SEC Culture Is Just Special… Dammit

What a night for sports. The SEC had some of the best football games this season with Ole Miss’ incredible come from behind win over top ranked Alabama 23 – 17, Mississippi State mauling sixth ranked Texas A&M, Florida edging Tennessee in a snoozer by a point, Auburn’s manhandling of LSU 41 – 7, and South Carolina’s shocking defeat at the hands of lowly Kentucky 45 – 38. Couple that with a record breaking 18-inning major league playoff game, and I could hardly move from the couch. It certainly helped that I could turn off the Wolfpack game after the first quarter.

What got me most is the Ole Miss win and the ensuing swarming of midfield. The students took to the goal posts in much the same way that the Wolfpack Faithful did after beating Florida State over a decade ago. I’m not sure what changed in our culture, but between Florida State and Clemson, we had the most SEC-ready atmospheres in the ACC (I know I know, that’s not saying much).

The goal posts went down in Oxford last night and they were broken apart and sent to the four corners of the not-so-sleepy college town. One student even brought a piece of the goal post home.

That’s nice. The cops stopped us about the Waffle House after a 17 – 7 whooping of FSU in 2002 (or was that the 1998 win. It’s all hazy it’s been so long). The key here is: the cops stopped us at the Waffle House.

Instead, let’s see how the Ole Miss administration handled this issue. On Twitter, Athletics Director Ross Bjork had this to say:

WOW! In that moment, Ole Miss’ best win in its history, the AD became nothing more than a fan. He wants a piece of the goal post too! If you think that’s just being cute, check out his follow up:

He offers to help cut it up. Amazing. Realizing that Ole Miss will have to replace some stadium hardware, Bjork again opined in a miraculous way:

All together, I love that the Administration at Ole Miss wants the students and fans to savor the moment. There were no Herculean efforts by authorities to stop anyone. There were no threats of scholarship revocation or fines for the participants in the frenzy. At that one moment, after a fantastic win, Administration, fans, and students were all the same. Proud. Excited. Jubilant.

Even after our 17-16 win over Florida State in 2012, one of our biggest moments, we all paraded around Jake as he, shirtlessly, serenaded a pole in the stadium (note: not a goalpost). One of the most noticeable things about this photo, besides Jake’s wonderful physique? Event Staff right there ready to take him down.

What harm was Jake causing anyone? None. He was simply celebrating like the rest of us… just elevated.

FAT-SHIRTLESS-NCSTATE-GUY

Had we beat Florida State a week ago, the would-be best win in NC State history, we would’ve been tazed on the bottom row for even thinking about entering the field.

I know things changed in 2003 after the shooting. It must be noted, as it has many times before, both shooter and victim had zero ties to the university. It wasn’t a student, fan, alumnus, parent, faculty, or staff who took part on either end. Then came the restrictions. 5-hours in the tailgate lots. I remember going out the night before to cook a pig and staying till Sunday as a student. It’s a shame, really.

What Debbie Yow must do, sooner rather than later, is open up the lots on Friday night. Restore our football culture. Give us back what is, perhaps, the best part about Saturdays in Raleigh. The result on the football field for the better part of forever has been tepid at best. Although we have faith in Coach Doeren and his staff to right the ship, yesterday was a major setback. Who wants to go tailgate for Boston College? If you would let me cook a pig again, I’d be out there Friday night. Stay for the whole game. Continue the party well into Sunday morning, win or lose. I’m betting the ADs office will have zero issues with passes out of the stadium at halftime if we were given back that opportunity.

What we saw in Oxford last night was how Raleigh used to be. Because of actions that none of us did, that has been ripped from us by a previous Athletics Department and unchanged under the current. I know the ADs office is afraid of lawsuits and injuries. There will be growing pains, Debbie, but practice makes perfect. Give us the shot.

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Home Forums SEC Culture Is Just Special… Dammit

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Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 55 total)
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  • #58190
    StateFans
    Keymaster

    What a night for sports. The SEC had some of the best football games this season with Ole Miss’ incredible come from behind win over top ranked Alabam
    [See the full post at: SEC Culture Is Just Special… Dammit]

    #58194
    Wulfpack
    Participant

    The SEC got it going on.

    #58195
    LRM
    Keymaster

    I’m more concerned with how they prevented something bad from happening without a strict 5-hour tailgating policy.

    #58197
    LRM
    Keymaster

    I know the goalposts came down vs ECU in 97 then FSU and Cuse in 98. I don’t recall them coming down vs FSU in 02.

    ECU took ours down after they beat Miami in 99 (after we so graciously let them use C-F after Floyd).

    With our litigious society — not to mention the league fine they owe now — I understand the policy. They had their fun yesterday but I bet they put up collapsible goalposts now.

