FCS Playoffs

leatherface · Mon Dec 22, 2014 10:47 am

Not an Illinois State fan. Hoping North Dakota State puts a big hurt on them.

sealhall74 · Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:50 am

After reading some fan boards, it appears that the Bison actually did manage to grab a few of the Redbird ticket allotment. The Redbirds screwed up by not having a well-designed system in place to make sure their own students and fans had first rights to their tickets. They got caught up in the exuberance of the moment to try to drum up immediate fan interest for a trip to Frisco. Tommy Bell, please do not let this happen to us when we get to the promised land. Remember that old football saying: When you get into the end zone, act like you've been there before.

sealhall74 · Fri Dec 26, 2014 6:37 am

Now seeing some Flashseat ticket offers as high as $400 for this game. That seller is obviously trying to fund his/her travel expenses to the game. Based on my experience at the game last year, I think anyone who wants to go to this game will be able to pick up a ticket at or near the base price come game day. There were quite a few empty seats around the stadium last year and although ISUr will travel better than did Towson, I would expect to see that trend continue. Not only that, but the layout of the stadium is such that they could assuming Fire Marshall is OK with it easily let in two or three hundred "standing room only" spectators. The Bison faithful stand for the entire game anyway so an SRO ticket is really as good as most and maybe better because you are closer to the concession stands.

I like this Flashseat concept which the NCAA has in place this year. It links a seat to a credit card (they swipe your card at the gate) and makes it easy to buy/sell/transfer your tickets and also prevents a physical paper ticket from becoming part of the fraud market (see below):

http://fcs.flashseats.com/default.aspx? ... 9263&ss=47

Paper tickets are easily lost or stolen. A few years back when the Cubs were making the playoffs every once in a blue moon, I ended up buying one of those "lost" tickets from a less than reputable purveyor. Sure enough, I was able to easily get into Wrigley with that ticket but about the fourth inning the original owner of that "lost" ticket shows up with a ticket that the Cubs had "graciously" reprinted for him. Not just me but a whole row of people sitting around me were in the same boat. Well, we all got to see that game but from the SRO section. The Cubs were the big winners that day as they ended up getting additional concession revenue from all of the SRO folks like myself who normally would not have been at the game. They probably also got a nice kickback from the less than reputable purveyor. This is an example of the free enterprise system at its finest.

Sat Jan 10, 2015 8:07 am

wiu712 wrote:
ST_Lawson wrote:The end of the game was overshadowed when, with approximately 1:40 left in the game, a medical emergency occurred in the stands. One of the fans (I've heard that it was a parent of one of the EWU football players) had what they believe to be a heart attack.
From SB Nation:

A man at the FCS quarterfinal matchup between Eastern Washington and Illinois State required emergency medical attention after he went into cardiac arrest, according to the ESPN broadcast, and had to be treated by medical staff. Medical personnel performed CPR, according to Jim Allen of the Spokesman Review. Police confirmed the man was the father of Eastern Washington offensive lineman Jake Rodgers.

Cheney police confirm Jake Rodgers dad was the one in stands. Jake is a lineman at EWU and is from Spokane, Shadle Park high school.

An ambulance was driven onto the track behind the sideline. Players took knees on the sidelines, with the Eagles huddling up in a prayer.

The situation occurred late in the fourth quarter. The game was delayed for several minutes while the man was loaded into an ambulance. The teams eventually returned to the field and played out the final 1:40.

I hadn't heard anything about this for a while, but apparently the player's dad didn't make it. He survived the night, but passed away on December 27th.
Illinois State will be honoring the family at today's FCS championship game: http://stories.illinoisstate.edu/magazi ... te-father/

wiu712 · Sat Jan 10, 2015 8:42 am

The Peoria Journal-Star is predicting a 24-21 win for Illinois State.

It will be 36 and overcast today in Frisco, TX.

Illinois State quickly sold out its 2,800 seats.

It will be Illinois State's first game on natural grass.

North Dakota State will be away from the Fargo Dome for the first time in five games.

This game will be on ESPN2 at 12PM. The game will also be available via First Row Sports.

sealhall74 · Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:50 am

My favorite moment down here is the player walk into the stadium. Unfortunately, I am going to miss that this year as I just finished up a 5k over in Grapevine. Thousands of people lining the sidewalk as the players unload off the busses wearing their cowboy hats with band and cheerleaders going full throttle is priceless. Hopefully we will all get a chance to experience that in the not too distant future.

Western_101 · Sat Jan 10, 2015 1:55 pm

Sorry, I was posting in the wrong area.

Good game. Awesome exposure for our league.

Next year Western Illinois vs. _______________________

Western_101 · Sat Jan 10, 2015 3:52 pm

Bison win.

WOW, that is historic, 4 time champions.

Ok, truth told, I have no ISU love.

sealhall74 · Sat Jan 10, 2015 5:20 pm

RedNeck wrote:Bison win.

WOW, that is historic, 4 time champions.

Ok, truth told, I have no ISU love.

Amazing record for those seniors. More Natties than losses in their career.

wiu712 · Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:40 pm

Attendance for the championship game was 20,918.