Bowl Road Trip Diary Day 3

Ten men. Two vehicles. 3600 miles. Oh yeah, a football game and a hoppin' New Year's Eve party in between car rides. Follow TGOM's Bowl Road Trip Diary from the first mile marker to the last.

Day 3: The Game

Game day had arrived.

On the morning of the Insight Bowl, we roused ourselves around 8 a.m. to prepare for our final IU football game as students. We started the day with double-double burgers at In-N-Out (Nothing like a 10 a.m. hamburger to jump start your day) and headed to the parking lot outside Sun Devil Stadium.

It was apparent from the start that IU fans vastly outnumbered their Oklahoma State counterparts. The parking lot might as well have been the grassy fields across from Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers were "playing 13," so our goal was to "drink 13." Some of us fared better than others.

By the time kickoff rolled around, we were thoroughly pumped. Our state of excitement dwindled quickly, however, as IU allowed Oklahoma State to score touchdowns on their first five possessions. The Hoosiers looked every bit like a team that hadn't been to a bowl game in over a decade. It felt like the Cowboys were snapping the ball near our goal line on every other play in the first half. Maybe they were.

Pictures to follow, but now it's time to bring in the New Year on Mill Ave.

Bowl Road Trip Diary Days 1 & 2

Ten men. Two vehicles. 3600 miles. Oh yeah, a football game and a hoppin' New Year's Eve party in between car rides. Follow TGOM's Bowl Road Trip Diary from the first mile marker to the last.

Days 1 & 2: The Draining Drive

The drive was everything we expected it to be: Oftentimes dull, slightly scenic, but mostly just plain long. With ten drivers splitting time between a Pontiac Grand Prix and a Nissan Pathfinder, we clocked in around 27 hours of driving including the time we took to stop and switch drivers every three hours or so and fill up on gas.

Indiana and Illinois supplied the usual eye candy of dead fields and barren trees; St. Louis added a jolt of electric color at night; Oklahoma and Texas passed like a bad dream; New Mexico would never end and Arizona came just in time.

The drive went smooth, however, and the only people that complained were the two stuck in the back of the Pathfinder, a tight fit for the smallest of us. We made it to Tempe around seven o'clock on Sunday and got a nice look at Sun Devil Stadium on the way to the apartment complex where we are crashing (literally).

Tomorrow is the big day. The plan is to rise around 8 a.m. to pick up our tickets, tailgate until the game at 3:30 p.m. and then hit the huge block party nearby until the wee small hours of the morning. If the drive seemed long, tomorrow may drag on to (blissful) infinite. At least I won't have to fret over leg room.

And now before I pass out, here's a little taste of our road trip to Tempe:

The 1800-mile trip began in Avon, Ind. at the quaint quarters of Conor McDermott's rent's house.

The McDermott bathtub is pretty quaint too.

We drew cards to see who would start out in which vehicle and who would drive first.

Whoever drew the Jack drove first. Lucky me.

Chris Marcum shows off his pretty blanket to the boys. He's such a charmer.

Billy Bernard prepares the Red Rider with the Indiana flag. Unfortunately, it fell off somewhere in Oklahoma. We're planning on picking it up on the way back.

Illinois is a really exciting state.

I think this is what the St. Louis skyline must look like to people on LSD.

We stopped to pick up Brad Gessel outside of St. Louis, but he wasn't at his house. We waited until he arrived, but some things just couldn't wait.

Like I said, it was a little cozy in the Pathfinder. Luckily, we quickly adjusted to everyone's bodily odors except Dan's.

Dan Morgenstern cruises ahead at a cautious 72 miles per hour. There were plenty of bears behind those bushes.

Conor dreams about how his very first IU football game will be on Monday. Actually, this is what Conor looked like for most of the trip. The guy can flat out sleep.

Jeff Poteet makes a sick face. Jeff has been under the weather lately, but nothing could stop him from seeing the Hoosiers take on the Cowboys - not even a temperature of 103. A couple of early morning full moons didn't help his condition, however.

The Continental Divide is right over in that direction. Somewhere.

TGOM takes the wheel sporting the finest western hat wear that can no longer fit on his father's head.

Not too many of these geographical formations in the Midwest.

How better to unwind after a grueling trip than at the Library, Tempe's scholarly version of Hooter's?

Matt enjoys a beer at the Library. I think he enjoyed our librarian even more, however.

Some establishment messed up IU's logo in their advertisement. I guess dotting the I's and crossing the U's is secondary at a place where pole dancing is encouraged. If that isn't bulletin board material for Bill Lynch and the Hoosiers then I don't know what is.

Brent Ling, California's own, met up with us in Tempe. Brent flew in before us which explains why he looks sane.

I noticed this street on the drive back to the apartment. Is it a sign of good things to come for IU? The Hoosiers need wide receiver James Hardy to come up big on several drives to win tomorrow.

