"Alright! Game's over," said one frat boy to another, "Let's go back to the house and drink!"
No - this was not the end of the fourth quarter, but the beginning of the first quarter, after Lavelle Hawkins ran 90 yards for a touchdown off the opening kickoff. While this opening play should have fired up Cal fans for an exciting victory, the early lead promised kegstanders and beer bong chuggers alike that chances were good that they could leave one, or even two quarters early from the game to go back to the (frat) house and do what they do any other Saturday night - drink, vomit, and pass out, in no particular order.
Hey - this guy's having a good time - but this was before negligent
fans let him drop.
Granted, the first half was rather unexciting. Except for the lopsided refereeing. No college-age male seemed able to resist bellowing "You suck!" at the white-haired men in black and white vertical striped jerseys who just might need stronger prescriptions for their spectacles. The uproar over a call that voided a seemingly completed touchdown pass for Cal nearly convinced me that fans actually cared about the outcome of the game.
Halftime - any fan's favorite time because it means sitting down - consisted of Cal band 80s tunes, followed by classics by the alumni band. Only a few dared laugh at the poor band leader who clearly lost her baton-twirling skills decades ago. Not even two full marching bands could revive the fans' energy level.
From the third quarter on, the noise level decreased gradually, and so did the number of fans behind me. I barely could move during the first quarter, but by the fourth quarter I felt like I was flying first class.
Woo. Heck yes. Another TD. Go bears.
Despite the indifference of some fans, Cal offense continued to run up the score. Even with second and third string players in at the end, Cal never allowed play to get too sloppy. But the imprecision of the defense in the first half lingers. The game was underwhelming - Cal must clean up their defense to keep the fans from streaming out, turning to alcoholic spirits rather than school spirit to celebrate another victory.
