Man, everyone should get to Orlando/Disney/Universal a few times in their lives. What a place for a bowl game! Had a blast there with my family. The rides, sights and fun stuff is everywhere. We didn’t exactly go on a budget but you could easily spend a small fortune. Its not the cheapest place to go but man I don’t regret spending any of it. While there where a lot of LSU fans I was SHOCKED at the amount of Iowa fans. I didn’t expect them to travel near as well as we do and even though LSU outnumbered the Iowa faithful they still had a very nice turnout. Since I didn’t take my laptop I went 5 whole days without TF. The longest I’ve not looked at this forum since I signed up! As far as the game goes I imagine everything has been covered here ten times over and yes, it was a bummer. I’ll just say this though…Iowa was MUCH, MUCH better than I ever expected. They were very physical and for 3 quarters had us on our heels. It looked to me like they got a little tired in the 4th when JR started having some success. There was some interesting chatter regarding the power struggle going on between the BOS and TAF in this coaching search. Word scattered around Saturday morning that Petrino was not going to be offered the job and it was down to pretty much one person. Most of us fans sat there with jaws dropped open when rumors circulated that Les Miles appeared to be that one guy left in the search. I spent much of the day with some TAF members and they were none too happy about it. One guy in particular, whom I don’t really know but was around my location, is a big time TAF donor and he was on his cell phone letting someone have it! I didn’t catch all of what he was saying but to say he wasn’t happy would be a gargantuan understatement. After he got off the phone he started chaffing on Bertman for pulling the trigger too quick and for allowing himself to get pressured by the BOS. Anyway, I picked up a bunch of tidbits that helped me better understand the struggle going on right now at LSU. Nick Saban leaving has had a far wider ripple effect than I ever imagined. Anyway, not happy to have ended the season with a loss and having to replace Saban but it is what it is. We have a lot to look forward to next season and I’ll get behind Coach Miles. He is the LSU coach now and he needs our support. GEAUX TIGERS!
I don't know squat about the particulars of the search or the struggle between BOS and TAF. I have absolutely no "say-so" in who our next coach will be. However, the only person who could replace Nick Saban with there being any detractors is Nick Saban. The proof will be in the pie and hopefully we'll all be eating well next year. Lots of talent coming back, we may lose a few recruits, the future to a large extent depends on how we do next year. Anybody know when the Spring Game is ?
Iowa fans outnumbered us about 60-40, in my estimation. The Iowa economy is better than Louisiana's. The Iowa school system is head and shoulders above Louisiana's. Those Disney attractions are OK the first time you see them... after that they begin to get a bit cheezy. They need to rename Tomorrowland to "We Thought It Was Gonna Be This Way" Land and Epcot to "Obsoletecot."
"even though LSU outnumbered the Iowa faithful they still had a very nice turnout". The LSU fans were great... however Iowa fans filled about 65% of the stadium.... some 43,000 fans... according to FCS estimates.
In the parks it looked to me like LSU fans outnumbered Iowa fans. In the stadium it looked about even at best although I thought we had more. I will say this though, I was pretty hazed on gameday from those early morning system rechargers I was drinking. BTW...We didnt go to Epcot or Tomorrow Land. Spent most of our time at Universal, MGM (Rockin Roller Coaster & Tower of Terror are freakin AWESOME) & Magic Kingdom.
I couldn't go to the game, but the reports are that the LSU fans were excellent before the game, and some of the most gracious ever in defeat. On top of that, we Hawks are very proud of our taligating tradition, yet many have returned with their tailgating tails between their legs, saying that we lost the tailgating battle to LSU quite handily. I hope to return to this site next season to get an update on the Tigers. Good Luck with Miles.
The 43,000 estimate was in the Sunday Orlando Sentinel... and if you were at the game the numbers justified the estimate. It was amazing how many Hawk fans were "sprinkled" in the LSU side. After the game, when all the Hawks stayed, you could tell there were about 2,000 or so Hawk fans who had been sitting on the "other side". That said.... we thought LSU was much more equipped for tail-gating... a lot of new motor homes, etc. We thought your band was better and your line-up of girls in gold with the "gloves" was very cool. The fact that you got out-played by our special teams was nothing new to us. We don't have the "studs" that you (or Michigan/OhioState) have... so we rely heavily on our special teams. Watch any Hawkeye game and you would know that. The only part of our special teams that has suffered this year is our kick-off and punt return execution, as both the backs that were our return men have been out most of the year.
Just back after the trip. Had a good time with the fam - stayed at universal. The coaching rumors were hilarious during the game. "Confirmed reports" of Spurrier in Baton Rouge. Jimmy Johnson, also. Then word about Les Miles. Every single time I went to get a beer. Every time in the bathroom. Who knows what will happen next. This guy is getting the keys to the coolest car in the garage - what will he do with it? My gut reaction is this. We need to temper our enthusiam and exectations for next year. With Saban, I think and SEC championship and possible MNC run. With Les, I am hoping we go 8-3. Unfair, I know. But that's the gut reaction. I hope he's better than I expect.
