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re: Opening weekend football trip review, SC and GA.
Posted on 9/2/14 at 7:30 am to WG_Dawg
Posted on 9/2/14 at 7:30 am to WG_Dawg
quote:
Would you mind comparing the 2 gameday experiences? Stadium atmosphere, fans, noise level, aesthetics, etc. I'd be interested to know how a neutral observer would compare the 2.
Good call. Let's hear it
0
Posted on 9/2/14 at 8:18 am to ColoradoAg03
Now that's how you describe a trip. How much did the UGA-Clemson tickets cost?
Posted on 9/2/14 at 9:36 am to WG_Dawg
quote:
Would you mind comparing the 2 gameday experiences? Stadium atmosphere, fans, noise level, aesthetics, etc. I'd be interested to know how a neutral observer would compare the 2.
I would imagine that the home team winning by 30 points was louder and more fun than the home team losing by 30 points... though as an A&M fan I would imagine he might have enjoyed his time in Columbia on this particular night more...
Posted on 9/2/14 at 9:38 am to WG_Dawg
I'm probably the only Ag that doesn't post on TexAgs 
In comparing the 2 gameday experiences, they had very different feels to them. As I mentioned in my OP, I think a lot of it had to do with one of the games being on Thursday and everyone having work and/or school that day. It was like a Saturday for us because we travelled for it.
I feel like Columbia would've had more energy the day of the game had it been on a Saturday. The tailgate really wasn't going full throttle until about 2 I would say. At least in the big parking lot we were in. We still enjoyed all the people we met though.
As for the game in WBS, the stadium was rocking at first just before kickoff. They have a big sound system and definitely get every penny out of it. I guess coming from aTm, we've never relied on a sound system to have a loud crowd (and I hope it stays that way after this redevelopment). The noise between snaps has always been all crowd. I thought the stadium itself looked pretty cool. We were of course in the top row of the corner, so it was hard to get a good idea of how much Ags were there, not to mention Maroon can blend in with garnet pretty well in a large crowd. It wasn't until USCe fans started leaving around the beginning of the 4th quarter when we could see how many Ags were in the upper level with us. Later that night we saw pics posted online from the end of the game and saw how many Ags were in the first level below. It was pretty impressive. I can't find those pics now though. We had left our cooler (with a couple of beers left) at the USCe fans' tailgate spot we were hanging out at and we were prepared to find a big turd in it when we got back to it after the game lol. Thankfully that was not the case. The group had already left, but left our cooler in tact and with cold beer still in it. Thanks! The post-game was a little disappointing because traffic held us in the parking lot for a lot longer than we wanted to be there, but we eventually made it out, to sit in more traffic. I guess that's the big disadvantage for people that just want to be able to walk from their seat to where the nightlife is after a game.
In Athens, we got dropped off on Broad St about 11am to hit the tailgates. The streets of downtown were already pretty slammed and we could tell the same about tailgate spots on campus as we walked in. As mentioned before, bcause 2 of the other guys we wearing aTm hats, both Clemson and UGA fans were all about thanking us for beating USCe. I mentioned in a post on another thread somewhere that a group of older (retired?) Clemson fans at the table next to us randomly picked up our whole dinner tab on Friday night. Wow!
The tailgating experience in Athens was different (and better) because it was on a beautiful campus instead of a huge parking lot. People were equally as friendly and we were lucky enough to mingle with 2 different groups in 2 different spots (thankfully fairly close to each other) and both had great setups. We could feel the energy walking up to and into the stadium, just like we did in WBS, except we were obviously neutral fans here.
When we got to our seats ($150 each), we were in shock where they were. It was pretty much the place that both tailgate said would be good for us to get, just on the other side of the band than the students, above the visitor's tunnel. I really liked seeing all the red, looking down that side of the stands, especially with the red pompoms being waved to the beat of the band music. We do white towels at Kyle Field, so seeing something different was cool. It felt like Clemson travelled really well, being how close they are. I was surprised that it seemed the entire 3rd deck on that one side appeared to be all Clemson from our vantage point. The stadium got pretty loud during 3rd downs and we helped contribute with our loud "AAAAAA!" Sanford also uses their sound system for music a lot during the course of the game. It was also the first time I've been a part of the "SEC, SEC" chant. Getting out of the stadium was pretty painless and walking back through campus to get to downtown was easy of course. The atmosphere downtown was obviously one of celebration and enjoyable. When it was time to go home, there could have been more cab drivers available, but we ended up walking just outside of downtown and were able to catch one thankfully, because we were exhausted.
Although we enjoyed the people and of course the win in Columbia, I would say we enjoyed gameday in Athens more. With that said though, I want to go back to Columbia for a Saturday evening game so it can have a fair chance to really prove itself and then I can make a real comparison.
In comparing the 2 gameday experiences, they had very different feels to them. As I mentioned in my OP, I think a lot of it had to do with one of the games being on Thursday and everyone having work and/or school that day. It was like a Saturday for us because we travelled for it.
I feel like Columbia would've had more energy the day of the game had it been on a Saturday. The tailgate really wasn't going full throttle until about 2 I would say. At least in the big parking lot we were in. We still enjoyed all the people we met though.
