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The Bulldogs entered "The Junction" to a sea of maroon-wearing, cowbell-clanging fans just a few minutes ago. Though it is a very hot and humid day in Starkville, Sylvester Croom's standards were in full force, as the MSU players were dressed in suits and ties, a classy move by the Bulldog coach.
The raucous fans seem more than ready to get this season started, and as I write here from the posh settings of the MSU "M" Club, several hundred fans, and a lot of shirtless students, have filed into Davis-Wade Stadium.
Two Bulldog ladies were more than excited during the Dawg Walk, and asked me if they'd been loud enough. I told them they'd done a fantastic job (they really had), and then asked for game predictions. The answer was in unison: State by 3, 20-17.
Close by were Elmer and Louann Gross, State fans from Gatlinurg, Tenn. who have been going to Bulldog football games for the last five decades, and were excited about the new Junction tailgating area.
"This is new and fantastic," Gross said, "Of course, we'll have to get used to the new roads, but it's nice."
So we're lss than 90 minutes away from the SEC opener. Stay tuned to CSTV.com's Mission SEC:Football, as we'll cover impressions of the game, fan reactions, and a wrap up from tonight, including a feature about the tailgating and campus experience at MSU.
Focus...Determination...Intensity...and this is just breakfast.
MSU players and coaches gathered in the spacious dining room of the Columbus Country Club to feast on classic Southern cooking, and to gather as a team before the big season opener tonight vs. South Carolina.
The looks of the faces were evident on the team as they entered. Smiling, happy faces became stoic and serious as they entered the room. Feasting on eggs, sausage, ham, potatoes, grits, cereals, and pretty much every kind of topping under the sun (including the thickest butter I've ever seen), the Bulldog players ate quietly, savoring the moment, but at the same time, realizing the importance of the meal they were eating.
This meal is the symbol of all the work they put in during spring practices, and the tiring summer workouts. This is what 2-a-days, film study, and all the hours they've put in is all about. The meal was serious, because this means the world to everyone who ate there today. Everything they've worked for begins to produce results tonight.
Fans are gathering all over Scott Field, tailgating and enjoying this beautiful summer afternoon. Game time is approaching, and we'll have tailgate talks, plus first game impressions and post-game conference quotes as Mission: SEC Football opens off here at Mississippi State.
4 am... After a long day, when I finally got to my hotel, I passed out. And when I say passed out, I mean, paaaaassed out. At about 4, I woke up, fully clothed, on my bed at the Ramada in Tupelo. So I stumbled into my pajamas and got back into bed!
8 am... Woke up again... My phone is making a noise, so I'm assuming it's the alarm. NOPE! Just my mother calling, so I'm up now...
10:30 am... Waffle House... After packing the car, Glenn and I enjoyed a hearty breakfast of a waffle with bacon. His pampered-New-York stomach just couldn't take the grease very well. My southern-raised stomach felt juuuust fine. You can't beat that place. They are all over down here and open 24 HOURS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK! mmmmmmmmmm.... That's all there is to say about that.
12 pm... Jack Cristil... I seriously loved this guy. He reminded me of the older men in my own family. He was incredibly welcoming to us, and I felt completely at home. While Jean was interviewing him inside, I had a short conversation with his next door neighbor. Both had them had been living on that street since they build their homes 44 years ago.
1:30 pm... After some GREAT directions from Mr. Cristil, we headed to our next destination... Starkville, home of Mississippi State!
3 pm... Glenn, Jean, and I checked into our hotel, and just like yesterday, Glenn had to do some work. That left Jean and I to explore the campus. We went to the newly-built Barnes & Noble on Campus and
actually lucked out because it was opening day! I drank a much needed mocha while Jean enjoyed some coffee and cake as well. It was so nice to just sit down and get some work done!
Later on... Not really sure what time, we got hungry... Glenn and I went and grabbed some Sonic from across the street. Hashbrowns, hamburgers, and a rootbeer float among other things were consumed. It
really hit the spot!
Later later on... Glenn and I went to the stadium to get a feel for what we were getting into tomorrow. Even though we don't know many cheers, we still got the spirit going with some pom-poms in the stands.
12 pm... now... I'm exhausted and going to bed. After all, we've got to get up early to eat breakfast with the team! So what do you think? Biscuits and gravy? Bacon and eggs? Ohhhh I can't wait to find out!
As we officially wrap up the second day of coverage, we are in Starkville, preparing for tomorrow night's start to the 2006 SEC...and Division 1-A...football season.
We started in Tupelo this morning, and after talking with Jack Cristil, we finally arrived at our first SEC campus in this 14 week SEC Road Trip. By sheer accident, Emily and I stopped at the campus Barnes & Noble to check out State memorabilia and unwind, and ended up at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building.
