Forgoing money and time, some students travel across the country to bring the 12th Man to opposing teams’ stadiums.
Such a trip requires a lot of preparation and work. Junior mechanical engineering major Phil Ozgul said his trip to Ole Miss last year was a nine to 10 hour drive one-way.
“We went with a big group of friends,” Ozgul said. “There were about 16 of us so we took four cars, four people in each car, and then we just kind of took our turns driving.”
Ozgul said the road trips to and from Ole Miss combined with the actual game day took up the entire weekend.
“We left Friday, midafternoon, so we didn’t get in until midnight,” Ozgul said. “Saturday was the game which was late and then we left Sunday morning.”
Ozgul, who plans on travelling to Alabama and possibly Auburn this season, said all the effort put into planning an away game trip pays off in the end.
“It takes a lot of work,” Ozgul said. “It takes more work than you think. But at the same time it’s definitely worth it. I would definitely recommend all 58,000 of us to go on at least one road trip to an away game just to experience it.”
David Sedei, senior psychology major, said he has yet to attend an away game but, along with three friends, plans to make his trip to South Carolina this week a memorable experience. He began planning at the start of summer, and had to come up with creative ways to convince his parents that his SUV was fuel efficient enough to make the trip.
“I had to make a PowerPoint for them to let me do it,” Sedei said. “They finally gave in after a little while and I’m really thankful that they did. They’re really supportive about it now.”
Sedei’s three friends own trucks and mustangs — vehicles not exactly suited for long distance travel or hauling luggage. He and his friends plan to make the most out of the long drive by enjoying the road trip.
“We’ve been working on itinerary — how we’re going to get there, where we’re going to get there, how long it’s going to take to get there,” Sedei said.
Harrison Dawley, sophomore history major, said for the A&M vs. Arkansas game, which will be held at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, he plans to stay with students from that area.
“The rough sketch is that the Dallas folks are driving and buying the tickets,” Dawley said. “We are also staying at their houses.”
Ozgul said for last season’s Ole Miss trip, one of the cars left early because a handful of students had to get back to campus and study for tests.
“You kind of study pretty hard the week in advance so that you can go to the game,” Ozgul said. “That’s what I would recommend.”
One of the reasons for travelling to an away game is to witness what a game is like at other schools, Ozgul said.
“I needed to go to an away game just once while I was a student just to see how it is,” Ozgul said. “I think it’s just something you have to experience at least one time before you graduate. Go with your friends, go on a road trip — it doesn’t matter how far it is, just go at least once and it’ll really be a lot of fun.”
Graphic by William Guerra