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[Blue & Gold]

The two travelling bands was a FANTASTIC addition!!! The people around me LOVED it!!! BRAVO!!!

[you am i]

I was only able to enjoy today's game-day experience vicariously through these posts, but these posts are great!!! You'll remember this day for the rest of your lives.

[Zip_ME87]

I loved the traveling bands also...fantastic idea. I loved everything about today. The atmosphere of being on campus is absolutely incredible. The students were awesome. The parties and tailgating were fantastic. WE ARE AKRON was the feeling that I had from the moment I drove up Exchange St. 3.5 hours before kickoff.

[RootforRoo44]

Ohio.com : The vibe at the Info

[ZippyTuba11]

Preserving the way the band performed run-on at the Rubber Bowl is impossible because of the position of the tunnel. We can't send everyone on from the goal line because there isn't enough space behind the endzone, and you know everyone would be disappointed if we didn't come out of the tunnel running. Because the entrance is at the corner of the endzone there really are very few options on how to do run on efficiently without coming out in the blocks. We can't do the walk on with Tubas and percussion leaving first anymore because it would be impossible for the band to hear the cadence from the tunnel and stay in step without phasing,

It's not impossible. You just have to get more creative. My friends and I brainstormed a few ideas (for simplicity, I'm not going to get into them here) that would be a little better than that on-field used today. My point is, there are other ways.

I think it's way cooler with the Tubas and Percussion running on anyways. If you look at any of the old marching band videos this is actually much closer to how they used to do it than it was the last several years at the Rubber Bowl.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I think the way the two sections entered the Rubber Bowl was unique. But it wasn't even that. It just didn't seem like there was much thought into how to get the band onto the field that would be special. It looked like "okay, we have limited spacing, lets just get the band on quickly."

We will be playing the National Anthem from now on

Glad to hear it.

As far as being generic, we still use the block A, we now have the UA symbol incorporated, we still do the traditional run off and all of the songs we play are Akron specific cheers with the exception of Temptation.

The new symbols did look good. Temptation seems a little out of place though. Nobody outside of the band program understands why it is there. Also, I was sitting on the opposite side of the field, so at times, it was just hard to hear, especially with everyone cheering (never thought I'd see a day when the crowd drowned out the band) and I know I wasn't the only one. I heard several "what are they playing" comments or when the announcer said "you know the cheer" or "you know what do to" lots of people remarked "what cheer" and "I don't get it." From the other side, I'm sure it was quite different. When the band did face our side, it was a lot clearer. Somebody needs to tell the announcer though, there are 5,000 students in the stands that have probably never seen pregame, and then 20,000 GAs that never filled their seats before kickoff either. (I remember playing to empty stands for pregame, only to see everything full by the time the band got in the stands, back in the day).Overall, great performance though. I love the sounds.

[Hilltopper]

Perfect weather Perfect stadium Perfect opponent Perfect crowd Perfect Band Perfect outcome Perfect Day

[fear the brown roo]

considering that this is the first time the u has had 28,000 people on campus, in the same place, they did an incredible job. i didn't see anything worth bitching about on the first day. everything went beyond expectations. i've never been more proud to be a zip or an akron football fan.

[Quickzips]

Just my thoughts:Couldn't ask for any better weather. I'm sure the Athletic Department breathed a big sigh of relief when they saw sunny skies and 75 there. Weather is the one thing you can't control and when it goes south so does everything else.Stadium is beautiful. We got there early and I walked pretty much around the entire thing. Poked my head through a few entrance ways and I couldn't see a bad place to watch the game. The sound really carries well around the stadium. Sitting in the back row of the lower deck was particularly impressive. As the Zips made good plays and the upper deck student section came alive the aluminum stands really amplified things. Kudos on the design team for making this place imposing from that perspective.We entered the stadium about an hour and a half before kickoff and had absolutely no problem getting through the gates or finding a seat. Students who were upset about lines at the gate or a lack of seats, GET THERE EARLIER. When you try and come in 5-10 minutes before kickoff you're going to have to wait in line and you will struggle to find a seat. Concessions were nice. I would still like to see a little more selection, but it's hard to complain about that after the concessions at the Rubber Bowl.Wasn't it nice being able to enter the bathroom without feeling like you just entered a third world country?28,000 fans really look good in that place. I doubt there has ever been 28,000 people on that campus on a Saturday before. I hope to see this become a regular occurance.Parking and traffic from my perspective was a non issue. I don't know how it will work out during the Fri. night games when there are still some students on campus for classes, but when it is Saturday and the game is all that is going on it doesn't look like it will be an issue in any way.Now for a few complaints. These are mostly pretty minor and are all things that can easily be fixed:I noticed a lack of garbage cans around the stadium. There were a few, but if your going to have the kind of concessions we have you need to have a few more trash cans for people to throw out their wrappers, cups, etc.The bathrooms I entered only had 2 paper towel dispensers each. When you've got 20 something stalls and sinks in each restroom this could present a problem at some time.Section 116 was listed as Student Section seating. It was even listed as such on the ribbon board a couple times during the game. Yet students were ushered out of Section 116 in favor of GA tickets. Now it worked out alright once they opened up the endzone grass, but it was starting to become a problem as the rest of the pressbox side student section was pretty much at capacity while there were still quite a few open benches in 116. I don't know if they should make 116 GA or Student Section, but they need to decide one or the other and stick with it.That's about all I have for right now. Really looking forward to next week. It is so nice to finally have a stadium that we can look forward to attending. Can't wait to see a night game there too.