The ribbon cutting ceremony is fitting for the folks in Starkville. It's a new beginning, a new venture for MSU, and that's what this Bulldog football team hopes to achieve tomorrow night. In front of a national TV audience, Mississippi State and South Carolina will open the college football season, both hoping that this game will be the spark for a memorable season and a strong start in conference play.
As for the game? I expect a low-scoring, close game, as both teams strengths and weaknesses will play against each other. South Carolina's potent offensive attack will matchup against a strong MSU defensive unit, while MSU's offense, described by Sylvester Croom as a "work in progress", will take on a Carolina defense that returned just one starter from last year, and will feature a bevy of newcomers.
So who will win? I won't take a side here, but I'll say this. The key to the game, in my opinion, will be field position. With two teams that are very similar, the team who starts their drives in better field position will come out the winner. Expect special teams, as well as turnovers, to play a huge role in this game.
It all begins tomorrow here in Starkville,..we're ready to go, and I hope everyone reading this is ready for football as well.
It's your typical red-brick American house on the outside. A small yellow ribbon and US flag adorn the mailbox, the lawn looks worn from the hot, dry Mississippi summers, and a screen door stands as the welcoming entrance. However, step inside, and everything changes. What is ordinary on the outside becomes extraordinary on the inside. Plaques adorn the white den walls, joining pictures of celebrities, athletes, and sports cartoons from the last several decades. Each item on the wall has a story to tell. However, as many stories as those walls could tell, it's the owner of the house that can tell even more: Jack Cristil, the voice of Mississippi State University.
When Jack Cristil was a young boy, listening to sports on his parents' radio had him intrigued. He knew early on that his calling was to do what he heard over the radio waves. After broadcasting minor league baseball in Jackson, Tenn., Anniston, Ala, and Memphis, Cristil would move to Clarksdale, Miss. He was covering Clarksdale High School football when he got a call, asking if he was interested in covering Mississippi State games.
Cristil jumped at the chance, and starting in September of 1953, he began to call MSU football. From 1953 untl his move to Tupelo in 1955, Cristil would drive across the state of Mississippi to cover Bulldog football games. The amazing part? Cristil took the job without ever signing a written contract, and even today, he's never signed a written agreement to cover MSU athletics, which might be the longest-lasting oral agreement between employer and employee that exists.
The memories of coaches and players stretch as long as his career. As Steve Spurrier brings his South Carolina Gamecocks to Starkville tomorrow night, Cristil remembers calling MSU-Florida games during Spurrier's successful Heisman campaign in 1966. While NFL and SEC fans marvel at the feats of Peyton and Eli Manning, Cristil remembers not only covering the Manning duo, but also their father, Archie Manning. He watched Bear Bryant roam the streets of Alabama, and helped paint the legends of SEC stars such as UGA's Herschel Walker, Auburn's Bo Jackson, and Tennessee's Reggie White.
As for great games...Cristil remembers many great moments as well. Some of his favorites were MSU's upset of then #1 Alabama, 6-3 in Jackson, the triumph over Warren Moon and Washington in Seattle, which Cristil described as one of the most magnificent settings he'd ever seen. Even the recent triumphs over Ole Miss in the Battle of the Golden Egg strike a chord inside his heart, which has pumped Bulldog maroon like few ever had.
During his tenure, Cristil has cared, and cares today, about keeping the classic traditions and style of the great radio announcers of his time. He emphasized his concern that TV announcers don't cover the game as well as they should.
"You can mute the TV and not miss a thing," Cristil said. "You have to paint a visual picture for the fans, and give them the whole picture and atmosphere of what's going on in the game."
Given his expertise, plus his passion for his job, his words of wisdom will definitely echo with me.
Spin never comes out of Jack Cristil. He is very genuine, but very direct as well. There's never a wasted word with Cristil. He really enjoys sharing his memories with those who will listen, and though I could go on forever with the people he's met and the stories he's told, they'd only cover a fraction of the amazing career he's had at MSU.
Whether you're a diehard Bulldog fan, or just a football fan in general, one is definitely blessed from having spent time with Jack Cristil. He's as dynamic a character as one will ever meet, and through the short time I got to spend with him, I learned not only a great wealth of Bulldog and SEC football, but I also got a lesson in quality journalism from a true legend in college football. For those of you who have the ability to listen to Cristil call a game, do so, and no matter the outcome, enjoy the sights and sounds of a true radio icon.
During today's SEC Teleconference, Alabama's Mike Shula and LSU's Les Miles were asked why they love college football....
