We walked through the north tail gate parking lot with heavy hearts.
Dawg fans were flying our colors, but it was a subdued atmosphere.
There was no sea of green and yellow like the last time.
Huskies v. Ducks, October 2009
There was no heckling. Only cute little rubber Duckies being watched over by Huskies.
It was Duck hunting season. But there was no jeering.
For the first time in several years, the Ducks were well behaved in the Dawg house.
Even as Dawg fans whooped and hoorahed for the players in The Zone, the Duck fans remained almost abashed. Note at the end of the video, the boy with his green cape giving the UW Marching Band the "O" hand sign. He does it with trepidation. Which is so cute, by the way.
[watch video]
Dawgs and Ducks got along in the stands and on the field.
As they looked on to their players, as if weighing them out. Dawg fans hoping for a miracle; Ducks bracing themselves for that same miracle. Our Dawgs had a good fighting chance to tip the scale in our favor.
We made our way to our seats, the seats we've sat in for the last five seasons. (We sat in the East end zone, and througout the stadium prior to becoming season ticket holders.)
Ah, the sights of this stadium is etched in our memories like the numbers carved in the back rests of the bleachers. The same faces we've seen through the years, cheering alongside us, now seem surreal. Really? Has it been that long?
Despite the numbers on the score board, Duck fans held their tongue, and we barked and growled louder than ever as we held back the Ducks, down after down, after down.
We erupted in joy after a long defensive noise, not because we scored, but because we were able to hold back the Ducks from advancing another down.
We didn't tip the scales. But dawg-gonnit, we fought with every ounce of fight we could give.
At the end of the game, we took a piece of Old Husky Stadium with us.
And we weren't the only ones who will cherish the memory of her. Even our green and yellow rival reserved a bit of nostalgia for this old, tired, awesome [as Kim Grinolds describes her] stadium, where national champions were born.
Kim Grinolds wrote:
She's not doing well these days: The paint is peeling; the rust is seeping through; the wiring is dangerous; the press box feels like it's going to fall down. She's a mess.
She's not going to go quietly, though. She has one more fight left in her. I got a real weird feeling in there. There's no way she's going to let Oregon come in and own her. She has one more fight left in her before the lights go down, the power goes out and she shuts her eyes for good. She'll do so proudly, with a smile on her face, and Oregon won't know what hit them.
We didn't win, but by golly, we kept them from blowing us out.
Good night Husky Stadium.
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