[johnnyzip84]

I've really enjoyed reading each other's accounts of the Info opener. I'll throw in my story.We arrived at Lot 4 at 11:00 am. Kudos to whomever came up with the idea of putting the parking map on the back of the parking pass. For those of us without GPS it performed a similar function for me. The atmosphere was SO different from the beginning. The Phi Tau house had a picnic going on. My wife and I strolled around Zip fest, the book store and the like. We saw the band preparing outside of Guzetta. One minor surprise was the lack of beer at Zip fest. We had plenty of time so we headed downtown, an easy and pleasant walk on a day like yesterday. As we were walking past EJ Thomas, a cheerful fellow with "Rock the Roo" promotional truck got our attention and proceeded to hand us a spendid assortment of freebies, including a "Rock the Roo" T-shirt, a boxing Zippy pen (inspired by my fellow Section 210 fan?), a "Rock the Roo" wrist band and matching sunglasses!! That was typical of a day filled with smiling faces, friendly waves and general happiness throughout the campus and downtown. We stopped in for a quick brew at OBC and saw the beginning of a few games, wetting my football appetite even further. We then walked over to Exchange to see how that side of campus was buzzing. Hitting the Zip strip with a steady stream of students and general fans, nearly ALL wearing Blue and Gold, one could easily imagine themselves at any "major" college campus on game day. I was at Syracuse last year, and the experience yesterday was at least as exciting. Being big fans of OBC brew, we stopped at their "beer garden" at the corner of Exchange and Katherine Place. I don't think many people were aware of this area, because it was one of the few beer stops I saw yesterday and yet it wasn't overly crowded by any stretch. After buying a tasty Ohio Fest, I ran into a guy with whom I used to work. From that point on we just hung out until a few minutes before 1:30, when we headed in the stadium. Entering the stadium was, as many here have said, quite surreal. It's one thing to admire this magnificent structure by itself. It's entirely something else to see it jam packed with expectant fans. It's truly a moment my wife and I will never forget. The pre-game stuff was appropriate in many respects. The game itself was a blast, regardless of the lack of competition. It was simply great to be a part of it.Two small complaints:1) Soft pretzels were gone by halftime. Hopefully the necessary order amounts will be straightened out using the data from the 1st game.2) Though it wasn't a huge surprise, I didn't like seeing the East stands nearly empty by the end of the game. Hopefully, this won't happen when Indiana is here.Is it Friday night yet? Go Zips!!!!

[Dave in Green]

Even those who don't care much for football couldn't deny that this was just a fantastic day for the entire UA campus. The pre-game atmosphere and spirit across the campus was so magic that I enjoyed walking around and soaking it all in as much as I enjoyed the game. The student participation at the game itself took me back several decades to my college days in another state, a feeling I never got at the Rubber Bowl.The new stadium goes far beyond football. It can be a catalyst for making the whole UA student experience richer, as well as giving non-students a greater appreciation for what a jewel this campus is becoming.The next step is to ensure that the excitement of the grand opening doesn't fade away, but is carried over into future games and becomes a tradition before, during and after each game.

[zippyrifle32]

Ohio.com : The vibe at the Info

@lmao at the horse cops!I parked down at Polsky, and there was some mix up with where to take the shuttle to the stadium. A large group of us ended up taking the shuttle to the union and walking from there. It was pretty surreal to see the lot down by Knight and the law school filled with tailgaters, and there were so many people on campus! I see now why they insisted on the wristbands, it made it easier for the ushers to keep the students in their sections. The student seats were better than I expected too - no light pole right in front of you blocking the field. Hoping on the right shuttle back was easy enough and there was next to no traffic downtown to worry about. It did seem kind of wrong to hear Tom W speak instead of Mack... but oh well... The sound did not line up with the video on the big board, and when they did like the kiss cam, they did sucky angles and big groups of people. After, I went home to my Highland Square neighborhood, and there were so many students in zips gear grabbing Chipotle and other food and I heard a guy in a tOSU shirt comment that he was surprised that Akron had so many fans.