"I was in the NFL for 15 years, and came back, mostly because it's my alma mater," said Shula. "I've always defended the NFL, but there is something different abuot college football. It's the students, the band, the atmosphere. It really keeps you young. It's healthy for you."
Miles also emphasized the collegiate atmosphere as well....
"I love it for the sincerity of the college player, and the passion of the fan base," Miles said. "There's a personal attachment for fans with their school and their state. While a college athlete is here, a maturing takes place; he's on his own for the first time. He has to take care of his academics and his social and personal life. I just think the experience of college is unique in everyone's life, and it's celebrated most by college football."
And for the three of us, as well as the many employees at CSTV.com, who live and breathe college sports, we couldn't agree more.
The SEC Teleconference is wrapping up, and both South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier and Missisippi State head coach Sylvester Croom had praise for each other, and concerns about their own team.
Spurrier said he felt "honored and privileged" to have his Gamecocks opening the 2006 football season, but mentioned it wouldn't be easy in Starkville, where "it's loud and exciting, and Coach Croom is really building that team up."
"I'd love to win there," Spurrier said. "It's the only place in the SEC I haven't won yet."
For Spurrier to claim his first victory at Scott Field (where he is 0-2), the Gamecocks will have to rely on their passing attack, and try to stop a powerful MSU defensive line.
"Their defensive front four are as good as any I've seen in the SEC," Spurrier said.
The Old Ball Coach believes his offense, which returns QB Blake Mitchell and all-SEC WR Sidney Rice, will be better than last year's, but emphasized his concerns on the defensive side of the ball.
"We've got one returning starter back on defense," Spurrier said. "So we're going to play a lot of new guys on defense, and hopefully they will represent their team and their school well.
Even when he's concerned though, when Spurrier talks, there is always confidence brimming in everything he says.
"We'll just play our best out there and see what happens," Spurrier said.
As for MSU's Sylvester Croom, he feels that this game will be a benchmark for how far the Bulldog program has come over the last two seasons. Coming off an impressive 35-14 thrashing over Ole Miss, plus months of very hard workouts and practice, he feels his team should feel good about himself, but that their confidence can't be completely measured until after Thursday's showdown.
Contrary to Spurrier, Croom feels it's the offense that is the greatest question mark for Mississippi State.
"Our offense is a work in progress, and we'll see how far we've come tomorrow night," Croom said.
Croom praised the S. Carolina offense, especially QB Blake Mitchell.
"They talked about the freshman (Chris Smelley) possibly starting there, but I think Blake did a good job last year for them," Croom said.
For the Bulldogs to win, Croom hops to rely on his veteran defensive unit.
"I hope our defense is as god as I think they are," Croom said, "or we're in big trouble."
We'll find out what happens Thursday night, as the Mission: SEC Football crew heads to Starkville to open the college football season!
It's the start of Day 2 on Mission: SEC Football, so I think it's time we introduce the Mission: SEC Football Stat Meter. While on the road, the three of us will be tracking some statistics along the way just for fun. We'll have different categories as we go from city to city, but here's the first of many stat meter updates to come...
Total Miles: 283
# of Cities where we spent the night: 2
# of Gas Stops: 1 (Toyota Highlander has GREAT gas mileage)
# of Dental Problems: 1 (fixed though)
# of Phone Calls: countless...100s and 100s of calls
# of States Traveled to: 3
# of People Interviwed: 2
# of Relatives Met Along the Way: 5 (The Meltons were awesome!)
# of High Fives Given: 4 (Emily will be the source for a lot of these)
# of Rain Showers we've run into: 3 (Moody and Sumiton, AL and just outside of Tupelo, MS)
# of Bags/Boxes: 16 at last count
# of Media Guides: 13 from 6 schools + Official SEC Football Media Guide
That's it for now....we'll have more categories and stats to come as we continue to hit the road.
It's been a busy day here for the three of us, and with Mission: SEC Football officially on the road, the excitment builds as we wrap up the first day from Tupelo, Mississippi.
It's definitely been a wild ride already, as I've only known the entire crew for a week. However, I already feel blessed to have two talented and energetic co-workers in both Emily and Glenn along for the ride. We've handled technical problems, periods of inclement weather, and root canal dilemmas in getting to Tupelo. However, we've had a lot of fun, and we really look forward to the gameday atmospheres and diving into the culture of SEC football.
Tomorrow we'll be talking with Jack Cristil, who's the longtime voice of Mississippi State football. Cristil's voice is legendary across the Magnolia State, and I look forward to talking with him and finding his views on SEC and Bulldog football. We'll also be checking in on the SEC teleconference, where we'll hopefully get some comments on Thursday's game down in Starkville.
