Hallucinating in Palo Alto

by Nestor on Aug 24, 2006 10:23 AM PDT in Football

So Stanford has done some upgrade to its old stadium up in Palo Alto. The new stadium up at the Farm is a more compact version of the 80,000 stadium, which now seats about 50,000. The stadium is designed in a way to generate more crowd noise for the home team. So excited is former Stanford player and current ESPN analyst Rod Gilmore that he blurted out this in Inside Bay Area:

"If Stanford had this stadium last year they would've beat UCLA," said ESPN analyst Rod Gilmore, a former Stanford and Skyline High player. "They wouldn't have gotten three touchdowns in the last (seven) minutes."

The Bruins rallied from a 24-3 deficit to win 30-27 in overtime. The attendance was 42,850, meaning there were nearly as many empty seats as occupied ones. And if UCLA had not come back to win that game, Stanford would have finished 6-5 rather than 5-6, and gone to a bowl game.

A pretty big difference.

Uh that is a nice theory but it really doesn't work. Of that 42,850 who attended the Stanford-UCLA game probably 15,000 of them were UCLA alums/fans from the Bay area. Don't believe it? Check out this offensive play from Stanford last year. And hear the crowd making noise to put pressure on the offense and reacting after the Havener play:

Yes, the Bruin fans at the end zone were much louder than the entire pathetic Stanford crew (kind of like a USC basketball game home crowd). Anyways, good for Stanford to have a new home stadium. Hopefully it will get them 6 win or whatever they need to make it to a bowl game. I am glad we get these guys early. They will provide a much needed confidence for Ben Olson and his crew as they should be 5-0 after first six weeks of this upcoming season.

GO BRUINS.

Tweet Comment 8 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Let the drug-induced haze begin.....

If only we had a better stadium, then we would have beaten UCLA.

Uh, here's a better idea: why don't you go, I don't know, find some talent. That might help a little.

by CAJason80 on Aug 24, 2006 12:52 PM PDT reply actions

I live near Palo Alto . . .

and was at that game in the Stanford alumni section. I gotta tell everyone that those jerks make SC fans seem cool . . . worst fans in the Pac-10 to visitors!!!

by charnaw on Aug 24, 2006 1:07 PM PDT reply actions

thats strange

from the band's perspective, stanford alumni have always been the most generous. Yea their band is full of monkies (and proud of it), but their alumni actually clap/cheer for us after we do our show (most places boo). I guess having to listen to their band every saturday makes them appreciate a good band when one comes to visit :P I might even venture to say that they appreciate us more than the Rose Bowl crowd does (except when we play Sons of Westwood, where the Rose Bowl reverberates with U C L A FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT).

by ranelar on Aug 24, 2006 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions

I was there too...

Yes, Stanford students/fans are arrogant ass-monkeys. One member of our group was a Stanford Alum, and was talkin' shi! ALL game. I didn't say anything to him after the game, just stood by and watched him try to remove his foot from his mouth. The look on all the faces of the Stanford fans after the game was just priceless...

by norcalbruin95 on Aug 24, 2006 1:25 PM PDT reply actions