Fall and Football

So, I promised to write about the football game on Saturday. Honestly, that seems like so long ago now. My non-weekend took its toll, and I am tired. But I'm also happy. Fall seems to finally be here. And fall is my favorite time of the year. Maybe a part of me never grew up and moved away from the school calendar; even though fall certainly means that growing things are moving toward a period of dormancy or even death as winter approaches, to me it is also always a time of renewed energy and excitement. Even though I'm an early-30s non-student, I still feel the giddy, new-school-year enthusiasm for life. The crisp air and the sharper, cleaner angles of the sun seem to put a spring in my step. And it feels wonderful to sleep under blankets at night again! The trees are starting to think about turning; they have little wisps of color here and there to tease you and make you stay tuned; it is as if God is testing the colors in His palette to see which ones will look best before he REALLY goes to town. Soon it will be pumpkin time, and apple time. I really, really love fall. And I haven't had a proper fall for four years; fall is the one season that Tallahassee does not really do. So I'm going to soak up every minute of this one! I may be tired, but I don't care. I don't want to miss any of this glorious (and too short) season. I'm going to take my tired self for lots of walks and take time to just breathe the fall air. Maybe I can store a little in my lungs for safe-keeping.

Anyway, back to the game. It was pathetic. U of IL Fighting Illini cannot play football. They suck. But the whole game experience was still a heckuva lot of fun anyway. At times, the football game seemed almost forgotten in all the other pageantry. It was an early game on Saturday, 11:00 am. The inlaws, my husband, and I set out from our place after a quick breakfast. We wanted to start early to make sure we didn't have to park in the next county, and this was wise; we were able to park without a problem. As we strolled toward Memorial Stadium at a leisurely pace, we were thoroughly entertained by the hordes of faithful fans, their bits of earth already staked out, their grills going, their beers in their hands (at 9:30 am!), their music blasting, junk food of all kinds spilling from the tailgates of their cars. I would be willing to bet that the majority of the college students we saw tailgating would not usually even be approaching consciousness at 9:30 on an ordinary Saturday morning. But here they were, cooking food, tossing footballs and beanbags, drinking, laughing, enjoying a gorgeous September morning. The smell of optimism (and brats...yum) was in the air.

As we walked, we shared the sidewalk with approximately 6 million high school students wearing band uniforms of every unfortunate color and sparkly material that you can imagine. An occasional uniform actually looked pretty sharp. These kids seemed excited and quite awake, in contrast to the college-age tailgators. Turns out we were going to a game on Band Day. They had all already been up for hours! At halftime, all would be revealed.

We finally made it to our seats with plenty of time to spare. And a few minutes before kick-off, the best part of the game (for me) began: the Marching Illini took the field. This band is one of the very best marching bands anywhere, and they were awesome. Their formations were perfect. Their playing was excellent. You gotta see this band some day!

Then, football ensued. Pretty much from the get-go, Syracuse was kicking U of IL's behind all over town. It actually became comical...every time the Fighting Illini advanced a few yards, a penalty flag would be thrown down, and they'd have to move back to where they were or worse. A Syracuse fan in front of us joked that she didn't think the Fighting Illini understood that they were supposed to be moving toward their endzone. "Maybe someone should tell them?" she asked playfully. There were so many blunders, too...balls thrown to no one, silly pileups, lack of coverage where it was needed. Ah, college football. It was really entertaining!

Halftime was a blast. After another fun performance from the Marching Illini, the 6 million high school band kids joined them on the field for a number. The entire 100 yards at Memorial Stadium was covered with marching bands...it was a rainbow (albeit a mixed up one) of color and sound. I'm sure those kids had a blast! Getting to play with the Marching Illini would inspire any marching band. Hooray for music educators and outreach to high schools!

So, in the end, the Fighting Illini lost by 11 points: final score Syracuse 31, Illinois 21. Sigh. Not suprising. The mood in the air as we walked back to the car was quite a bit more subdued. Tailgators ate quietly, slept on blankets on the grass, contemplated their beer, talked in soft groups. There was no outrage; clearly, Illinois fans are quite used to dealing with their team losing and have learned to handle their disappointment with civility. No sense wasting good food or a beautiful day.

So now I've been to a Big 10 football game. And it was a lot of fun! I'd be up for another sometime. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll even see the team win one day! But even if they don't, the band will still rock.

Happy fall, everyone!