I made the most of last fall's college football season, seeing nine games involving twelve different schools in five different venues in three different states. Here are some pictures I took of some of the games I attended.
Oklahoma fans stroll to the stadium prior to the Sooners' September 9 game against North Texas. Owen Field is located in the center of the OU campus, so most fans have to walk through campus from outlying lots to get to the game. I actually thought this was rather cool.
This was my first visit to Owen Field. It felt cozy in spite of the fact that it seats 75,000 fans.
The Mean Green were actually competitive. They covered the spread against the defending national champions, eventually losing 38-10.
My mother is an OU alum and decided to go to the game with me.
Orangebloods invade Robertson Stadium in anticipation of the infamous "Bleacher Game" of September 22.
Lori and I enjoy pre-game tailgating. Starting with the 1998 season, the University of Houston football program left the sterile confines of the Astrodome, which had been its home since 1965, and returned to Robertson Stadium on the UH campus. Cougar fans now get to enjoy college football the way it was meant to be: played outdoors, on natural grass and on campus. The thing I like most about the move to Robertson, however, is the tailgating. The Astrodome was never a good place for pre-game and post-game tailgates; for a long time it wasn't even permitted. Since the move to Robertson, however, tailgating has quickly become an enjoyable part of the game-day experience.
Even though we both hold degrees from Texas, Lori is more of a Longhorn fan than I am.
Here's a shot of the infamous temporary bleachers. A few days before the game, UH President Arthur Smith decided that the seats were unsafe and would not be used. The 4,000 people who had tickets in these bleachers were unable to see the game and their money was refunded. The UT athletics office was infuriated by Dr. Smith's decision and, as a result, Texas will never play Houston again after fall 2002. Incidentially, these same bleachers were used at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where they proved their structural integrity.
The Spirit of Houston performs prior to kickoff.
Houston QB Kelly Robertson searches for a receiver. The Cougars showed flashes of brilliance, but were eventually defeated by the Longhorns 53-26.
In early October, I went up to New York to visit my friend Randy. We spent a couple of days in New York City, and on Saturday October 6th we drove to West Point to see the Cougars play Army. West Point is an absolutely beautiful place, and Michie Stadium is a wonderful place to see a game.
Kelly Robertson waits for a receiver to get open. The Cougars would eventually lose to Army. 28-14. At this point, it was pretty clear that Houston was looking at an 0-11 season.
The Black Knights celebrate their win with their fellow students. This was Army's first home game since September 11th, and the win was very emotional for the cadets of the US Military Academy.
Mean Green fans tailgate before North Texas's October 13th homecoming game against Middle Tennessee State. Many of these fans, including FirefightinRick (in the fireman's helmet) post on gomeangreen.com.
Mean Green QB Scott Hall fakes a handoff. Although Middle Tennessee State was 5-0 and North Texas was 0-5 coming into the game, the Mean Green upset the Blue Raiders 24-21.
North Texas fans celebrate their upset victory over Middle Tennessee State by tearing down one of the Fouts Field goalposts. The Mean Green would go on a five-game winning streak and would end the season with an appearance in the New Orleans Bowl - UNT's first bowl appearance in 42 years.