[GP1]

Did anyone go to BW3? If so, how was it?

[Beanie 4 Heisman]

Maybe this is just me because no one else has complained about this. The stadium just seems to be missing something. Yeah it looks great. But to me it is bare and lifeless. Im not too sure what there is they could do now but I think something needs to be added to the stands opposite the press box. Then something need to be done to building in the north endzone. It looks bare and the ring of honor on a wall, which last time i checked is not a ring, looked fairly stupid. All in all the stadium is nice, but just had those few complaints. The vibe around campus was awesome. I was talking many students, friends, and former players and for the first time we can remember this actually felt like a college campus on gameday. Which to me was a great feeling to see in my hometown.

[vmd9]

Not sure if anyone else posted this...Plain Dealer Article Comparing MAC StadiumsThis was probably the worst article I've ever read. It was just this joker complaining because the press box, in his opinion, is facing the wrong way and he couldn't see campus and downtown when he was watching the game? He claims that Central Michigan's stadium and game day experience is the best and gave us a "D" for ambiance.

[UA Fan]

Were they trying to keep the grass bank closed off with a rope or chain or something that the students just went thru? It seems there wasn't much of an attempt to keep it closed.Nice to see that attendance # in our box score: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/boxs...id=200909120047

[ksu sucks]

Maybe this is just me because no one else has complained about this. The stadium just seems to be missing something. Yeah it looks great. But to me it is bare and lifeless. Im not too sure what there is they could do now but I think something needs to be added to the stands opposite the press box. Then something need to be done to building in the north endzone. It looks bare and the ring of honor on a wall, which last time i checked is not a ring, looked fairly stupid. All in all the stadium is nice, but just had those few complaints. The vibe around campus was awesome. I was talking many students, friends, and former players and for the first time we can remember this actually felt like a college campus on gameday. Which to me was a great feeling to see in my hometown.

I hate to say it, but no one values your rather ambiguous assessment of our stadium until you change that ridiculous avatar and screen name.

[doccomet87]

Best experience on campus in my history at UA.2 small areas for improvement.1. Sold out of programs 3 minutes into 1st quarter, could have anticipated more of a demand for this for stadium opener.2. Please consider recycling bins with garbage cans, bottled drinks can be recycled.Otherwise, yesterday a dream come true!

[Beanie 4 Heisman]

I hate to say it, but no one values your rather ambiguous assessment of our stadium until you change that ridiculous avatar and screen name.

Went to HS with Beanie. Not much of an OSU fan, but I am a big Zips fan. The avatar and screen name dont matter. My assessment wasn't ambiguous it was pretty clear. I am allowed to be critical of the stadium and state points where I think they could improve.

[vmd9]

Maybe this is just me because no one else has complained about this. The stadium just seems to be missing something. Yeah it looks great. But to me it is bare and lifeless. Im not too sure what there is they could do now but I think something needs to be added to the stands opposite the press box. Then something need to be done to building in the north endzone. It looks bare and the ring of honor on a wall, which last time i checked is not a ring, looked fairly stupid. All in all the stadium is nice, but just had those few complaints. The vibe around campus was awesome. I was talking many students, friends, and former players and for the first time we can remember this actually felt like a college campus on gameday. Which to me was a great feeling to see in my hometown.

I hate to say it, but no one values your rather ambiguous assessment of our stadium until you change that ridiculous avatar and screen name.

yes beanie wells is awful and so are the suckeyes...loved to watch them lose last night and I could care less what suckeye people think of our stadium. It's amazing and something zips fans are very proud of

[ZachTheZip]

Maybe this is just me because no one else has complained about this. The stadium just seems to be missing something. Yeah it looks great. But to me it is bare and lifeless. Im not too sure what there is they could do now but I think something needs to be added to the stands opposite the press box. Then something need to be done to building in the north endzone. It looks bare and the ring of honor on a wall, which last time i checked is not a ring, looked fairly stupid.

It lacks the magic of tradition and history. Most stadiums have stories attached to them, great plays and legends from all the games played there. This is something that will grow over time. I also think that the fans are a part of that, and yesterday the fans weren't sure of themselves, they were kind of getting used to the feeling.I believe that when the dorms get built that will obscure the view of Exchange there will be a better feel. Right now it's too open.

