by Max

To best understand my feelings during the experience that was the 2016 Alamo Bowl I must first describe a previous sporting event. This football game had many parallels to the TCU/Oregon game that influenced my perception during the Alamo Bowl .

Flashback (October 13th 2013):

On a cool Saturday evening during my freshman year Penn State played the 18th ranked team in the nation, Michigan. This particular Saturday was different than all the rest. For Penn State this was their annual white out game. Entering Beaver Stadium, you were greeted with a flurry of fans clad in white which formed a uniform body throughout the stands. This turned the 107,000+ fans into one collective entity. Experiencing this environment for the first time was breathtaking. The ambiance of the white out separated it from the Penn State games that I have attended previously. In the air was a feeling that tonight all 107,000+ of us in attendance would see something special. The game was back and forth for the majority of its duration, but late in the fourth quarter Michigan was able to pull out to a 10-point lead. Down to the finals seconds Penn State was able to tie the game up after one of the most exhilarating sequences of events capped up by what is now referred to as “The Catch.”

After an improbable comeback by Penn State the game headed to overtime. In two of the first three overtimes Penn State missed a field goal and fumbled the ball. Somehow, Michigan was unable to capitalize on these mistakes and the game entered a fourth overtime. Michigan had the ball first which resulted in them scoring a field goal. For Penn State to stay in the game they had to score. Faced with a 4th and 1 the Lions had the opportunity to send the game to a 5th overtime, but opted to instead go for it all. Somehow Penn State was able to convert and keep the game alive. Three plays later this happened.

Zombie Nation erupted from the intercoms and the stadium shook with the excitement of 107,000 fans celebrating an exhilarating win. Standing in the middle of this chaotic scene, I was in awe of the game I had just witnessed. I was convinced that at 18 years of age I had seen the best sporting event I would ever experience in my life. And for the next year and a half that fact remained true until January 2nd, 2016.

Now back to the present…

On a rainy and uncharacteristically cold January day my friend Mason and I settled into our seats in the Alamodome . We were there to watch #11 TCU square off with #19 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Moral was low for the TCU supporters due to their star QB Trevone Boykin being suspended for the bowl due to an altercation at a local bar. Still, the stadium quickly filled up with supports in purple and green. Both teams traveled well and the stadium was soon filled 50/50 with Oregon and TCU fans.

The Alamodome was an interesting stadium. Which felt more like a large concrete sarcophagus than a sports arena. Personally, the thought of holding a football game inside felt sacrilegious to me. Although, given that it was 30 degrees and raining outside I am glad we were in the comforts of the dome. I was lucky enough to be snuck into the TCU student section which was a small sliver of seats nestled between the TCU band and the contingent of older TCU fans.

By kickoff the stadium was packed to the rafters with fans excited to see what was predicted to be a riveting matchup. In the blink of an eye Oregon stormed out of the gate to a quick 21-point lead. This only added to the dismay of the TCU faithful. The onslaught continued until halftime where Oregon was up 31-0. The TCU fans around me were in state of disbelief. This was the first time this year that their high powered offense had be held to zero points at halftime. As a neutral fan I was also extremely disappointed. I was told this game would be full of offense, but I assumed it would be coming from both teams. Given the sad state of the “big” bowl games from this year, this game looked to continue the trend of one sided blowouts.

Unknowingly to all of us in attendance, something big occurred right before halftime that would change the course of the game. Oregon QB Vernon Adams Jr. took a rough hit and had to be removed from the game. Adams had sustained a concussion and would not return for the remainder of the contest. While at the time it looked like only a minor injury. This event can now be looked back upon as the turning point for TCU.

The second half of the game started with little vigor from the TCU side. Their team was down by 31 points, and a comeback looked unlikely. A 31-point comeback was a feat that had only occurred once before in a CFB bowl game. Surprisingly, on their first possession, they were able to score a field goal. This was met with lackluster excitement, mostly to the tune of “at least we won’t get shut out.” Though, as the quarter progressed TCU scored a touchdown and then another. With each passing score the TCU fans responded with ever increasing energy. The pipedream that was a comeback was slowly but surely becoming an actual possibility.

At this point in time, the main reason TCU had a hope of being in the game was due to the outstanding play and leadership of Bram Kohlhausen. Acting as TCU’s backup QB Bram had only played sporadically throughout the year, but when his team needed him most Kohlhausen rose to the occasion.

By the time the fourth quarter began the score was 31-17. Around this time, I started to have flashback of that night in October of 2013. Where I saw my Lions come back from impossible circumstances. I thought to myself “there was no way I was going to see something like that again.” As much as I wanted to believe I was dumbstruck with the idea that I would again be in attendance for such an improbable event.

As the game got deeper and deeper into the fourth quarter the momentum was swinging farther and farther into TCU’s favor. As the lead continued to shrink, the TCU supporters roared to life in support of their team. Finally, with the last remaining seconds of the game ticking away, TCU was able to overcome the odds and tie the game at 31. Scoring on EVERY. SINGLE. POSSESSION. of the second half. An extremely impressive feat in itself. The energy in the TCU half of the stadium was what could only be described as electric. Being in the middle of it, the noise level was just as loud as standing on the field of Beaver Stadium with 107,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs. While the comeback was impressive, the job was not yet done. During the first two overtime periods TCU and Oregon traded blows both scoring a touchdown and a field goal. This again triggered flashbacks of that fated game with Michigan that dragged on to 4 overtimes. This game invoked the same nauseating anxiety filled roller coaster ride of emotion that was all too familiar to me. In the third overtime TCU drove down the field and scored a touchdown. On the ensuing drive TCU was then able to stop Oregon on three downs. They were one play away from achieving what two hours ago seemed impossible. This is what happened…

The stadium erupted into a frenzy of excitement. Every member of the TCU side of the stadium (myself included) was jumping up and down and releasing all the pent up emotion that the epic 3OT game had induced. Tears were shed, snapchats sent, and hugs exchanged. TCU had won.

Again I stood in awe to the events that I had just witnessed. For the second time in three shorts years I experienced what can only be described as an instant classic. And as I sit here typing this article I can’t find a reason to call it anything else:

I had seen the best game of my life.

As much as I love my Nittany Lions, the improbability of the comeback and the gravity of the stage made this game immediately jump to the top of my list.

TCU made a lasting impression on me that night. At halftime I noticed more Oregon fans leave, assuming victory had already been achieved. TCU fans stuck by their team and they were rewarded for their loyalty. TCU has scratched and clawed their way from being an overlooked WAC team to a Power 5 conference frontrunner. During my short time with the TCU fan base I experienced a passion and zeal that I wish I saw from my school. Could this be due to their recent success? Maybe. Although I would like to believe otherwise. I feel my team could learn a lot from TCU. Which is to always be thankful and appreciative for what you have. Since things could always be much worse.

My experience at the Alamo bowl will be a memory that I will always cherish. It has reinvigorated my love for college football as a sport and not just as a supporter for Penn State. I am now inspired to go and explore as many different college football experiences as I possibly can. Knowing once and I while I will see something truly great. All in all, the 2016 Alamo Bowl will always be an experience I can look back on. The most important part of the experience was not the game that I had witnessed, but the lesson that I learned that night:

Never say never.

Go Frogs