I have been going to Oxford since the 7th OT game in the HDN era. Obviously, the stadium's look and feel have changed dramatically. So has ours from 2001 to present. So, today's note will only compare what I saw with the atmosphere versus the steel and concrete. Here are the areas that are far superior:
1. DJ booth in the endzone with the students. Not only was it cool with the concept, the smoke and the tunes during key moments helped keep intensity going. Heavy rap kept the crowd involved.
2. The celebrity video's on the scoreboard before each Hotty Totty cheer. It started with Chuck "Iceman" Lidell. Way better than asking people to do it on the field after being recognized.
3. The Drone show with coordinated light show using scoreboards, ribbons, and the actual stadium lights. It happened before the 4th quarter. I can't imagine a recruit not being blown away by this production.
4. Juice, Lane Kiffin's dog, is used as the football tee retriever.
We can't equal the Grove. We can't change the recruiting disadvantages we face here regarding HS. We are going to have to live on portal solutions. So, having a hostile environment and great results should be appealing to someone wanting to transfer. We can make the atmosphere incredible with cutting edge technology and a gameday plan. We are light years behind after what we all witnessed in the Sip. I cannot stand most of their fans, especially the obnoxious students. But, I have to admit they have something special going on. They have moved past the stars and bars flags and singing Dixie to actually being modern and relevant in a place that shouldn't be.
Sidenote---went to the beverage concession a couple of times and restrooms two or three times. No lines. It was bizzare. At RRS in the South End Club there are never times without lines. I have to leave the area and go to student seating restrooms to not miss 5-10 minutes.
1. DJ booth in the endzone with the students. Not only was it cool with the concept, the smoke and the tunes during key moments helped keep intensity going. Heavy rap kept the crowd involved.
2. The celebrity video's on the scoreboard before each Hotty Totty cheer. It started with Chuck "Iceman" Lidell. Way better than asking people to do it on the field after being recognized.
3. The Drone show with coordinated light show using scoreboards, ribbons, and the actual stadium lights. It happened before the 4th quarter. I can't imagine a recruit not being blown away by this production.
4. Juice, Lane Kiffin's dog, is used as the football tee retriever.
We can't equal the Grove. We can't change the recruiting disadvantages we face here regarding HS. We are going to have to live on portal solutions. So, having a hostile environment and great results should be appealing to someone wanting to transfer. We can make the atmosphere incredible with cutting edge technology and a gameday plan. We are light years behind after what we all witnessed in the Sip. I cannot stand most of their fans, especially the obnoxious students. But, I have to admit they have something special going on. They have moved past the stars and bars flags and singing Dixie to actually being modern and relevant in a place that shouldn't be.
Sidenote---went to the beverage concession a couple of times and restrooms two or three times. No lines. It was bizzare. At RRS in the South End Club there are never times without lines. I have to leave the area and go to student seating restrooms to not miss 5-10 minutes.
Last edited:
