Rushing Ryan Field: #17 Wisconsin at Northwestern

For the first time since October 2, 2004 I rushed the field at Ryan Field. That day, Northwestern defeated Ohio St. for the first time since 1971 and the first time at home since 1956.

The Game
Yesterday Northwestern defeated Wisconsin 33-31 to give the Wildcats three consecutive victories in November. Northwestern took a 27-14 lead at halftime and never relinquished the lead. Once time expired Northwestern students stormed the field and we followed suit.

During the second quarter of the game, a football was thrown in my friends and my direction. I grabbed the ball and thinking it was similar to a beach ball threw it to my friend to avoid the security guard who was after the ball. My friend in turn threw the ball a couple sections over. Security then ordered both of us to the lower level of the stadium where we had to talk with University Police. Of course, the police said no harm, no foul and we walked back to our seats. We even took a picture with the security guard later in the game. However, for a moment we thought we would be ejected from the stadium.

Tailgating and Obtaining Tickets
Once again I tailgated before the game with my friends from college. However, this time they did not have an extra ticket for me. But as I have stated in the past the best place to buy tickets for a college football game is in the parking lot while tailgating. While we tailgated, fans would walk by holding up their fingers – meaning they needed tickets. The game was not sold out so it was people looking for tickets that were cheaper than at the box office.

Around 1:45 pm I saw a guy holding up two tickets from a tailgate across the aisle – meaning he was trying to sell those tickets. I walked over to ask him how much he wanted. He said $20. Another guy at our tailgate needed a ticket so we accepted his offer. I decided to spend $20 since earlier in the day ticket brokers wanted either $35 or $40 each for tickets. Also, since a lot of people appeared to be looking for tickets I figured they also wanted to pay around $20 for tickets.

Northwestern Upsets Unbeaten Iowa

My alarm went off at 4:25 am. Hawkeyes Bryon, his wife and daughter were picking me up at 5:00 am to make the three hour and 45 minute drive to Iowa City to watch the Northwestern Wildcats take on the “first time in school history 9-0” Iowa Hawkeyes. In my opinion this game was just a warm-up for Iowa’s game next week against Ohio St. However, Bryon and Julie were not as confident as Northwestern had won in Iowa City in 2006 and 2008. In a scheduling fluke, Northwestern was heading back to Iowa City.

I hopped in the car and we were off for Iowa City. At 8:45 am we were pulling into a parking lot off of Melrose Ave. where Hawkeyes Bryon and Julie have a season parking pass. Since their family was not tailgating this week (it was Northwestern after all) we had figured out other tailgating options:

1) 1215 Melrose Ave. - www.normstailgating.com @ 8:30 am.
2) North of north end zone by the big Iowa tractor trailer @ 9:30 am.
3) Iowa friend tailgate we would need to find.
4) A tailgate my Northwestern friends had that was not at the top of the list for my Iowa friends.
5) The Magic Bus.

Norm’s Tailgating
Since 1215 Melrose Ave. was only a few blocks from where we parked we planned to meet Hawkeyes Jim there first and then head out for other tailgates. However, since we did not arrive at Norm’s Tailgating until 9:00 am we decided to stay at Norm’s since the game started in only a couple of hours. We did not want to waste our valuable pre-game time looking for the other tailgates.

Obtaining Tickets
Another reason I did not need to find the other tailgates was that Hawkeyes Jim sent me a text message asking if I needed an extra ticket while we were parking. I did since I always show up at the stadium without a ticket unless absolutely necessary. I told him I did and he said the ticket cost him $45. We headed over to Norm’s Tailgating immediately.

Also, it was a good thing Hawkeyes Jim offered me his ticket. As we walked from Norm’s tailgating to the stadium at 10:30 am there were a lot of people who were looking for tickets – meaning I would have had to pay more from a ticket scalper. Most Iowa fans would not sell their extra ticket to a fan wearing Northwestern colors.

The Game
As a Northwestern fan the game started out just as I thought it would as Iowa’s QB Ricki Stanzi hitting Marvin McNutt for a 74 yard touchdown pass one minute into the first quarter. Northwestern was able to hold Iowa to only a field goal through the rest of the first quarter.

However, the entire game changed with one play in the second quarter. In that play:

First, Stanzi was sacked by Northwestern’s Corey Wooten.
Second, Wooten also caused Stanzi to fumble the ball.
Third, Northwestern’s Marshall Thomas recovered the ball in the end zone for a Northwestern touchdown.
And fourth and most important for Northwestern was that Stanzi left the game with a high ankle sprain injury making him miss the rest of the game and most likely the remainder of the season.

After that play Northwestern was able to keep Iowa from scoring for the rest of the game and in the meantime took a 14-10 lead heading into halftime before taking a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Iowa turned the ball over on downs with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Northwestern beat their first top 10 opponent since defeating #6 Ohio St. in Evanston on October 2, 2004.