The SEC football seaon is less than 48 hours away, and we can't wait for it to begin! For now, we bid you good night from Tupelo, where we'll begin tomorrow's adventure on the greatest road trip in college sports.
9:30 am... I drag my lazy butt out of bed and meet Jean and Glenn in the Lobby of our hotel. We're ready for the adventure to begin... It's go time.
10:30 am... We arrive at the Georgia Dome a little early and goof around in the parking lot for a while. Then we wonder outside the massive dome following signs to the 'Administration Office.'
I was convinced that the building was playing a joke and leading us around in circles because I SWEAR we were practically where we started when we ran into a security guard, and it turns out that the building WAS playing a cruel joke on us. The sign to the alleged 'Administration Office' pointed to the right. However, thanks to the security guard, where the sign should have pointed was down. I was beginning to really like that security guard... Then he did something abruptly ended our potentially promising friendship. He denied me a high five. I was just trying to be friendly. WHO DOES THAT?!
11 am... Perfectly punctual, we finally enter the Georgia Dome. The nice man at the desk pointed us to Ashley Grubbs, GA Dome's PR specialist, and that Matt Springfield, GA Dome's Event Coordinator. I really enjoyed the guy at the desk. That's the kind of guy who will return a high five.
Ashley, Matt, Jean, Glenn, and I then continue to look in every nook and cranny of the dome, from the Visitor's Locker Room where laid on the massage table to laying on Astroturf with Matt while he explained exactly why it "doesn't leak."
The tour was really amazing. I cannot wait to go back on December 2nd!
By the way, when we were leaving the dome, and I passed the guy at the desk again, and yes, we finally high-fived. I really like that guy.
12:30 pm... We got back to the hotel, and Glenn had some editing to do. It didn’t take long for me and Jean to get bored watching him and deemed it necessary to get lunch. After all, by that time it was around 12:45pm. We were hungry!
Glenn worked his little hands to the bone while Jean and I walked around for a bit. We got back to the hotel, fed the film at a station, and headed toward Tupelo, Miss.
5:00pm... On the ride to Mississippi, I realize we're going to go through Birmingham, and guess what? That's where I'm from! With that thought, I called my mother, and we met the 'ol fam for dinner. We'll got to the fast-food restaurant, ordered food, and still no Melton had showed. I was beginning to think that my family was standing me up. You think they'd want to see me!
Then passing by our window is my Aunt Leigh Ann and my cousins Jennie and Robbin. Word spreads fast in my family! They live nearby and came by to say hello. Shortly after that, my parents arrived, and Glenn and Jean got a glimpse into my family life: loving, caring, and loud. That's my family. I love them dearly!
I'm not sure what time we left there, but after that, it was smooth sailing to Tupelo. I'm in my hotel room right now, fighting sleep, so I will give you more updates tomorrow!! Jack Cristil, get ready!!! I'm excited!!
On December 2nd, all the spring practices, off-season workouts, and two-a-days will pay off handsomely for two teams, as they will take the field at Atlanta's Georgia Dome. With this in mind, the Mission: SEC Football team took a tour of one of America's greatest stadiums, and the site for one team to claim their stake in BCS glory.
We were fortunate to have Georgia Dome PR representatives Ashley Grubbs and Mark Springfield to give us a firsthand look at this incredible facility. Once you step on the field, and look up and see a massive field of green seats all around you, the adrenaline soars, and one can only imagine the feelings of each player as they take the field to a sea of raucous fans...it is simply an undescribable feeling for a sports fan.
The surface on the Georgia Dome field is FieldTurf, a unique artificial surface that is mostly rubber-based. When you walk on the surface, it feels very much like a combination of wet grass on top of a good track foundation. It is well-liked by football coaches and players, and is noted for being a supportive surface for athletes. On the field, painters were hard at work painting the endzones and midfield for the Atlanta Falcons. According to Springfield, it usually takes 8 hours to scrub down an old paint job, and then replace it with a new one. However, with the Dome hosting the Peach Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and a Falcons game in 4 days, it was a hectic, non-stop effort that the paint crew performed to start 2006!
We were shown the visitors' locker room, which was interesting not only for its massive size (it's basically four locker rooms in one) but also for it's primary color: purple. I had to ask if the Falcons had anything to do with the color scheme, given that at Iowa, the visiting rooms are painted in pink to give the optical illusion that the room is extremely small. However, the colors were not the choice of the Falcons, but rather an official color picked out by the Georgia Dome administration. During the SEC basketball tournament, temporary barriers turn each football locker room into four seperate locker rooms for participating teams, giving each team ample space to work with.
