Gameday

I had an awesome Halloween and it didn't have anything to do with costumes, candy or those scary Scooby-Doo shows but it had everything to do with college football.

ESPN's weekly TV show College Gameday came to Eugene for a live broadcast (because of the Oregon-USC game) and a co-worker and I were lucky enough to score a pair of VIP passes through our employer. These passes enabled us to hang out "backstage" and do such things as watch the broadcast from behind the cameras, meet The Duck (as seen in the pic above), eat whatever food we wanted, wander around, get on the Gameday bus, and most importantly, go on the set and meet the Gameday crew. I had such a great time! It was fun to do all of this and experience the energy of the crowd that gathered for the 7 a.m. broadcast. There were so many creative and wacky signs that people were waving in the audience. It was thrilling to be a part of it.

The crowd was rowdy even before sunrise


The Gameday crew doing their thing


On the Gameday set with Desmond, Kirk, and some random guy

Later that evening, I was fortunate to attend the Oregon-USC game. I had a feeling it was going to be a good game, but I was wrong. It was a freakin' awesome game! The Ducks destroyed the Trojans 47-20! To put some perspective into this, it was the worse loss USC has had this decade. Being the Ducks fan that I am, it was the best regular season college football game I've ever been to.

This Halloween was one of the best experiences of my life (so far). What a day!

Good times at Autzen Stadium! (I love this pic)

I need to mention that Angie was such a great wife to wake up at 5:30 a.m., make breakfast for my co-worker and I, then drop us off at the stadium for College Gameday (as well as pick us up). All of this she volunteered to do without me asking. Thank you so much, Ang! I love you!