Post Game Dining
Since we did not eat before the game and only had a snack during the game, we grabbed food at the temporary food stands on Melrose Ave. after the game. Some of the stands lowered their prices since they would have to throw out the food if not purchased.

Halloween CFB: Penn St. at Northwestern

For the fourth Saturday in a row I attended a Northwestern football game. It was a rare 3:30 pm start for Northwestern football. Their games are almost always at 11 am unless they are planning one of the top teams in the Big Ten.

Northwestern stayed in the game for three quarters as they were tied with Penn St. 13-13 heading into the 4th quarter. However, Penn St. struck for three touchdowns in the 4th quarter to defeat Northwestern 34-13.

Obtaining Tickets
Once again I received a free ticket as I was tailgating in the Northwestern parking lot. Usually one of my buddies decides not to attend the game (to either continue tailgating or go home with their kids) and hands me there ticket.

If I had not received a free ticket, tickets would have been cheap on the secondary market. There were a lot of fans and ticket scalpers holding up there tickets meaning you could easily have paid $5 or $10 for a ticket (or maybe even received a free one).

Fireworks
In what must be a first, Northwestern had fireworks night at Ryan Field after the game.

Homecoming: Indiana at Northwestern

In what I guess I should have expected Northwestern scored 26 unanswered points to come from behind against Indiana and win 29-28. This was the fourth straight game at Ryan Field where Northwestern came from behind versus Indiana to win the game in the 4th quarter.

1) Seven years ago (November 2, 2002) Northwestern’s Jason Wright rushed for his fourth touchdown of the day with 2:17 left to give Northwestern the win 41-37.
2) Five years ago (October 9, 2004) Northwestern’s Brian Huffman kicked the game tying field goal with 29 seconds left to send the game into overtime in which Northwestern ended up winning 31-24.
3) Two years ago (November 10, 2007) Northwestern’s C.J. Bacher threw the game winning touchdown pass to Ross Lane with 44 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter to win 31-28.
4) This year Northwestern fell behind 28-3 halfway through the 2nd quarter but won when Stefan Damos’ kicked the game-winning field goal with 21 seconds left in the 4th quarter. This was the biggest comeback in Northwestern football history. Their biggest comeback before yesterday was 21 points.

Tailgating and Obtaining Tickets
Yesterday was homecoming for the Northwestern Wildcats. Tailgating starts earlier than normal and lasts longer after the game on homecoming weekend at Northwestern. I arrived at our usual tailgate at 8:30 am and entered the game at the end of the first quarter.

As I have stated before, a good way to find extra tickets is to tailgate in the parking lot before games. Fans, who either do not know how to or do not want to sell tickets to scalpers, will have extra tickets in the parking lot and will either give them away or sell them for a deep discount since they have no other options. Yesterday was no exception as one of my friends decided not to enter the game and gave me his extra tickets – thanks Matt Swanson.

After the game the tailgate was still crowded as many of my friends did not end up going into the game. As opposed to other teams in the Chicago area who halt tailgating once the game starts, Northwestern University allows tailgating throughout the entire game. So if you do not want to pay $35 per ticket price for individual end zone tickets ($50 for sideline seats) and do not end up getting a cheap ticket you can always find a crowd in the Ryan Field parking lots.

CFB: Northwestern at Michigan St.

As I started to attend more and more games at each professional sports stadium, I decided to also attend a game at each Big 10 football and basketball stadium. However, one problem with attending games at Big 10 stadiums and arenas is that I only want to attend when Northwestern plays – giving me a limited number of games to attend. Another conflict that occurs is that there always seems to be some other sporting event, which I prioritize higher than traveling to see Northwestern play on the road (for example – a Chicago Cubs game which is across the street from my house rather than a few hour drive).

Saturday was a different story. With Nicole planning to teach figure skating on Saturday morning as usual and my parents planning to spend the afternoon with their friends from Naperville, I had the perfect opportunity to see a new Big 10 football stadium – Michigan St.

Kick-off was set for noon ET (11 am CT) and the drive was about 3.5 hours from Chicago to East Lansing. I left the house at 6:45 am and arrived at East Lansing around 11:15 am (10:15 am CT).

Parking
Initially I looked for free parking on some side streets around the stadium. However, all of the streets had parking restrictions so I ended up paying to park at an elementary school for $10. Most temporary parking lots in the area were also $10.

Obtaining Tickets
I only wanted to pay $10 for a ticket even though I knew face value for tickets was $49. As I was looking for a free parking space I saw a couple of scalpers on the main road. As I approached the scalpers, a fan with three extra tickets also approached them. The scalper offered the fan $30 for all three tickets. The fan said no and at the same time I offered the fan $10 for a single and the scalper offered him $40 for all three tickets. I told the fan I was going to the game (always a plus when buying tickets from a fan) and he sold me a single for $10. I did not stick around to find out how much he sold his other two tickets for but it could not have been more than $10 or $15 each.