The press box at the Georgia Dome is simply incredible. It seats 300 easily, and provides a perfect view of the field for each member of the media. Unlike many outdoor stadiums, there are no windows that seperate the press box from the fans in the stands. This is a major plus, and really helps to provide the best gameday experience possible. The skyboxes nearby provide ultimate comfort for fans, and visiting owners alike, and every detail is taken care of. Even higher up (in fact, it's up in the raftors) are the coaches boxes. Their view is amazing, but it's REALLY high up! The boxes, though, like everything at the Dome, are really spacious and very comfortable. The Georgia Dome strives to be first class, and from the looks of things, it certainly never fails.
All in all, it was the perfect beginning to start our 3 month road trip. The Georgia Dome is truly a palace for college football fans, and come December, it will be the perfect setting to decide the championship in football's greatest conference.
It's 9 am here in Atlanta, and we are officially set to begin Mission: SEC Football, CSTV's 14 week adventure through the heart of college football.
Glenn, Emily, and myself arrived in Atlanta yesterday, and we are situated near the Georgia Dome, our first (and last) site for this road trip. This morning, the dome sits quietly amidst the Atlanta skyline and the hustle and bustle of downtown traffic. Three months from now though, the scene will drastically change, as the eyes of the football nation will turn this way to watch America's most passionate football conference decide their champion.
Will it be a repeat for Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs? Will Auburn meet pre-season expectations en route to a possible national title? Will the Old Ball Coach write a new chapter of greatness for South Carolina? Or will a darkhorse arise from nowhere and shock the football world? We'll all find out together, while finding the best places, the best fans, and the most unique atmosphere that college sports could ever offer.
It's 17 games, 15 cities, 14 weeks, 12 campuses, 3 people, and 1 network...CSTV.com's Mission: SEC Football is underway!
It's the dream of every college football fan, and starting August 29th, Glenn Anderson, Emily Melton and I are going to be living it for CSTV.
This summer, I drove to Athens, Ga. to cover the Super Regional matchup between Georgia and South Carolina. I ran into a group of Bulldog fans and we got to talking. When they found out I lived in Arkansas, the response was immediate. “That (Darren) McFadden is amazing. What year is he?” The next morning, while eating breakfast at my hotel, I launched into a good conversation with a diehard Gamecocks fan. After about two baseball questions, the subject jumped to Steve Spurrier and the hopes of Gamecock football, and it stayed there the rest of the meal.
Despite having lived in the South my whole life, I was still somewhat surprised. Here were two schools, innings away from a trip to Omaha and a chance to win a national title in baseball, and football still was the top issue at hand.
There is simply nothing like SEC football. It’s where intensity and passion reach all-time highs. It transcends the boundaries of young and old, male and female and liberal or conservative, and unites a whole region in a show of pageantry that is second to none in sports.
Here in the SEC, football is a year round sport. It’s where tens of thousands of fans show up just to watch a spring practice, and fans plan vacations around Media Days in the summer. It’s where signing a top recruiting class in February calls for massive celebrations across a state, and of course, in the fall, it’s where stadiums become the third…or sometimes even the second largest city in the state.
It’s where rivalries are like nowhere else in college sports. The World’s Largest Cocktail Party brings the two border states of Georgia and Florida into a furious frenzy. The Egg Bowl will shut down Mississippi in anticipation for the showdown. As for the Iron Bowl, let’s just say that no matter where you go in this great country, you will never find a more intense rivalry anywhere than the feud between Alabama and Auburn. When two schools hate each other so much to where they refuse to play for decades and the state legislature had to force the rivalry back into the college football scene, that is intensity.
That spirit, that pageantry, which is found so deep in the SEC, is what takes us on the road this fall. We’ll go from "The Swamp" at Florida to the Kentucky bluegrass, from the hills of Arkansas to the plains of Auburn, and from the Louisiana bayou to Tennessee’s “Rocky Top”. We’ll go between the hedges in Athens, and visit the home of the Bear at Alabama. We’re going to catch as much of this glorious culture as we can, and share the excitement it brings with everyone who visits. There are lots of stories about the significance of SEC football, and we plan to discover these stories that make football seasons in the South so unique.
From small towns to the big cities, we’re out to find the greatest atmosphere in all of college sports.
In my eyes, this is the ultimate college sports adventure, and I’m not only extremely thankful to be taking part in this, I can’t wait to get started.
The trip starts August 29th, so I hope those of you who read this continue to visit the site for daily updates, new features, and to get a good taste of SEC football. It’s 17 games, 15 cities, 14 weeks, 12 campuses, and only one site…CSTV.com will have coverage like this!
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