As for the game in WBS, the stadium was rocking at first just before kickoff. They have a big sound system and definitely get every penny out of it. I guess coming from aTm, we've never relied on a sound system to have a loud crowd (and I hope it stays that way after this redevelopment). The noise between snaps has always been all crowd. I thought the stadium itself looked pretty cool. We were of course in the top row of the corner, so it was hard to get a good idea of how much Ags were there, not to mention Maroon can blend in with garnet pretty well in a large crowd. It wasn't until USCe fans started leaving around the beginning of the 4th quarter when we could see how many Ags were in the upper level with us. Later that night we saw pics posted online from the end of the game and saw how many Ags were in the first level below. It was pretty impressive. I can't find those pics now though. We had left our cooler (with a couple of beers left) at the USCe fans' tailgate spot we were hanging out at and we were prepared to find a big turd in it when we got back to it after the game lol. Thankfully that was not the case. The group had already left, but left our cooler in tact and with cold beer still in it. Thanks! The post-game was a little disappointing because traffic held us in the parking lot for a lot longer than we wanted to be there, but we eventually made it out, to sit in more traffic. I guess that's the big disadvantage for people that just want to be able to walk from their seat to where the nightlife is after a game.
In Athens, we got dropped off on Broad St about 11am to hit the tailgates. The streets of downtown were already pretty slammed and we could tell the same about tailgate spots on campus as we walked in. As mentioned before, bcause 2 of the other guys we wearing aTm hats, both Clemson and UGA fans were all about thanking us for beating USCe. I mentioned in a post on another thread somewhere that a group of older (retired?) Clemson fans at the table next to us randomly picked up our whole dinner tab on Friday night. Wow!
The tailgating experience in Athens was different (and better) because it was on a beautiful campus instead of a huge parking lot. People were equally as friendly and we were lucky enough to mingle with 2 different groups in 2 different spots (thankfully fairly close to each other) and both had great setups. We could feel the energy walking up to and into the stadium, just like we did in WBS, except we were obviously neutral fans here.
When we got to our seats ($150 each), we were in shock where they were. It was pretty much the place that both tailgate said would be good for us to get, just on the other side of the band than the students, above the visitor's tunnel. I really liked seeing all the red, looking down that side of the stands, especially with the red pompoms being waved to the beat of the band music. We do white towels at Kyle Field, so seeing something different was cool. It felt like Clemson travelled really well, being how close they are. I was surprised that it seemed the entire 3rd deck on that one side appeared to be all Clemson from our vantage point. The stadium got pretty loud during 3rd downs and we helped contribute with our loud "AAAAAA!" Sanford also uses their sound system for music a lot during the course of the game. It was also the first time I've been a part of the "SEC, SEC" chant. Getting out of the stadium was pretty painless and walking back through campus to get to downtown was easy of course. The atmosphere downtown was obviously one of celebration and enjoyable. When it was time to go home, there could have been more cab drivers available, but we ended up walking just outside of downtown and were able to catch one thankfully, because we were exhausted.
Although we enjoyed the people and of course the win in Columbia, I would say we enjoyed gameday in Athens more. With that said though, I want to go back to Columbia for a Saturday evening game so it can have a fair chance to really prove itself and then I can make a real comparison.
This post was edited on 9/2/14 at 2:27 pm
Posted on 9/2/14 at 9:45 am to ColoradoAg03
Overall, I got the feeling that UGA fans were more amp'd for their game than USCe fans were for ours. I'm not sure if that's because nobody gave aTm a chance, it was on a Thursday, or there was a lack of any history between the teams. Just a gut feeling I have. I'm sure that will be different in 2 years.
ETA: For the poster that asked about bottles in the stadium, we had Dasani water bottles in both stadiums.
ETA: For the poster that asked about bottles in the stadium, we had Dasani water bottles in both stadiums.
This post was edited on 9/2/14 at 9:48 am
Posted on 9/2/14 at 10:05 am to gatorhata9
quote:
I haven't been to a game in any stadium in the last 5 years where they leave the tops on.
They aren't removed at Auburn.
Posted on 9/2/14 at 10:10 am to DawgCountry
quote:
Umn wrong. There were at least 25 Clemson fans at our tailgate. maybe its you...
Meh. Pre-game Athens =\= Post-game Athens
Posted on 9/2/14 at 10:28 am to weagle99
Some water bottles we got to keep the caps, some they wouldn't let us walk away with. I guess it just depends on the cashier.
Posted on 9/2/14 at 10:38 am to ColoradoAg03
quote:
I feel like Columbia would've had more energy the day of the game had it been on a Saturday.
It would have.
I hate Thursday games. It hurts the overall atmosphere.
Posted on 9/2/14 at 12:42 pm to GetCocky11
This neutral fan hits the nail on the head on these two venues.
As much as SC tries to improve their tailgating area, it just won't EVER be the same as other SEC experiences where the campus and bar scenes are right by the stadium.
LOVE games in Athens and pumped to be back at the end of the month.
As much as SC tries to improve their tailgating area, it just won't EVER be the same as other SEC experiences where the campus and bar scenes are right by the stadium.
LOVE games in Athens and pumped to be back at the end of the month.
Posted on 9/2/14 at 10:26 pm to ColoradoAg03
You should have ventured over behind the bookstore & enjoyed the Dawg Walk. You'll never forget it.
& how about pregame with the lone trumpet starting off "Glory"? Sends chills down your spine with excitement!
& how about pregame with the lone trumpet starting off "Glory"? Sends chills down your spine with excitement!
Posted on 9/2/14 at 10:36 pm to southernboisb
quote:
how about pregame with the lone trumpet starting off "Glory"?
That was definitely cool. Kind of different, like our drumline doing a military walkout before the team is pretty different.
Posted on 9/2/14 at 11:28 pm to GetCocky11
quote:
I hate Thursday games. It hurts the overall atmosphere.
Maybe pregame, but Thursday games can get rowdy as frick once the game kicks off
Posted on 9/3/14 at 12:25 am to Cockopotamus
What a great trip for you and your friends. The SC stadium is a bit removed from the "action" but they were hospitable when I was there. UGA is always a great time. 
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