IU Home Opener

Doug and I had a fun first night in Indiana with Karen and Brett last evening going to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and watching Doug and Brett try blazing sauce. They both decided that was a hard pass.  Karen and I played it safe with sweet barbecue.

The traffic was pretty light this morning on our way to Memorial Stadium to watch IU play its first home football game of the season. Both Doug and I were excited about the game, but a little skeptical about the new parking system.  Thankfully, it worked and we found a spot close to the stadium. Once we got settled, we walked over to meet Cameron at Cora family’s tailgate. We had a lot of fun with them and appreciated all of the great food that they grilled this morning. Doug brought his own beer and enjoyed a few while we were visiting with Rick, Charity, and Cora’s grandma. They had a pretty good size crowd, and we met a few parents of Cora's friends as well. The Zink family always brings a television, so it was great to be able to catch up on all the football news while we waited for the gates to open. We also had the perfect view of Hoosier the Bison ziplining to the tailgate area.

Doug and I left when Cameron had to go to the stadium to hand out rally towels. We had planned on spending quite a bit of time in the tailgate tents provided by IU athletics, but they were absolutely packed since Big Noon Kickoff was positioned right beside them. Instead, we walked around the stadium looking at all of the National Championship signs and then went into the game early. In the end, I am not sure was the best decision because of the heat. Temperatures today were near 100° and from what we heard later they were 152 on the field. The first half of the game was good. We played pretty well considering that we lost seventeen seniors from the team last year. North Texas gave us a game in the beginning with Tayven Jackson, their quarterback, playing well. He had been on our team for several years when Tom Allen was the coach, and his brother Trayce Jackson-Davis was a legend on the basketball court at Assembly Hall.

I decided after the first quarter to get a refill of water. They were free today for everyone who brought in a water bottle, but the line was 30 minutes long.  Since it took so long, I decided to buy Doug and I lunch as I didn't want to stand in the long line again. I was glad to see that we were ahead when I got back to my seat. Doug appreciated the snack and we finished out the first half and part of halftime watching the band play.

As soon as we heard the Marching Hundred play "Fernando," Doug suggested that we stand in the shade under the concourse.  Everyone else must have had the same thought as the area was packed.  After five minutes of standing, my legs started shaking.  I knew that the heat was getting to me and told Doug that I could wait for him in the air-conditioned car if he wanted, but I couldn't go back into the sun.  Since we were up 24-6, he said that he was ok leaving as well.  I suggested that we watch the rest of the game at the Vault in the Union.  Doug loved the idea and we enjoyed the big screen, air-condition light crowds and easy access to drinks.  IU's 52-16 victory made the afternoon even better.