:: i am abba's child: MIZZOU madness!

Photos 1-3, 5 courtesy of The Columbia Daily Tribune; Photo 4 courtesy of Olivia Vitale, an old Rock pic, our friends Tyler Shields and Brian Bowe gearing up for the Nebraska game in Fall 2007; Photo 6 courtesy of Brandon Hoops, from this weekend's homecoming shenanigans. More pics below.

Some people have Bieber fever, but in these parts, Mizzou madness has hit.

I'm going to go ahead and just get it out there, let's just say this has been a weekend of firsts.

First time I started a small group, let alone a conversation with, “Oh my gosh, can you believe the game last night?!”

As I'm flipping pancakes and serving up hot tea, and asking each girl that comes in.

And the girls in my small group are all pretty girly as I am, I'm not exactly what you'd call the "sports type,” so they were able to know where I was coming and were equally as shocked as I told them a few more firsts...

First time I have watched a football game on TV, from start to finish, I mean I was glued to the TV as much as Ben was.

First time I watched a football game and actually KNEW all that was going on!! As I told the girls this morning, watching football for me usually is like watching a bunch of guys running around on the field, no rhyme or reason, just running around, and occasionally someone scores.

That was about the depth of my football knowledge.

Well, that's exaggerating a bit, but still, it has taken years for me to come to the place here I could not only know what was going on, could see that we were playing smart, MIZZOU, was playing smart football, I could see the strategy and was biting my nails along with everyone else that OU could have caught up or beat us, I didn't let myself finally breathe a sigh of relief and taste the victory until about a few seconds left, when OU tried desperately to make something happen, but the more than 71 thousand fans had already started rushing the field.

It was a sea of yellow, it was incredible.

Not only that, but it was the first time I have actually been emotionally invested in whether we won or not. (With Mizzou or any team other than the soccer and football teams my brother was on.) But, as I told Ben of the countless times in my years growing up here in Columbia, that us kids were get all decked out in our black and gold, and it would be some combination of my brother and I, some of our friends and their dads and our dad, heading to the Mizzou game.

Everything is going great, we get a touch down here and there, (but I was always watching the cheerleaders, as a former cheerleader this should come as no surprise) then all of a sudden would start to lose control of the game. It wasn't too long before we, like many other fans, would start trickling out of the stadium, dejected and also cold, from weathering the elements in hopes of a Tiger victory warming our hearts... and making the long trek of defeat back to our cars... ALLL the way down Providence.... and hearing our dads rant and complain about the team, the defense, the coaches, the fumbles, and on and on it went. We wondered why we even went sometimes.

“I feel like you've got some wounds with the Tigers, babe,” Ben teased me as I told him after we scored a touchdown in the first 10 seconds of the game, that I couldn't get my hopes up.

But, I finally let myself say it. I really wanted the tigers to win.

I told Ben about what it has been like the last few years to see our team actually WINNING when growing up as a kid going to all the games, the times we actually won, it was like by some fluke. But we were there, the faithful, even starting at every Black and Gold scrimmage before the season officially started, we supported our Tigers.

The last few days have been the times I miss working in the journalism world the most.

Oh what I would have GIVEN to have a press pass this weekend, the journalism bug still has me, something within me wanted to see and tell and be a part of the story going on, the biggest home game and homecoming weekend Mizzou has ever seen, and let me tell you the place has been hoppin since Thursday night when the first of the fans and alumni started invaded Columbia.

I flew the nest on Friday even though I'm not supposed to be driving right now, I was going to lose it. I had a girl who could run me around town to do some errands around 4, but I just HAD to get out. Traffic was congested nearly EVERYWHERE in Columbia, it was only 2 p.m. On Friday. The game wasn't until the Saturday at 7, but fans were not about to miss out.

ESPN's GameDay was making an appearance, as we were the hottest game in College football all week. They go to a different campus each week to broadcast their Saturday morning show, College GameDay, from whichever is said to be THE biggest game of the week. (I'm only explaining it because until this week I didn't know what GameDay was, so for the few like me, there ya go.)

I bet they had no idea Missouri would turn out like this, I mean it felt like the entire STATE was here! All I keep hearing from the students who went or got to work with the ESPN crew, my journalism friends or the paper this morning, is that they have never seen a crowd like this, the energy and enthusiasm coupled with the picturesque setting of the Quad was a GameDay that will go down in history.

Several of the students in our campus church, The Rock, were camping out on the Quad Friday night in hopes of being some of the first let in the gate to to be on national television cheering on their team, as ESPN was opening the gates at 3:30 am.

Well, another first, are you ready for it? We beat Nebraska already at least ONCE this fall and we have yet to play them. We travel to Cornhusker country next Saturday, but ESPN's GameDay said in the Columbia Daily Tribune today, we were their most impressive crowd yet. A record-breaking attendance for their show, Mizzou came decked out in black and gold, the young and the old, 18,000 strong!!

Nebraska held the previous attendance record at a mere 15,808. EM-barrassin'.

