Home Game Feels Exactly like Deja Vu

From Sidelines, 9/24/07

When the clock struck zero at the end of the game, all I could do was drop my head and curse. I did the same thing right before I went to sleep Thursday night and again when I woke up on Friday morning. The funny thing about those three instances was that I was not alone. 22,806, sans children, in unison sunk their heads to their chest the moment Matt King's field goal attempt went wide left. For many new MTSU fans, this was a horrible ending to what had been an exciting week building up to this game. For the Blue Raider fans that have been here before this season, it seemed more like the same soup, just reheated.

Is it wrong for me to wonder how MTSU will disappoint me next? I'll never forget my first home football game. The week before, the Blue Raiders beat Akron and were not returning home to face Florida Atlantic. The routine at the time was to wake up early, walk over to Blue Raider Bookstore, and buy paraphernalia so I could show my school spirit. I would then walk back to take a shower and head over to the tailgating area. Back then; the only tailgaters were church groups and a few fraternities and sororities. These days, Walnut Grove is packed with tailgaters from all over campus.

Attendance was an issue but it wasn't my concern. My concern was to sit back and see what then coach Andy McCollum's team was going to deliver this week. Being from Atlanta, I had never heard of MTSU until it was time to look for a college. However, the moment my parents dropped me off at Judd Hall, I became a Rowdy Raider.

We ended up losing that game 27 to 20 to start off a 3 game losing streak. I thought I was done with the disappointment but then there was the game against Troy at the end of the year that was built up as the Battle of the Palladium. I was cramped in a car for almost 8 hours just to make sure I would see the victory. I guess it was never meant to be then as well because we lost 37 to 17.

The feeling after that lost was "there is always next year." Then we lost to North Texas…again. It was five years in a row that we saw that we couldn't beat the Mean Green.

Just when you thought we were at the bottom of the barrel, we beat Vanderbilt. We blocked the kick and everything was supposed to go up from there. Attendance would never be an issue again. The conference championship would be in our grasp finally. Then we finished the season 4 - 7 and without a football coach. Beating Troy that year didn't seem to all that great even though we did it.

Then I thought, "Maybe 2006 would be our year!" We had a new coach in Rick Stockstill and it was announced that we were getting new turf. We were flying high at 7 - 4 after defeating Arkansas State but then we finished the season with three losses. South Carolina wasn't so bad but Troy left a sour taste in my mouth and Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl made us look like we didn't deserve a bowl game.

Then we get to this year where the fan base is excited again and hopes of winning the conference outright would be alive. We also came close to beating Louisville and had lowly Western Kentucky for the home opener.

Then the kick went wide left and we are now 0 - 4. Every hardcore Middle Tennessee fan almost lost all hope in the team. I didn't lose hope. I was just brought down to reality. I fought with my editor at the beginning of the season saying there is no way we can play 12 straight weeks of football and be successful. It was inevitable that someone would get hurt. Everyone knew of our depth issues but we all wanted to keep the faith. Now let's see how much faith we keep.

When my parents dropped me off at my dorm, I made a commitment to this university. Through thick and thin, I would stick by it. I still check my high school's football scores every week. I'm still going to wear blue almost every day and spread the good word about my university. We play Florida International on Saturday night and I will be there on the sideline covering this team but deep down I will be cheering them to victory no matter what. I don't have to "grow blue" as the new campaign begs for. I am blue. Let's see who else is too.