[Beanie 4 Heisman]

Maybe this is just me because no one else has complained about this. The stadium just seems to be missing something. Yeah it looks great. But to me it is bare and lifeless. Im not too sure what there is they could do now but I think something needs to be added to the stands opposite the press box. Then something need to be done to building in the north endzone. It looks bare and the ring of honor on a wall, which last time i checked is not a ring, looked fairly stupid.

It lacks the magic of tradition and history. Most stadiums have stories attached to them, great plays and legends from all the games played there. This is something that will grow over time. I also think that the fans are a part of that, and yesterday the fans weren't sure of themselves, they were kind of getting used to the feeling.I believe that when the dorms get built that will obscure the view of Exchange there will be a better feel. Right now it's too open.

Good point. Give it a few season with a winning team and we will have tradition in the stadium. Are they keeping the parking lot behind the scoreboard or will that become dorms as well?I thought it was originally going to be dorms.

[UAZip0510]

Maybe this is just me because no one else has complained about this. The stadium just seems to be missing something. Yeah it looks great. But to me it is bare and lifeless. Im not too sure what there is they could do now but I think something needs to be added to the stands opposite the press box. Then something need to be done to building in the north endzone. It looks bare and the ring of honor on a wall, which last time i checked is not a ring, looked fairly stupid. All in all the stadium is nice, but just had those few complaints. The vibe around campus was awesome. I was talking many students, friends, and former players and for the first time we can remember this actually felt like a college campus on gameday. Which to me was a great feeling to see in my hometown.

I hate to say it, but no one values your rather ambiguous assessment of our stadium until you change that ridiculous avatar and screen name.

yes beanie wells is awful and so are the suckeyes...loved to watch them lose last night and I could care less what suckeye people think of our stadium. It's amazing and something zips fans are very proud of

That's the kind of attitude that will prevent our fan base from growing if it continues.1) The guy is a Zips fan...who cares if he likes Beanie Wells?2) There's always complaining about the "average fans" cheering for OSU and ignoring UA...and then you bash them when they do show genuine interest?3) Beanie Wells was a 1st round pick in the NFL...saying he sucks doesn't make you're football knowledge look too good. 4) We have a new stadium, an exciting team, and had a great weekend...why are so you worried about freaking OSU?????

[ZachTheZip]

Let's not get into this again.

[Zipmeister]

Let's not get into this again.

There are only two posters with this attitude...Zach and UAkronKid. Oh did I say two posters? love the game day stories so far and I wouldn't mind looking at more pics anyone has.

[g-mann17]

Maybe this is just me because no one else has complained about this. The stadium just seems to be missing something. Yeah it looks great. But to me it is bare and lifeless. Im not too sure what there is they could do now but I think something needs to be added to the stands opposite the press box. Then something need to be done to building in the north endzone. It looks bare and the ring of honor on a wall, which last time i checked is not a ring, looked fairly stupid. All in all the stadium is nice, but just had those few complaints. The vibe around campus was awesome. I was talking many students, friends, and former players and for the first time we can remember this actually felt like a college campus on gameday. Which to me was a great feeling to see in my hometown.

I hate to say it, but no one values your rather ambiguous assessment of our stadium until you change that ridiculous avatar and screen name.

yes beanie wells is awful and so are the suckeyes...loved to watch them lose last night and I could care less what suckeye people think of our stadium. It's amazing and something zips fans are very proud of

That's the kind of attitude that will prevent our fan base from growing if it continues.1) The guy is a Zips fan...who cares if he likes Beanie Wells?2) There's always complaining about the "average fans" cheering for OSU and ignoring UA...and then you bash them when they do show genuine interest?3) Beanie Wells was a 1st round pick in the NFL...saying he sucks doesn't make you're football knowledge look too good. 4) We have a new stadium, an exciting team, and had a great weekend...why are so you worried about freaking OSU?????

To add to this, everyone of us should have been pulling for OSU to win.1) Them being successful means they can fill their 25 scholarships each year with more national talent, over looking some Ohio & PA guys we are trying for (like the St. Ed's Kid)2) We need Ohio football (not just OSU) to look as good as possible whenever possible against the likes of the PAC 10 and SEC. It helps with recruiting to be able to say "Our region has the best football in the country." I appreciate some of your ideas of "If OSU sucks we will get better." but the truth is, if OSU sucks and can only get mid level players, those mid level players come from our recruiting pool. Because bottom line, if a kid is offered by OSU and Akron with the absolute same chance of playing time, they are taking OSU. (it's going to take a lot of winning on our part to change that)