Not to mention the sold out crowd of 71,004 at Faurot Field yesterday.

And let me tell you I have NEVER seen this place, in my 26 years of living in Columbia, have more school spirit. You walk outside and you could literally feel the buzz everywhere.

I mean, another example. We are a part of a campus church, we meet on Saturday nights. Usually, we have a pretty good crowd. It works especially well cause many young'uns don't want to get up early on a Sunday morning, so we moved to Saturday nights about 10 years ago.

I've been going to the Rock for about 8 years now, since my freshman year of college and you know, we'd have a night game here and there on a Saturday, but it wouldn't really make a difference for church that night, maybe 15-20 people were gone. But in a church of about 2-250 people, you couldn't' really tell.

Well, the last couple years since we've been getting good again and especially this semester, where night games would be announced the week of, a 6 pm start and we would still have church, but now if there's a night game, we're short nearly half of our crowd.

So much so, that I was SO sad I wasn't feeling good enough to make it to the staff meeting this week. I knew the hot topic and big decision would be made about what to do about this Saturday.

I mean, it's homecoming. Which is a big deal enough.

ESPN is coming. We're going to be on GameDay. The town and the students and especially all the journalism folk we've got here, will be going nuts.

Oklahoma's undefeated. (Or shall I say, WAS undefeated) But all week, the story has been: They're undefeated. We were undefeated. This is a big game.

They're ranked #1.

We have not beat them in 20 years.

And in Coach Gary Pinkel's 10 years here at Mizzou he has not beat them. (I love Pinkel by the way, from my old days of working the KOMU sports show and helping him get mic'ed up and ready for his on set interviews, he really is so down to earth and a really nice guy, I've been hoping he'd get this type of victory, he deserves it and has always believed in his players, even when we, and yes, I'm including myself in the skeptics, doubted the program.)

AKA, this is going to be EPIC!

And, I mean yesterday I was super bummed I had to miss the homecoming parade, my favorite homecoming tradition, but when I was able to leave the house for a bit, when a friend came over and hung out then we left for a Starbucks run, my jaw dropped as we rounded the intersection.

I grew up on the south side of town and now moved back this summer to the southside, and I could not believe my eyes.

Okay, so usually on game days, Providence is lined with cars near the stadium. Pretty normal.

But the last home game, when I dared venture out in the traffic, I was shocked that on my way out to the mall, going west on Stadium, cars were lined all the way past the intersection of Stadium and Forum. People were walking (even with their KIDS) on what was left of the shoulder on the road, trekking it up to a tailgate or the stadium. I could not believe it and had never seen people park that far out.

But, yesterday, cars were lined up all the way to the Panera on Nifong, I kid you not, I have NEVER seen anything like it. I wanted a camera so bad to document it all. Or even just to be able to capture all the sights and sounds of the weekend.

And I was just thinking of all the memories our students will have. I mean nearly everyone goes to the games now, back in the day, football fans went. Now everyone goes. It has been really cool to hear all their excitement when any of the girls came over or gave me rides this week, let me just tell you, as my small group girls can attest to, there was not an ounce of schoolwork done Thursday through now, it has been a full and exciting weekend for them from start to finish.

How cool is that, for our generation lol I'm not that old so I don't know why I just said that, but for my friends who were in college with me, beating Nebraska and everyone marching with the goal posts all the way from the field to downtown, either the Berg or Harpo's, was the big deal game we had. I have friends that still have pieces of that goal post, others sold theirs for a pretty penny on Ebay.

But, our students, like especially last year's freshman class, they live and BLEED black and gold. It's just so different because we are actually GOOD. Lol

We've never had to seriously consider do we move church to Sunday when we have night games? Friday night was an option a couple years back, that bombed. Our best solution lately has been to still have church Saturday, but put all of our energy in making our Thursday mid-week service, like a full production Rock.

But, I mean, we didn't stand a chance for this week. The decision was made to cancel The Rock this week and have a watch party in lieu of a service, in Middlebush Auditorium where we always meet.

Oh, and before I forget to mention the REAL firsts...

We beat OU! In front of a national audience.

It was Missouri's first win over Oklahoma since 1998 ... Missouri's first 7-0 start since 1960... and Missouri's first victory over the top-ranked team in the BCS standings, according to the Tribune.

The headline on the Trib's sport page reads, “Oh no OU didn't!” WOW. Gotta love it.

(But yes, it's getting cut out and going on the fridge as soon as my hubby has read through all the sports section.)

The journalists have been having a heyday. Allow me to include just the first bit of the article written by Dave Matter of the Tribune:

“The big one had gotten away from Missouri’s Gary Pinkel for almost 10 years.

Until now.

Winless against Oklahoma during his decade coaching the Tigers — one of the very few lingering knocks on the coach’s record at MU — Pinkel finally achieved Saturday night what some wondered if he ever would.