The Game
After parking and buying tickets it was 11:40 am so I walked directly to the stadium. The ticket I bought was near the Northwestern fans section so I sat there rather than with the Michigan St. fans.

Northwestern started out the game well with a goal line stand on Michigan St.’s first drive as MSU had 1st and goal on NU’s 4 yard line but could only gain three yards in four rush attempts.

Northwestern took a 7-0 lead into halftime but that was the extent of Northwestern’s day as Michigan St. turned their play around. MSU scored 17 points in the third quarter and scored their third touchdown within 12 seconds of the 4th quarter beginning to take a 24-7 lead. Northwestern attempted a comeback but ended up losing to MSU 24-14.

CFB: Miami (OH) at Northwestern

After being back in the United States for a few days it was time to attend American football. I have seen Northwestern host Miami (OH) twice in 1995 and 1999. Both times Miami defeated Northwestern. Thus, this time, I was apprehensive whether or not Northwestern could win even with Miami at 0-5.

Parking
I parked in my usual spot on Milburn St. since I could park for free – even though the walk is a few blocks from Ryan Field.

Tailgating and Obtaining Tickets
Tailgating is allowed in the main parking lot but you need to have a parking pass that is usually distributed to season ticket holders only.

Generally it is a good idea to try and scalp tickets while tailgating in the parking lot at Northwestern games. In the past, I have talked to brokers who walk through the tailgates and give them a price I want to pay. They generally find a ticket and come back and sell me the ticket. As what happened last year, my friends who I tailgate with generally have a few extra tickets that they are not going to use so I ended up receiving one.

The Game
Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka ran for two touchdowns to lead Northwestern to a 16-6 win over Miami (OH) – finally!

CFB: Ohio St. at Northwestern

Today I set a personal record by attending my eighth college football game of the 2008 season – the most regular season games I have attended in one season. The day started out with my driving two Ohio St. fans up to Evanston, IL.

We parked on Milburn St. Although Milburn St. is about a 5-10 minute walk to Ryan Field it has no parking restrictions. Another plus with the parking location is that you pass most of the ticket scalpers as you walk to the stadium. With the game sold out and a lot of Ohio St. fans attending that game, I was not sure what the secondary ticket market would be like.

Obtaining Tickets
On the walk from the car to my regular tailgate in the west parking lot, we walked passed a few scalpers and fans with extra tickets – each one wanting face value ($50) or higher per ticket. Finally, we found a fan that had a single ticket for $36 (face value for a “season ticket” ticket). I agreed to buy it.

My Ohio St. friends bought tickets for face value from a fan walking by the tailgate. Of course, another friend of mine showed up late with two extra tickets. Ticket market is all based on timing.

On the walk to the stadium entrance (after the tailgate), there were a lot of scalpers and fans with extra tickets. We realized we had paid too much for tickets. I found a fan that had two extra tickets and he gave me the tickets for free. I sold the tickets to a scalper for $30 total – making my total cost for the game $5. If I had tried harder I probably could have found more free tickets.

The Game
Ohio St. defeated Northwestern 45-10. The last time I saw Ohio St. play, Northwestern beat Ohio St. in OT 33-27. In what may have been a first for me – Ohio St. faked a punt with 4th and 2 and ahead in the game 31-10. I do not remember seeing a fake punt with a team so far ahead in the 4th quarter.

Post Game Tailgate
After the game we went to an “official” Ohio St. tailgate – kropkogate.com – before driving back to Chicago.

10 Year Reunion: Purdue at Northwestern

Yesterday was Northwestern’s homecoming and my 10 year reunion. As usual, I started my Northwestern game day at the tailgates in the west parking lot. And, as usual, one of my friends had an extra ticket they were not planning to use.

The Game
Northwestern score the most points I have ever witnessed in the 55 games I have attended in Evanston, IL. They beat Purdue 48-26.

CFB: Michigan St. at Northwestern

For the first time since 2005, Northwestern played a football game in which they were ranked in either the Coaches Poll or AP Poll. Northwestern went into Saturday’s game ranked #22 in the Coaches Poll. However, Northwestern failed to confirm that ranking as they went down early to Michigan St. 17-0 and traded scores with the Spartans in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter. Michigan St. won the game 37-20.

The parking lots were packed before the game with tailgates. The first conference game in Evanston, a Northwestern 5-0 record and a perfect 70 degree day made the fans come out. The attendance was over 30,000 for the first time since Iowa fans came out to Evanston last year.

The Spartans won 6 straight games for the first time since 1999, which is also the last time I saw Michigan St. play.

