BearcatLair.com - A View from Shankpavilion

September 22, 2009

Tim Adams
BearcatLair.com Senior Writer

Of all the trips I've taken over the years to follow Cincinnati football, the trip to Oregon was absolutely the best I've ever had. The Beaver State has such a great blend of mountains and oceans. There is just so much to do and see.

We spent three nights at Neskowin (along the shore between Tillamook and Lincoln City) and saw a whale, a sea lion and a seal. One afternoon we walked for over an hour on the beach and passed only one other person. It was just beautiful, but even though I wore my Cincinnati garb every day, only one person stopped us to talk about the upcoming game in Corvalis and that was a Washington State fan. He also warned us about Oregon Duck fans.

On Friday and Saturday nights, we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Corvalis just off the Oregon State campus about a mile from Reser Stadium. Despite walking around the OSU campus on Friday afternoon and occasionally asking for directions, no one engaged us in any conversation about the game the next day until the other bed and breakfast guests arrived (all Beaver fans and there for the game).

The consensus among all of them was that Beaver fans were very cordial while Oregon Duck fans were just the opposite so we went to Autzen Stadium the next morning expecting the worst.

View pictures of Tim's trip by clicking here

Since we were dressed in Bearcat red, many immediately thought we were Utah fans, but the Duck fans couldn't have been nicer in welcoming us to their stadium. After seeing we were actually Bearcats and knowing that Cincinnati was playing the Beavers later in the day, we actually became pretty popular. Most were shocked we'd even come to the Duck/Ute game, but I had to see what Autzen Stadium was like on GAME DAY!

Now for some comparisons, and let it be known that I support both Oregon programs and have the sweatshirts to prove it, but I think it's also important for Bearcat fans to get a perspective on these two Pac 10 programs and how UC may or may not be different in parking, ticket prices, size of stadium, crowds, etc.

Autzen Stadium- Oregon

I absolutely loved the place! They open up their indoor practice facility for fans prior to the game and have food, games and music. And (unlike Cincinnati) Oregon lets its fans enter and exit the stadium as many times as they like.

That place is unbelievably loud and the seats were great. Even the Utah fans got some very good seats. When the Ducks entered the field, it was deafening and the scoreboard video ended with the Kenny Wheaton interception (90+ yard pick 6) against Washington in 1994 known as "The Pick" as it was instrumental in sending the Ducks to the Rose Bowl that season. Then the Oregon Duck mascot came riding onto the turf on the back of a motorcycle. It was something to see.

What I didn't like about Autzen was it's not on campus and most of the seats are bench seats. You can also expect to pay $20 to $25 for most parking spots anywhere near the stadium, and you'll still have a bit of a walk. We parked free since we had a tip about where to park, but it was a 1.2 mile walk to the stadium.

Surprisingly to me, Oregon was still selling tickets on game day. I would have thought all 54,000 seats would have been bought prior to kickoff, but it did appear to be a sellout by game time.

I did not see any liquor being sold inside Autzen.

The Ducks wore the ugliest uniforms I have EVER seen. And they need to get rid of those duck features on the shoulders of their jerseys.

Tickets at Autzen were $50 each.

Reser Stadium- Oregon State

I really liked Reser Stadium a lot too. The best part about it is the fact it is on campus. Virtually EVERY parking spot on campus is taken and most are used by tailgaters, but once again expect to pay $20 to $25 for the closer spots. After the game as we went to dinner, we saw cars parked a few miles from the stadium.

We walked a little over a mile across campus to get to the game, and it was a sight as we saw all the Beaver fans tailgating in every nook and cranny on campus. No one invited us into their tailgate, but one Beaver made sure to tell us they would be "Feasting on the Big East" that day. It really wasn't a big deal though. We didn't see another Cincinnati fan until we actually entered the stadium. I would estimate only 200 UC fans attended the game.

Just like Oregon, fans are permitted to leave Reser Stadium and re-enter, and again like Autzen Stadium, we did not see any liquor being sold inside.

Our seats at Reser were pretty awful in my opinion. We were low and in the corner of the end zone. Unless the teams were inside our 20 yard line, I had to watch the scoreboard to see what was actually happening on the field.

Despite both teams being ranked by USA Today's poll, there were several thousand tickets available in the 46,000 seat stadium. However, the posted population of Corvalis is slightly less than 50,000. Even though school doesn't start for another week, the OSU students seemed to fill up their sections behind the OSU bench and were very vocal.

I thought the Beaver introduction (video) for the team was good, just not quite as good as the Ducks'.

As nice as the Duck fans were, the Beaver fans were even nicer in defeat. Several went out of their way to thank us for coming to the game. It was VERY impressive.

Tickets at Reser were $45 each.

Which Stadium was Better?

Both provide a very good game day experience. I slightly preferred Autzen Stadium while my wife preferred Reser Stadium. She loved the Oregon State campus and so did I. In fact, I could easily live there.

Now for my game awards. I haven't had the chance to sit down and watch the game on television, but here are my picks for last Saturday.

Offensive MVP

I'm going with D. J. Woods. He had 7 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. I thought he made some really clutch catches too.
Honorable Mention: Armon Binns- 6 catches for 61 yards.

Defensive MVP

I have to go with Drew Frey for his 12 stops and his 1.5 tackles for loss. It was great to see Frey healthy and flying around the field. If he can stay healthy, he's going to have a big year.
Honorable Mention: JK Schaffer- 8 tackles, a TFL and an interception.

Special Teams MVP

At some point I have to acknowledge the job Mike Windt does as the long snapper. Once again, he was flawless.
Honorable Mention: Charley Howard- one excellent tackle on a punt return.

Freshman Coming Out Party

Cincinnati fans got to see the massive potential of redshirt freshman Walter Stewart. The Stew Cat had 2.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in his first college start.

Offensive Play of the Game

When the fumble by D. J. Woods was ruled that his progress has been stopped and no turnover. Instead of OSU getting the ball in great field position, UC kept possession and eventually scored a TD on the drive.

Defensive Play of the Game

The JK Schaffer interception essentially ended the game and assured another excellent Bearcat road win over a ranked opponent.

Question of the day?

The wife and I have been to USC and got a picture next to the Tommy Trojan statue. Went to UCLA and got a picture next to the Bruin statue. Oregon State allowed us a chance to get a picture next to the Benny the Beaver carving. Wouldn't it be great if Cincinnati had a Bearcat statue?

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