The Arrowhead Experience 2008

Fourth and Seven: Reesing to Meier YouTube Video

Carry The Flag: Kansas 40, Missouri 37

Sorry about the poor photo quality -- I need to invest in a better camera. Just wanted to get this shot of James Holt with the KU flag up on this fanstastic morning. My official game post will come out later today.

Game Preview: Kansas vs Missouri

Credit: ojbyrne / flickr CC (click photo for link)

High Noon

Series: 54-53-9
Series in Kansas City: KU 12-7-3
Time: Saturday, Nov. 29 - 11:30 a.m. (CT)
Venue: Arrowhead Stadium
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
TV: FSN
Line: MU (-16)

Recent History (Tied 5-5)
1998 MU 41, KU 23
1999 KU 21, MU 0
2000 KU 38, MU 17
2001 MU 38, KU 34
2002 MU 36, KU 12
2003 KU 35, MU 14
2004 KU 31, MU 14
2005 KU 13, MU 3
2006 MU 42, KU 17
2007 MU 36, KU 28

Hawk Digest Preseason Missouri Preview

The Scene
Welcome back to the concrete and asphalt playground known as the Truman Sports Complex. The Tigers have already secured the north division title, so this one is all about the Border War and the overall battle of good vs evil. Of course, like most of the Big 12 games this season it'll look less like a war and more like an Arena Football game. If Jake Sharp is a no go, we'll see more of Jocques Crawford and Angus Quigley. You saw how physical Quigley can be. If he can hold onto the ball, that might make things a little more interesting as KU never really got B-Mac untracked last year against Mizzou. A fresh back with a hard hitting attitude ... could be fun.

The Key
Pass rush. The KC Star noted that KU comes into the game with only 23 sacks this season. Actually, that means we have improvement up front. Last year we came into this one with just 19 sacks, so considering the schedule upgrade this year there is reason to believe that facing the MU offensive line won't be quite the shocker that it was last November. We can be sure that they are under-estimating the KU front line.

The Motivation
We wear red, white and blue, they wear black. It's not hard to tell who the good guys are.

“I think it’s a good location for the game. I think it allows more fans to come and it is more of a neutral site, kind of like the Cotton Bowl with Oklahoma and Texas. It allows us to be seen by more people and gives the game a bigger stage, so it’s fun to play on a stage like this.”
--Darrell Stuckey on KU/MU in KC

Border War in KC Gets Extension

Four More Years of Concrete Hell

It's all over the papers this morning. The Jayhawks and Tigers will battle four more times at Arrowhead stadium (exactly in the middle of nowhere). No word as to whether or not the 2013 game will be played at the Kansas Speedway.

I think the problems with the game at Arrowhead have been pretty much detailed and agreed upon. Still, this was inevitable. We're playing against Texas, OU, Nebraska and A&M in the football world, so this type of event is the only way to make a significant attack in that never-ending war. The number one question I have is why couldn't we sign the deal next week? We've heard all about how they've solved the logistics problems. I'm not so sure. Why not play game two and evaluate before inking another four years?

Here's the thing, it's a money-maker now, but you kind of got a skewed look at the event last year with both teams in the national title hunt and College Game Day on hand. Ultimately, fans will decide this issue. And I think your casual KU fan better be able to feel something positive out of this event pretty soon or attendance in blue could trend quickly to dismal. If a hardcore guy like me has to go through a two-week mental pep talk to get up for this game, then I can't imagine how the bandwagon Jayhawk fans are approaching this.

So I guess ... this may actually come down to the KU football team. They could really bail out Lew on this one, because we'll see  tomorrow morning how the players feel about Arrowhead. If they vote yes for Arrowhead with their play, then KU fans will change their attitude in short time.

I should also add that there is one big positive I think we can all cling to -- hey, we may never have to go to Columbia again.

Bill Mayer Lays It Out

Probably one of the better pieces I've read from Bill today on the Arrowhead Border War. Putting the wonderful experience of engaging with real live Mizzou fans into a legitimate print publication is something you don't see everyday. I also liked his take on this:

Little wonder fans scream when the KU-MU-Arrowhead totalitarians give first preference to Kansas City Chiefs season ticket-holders. Why the hell do they deserve such a handout?

Clay Center Correspondent Weighs In

Upon hearing about the Arrowhead extension, our kindly old Hawk Digest correspondent from Clay Center, Kansas decided to announce plans for a new t-shirt line. The shirt says, "I don't want your loyalty, I just want your money."

Just to clarify, this was said in jest. He's no t-shirt maker.

Obsessed Much?

You're pathetic. No, you're pathetic.

http://bullyforoldmizzou.blogspot.com/2008/08/justifying-hatred.html

Why Did KU Go Public?

KU fans are reasonably disturbed that the Mizzou fans were snagging Arrowhead tickets off of the KU website. With Jim Marchiony indicating that KU had already sold 90 to 95% of their allotment, that means the number of tickets up for sale on the website was pretty small. Of course, you have to do some math and even then it's still questionable. Why couldn't Jim just say we had 2,000 tickets that we sold on the website. Anyway, let's try to figure this out:

Jim's 90-95% could not have included the 3,000 he held back for the students or their wouldn't have been tickets to sell. So, let's assume that is from the 27,000, which means somewhere between 1,350 and 2,700 tickets were made availabe. Based on previous percentage estimates from prominent KU AD members let's go with the higher 2,700. Even with the higher number, was it really necessary to get those out to the public before Mizzou put those tickets on sale? I mean it's August. The game is after Thanksgiving. I think we could have handled a few more e-mail campaigns in September to the season ticket holders.

