Down the stairwell from East Club, along with people from the skyboxes (how do these visiting fans get club seats/suites in our stadium?)
As sometimes happens after a win, Hog calls broke out in the stairwell. A couple of Ole Miss fans did not like that and some words were exchanged (my take: If they don’t want to hear a Hog call, don’t come to a game in Fayetteville) (my take #2: at least it wasn’t cowbells in their ears at Starkville). It may or may not be true that some of those words came from my brother, and it may or may not true that the intention of those words was to provoke the OM fan into throwing a punch.
Anyway, the gist of this conversation from our end (including but not limited to my bro) was: Chad Kelly is a mutant; Hugh Freeze needs to buy better players; and they better enjoy a bowl team this year because there won’t be any once the NCAA gets through with them.
As I walk towards (and into) the stadium for the home games, I always try to get a feel for the attendance by the visiting team. I didn’t see any Ole Miss fans until right before we walked into the stadium; two of them, husband and wife.
They were trying to cross the sidewalk leading into Gate 16. Both were smoking a cigarette.
Officer: “You folks need to put out those cigarettes”.
The Ole Miss fans continue to puff away; tipsy as they waddle.
Officer (in somewhat of a raised voice): “YOU FOLKS NEED TO PUT OUT THOSE CIGARETTES, NOW! THERE IS NO SMOKING ON OUR CAMPUS”.
The Ole Miss fans, both now in somewhat of a state of bewilderment.
Wife reluctantly drops her cigarette in her drink. Husband mumbles something, drops his cigarette on the pavement and steps on it.
Officer: “Now pick it up”.
Husband turns bright red and follows the orders; but clearly miffed and confused. :oops:
Maybe you had to be there, but it was classic.
Welcome to Fayetteville.
As someone who has generally had to watch the Hogs in enemy stadiums, I’m always appreciative when the home fans are polite hosts before, after, and during the game.
It sounds to me as though the Ole Miss fans got a bit of what they deserved when they didn’t like the Hog Calls. Besides, was there ever a more arrogant fan base of a school who has not won an SEC title since 1963? They have been credited with 3 national titles (before 1963) but only by some more obscure rating services.
If you can’t handle a Hog call (or Hotty Toddy or Roll Tide or whatever) you don’t need to be attending road games. Period. I will readily concede that some in the stairwell, including my sibling, were not being entirely hospitable. But what prompted that inhospitability was this guy’s negative reaction to calling the Hogs. Keep his mouth shut, they would have left him alone. The other OM fans were being left alone.
Well, obviously it’s moronic to expect the home fans to file silently out of the stadium after a big win. On the other hand, egging on a confrontation in a stairwell full of possibly inebriated fans on opposite sides doesn’t sound overly bright either. It’s not worth it. Gravity might be a harsh reminder that who wins a football game isn’t that important. Just ignore the idiots and walk away unless physical self-defense is warranted. That would be my advice, which is probably worth what it cost you.
That was the smallest I can remember seeing a visiting SEC crowd. Ole Miss definitely did not sell many tickets. The section had big empty spots. I commented on that almost immediately after kickoff. Maybe they were a little short on cash after buying their players? It looked like they over spent on wide receivers/tight ends and under spent on linebackers.
Now, Clay. You said to be positive, so I’m gonna be positive.
OM has the best 3-3 team money can buy! Look at their quality losses! They were way ahead of Bama before getting drilled! They were way ahead of a not vintage FSU team before losing! They were ahead at Arkansas before losing late.
And what about those impressive wins! Wofford! Memphis! And, UGA (that just lost at home to Vandy).
Why, by my account and those of many here, Mississippi has the 3rd-best team in the nation. They have to be. Look at the recruiting rankings!
Oh, I agree. But that’s my brother in a nutshell. He’s been egging on confrontations for 54 years now, including quite a few with me. I was just an observer in this case, and found the verbal abuse raining on the Black Bear fan amusing. They couldn’t come up with much of a reply either.
Regarding Clay’s comment on the OM crowd, I couldn’t see how many were in the EUD above me, but I did see how many tickets were for sale on our website last week from OM turnbacks. Section 509 had almost no tickets sold as of Thursday night. But I could see the visiting fans in 111 below me and there were some gaps. There was also a very rapid departure once the mutant’s fumble went out of bounds.
Jeff if I remember right, your brother is little bigger than you were, back when I was around both of you a lot more about 6 or 8 years ago. I could see him maybe wanting to get after them some. He looked like he would have been a good square bale hauler back in his younger days. We are all a lot older that we used to be for sure. Fuzz
You remember correctly, Fuzz. He outweighs me by at least 100 pounds and is 5 inches taller. He looks now like the offensive lineman he was back in the day, although back then he couldn’t get his weight over 200 pounds. He has always been a little too fond of physical confrontations without helmet and pads, and that hasn’t changed now that he’s in his 50s too.
Good advice Boar! When we traveled to Oxford a few years ago and visited the Grove, the fans there were actually the most courteous that I have ever been around!
Maybe I spent too many years in Texas to give a flying flip about post-game give and take with visitors. If you cannot take the grief of winning home fans, don’t go on road trips. What do they expect?
I gave plenty of lip in my day, but more often than not I was gracious to other school’s fans before a game and then after the dust settled. But dang, I assure you I would give multiple loud wooo pig or how bout them hogs as I filed out of a winning road game in Texas. Don’t feel one bit of guilt over that and will do it again.
Some would want us all to wear pink tutu’s to Razorback games and sing camp fire songs with visiting fans. Count me out.
[quote=“ClayHenry”]
That was the smallest I can remember seeing a visiting SEC crowd. Ole Miss definitely did not sell many tickets. The section had big empty spots. I commented on that almost immediately after kickoff. Maybe they were a little short on cash after buying their players? It looked like they over spent on wide receivers/tight ends and under spent on linebackers.
[/quote]Clay, they spent their money with the ESPN and the SEC network PR department apparently to ever say they were the best two loss team in CFB. Now, they are probably the best 3 loss team in the country, lol, so what are we, lucky ? Ha, ha, We have beat them 3 straight and beat the other ESPN darling last year in Knoxville and made them like it. Auburn is next ---- will not be close. Going to be a beat down. Sorry Gus. Sure hate to see Miles leave LSU though. Razorbacks 9-3 at this point, which is what I think you predicted actually.