    Clemson tradition allows their fans on the field after every game.

    #58198
    PackFamily
    Participant

    This is great. Can you send it to Yow and Woodson?

    #58199
    OwenDorm83
    Participant

    …suggesting that someone would actually have a good time tailgating at Carter Finley? Who ever heard of such a thing.

    Clemson (41 (thanks Dabo for calling off the dogs)) lets fans on the field after the game. State (0) doesn’t.

    #58201
    tobaccordshow
    Keymaster

    We know Yow reads regularly. We have faith she’ll also see this. She’s been a great AD for us. Hopefully, she’ll do the right thing here.

    #58202
    YogiNC
    Participant

    LRM, FSU was the last regular season game that year, cold cold night in November, Thanksgiving weekend. They tore BOTH of them down. The wolpfack club cut them up into 10.3″ sections and sold them to commemorate our 10 – 3 season. Like I said, seeing the masses carrying them off by passing them from person to person overhead looked just like ants working. There is a pic running around of it, one of the store that sells prints in the mall had them.

    Smarter than the average bear

    #58205
    Avid109
    Participant

    If Yow & company really want to find a solution to this situation, they can. It just requires some thought.

    #58206
    LRM
    Keymaster

    To play Devil’s Advocate, there’s no sense using political capital so fans can rush the field. If we’d beaten FSU, it would’ve happened, teasers be damned. Keep in mind, too, that for every upset of #1 you have Rutgers fans storming the field after beating 2-4 Michigan.

    #58211
    13OT
    Participant

    Fans rushing the field at Carter-Finley isn’t likely to ever be a problem again. What WILL be the problem is fans rushing the exits at C-F.

    Our goalposts are as safe as gold in a depression.

    #58212
    Greywolf
    Participant

    What WILL be the problem is fans rushing the exits at C-F.

    Explains why we are only 3rd in the conference in pct. attendance.

    #58213
    44rules
    Participant

    Love everything in the post. But I still had to laugh at SEC and culture in the same sentence. 🙂

    Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy. Mao Zedong

    #58214
    Virginia Wolf
    Participant

    Anyone who went to the game yesterday, I need a ticket stub from the game for my collection. Please email me at [email protected] for mailing address. I also need a stub from the Presbyterian game. Thanks for anyone’s help.

    #58215
    PackerInRussia
    Participant

    That ’02 goalpost tearing-down was my only field rush. I was nearing the end of my college career and figured it would be my last shot. That was a fun time down on the field. I remember #8 (Victor Stephens/Stevens?) riding the goal post as it was starting to sway. I remember the security people. Is that when they were spraying people? It was a battle to get the goal post out of there. That’s the goal post that Lee sold for $103/foot, right?

    #58217
    PackFamily
    Participant

    Virginia Wolf: is your name Clinton? If so I have a few ready to send to you, including Presby.

    #58219
    YogiNC
    Participant

    PIR, they cut them up into 10.3″ inch sections and sold them for 103.

    Smarter than the average bear

    #58221
    LRM
    Keymaster

    That field-storming cost Ole Miss $50,000.

    #58222
    bill.onthebeach
    Participant

    Regarding SEC Culture…

    All I want is say is three thing….

    “That’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there…”

    and

    “They’re good folks to know but I wouldn’t want to be one…”

    As posted earlier.. the best football games I ever went to that NC State wasn’t playing in were…
    Noles v. Gatorholes at Doak and at Florida Field…
    Georgia v. Auburn ‘tween the hedges…

    #NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!
    #58224
    Alpha Wolf
    Keymaster

    Everyone in Neilan Stadium wore a either orange or white depending on where they were seated. No way could NC State make this happen. We can’t even get a black out right.

    UT

    #58225
    Alpha Wolf
    Keymaster

    Regarding SEC Culture…
    All I want is say is three thing….

    “That’s a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there…”
    and
    “They’re good folks to know but I wouldn’t want to be one…”

    I could live in Athens or Nashville, no problem. Starkville or Tuscaloosa, not so much. But all in all, the times I have tailgated at SEC schools (admittedly not a large sample size) I have found them to be great down-home people that are deeply passionate about their college football.

    #58227
    Wulfpack
    Participant

    Nashville is one of my favorite cities in the country.

    Athens and Oxford are great college towns. Perfectly fine places to live.

    Lexington, Knoxville, Columbia SC and Columbia Mizzou perfectly live-able mid-size towns.

    Baton Rouge? A nutty place.

    #58232
    4in12
    Participant

    And then there is this:

    #58233
    4in12
    Participant

    This?

    #58237
    Greywolf
    Participant

    I guess they are serious about not throwing sh*t on the field or at the camera man.

    Judging from the number of fans, I’d guess this was UN* spring game.

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