 minutes trying to combine marching with playing an instrument

And we had to run the sprinklers all night before the UT game...

I thought I remembered seeing the tarp rollers at the stadium before. To be honest, I don't know too many football field that have or use one. We've got a crown on our field (which I don't like) but it's supposed to help the water run off. A lot of schools, especially down south, have done away with crowns and have installed drainage systems that allowed for them to level the playing field. Clemson is a recent example. Several years ago before they installed a drainage system under their grass, they had a big crown on their field. If you stood on one sideline and looked across to the other sideline, the players were cut off at their knees.

This is also another reason many schools are going to fieldturf. Aside from its ease to maintain, it doesn't need mowed, fertilized or watered and it has a drainage system below the grass-like blades and rubber cushioning pellets that is one layer of sand and one layer of stone. To water drains right on through and is channeled out from underneath the field.