Review: Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Boston College Eagles, 9/6/13, 8pm
Final Score: Wake Forest 10 Boston College 24, Attendance: 32,465
Weather: Clear, 60’s to 40’s, Ticket Price $30 Face, paid $10 scalper, Parking Free
“A Good Start” by Tree
The Site:
Boston College plays in a small stadium in a southern suburb of Boston. The stadium is on campus. It is not a large stadium, but it was not without its charms. I had not bought tickets to the game in advance as it had appeared there would be plenty available at the gate. I decided to take my chances with the scalpers since I knew I could buy tickets at the stadium if necessary. They were selling family four packs for $80. I love those deals, 4 tickets, 4 dogs and 4 cokes. Alas, it was only my friend, Dave and I, going to the game and trying to unload the two tickets at the gate didn’t seem worth the effort. Single game tickets started at $30 and I was hoping to get in for cheaper than that.
I spotted an older gent with the tell-tale signal by the gate, two tickets in his hand, held low, but facing forward so folks could see them. He didn’t look like a pro, but I couldn’t be sure. I asked him if he was selling and what he had. He was definitely not a pro. He had two end zone tickets with a $30 face. He offered them up at $10 each and I happily took the deal. End zone seats aren’t my favorite spot, but I figured we could move around if we needed to.
I found the stadium to be charming. There were multiple food options in the stadium including chili, burritos, pizza to hot dogs. They did not sell beer in the stadium. I needed to pick up a souvenir for the game. I usually try to keep it under $10 but I was feeling flush given the free parking and the discounted tickets. I also like to wear something with the local logo to blend in with the home fans. I had on the right color, maroon, but no Boston College identifier. I decided to go with a t-shirt because it was supposed to get chilly that night and I was relatively unprepared for the brisk weather. It was $18.95, but still cheaper than the baseball caps. I did have a little bit of buyer’s remorse not going for the yellow foam eagle claw, thinking that would’ve looked good on my future trophy wall.
We got to our seats and they were not bad. The stadium has a small video scoreboard on each end with about the same resolution as our old RCA television, but it would do for any action we missed. The student section was on the opposite end and was very robust. I did overhear someone behind me say that part of that reason was because a point system had been introduced to motivate students to attend games to get tickets for more attractive events. Supposedly, attendance at this event garnered two points. I am not sure where that falls in the marquee seriatim; my guess was towards the bottom. It was bench seating, but I don’t think I could have checked my stadium chair on my flight. I did not use the bathrooms, but they looked big enough. I would say the stadium was well designed and well run.
The Logistics:
I flew Jet Blue into Boston Logan and drove up to NH to pick up my old friend Dave who was graciously providing the lodging for the weekend and joining me at the stadiums. Parking at the stadium is parking pass only and the school really doesn’t recommend that you try to find a spot on or near campus. Boston College set up shuttles from the Needham industrial parking lot. It was easy to find and the school bus ride to stadium was scenic and free. The tailgating looked good but it will require a parking pass which ran about $50 on Stub Hub.
The Game:
The game would have been much closer if Wake Forest could have held on to the ball. They were running the option and in the very first series, the Demon Deacons turned the ball over deep in their own end. The Eagles pounced on it and the offense efficiently converted it to six points. Later, Wake’s QB made a much more egregious pitch with a BC defender draped all over him. It was an extremely poor decision. BC converted that into six as well. I am sure Wake Forest didn’t put the option in just for Boston College, it only looked that way. Boston College’s offense ran a well-designed offense and moved the ball fairly well. I was particularly impressed with their fullback, no. 44 Andre Williams, who was a load. He was a big back with who could tiptoe like a ballerina when he had to. By the end of the game, he had over 200 yards. Boston College certainly didn’t dominate the game, but they did control it. And with the Wake Forest turnover woes, it was enough to grab a solid win.
Personal Notes:
As I mentioned, I flew in for this game. I am a very seasoned flier but I nearly missed my flight. I was flying Jet Blue out of Washington National. It is my preferred airport out of D.C. because it is so much smaller than Dulles. Plus, I enjoy flying into National at night seeing the monuments lit up. My flight was for 10:55 and it takes me about 30 minutes to get National from my house. I had planned to leave at 9:30 but I took my time and we didn’t leave until 9:45. It made for a pretty stressful drive in to the airport with my wife reminding me that I always cut things too close when it comes to appointments, etc. I like to think it is my strong experience in Supply Chain Management to practice best in class Just In Time management. I did make the flight, getting to the gate right when they were boarding, JIT. However, I will admit I made a mental note to give myself more time for future flights out of Washington National. It was about as stressful as the weekend got.
The only other negative was the weather. It was clear, but it got cold quick. I was prepared for low 60’s, not the high 40’s. I was glad I had bought the BC t-shirt. I needed all the layers I could get given I had brought only a light windbreaker. I am at the seasoned age where I care much more about how I feel rather than how I look. It didn’t take long to convert my stadium seat to a stadium blanket. It got so bad that I had to break out the old hide-a-hood from the windbreaker. So much for Boston Strong, I was sporting southern blood wimpy. It was definitely football weather and a good reminder to start getting my fall football wardrobe ready.
But other than that, the BC game was a good start for what would turn out to be a great weekend.