Last weekend my wife and I were able to go to North Carolina to visit my sister and brother-in-law. We had a great trip and spent some quality time together. Family is an area of my life that I have been immensely blessed in and I am extremely thankful for them!
On Saturday we headed over to Duke University to attend the Alabama-Duke football game. We parked on the outskirts of campus and made our way towards the stadium. First things first, Duke has a beautiful campus! The natural beauty combined with the Gothic architecture on campus makes Duke a unique setting and it is easy to see how the University attracts the caliber of students that they do.
As we got closer to the center of campus I noticed a large group of students in some type of fenced in area. There was a stage with live music set up and students within the area going crazy. They seemed to be "enjoying themselves" but no one seemed to realize that there was a football game starting in a few hours. As we continued past the tennis courts, we came upon a familiar site. There were tents set up serving BBQ and burgers- and they were full of Alabama fans! On the very end of the row (5 or 6 tents total) was a small tent with a few Duke fans scattered in the area. Speakers were blaring "Sweet Home Alabama" and I almost forgot where I was.
Once we made it past the row of tents I asked a man in a Duke shirt where Cameron Indoor was. He just smiled and pointed to the building directly behind me. From the outside, Cameron Indoor looks like an academic building blended with some type of cathedral. I knew that it was pretty small as far as gyms go, but I wasn't fully prepared. We noticed a few people coming in and out of the building so we decided to pretend like we belonged and go on in!
Everything happened quickly from that point on. We walked in at floor-level and were able to stay there for a few minutes until the Duke security started to feel a little overpowered and began directing us to the stands above the court. There were a lot of photo opportunities and we had some time to just sit in the stands and soak in the history around us. I was overwhelmed by the entire atmosphere. The gym was smaller than I imagined, there were so many banners honoring former players, the National Championship banners; it was a lot to take in.
I've grown up cheering for Alabama first in any college sporting event, but Duke has always been an easy team for my Dad and I to cheer for when basketball comes around. (The "Cubs rule" applies most years since Alabama is rarely a national contender in basketball). The way that Coach K runs the basketball program at Duke has been a model of consistency, integrity, and hard work. In my opinion, the man coaches basketball the way it should be coached. Duke consistently puts together teams that give their best effort and play the game the way it should be played. I say all of that to say; the combination of seeing Alabama play football after spending time in Cameron Indoor was almost too much to process.
If you watched the game on Saturday or saw highlights then you know it wasn't much of a competition, so I won't spend as much time on the actual game as I usually do. Duke was over matched at every position and they didn't have a realistic chance of winning at any point in the game. I paid close attention to Mark Ingram (as most Alabama fans did) throughout warm ups and once the game got started. His knee looked great on a couple of cuts that he made in the first quarter. I also watched Marcel Dareus on quite a few plays. While Dareus didn't have a huge game statistically, it is easy to see why he is regarded as one of the top NFL prospects in all of college football. The speed and power that he generates off the line is astounding. He blew up quite a few plays by simply erupting into the offensive linemen in front of him and driving them into the backfield. Alabama is a much better team with both of these guys healthy and eligible to play.
I've been to quite a few SEC football games (I can think of 5 different SEC stadiums that I've been to) but this one was very different than any of the other games I have attended. Wallace Wade Stadium was overflowing with Duke blue and the crimson of Alabama. The announced attendance at the game was just over 39,000! This small crowd created a cozy atmosphere. I've always known that the ACC is a basketball conference and not a football conference, but I had never experienced such a relaxed football environment.
At halftime, Coach K and two other Duke assistants were honored for their roles in leading Team USA in winning the gold medal during the recent FIBA World Championships in Turkey. I haven't had as much time as I would like to update the blog lately, but I need to say a few words regarding the FIBA Championships. The championship game was played at 1 PM on the first Sunday of the NFL regular season, so I am guessing that I was one of the few people to choose to watch the game vs. Turkey over the plethora of NFL games. Kevin Durant is currently the best basketball player in the world. Period. I watched every USA game of the FIBA tournament and Durant never failed to impress. He plays hard on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. His teammates all seemed to legitimately enjoy playing with him and being around him. While other stars may have spent their time this summers "improving their brand," Durant was improving his game. I'm expecting big things this upcoming NBA season from Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. He will have to prove it through 82 games and into the playoffs for people to believe, but I will go ahead and say that I am drinking the kool-aid.
Overall, I was impressed by the atmosphere at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Duke fans for the most part were very respectful and seemed appreciative of the fact that Alabama was there to play and draw some national attention to their program. It was a classy move by their University to open up Cameron Indoor with the realization that so many visitors would be on campus and would be interested in stopping by. When I watched the game on my DVR after returning home, I was able to hear Coach K interviewed in the second quarter. He was extremely gracious about his friendship with Coach Saban and the success of the Alabama football program. He stated at one point, "It's an honor to have Alabama here."
I can say that it was an honor to be there as a fan. I will be heading to Fayetville this weekend for the Alabama-Arkansas match up and I've got a hunch that the locals may not be as welcoming this Saturday.
