Got back last night - just now getting a chance to re-cap my experience.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
- 5 PM, we arrive at our hotel. There are a lot of Arkansas fans everywhere. At the concierge desk is a huge, official Sugar Bowl "WELCOME ARKANSAS" sign. We're staying at the team hotel. Fuck me.
- 6 PM, we grab a drink in the executive lounge. Every Arkansas fan I talked to in there looked and sounded like an oil tycoon. It was hilarious.
- 7 PM, Bourbon Street. Many drinks in plastic containers were consumed.
- 9 PM, I shovel a catfish po' boy down my throat. It was delicious.
- 10 PM, meet up with some friends. There are Arkansas fans everywhere. They were loud, they were proud, and they were... actually very nice people. We had a good time. I could count the times we got the "S-E-C" chant on one hand. (To which a few OSU fans said "No, you're doing it wrong. It goes 'South-West-Conference! South-West-Conference!''') In general, I was impressed - they were very happy to be in New Orleans. As one fan put it, "This is the biggest thing to happen to Razorback football in 30 years and we are riding this wave as far as it will go." Can't disrespect that.
- 12 AM. Many drinks in plastic containers were consumed.
- 1 AM. I grab my to-go beer (I fucking LOVE New Orleans) and head back to the room. Big day tomorrow.
GAME DAY.
- 9 AM, ate a quick breakfast at the executive lounge. Toured the French Quarter.
- 12 PM, ate lunch at Mothers. I don't know what the fuck I ate, but it was delicious.
- 1 PM, met up with more friends and headed to the Marriott, which I had just learned was Ohio State's hotel. Why wasn't I told this sooner? Bought a 6-pack at a corner store for "tailgating" outside of the hotel with a bunch of OSU fans (I fucking LOVE New Orleans).
- 2 PM, Bourbon St. More Buckeye fans showed up, I felt a little better about our numbers. The Tropical Isle (I think, all of the bars kind of blur together) was all scarlet and gray. The DJ played "Hang On Sloopy" almost every other song. Awesome. Bumped into more friends.
- 5 PM, Headed to a Rotollo's to get some pre-game grub. Building was owned by an Ohio State grad - decked in scarlet and gray. Awesome.
- 6 PM, off to the Super Dome. Arkansas fans are everywhere. I look at my ticket. We're sitting in the Arkansas section. Fuck me.
- 7 PM, find my seats. Fears confirmed. Arkansas fans are EVERYWHERE. We are seriously outnumbered. 3-1 at least. Virtual road game in every sense. Pre-game "calling of the hogs" or whatever its called was deafening. Sense of dread is more than lingering - I figured we'd be lucky to keep it competitive. The Arkansas kick return squad looks absolutely jacked up. The crowd is going nuts.
1ST HALF
- We all know what happened. Offense is dominating. Defense is smothering. I can't believe what I'm seeing. This is amazing. What was a raucous Razorback crowd also can't believe what they're seeing. Between the drops, sacks, 3-and-outs, and OSU running the no-huddle up-tempo offense, the crowd couldn't get into the game. Still, a lingering feeling that Arkansas can come back and make it a game.
2ND HALF
- We all know what happened. The Arkansas fans never lost faith in their team. They were on their feet screaming their faces off on each Ohio State offensive possession. A comeback was in the air. Then, the blocked punt. Numb, empty despair. It was rocking in the Super Dome, but I and the few fans in our section felt nothing. I can't believe what I'm seeing. Yet another dropped pass snapped the Ohio State fans back to reality, and gave the Arkansas fans one last thing to think about before... the interception. And just like that, elation. Pure joy. The most deafening sound in the stadium became the shocked silence of the majority Arkansas crowd. Also, I was screaming uncontrollably.
POST GAME
- The march down Poydras was awesome. We took the celebratory detour down Bourbon Street but didn't linger. I, nor anyone in our group had the energy to stay very long. However, we did take 1 last to-go beer to the Arkansas team hotel (I fucking LOVE New Orleans). I childishly thought it would be hilarious to see the sadness in the Arkansas fans' faces, as if it were payback for staying in their hotel (my own fault anyway). Instead, I came back when a lot of their players were returning to meet with their parents in the lobby. The disappointment they wore on their faces after competing so fiercely in the second half was tough to watch. I felt bad for them. (Ok, only a little.) Celebratory round of scotch at the hotel bar, which stayed open an extra 2 hours just for the returning fans (I fucking LOVE New Orleans).
NEXT DAY
Ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde like a good tourist and caught my flight back home. At MSY, all of the Ohio State fans looked hungover, while all of the Arkansas fans looked shell-shocked. Nobody talked.
All in all, epic trip. The Arkansas fans were great - even at the height of their comeback, sitting in their section, they never once gave us shit. I can't really relate to Arkansans culturally, politically, etc. having grown up mostly in big cities on the West Coast and in the Midwest, but football is one of those things that unite a people and it was fun to share a common passion. Also we drank a lot.