IU football memories past and present

OK, the next post will be for real. Tomorrow, I'm meeting up with WIUX's finest, Dan Morgenstern, on the way to Indy. Saturday, we hit the road.

But before we get out the Travel Yahtzee, I asked the guys to come up with a list of football memories - good and bad - we've accumulated over the years. Here's what we came up with in no paticular order.

1. Beating Purdue this year. Watching the students rush the Memorial Stadium field was one of those surreal moments where you barely trust your senses. Is this really happening? In Bloomington? After everything? Couldn't have been scripted any better.

2. Meeting Coach Hep. The man seemed a bit delusional at times (He once referred to the IU football program as a "soaring rocket ship" on live television.), but it was the kind of crazy that made sane people want to forget about silly things like being realistic. Coach Hep turned a bunch of hard Hoosier cynics into mild believers. That in itself is a commendable accomplishment.

I can remember the day IU announced Terry Hoeppner as the new coach and thinking "Who?" Today, I can answer my question with "The greatest thing to happen to IU football since Bill Mallory, that's who."

3. Loss to Penn State in 2004. Another forgettable year in IU football, but this game was particularly painful because of the way the Hoosiers found a way to lose. In the closing minutes of the game, IU had the ball near the goal line down by four with four plays to score the go-ahead touchdown. Two runs up the middle, a failed option right and another pathetic attempt up the middle. Game over. Good one, Gerry.

4. Kellen Lewis saves IU's bacon in Muncie. Down 17-0 in the second quarter against a MAC school with the third-string freshman quarterback taking his first snaps under center? Not the typical formula for victory. Then again, there's not much that is typical about Kellen Lewis. In his Hoosier debut, Lewis led IU to a 24-23 come-from-behind victory, accounting for more than 300 yards of offense and recording his first passing and rushing touchdowns.

A bunch of us made the trip to Muncie for that Sept. 2006 game and braved the rain that soaked the stands in the second half. Lewis' athleticism made a miserable downpour seem like a slight sprinkle.

5. Tailgating mayhem and general debauchery. Some of us awoke like children on Christmas morning on those autumn Saturdays to round everyone up and ensure prime parking position in the tailgating fields. Some of us constructed pinatas of the opposing quarterback to beat on before heading to Memorial Stadium. Some of us misused Wiffle Ball bats. All of us had a good time - at least we look like we are having a good time in the surfacing pictures. Oh, and the highest row of Memorial Stadium is a no-kite flying zone (even if you are wearing your Halloween costume).

6. Unlike baseball, there is crying in football. Everyone has felt it creep up on them at some point this season. Whether it was during the tribute to Coach Hep before the season opener, a dramatic ESPN exclusive with Jane Hoeppner or a sudden mental connection that brought a lump to the throat, everyone has felt the loss of Coach Hep in some way. The man will never be replaced, but his legacy will always inspire us.

7. Loss to Southern Illinois in 2006. This was another low point. The Salukis, a Division I-A program, steamrolled over the Hoosiers 35-28, while we watched from the stands wearing garbage bags beneath ominous skies. One of those days where you question the value of a college education.

8. Wins over Iowa in 2006 and 2007. No team has boosted IU's confidence like Iowa the last two seasons. In 2006, the Hoosiers toppled the No. 15-ranked Hawkeyes 31-28 prompting the "rocket ship" comment from Coach Hep. In 2007, IU spoiled the Hawkeyes' homecoming 38-20 and prompted one of the oddest scoring plays in football history when Kellen Lewis was credited with a 71-yard touchdown pass to...Kellen Lewis. Yeah, he's that good.

(OK, actually he recovered a fumble off of a passing play and took it to the house. The box score, however, makes Lewis look mythic.)

9. Gerry gets a road win in 2004. IU's win against No. 25 Oregon in 2004 was a fluke, we will be the first to admit that, but it was a memorable fluke. On that night, we watched the game from City Grille, DiNardo looked like a competent coach with a 2-0 team and I devoured the hottest wings on the menu. Since then, City Grille has gone out of business and Gerry has moved from the sideline to the TV studio. My stomach, however, is still recovering from those wings.

10. The first down march. It's a good workout. Plus, football is a lot more fun when your team gets first downs.

On the Tempe trail

What's a road trip without a few random stops?

Jeff Poteet, TGOM's roommate first class, took the time to plot out several possible escapes from the long and winding road. Here's a link detailing our cross-country route with each letter corresponding to the following sites:

A. MONUMENT CIRCLE (Indianapolis, Ind.) - Well, we have to start somewhere. After rounding Indy's venerated loop, we'll make a beeline for Interstate 70.

B. World's Largest Cross (Effingham, Ill.) - It wouldn't be a bad idea to stop at the giant cross at the intersection of Interstates 57 and 70 about 150 miles into our trip. We could say a prayer for a safe trip, appeal to The Big Guy on the Hoosiers' behalf or give a shout out to Coach Hep. It took a few miraculous plays to get IU to Tempe, might as well recognize the greatest of all the miracle workers.

