DALLAS – When the Tigers take the field Saturdays in Death Valley, Southeastern Conference football fans are exposed to one of the best game-day atmospheres college football has to offer.
After spending time in Dallas watching my favorite team take on the New York Giants in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, there is little doubt that the college atmosphere is still king.
Game Week:The people of Dallas have a massive obsession with the home team. At every corner and on every street, civilians wearing the famous blue star can be found, and strangers can be seen talking Cowboys football en route to their destination.
Breaking news bulletins from local news programs cut in and out of scheduled programming throughout the week to track the health of wide receiver Terrell Owens, and any time coach Wade Phillips addressed the media, the local stations carried the press conference.
Dallas’ NBA and NHL teams will forever be vying for second place as the Cowboys have a firm grip on the fan base in Big D.
If there is one aspect that the NFL playoffs beats the college game in, it’s the game week atmosphere because the Cowboys had the full attention of everyone in the area.
Game Week Atmosphere: 9 out of 10.
Pregame:
Fans piled into Texas Stadium’s parking lots as early as 5 a.m. to celebrate the Cowboys’ first home playoff game since the 1998 season.
But while fans of America’s Team were abundant, they failed to create the raucous atmosphere expected before a do-or-die matchup between NFC East rivals.
The people of Dallas are probably the most polite home fans in America, treating anyone with an empty belly to numerous Texas treats like salsa and barbecued pork. But the laid-back tailgating atmosphere was not expected and was quite a disappointment. Maybe I’m just spoiled, having been to some 30 LSU games in the past three years.
Pregame Atmosphere: 5.5 out of 10.
Game:
The noise inside Texas Stadium was deafening early and often throughout the afternoon.
Fans crammed into the stadium 2 1/2 hours before kickoff to watch the home team workout and to study Owens’ every move to see if the Cowboys’ star would be able to play a pain-free game.
Whether it was actually loud because of rowdy fans or loud because of how small and compact Texas Stadium is, is tough to determine.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has announced plans for a move to a new stadium in 2009. The new Texas Stadium will be three times larger than the original and hold nearly 100,000 fans.
Needless to say, the move is much needed because the 27-year-old building is showing massive signs of wear and tear and has more of the feel of a basketball arena than it does a football stadium.
The loudest pop of the night from the Cowboys’ crowd was the announcement of Owens in the starting lineup.
As loud as the stadium got during kickoff, it got equally silent when quarterback Tony Romo’s last pass flew into the hands of Giants defender R.W. McQuarters, ending the Cowboys’ season.
The Giants did their part to quiet the crowd at its two highest moments, scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game and tying the game at 14 with just 10 seconds to play in the first half.
During the game, the Cowboys’ fans showed more love for America’s Team, knowing virtually every player on the roster by name and by college. The fans also were very intelligent in knowing when to boo and when to keep quiet – something Saints and LSU fans should note.
Game Atmosphere: 8 out of 10.
All-in-all, the trip was a satisfying one, even though my faithful Cowboys fell in defeat. But while the game was fun, it was nowhere near the atmosphere of any Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. When the LSU faithful boast that Tiger Stadium is among the best spots to catch a game, they are right on because the Mecca of American football is no match for an evening in Death Valley.
—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]