Four top-10 teams were upset during this past weekend of college football and it would be immensely difficult to write four different conclusions to unforeseen scripts.
Students from Iowa State and Baylor came pouring onto their respective fields following massive weekend upsets of top-10 opponents, and fans of No. 4 Oregon sat stunned following a missed field goal attempt to tie Southern Cal as time expired.
In a slightly bizarre scene, N.C. State’s clutch 37-13 rout of No. 7 Clemson finished with threats of zip-tie hand cuffs, pepper spray and the traditional playing of the alma mater.
Although treating the student section like animals in captivity is probably an exorbitant measure, as long as State plays at Carter-Finley, Wolfpack students can not and should not have the opportunity to rush the field.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s extremely frustrating to count 53 safety officers surrounding the field barely midway through the fourth quarter, especially when under normal circumstances students would virtually be expected to storm the field. It’s a tradition in college football unlike any other – major upsets and monumental victories end with a massive gathering of students, players, coaches, media and anyone else who can find their way on to the field.
Put together any argument or compromise you would like, but it is simply illogical to allow State students to rush the field in the same fashion as Virginia did earlier this year against Georgia Tech or the same as when the Ramblin’ Wreck handed Clemson its first loss of the year several weeks later.
The reason is exactly the same as to why Carter-Finley’s stands are the closest to the field in the ACC conference. It’s the same for why Oklahoma State has a strict rushing the field policy in place when the scene reverses and the Pokes play home games at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The walls of both stadiums are high to enhance spectator viewing and to prevent fan interference. You may have confidence in your personal abilities to jump down sections seven and eight at Carter-Finley, but NCSU would probably rather not have thousands of 18-22 year olds piling on top of each other.
Even after the game ended and some Pack players jumped into the student section, they struggled to pull themselves up to be congratulated. If our football players have any issues whatsoever getting up, maybe we should choose the alma mater over some type of law suit.
And hey, I wanted to storm the field Saturday night before the game even started, but I also think driving 85 mph on the Beltline is fully acceptable. Unfortunately, that’s illegal and the cops agree. Why can Iowa State, Baylor and Virginia rush the field? It’s not exactly an idea wrapped in protective cellophane, but the whole process is safer and more practical.
The vast majority of Iowa State students stand in sections 28-32 at Jack Trice Stadium, and the clearing wall to get on to the field is approximately five to six feet tall. At Baylor, students sit directly behind the opposing team’s bench, as well as the adjacent corner of the end zone. The barrier to get onto the field is a standard bleacher railing with several stairs leading to the ground. At Virginia, students and fans simply run on to the field at Scott Stadium from a hill.
Although they are just two of the most recent examples in college football, the majority of FBS teams have student sections with legitimate access to the field. We don’t, and not getting to storm the field is a direct effect of the limited access.
The views on whether students can rush the field will always vary at any institution, particularly one where field access is complicated.
Either way, it’s one of the best issues State football will ever have.
