2011 Outback Bowl - Good, Bad and Ugly

by: John Tecce

January 1, 2011

Post Game

I want to try to avoid discussing what happened on the field today not only because of the result, but mostly because that's what every other article and blog out there will focus on. Anyone who watched the game knows what happened, so I'd rather fill in the details about the rest of the Outback Bowl experience.

The Good

Despite the outcome, today was still a lot of fun. One of the real treats of the day was being able to tailgate, as we can't for home games because of our involvement with Paternoville. A big thanks to Alex Cohen (Paternoville President and one of my roommates) for his grilling skills, and the rest of the "Miami crew" for hosting us.

Even though the players were understandably devastated as they walked towards the tunnel after the game, a few made sure to thank their family members, friends, and the rest of the fans for making the trip. Silas Redd and Stephon Morris generously gave us their gloves, and D'Anton Lynn thanked us for our support all season. This might seem like a small thing, but it really means a lot to us.

Finally, a truly awesome moment of the day occurred outside the stadium after the game with Graham Zug and our group, the "Z Club". We found a great picture of him throwing up the "Z" hand sign (we make a Z with our hands whenever he catches a pass) from Senior Day, and Z Club member (and yet another of my roommates) Adam Brown had it framed last week. We signed the matting and gave it to him as a way of thanking him for the memories he's given us the past few years. Graham seemed to really appreciate it, and we wish him luck in the future.

Other good parts of the day included:

• The short walk from our hotel to the stadium
• The flyover and the four paracommandos who parachuted into the stadium
• Raymond James Stadium gets a good review from me. Aesthetically pleasing, good bathroom setup, wide concourses, good sightlines, and the pirate ship
• My whole group was shown on the ABC broadcast for a good amount of time, which I found out about after I received 15 text messages telling me

The Bad

Anyone who watched the game today can probably fill this part out. In terms of my own bowl experience, I can honestly say there isn't much I would label as "bad".

A few of my gripes include:

• The parking lots not opening until 10am for a 1pm game. This is Penn State and Florida. Only allowing 3 hours (maximum) of tailgating is like only playing the first half of the game.
• The absence of Outback Bowl patches available for purchase
• ESPN's Rob Stone, who we decided is a bad luck charm ever since he camped out at Paternoville on the field for the Iowa game last year
• We didn't get our picture next to the pirate ship in the endzone

The Ugly

Unfortunately, a healthy portion of Gator fans is not the only ugliness present in the stands today at Raymond James Stadium.

Sitting across the row from us was Matt McGloin's family, who could be easily identified by their Penn State apparel displaying #11 and the McGloin name. I am not sure how it began, but late in the 4th quarter they got in an argument with the two guys sitting next to us, who appeared to also be Penn State students. These two were among the many in our section in loudly expressing their frustration with McGloin's poor decision-making on the field.

The argument between them and the McGloin family went on for about a minute or two. When my girlfriend Carolyn interjected with her own opinion, as many others around us were doing, a guy who appeared to be one of McGloin's brothers responded by telling her that she could not criticize Matt because she is a woman.

I understand why both parties were frustrated, but the McGloin family should understand that criticism comes with the position of being the starting quarterback at a big-time college program. There is a difference between defending a family member and being confrontational and ignorant, and responding in the manner than he did does not help his brother's image any. I wonder what his mother, who stood next to him also arguing with the surrounding fans, thought of his comment.