You could also argue that those tickets should go to the students. Three thousand seems a little low for the current allotment. Of course, the students can thank the rumors of certain campus housing systems selling large amounts of Arrowhead One tickets online at a high price. Probably easily thwarted by allowing only two tickets per student ID instead of unlimited. Just an idea.

So, what have we learned? Overall, I'm not excited about a single Mizzou fan in the KU section but I wouldn't sweat it too much as the maximum should be 2,700 at the top of the section (not counting KU season ticket holders that spent the extra cash on Border War tickets with the sole intention of selling for profit*).

*If you do this or have done this in the past, you are an enemy of the University and in general a blight on all of humanity. You are completely dead to me and might as well get a Tiger tattoo on your forehead. Guard that secret with your life and sleep with one eye open.

2008 Border War Arrowhead Map

Please discuss ...

My Arrowhead Border War Ticket Request Form Arrived

Steps in the Right Direction

On Saturday, I received my KU/Missouri ticket application. I'm not going to say everything is golden and that the event issues have clearly been ironed out. What I do see in the letter I received is recognition of some of the major issues and attempts to improve the 2008 version.

Probably, the best move is that the ticket selection for the game is part of the select-a-seat process for season tickets -- sort of. Citing time issues, you'll only be able to select a section and rows, but I believe they are hoping to have your actual seat locations for you before you leave the select-a-seat event (that's the way I read it anyway). The end result -- despite dropping my WEF contribution from $1100 to $100 this year, I bet that I'm going enjoy my Arrowhead seat location much better this year.

The second critical issue is that they are promising KU parking lots. From the letter:

"If you pre-order your parking AND enter the specific designated gates on game day, you will be allocated and parked in "school sensitive" lots. There are several issues to be worked out, but we can assure you that the parking ordered on this application will be in a KU lot."

Hey, you had me at "enter specific designated gates."

Probably the biggest dissappointment would be that the player tunnel will once again be controlled by MU fans. Literally, KU players can probably get less abuse as they enter the field at Faurot Field. This is one of those things that is just so basic that I never would have thought to bring it up if I had been asked for pre-planning requirements. It's a simple formula -- home fans get the tunnel. Mizzou got it last year, so I thought they might correct it this year. The Arrowhead map shows otherwise. Oh well, maybe it's best for the Jayhawks to get a taste of what MU is all about right before they hit the field.

Gas on the Fire: Arrowhead After 2008?

If you've trolled past the gridiron board on phog.net this weekend, you probably picked up this thread and the news story for the Journal-World that fueled it.

I have no doubt that discussions may be going on with the fun folks at Arrowhead; however, I really hope that KU officials are focused on a more critical factor -- ensuring that they get enough Kansas football fans to the 2008 event to make the stadium neutral. I'm not exactly sure how they are going to market that after the reviews following last year's edition. Still, they better get it done. The target is a Big 12 Championship and it looks like this could again be the game to decide it. There will be plenty of time to discuss the future of the game in the spring of 2009, so get focused on getting KU fans to the game and separated from the black and yellow. Also, we want the player tunnel this year.

One note -- I wonder if not having the Arrowhead tickets as part of the season ticket package will actually help. Could that reduce the number of WEF points chasers that sold off their tickets for a nice profit? We may have less fans or maybe it will be the same number, but making that a separate purchase might mean only true KU fans are buying in. Less sellers could lead to solid KU sections at the stadium.

Friday Recycle: Auto Border War, McFadden Gets the 360

Saturday Night Special
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night for the 7:30 p.m. football awards celebration. Be there. You get something for free.

Darren McFadden Gets the X-Box 360 Cover
The Arkansas back nabbed the 360 cover, but there are still four platforms to go. EA is choosing a different athlete for each console plus a school mascott for the Wii. That one is being voted on here. As for the other three athletes -- I know a certain NFL-bound CB that would look awesome on the game. There should be plenty of photos available.

KC Auto Show Gets Into the Border War
This is something I couldn't have anticipated:

Toyota is roaring straight into the spirited University of Missouri and University of Kansas rivalry with two college-themed Tundra pickups at the Greater Kansas City International Auto Show, promising fans of either school the most powerful vehicles ever for their sports enthusiasm.

... To wrap them in school spirit, the trucks will be emblazoned with school graphics and fans will even be given a chance to take a photographic memento home with them. The auto show is unfolding at an ideal spot to highlight the schools' rivalry, right near the geographic fault line between two universities that are barely a three-hour drive from one another.

Put on by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Kansas City, the show runs from Wednesday, March 5, to Sunday, March 9, at H. Roe Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Mo. It will feature about 500 new cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and crossover vehicles.

On Saturday, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., the mascots of both schools -- Truman the Tiger for Missouri and Big Jay for Kansas -- will be on hand for photography sessions.

Clickety

Monday Recycle: Saturday for the Border War -- Open Practice Dates

Saturday Special for Arrowhead War
The KC Star reported last week that the Border War would likely remain on Saturday for 2008. The Big 12 announced a change with Texas A&M/ Texas moving to Thanksgiving Night. I like that move -- pro football on Turkey Day just doesn't do it for me anymore. Keeping KU/MU on Saturday is a no-brainer ... how could you make a change as it was one of the highest rated college football games on TV last season.

ESPN Big 12 Deal
In the same article, the Big 12 and ESPN announced a two-year deal to televise seven Big 12 games per year. The games will be on Thursdays or Saturdays. Saturdays are good, Thursdays ... well, it depends on how your schedule breaks down. Guess I better hold a couple of vacation days in reserve this year.

Open Practices
From KUsports.com -- open spring practices are scheduled for March 14 and April 4. Both practices are at 3:30 p.m. on Friday's on the practice fields next to Hoglund.

NCAA 2009
Voting continues in the contest to get Baby Jay on the cover of NCAA 2009 ... http://www.easports.com/ncaa09/