C. Giant Catsup Bottle Water Tower (Collinsville, Ill.) - Only in America can you find a mammoth condiment dispenser stretching 170 feet into the air. As someone who has been subjected to countless ketchup jokes due to a certain ketchup manufacturer beginning with the letter "H," I may just cringe at the sight of this tomato monstrosity. And can we please settle this catsup vs. ketchup discrepancy? There isn't mustard and mosterd.

D. St. Louis Arc (St. Louis, MO) - Hopefully we catch a glimpse of the famous arc as we stop in St. Louis to pick up our common sensically-challenged friend Brad. Brad won our fantasy football regular season title this year. He also once told a girl that her best feature was her arms. I'm afraid to speculate about what that says about our fantasy football prowess.

E. "Gateway to the Ozarks" (Cuba, MO) - No dictators, no missile crises, just a self-proclaimed "growing and prosperous community... within minutes of activities the whole family can enjoy." I think the next slogan should read Cuba, Missouri: Just minutes from enjoyment.

F. Big Fork (Springfield, MO) - Every memorable road trip has a critical fork in the road. Our fork could come quite literally in Springfield -- and provide a perfect photo opportunity!

G. Will Rogers Memorial Museum (Claremore, Okla.) - 600 miles into our trip may be the perfect time to pay homage to one of America's greatest entertainers. After being trapped inside a vehicle with one another for hours, we all may need a laugh by this point anyway.

H. Oklahoma City National Memorial (Oklahoma City, Okla.) - Most of us were too young to understand the full significance of the bombing that occurred in Oklahoma City in the spring of 1995, but we could always use a reminder about the destructive force of violence in this world and the role we all play in making sure such acts never occur.

I. The Leaning Water Tower and another large cross (Groom, Texas) - You can't pack enough odd water towers and giant crucifixes in one road trip.

J. Big Texan Steak Ranch and Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo, Texas) - After devouring a 72 oz. steak at the famous Big Texan Steak Ranch (between the entire group, of course), we'll spray paint a "Go Hoosiers" on the partially buried and fully vandalized Cadillacs of Cadillac Ranch before continuing to Tempe.

K. Ernie Pyle's House and Library (Albuquerque, NM) - Visiting the home of the well-known war correspondent and heroic Hoosier would be a great way to stir up some IU pride. I've spent enough time in Ernie Pyle Hall on campus to understand the significant contributions Pyle made to American journalism.

L. Continental Divide (Thoreau, NM) - So if the rainwater hits this side of the mountain it flows to the Pacific, and if it hits that sound of the mountain it flows to the Atlantic. Who knew?

M. Wigwam motels (Holbrook, AZ) - The true reason we are making this trip is to sleep in a wigwam.

N. Meteor crater (Winslow, AZ) - Before Coach Hep gave IU its Rock, the extraterrestials sent Earth theirs.

O. Heart Attack Grill (Phoenix, AZ) - Our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? The Double Bypass Burger.

P. SUN DEVIL STADIUM (Tempe, AZ) - Behold the promised land.

Coming Soon: Bowl Road Trip Diary

Ten men. Two vehicles. 3600 miles of road. The figurative culmination of 4 years of randomness, outrageousness and athletic devotion.

After enduring three seasons of heartbreaking IU football, 10 IU seniors (including TGOM's finest) will traverse this expansive nation to witness the greatest accomplishment by an IU team in 14 years: a bowl berth.

On Dec. 31, the Indiana Hoosiers will take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. I, along with nine other comrades - many of whom I've known my entire college career - will be there to cheer the Hoosiers on - because who knows if IU will ever make it to a bowl again before we are middle-aged, balding and irritable.

We witnessed DiNardo's final year (at least when we weren't covering our eyes). We embraced Coach Hep. We saw Kellen Lewis enter the game against Ball State as an unknown freshman and found hope. We felt concerned when Coach Hep left the sidelines, and we cried when he left this earth before any of us were prepared. But now the Hoosiers are playing thirteen. Now we have a team to rally around. Now we finally get to celebrate.

Austin Starr's field goal to bring the Old Oaken Bucket back to Bloomington and give IU it's first winning season since Saturday morning cartoons were the highlight of our week sparked a gridiron celebration unlike anything we could have imagined as scrawny freshmen. That was before The Rock was The Rock, before Coach Hep wanted us, before James Hardy became a man.

For us fellas, it's been a wild ride with plenty of highs and lows, but we're glad we stuck it out. We're glad we drug our asses across the tailgating fields into Memorial Stadium on those autumn Saturdays. We're glad we will be bringing in the New Year under a desert sky.

Our trip officially begins on Dec. 28 in Indianapolis and ends on Jan. 3. TGOM will be blogging the whole thing, right down to the 3 a.m. rest stop in Scalphead, Okla.

Plenty of incriminating pictures, recollections - maybe even videos - to follow. Until then, Go Hoosiers!