Missouri 36, Oklahoma 27

The swarm of gold covering Faurot Field told the story of a fan base starved for a signature victory over a superpower program. It told the story of a perfect football day in Columbia that began with a three-hour infomercial for Pinkel’s program and ended with a prime-time beating of the bullies who for years had been taking the Tigers’ lunch money.

But this time, the bully trudged home to Norman bloodied and beaten.”

Bloodied and beaten they returned that is true. All Friday and Saturday I kept seeing OU fans dare to venture out in public, in OUR town, proudly donning their crimson red. Well let's just say, as this morning I ran to Panera to get a bagel since I was up way earlier than the girls would be coming over, there was not a HINT of red even in sight. Especially that Millard kid, who I found out from Ben during the game, was a Rock Bridge (my alma mater) standout, but totally snuffed Mizzou when they offered him a scholarship. Must have been an awkward coming home moment for him, especially seeing some of his old high school buds sporting the black and gold on the field.

As the announcers kept saying yesterday, this Missouri team is a different team. Pinkel has been laying the building blocks piece by piece since he came and he is finally reaping the benefits these last few years.

Oh, another first, as we're talking about how exciting the game was and how nervous we were at certain points and this play and that, the girls are thumbing through the first section and the sports section as we're getting our pancakes and tea situated. It was great. (We did get on to talking other things, but you know, first things first).

It was the first game a lot of us have ever watched from start to finish, it was fun getting to talk with the girls and hear how all the other homecoming festivities were. Again, what I would've given to have a video camera strapped to my shoulder again and been able to be in the center of the action! Those are the times I miss working in the journalism world, but even just being around it and hearing about it from our students, AND watching the game with Ben last night, was amazing!

Gotta love all my J school buddies, many of which, from KOMU or those who work for the athletic department, including my brother's girlfriend, Kat, have posted some awesome pics of some of the sights and sounds and behind the scenes look at the big homecoming weekend, ENJOY!

ESPN'S College GameDay hits the quad, from fellow Rock staff member, Brandon Hoops:

One of the ESPN anchors gettin' ready to sport his black and gold!

Former Rock Bridge standout and Tiger standout, Chase Patton makes an appearance as a Mizzou football alumni!

One of the signature GameDay things to do is to make the most outrageous signs so they'll end up on TV, Mizzou did not disappoint. The article I linked above has more of the ones ESPN and the Trib got a kick out of the most.

Casey Batezel, one of the Rock kids and also an awesome photographer, got to be an official photog for the weekend!

Too cute!

From the Columbia Daily Tribune:

There's Cayla Troyer, her family goes to the same church I grew up in and she and my brother are the same age and graduated from Rock Bridge together, look at her go! Trib caption: The Golden Girls perform in front of the crowd of fans that gathered early yesterday before the live broadcast of ESPN’s “College GameDay” from Missouri’s Francis Quadrangle.

From Jen Reeves, one of my beloved broadcast professors, her and her husband Randy, are AWESOME. Some of my favorite people. One thing I loved about Mizzou journalism is that it really does live up to the hype of being the #1 J-school, mostly in the fact that your professors and your fellow classmates become family. I got to babysit for Jen and Randy several times and still feel a part of the fam, journalism and their fam! Here's the family now:

There's little Cameron and Jordan. Cam is so big now, I remember when she was pregnant with him, crazy!! And then Jen, and Randy, being totally Randy, peeking through the top!

More fun old Rock pics:

Super cute! The now married, at the time of this picture dating, Chris and Aimee Swift, also fellow Rock staffers!

Haha, this pic still cracks me up, Tyler Shields, showing how loyal of a Mizzou fan he is, before the Nebraska game in 2007,all of these photos courtesy of Olivia Vitale.

From former co-worker, KOMU TV's Scott Schaefer, resident videographer (and great still photog too!). Scott shoots just about anything now, but got his start in the sports department and still has the press pass advantage for all these memories, love it! Here's some of his shots:

Look at all the equipment they need for a show on the road!?!

Here's my brother, Muki's girlfriend, Kat, on the ESPN set! Kat is also a broadcast journalism alumni and now works for the athletic department as one of their PR reps and communication guru, Kat works specifically for the football team, travels to all their games and is responsible for the website. Doesn't she look great?!

MORE equipment!

Fans storming the field!

ESPN's Erin Andrews reporting live from Faurot Field.

Just had to include at least ONE OU shot. Okay, I just like their uniforms way better than Mizzou's this year.

And, last but not least, students not only tore down the goalposts and rushed the field (several within the mosh pit that became the field got arrested) but the rest took the traditional trek from the stadium all the way to Harpo's marching with the posts to continue celebrating! Last time I remember this happening was the Nebraska game when I was in college, can't remember, maybe sophomore or junior year.

And finally, a collection of the some of the J-school's official photogs' shots, in an album I saw a lot of j-school friends tagged in for different shots they took:

Haha, this is great! It's always fun to see what anchors REALLY wear other than their jackets. Many sports guys, on ESPN and our little KOMU wear the jacket and shirt and tie on top, but many times shorts on the bottom, cause sitting at home, you'd never know!