Obtaining Tickets
Having received tickets from my friends the last few times at the tailgate, I waited to buy tickets from a scalper until I asked them if they had extra tickets. On the walk to Evanston, it appeared that most scalpers did not have any tickets. I asked my friend (who seems to be the keeper of all of our friends extra Northwestern tickets) if he had 3 extras – I was with my parents. He did so we avoided having to buy from a scalper…or worse the box office.

Ohio at Northwestern

The day started at 9:15 am as I left the house and walked to the Addison el stop. In one hour, I would arrive at the Northwestern parking lot for the tailgate to begin. My friend Barbara Gorder had offered me two tickets to the game. I invited my cousin Jim Cook to join me. Little did I know Jim was already planning to attend the US Women’s Soccer match later that evening.

The Game
Northwestern beat Ohio to start the season 4-0. It is Northwestern’s first 4-0 start since 1962. During the game Northwestern blocked two field goals - their first blocked field goal in four years.

At halftime of the game, my friend called me stating he would be unable to attend the Cardinals versus Cubs game at Wrigley Field that started at 3 pm. I turned to Jim Cook, who was already thinking about attending the triple header with me, and without having to ask he said he would go.

As I did on August 30, 2008, we headed to the Purple line after the Northwestern game in order to get to the Cubs game in time.

Tripleheader Day in Chicago

Today I am attempting to attend three sporting events at three different stadiums – Northwestern Football kicks off at 11 am, the Chicago Cubs first pitch is at 3 pm and the US Women’s National Soccer team hosts Ireland at 7 pm. I have only attended three sporting events at three different venues once before – June 5, 2004. That day I attended the Chicago Cubs game at noon, the Chicago Fire game at 3 pm (good thing the Cubs game only lasted 2.5 hours) and the Milwaukee Mile 250 at 8 pm.

Other than that day, I have attended 3 sporting events on the same day three other times. However, all of those days included two soccer games held at the same stadium and I only needed to buy one ticket. I combined those three doubleheader soccer events with a baseball game on July 11, 2004, July 17, 2004 and June 9, 2007.

College Football on a Rainy Day

With the weather forecast showing rain in Chicago all day, the only sporting event option was to attend the Northwestern football game. Although the White Sox were scheduled to play a double header (after their Friday night game was postponed because of rain), it was pretty clear both White Sox games would be rained out.

Today I drove up to Evanston to watch Northwestern host Southern Illinois. It was the first game I have attended where one of the teams was from Division I-AA (or the Football Championship Subdivision). Two weeks ago I received free tickets to the Northwestern game versus Syracuse. Thus, I figured I would find free tickets to today’s game since the weather was so poor. However, I bought a single ticket for $10 from an older woman who was with her son. I made the obligatory $10 offer so I would not have to stand out in the rain looking for a free ticket.

I entered the stadium and realized why I could not find a free ticket. There was hardly anyone in the stadium. With a consistent rain and Northwestern playing a team from Division I-AA, it appeared people decided to stay home. Northwestern beat Southern Illinois 33-7 as Tyrell Sutton ran for 101 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Free Tickets Again: Syracuse at Northwestern

There were a couple reasons why I created the attendance rule that you only need to attend half the game in order for it to count.

1) I worked for the San Francisco Giants in Candlestick Park as an intern for part of the 1997 season. I could only take a 2 hour lunch to watch the game which meant I could only watch around 6 innings before heading back to the office – still being able to hear fans cheer while I worked during the 7th, 8th and 9th innings.
2) Northwestern football games. When I was a freshman in 1994 (before Northwestern’s 1995 Rose Bowl run), we would tailgate in the parking lot until the 2nd quarter and then go into Dyche Stadium. Northwestern was 3-7-1 that season and most of the games were blowouts. Thus, we would leave the game early in the 4th quarter.

Yesterday was no exception to this Northwestern attendance practice. We arrived at Ryan Field about 15 minutes before the 11 am kickoff. We tailgated until noon and walked in Ryan Field with 7 minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter. During the tailgate, my friends knew of people who had extra tickets so the Ultimate Sports Wife and I did not need buy tickets.

Tyrell Sutton rushed for 144 yards and C.J. Bacher threw three touchdown passes as Northwestern defeated the Syracuse Orangemen 30-10. After the game, we headed for the Purple Line so we could get to the Cubs game on time.

Doubleheader Day: Northwestern Football and Chicago Cubs

It’s not very often when I can attend a Northwestern Football game and a Chicago Cubs game in the same day. Northwestern games generally start at 11 am meaning that in order to attend both the Cubs need to start at 3 pm or later. Today that is the schedule. Northwestern kicks off against Syracuse in Evanston, IL at 11 am and the Cubs first pitch against the Phillies is at 2:55 pm – leaving just enough time to watch the football game, take the train to Wrigley Field and then watch the Cubs game.

We do not have tickets to the Northwestern game but we should not have to pay more than $10 each (if we cannot find freebies first).