GSU vs JSUSept. 17, 2011--Game 3
The trip to Jacksonville State was easy--less than 2 1/2 hours. We left at 11 a.m., stopped in Anniston and had lunch at O'Charley's (the Mini Dessert Sampler: tiny fresh doughnuts, mini caramel pie, and brownie with ice cream is awesome-only 400 calories when split 3 ways!)
After lunch, we drove the last 20 minutes to Jacksonville, AL, and easily found the shuttle parking lot. The bus dropped us off on the lovely, tree lined campus, near the stadium. As we entered the stadium, an hour before kickoff, our Panther football players were huddled together mid-field. They were gearing up for the game by loudly humming one of the tunes that revs up the crowd whenever it's played in the Dome! (They stopped humming before I could get it on video!)
The visitors' stands were much less crowded than the home stands. As expected, red was the dominant color in the venue. However, a fair contingent of Georgia State Panther supporters, proudly wearing blue, were interspersed with the enthusiastic Jacksonville State fans.
The newly enlarged JSU Gamecock's stadium was impressive, but it in NO WAY compares with the Georgia Dome! "Our House" has spoiled the Panther Nation! We're always dry and comfortable when we're playing at home! (This video is a pre-game semi-panoramic view of the new stadium.)
It was VERY exciting to see (and hear) that our entire band had made the trip! As is customary, Pounce, and the cheerleaders, escorted the team onto the field.
It has been years since I have been so hot at a football game! The blistering sun and searing heat made watching the game pretty miserable during the first half--especially for those of us who wore long pants and shirts with sleeves. I was expecting cooler temperatures, based on The Weather Channel's "high of 78" forecast!
The direct sunlight and concrete significantly boosted the temperatures in the stadium. Infrequent cloud cover and cooling breezes were welcomed when they came! Even though I borrowed sunscreen from Mark Hogan's Panther Mama, I came home with a sunburn. I can only imagine how hot it must've been on the field, in helmets and pads.
The Panthers showed improvement over last week. I believe we outplayed the Gamecocks in the first half. We were tied 14-14 at the half. After that, we got behind, and didn't recover. This was a tough loss.
I'm not a sportswriter, so you'll need to get more specific details and commentary, at PantherTalk. Just a reminder, though, let's be positive! We need to support our TEAM--no matter what! Our young team is a work in progress. We need to remember: they want to play well and win, as much, or more, than we want them to. They are playing their hearts out!
Do you know how many hours EACH DAY the football players put into conditioning, workouts, strength training, practice, team meetings, reviewing films, studying plays, etc.? In addition, they have classes, labs, tutoring, homework, and study hall. Players' days start at 5:30 a.m., and often don't end till 9 or 10 p.m.!
Football players train eleven months of the year. Football related obligations in the fall leave very little time for necessities like eating and sleeping, much less time for family, friends, or any kind of social life outside of football. These guys are totally dedicated to building OUR NEW PANTHER FOOTBALL TEAM!
I found this image on Pinterest, and saved it as a reminder for myself. As I told y'all last week, I try to be a "glass half full" girl. So, for those of you who lean more toward the "glass is half empty" maybe this can remind us all that our glasses are already full of good things--we just need to remember that!
Let's continue to recognize the positive things our team, coaches, and staff are doing, more frequently than we lament the mistakes from which our team needs to learn. As this illustration shows, even when we believe our glass is half empty, "technically, the glass is always full!"
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| Note handoff, far right! |
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| Extra Point was good to tie the score 14-14! |
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| Rallying the Crowd! |
The band stayed and played our GSU Fight Song as the team exited the stadium, even though the crowd was almost gone. We have an AMAZING BAND!
I'm looking forward to our next game. I hope a lot of you will be following the Panthers to Houston! I'll miss that game because of a class reunion in Florida. Panther Dad will be in Houston, and I'm hoping he'll take some pictures! Will any of you other Panther Mamas who are going to Texas please volunteer to contribute your thoughts for next week's blog? Let me know!
