Pulling into Turpin Stadium at 8 a.m. to set up the press area, our crew knifed through an etouffee-thick fog, but by the time we left 90 minutes later, we could see the fraternities setting up their greek letters behind the north end zone and high school bands massing to walk through tonight's halftime show.
It's game day, and breakfast is being served in the Demon Alley Tailgating Zone. Also underway at the Demon Softball Complex are tryouts allowing the student body to walk on to the softball team. There were a few hopefuls in the batting cage about 8:30.
The forecast is on everybody's mind. It's a 40 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms between 4-9 p.m. today. That is 60 percent probable that it will not happen. Then you have to consider "isolated" and surely, to use a phrase, lightning won't strike twice in the same place. We got our storm last week! Actually, considering the inflatable tunnel the Demons run through to take the field was blown away, literally, by the storm just before kickoff, facilities guru Chuck Bourg rephrased the weather description from last week.
"That wasn't an isolated thunderstorm. That was a concentrated thunderstorm," he said.
It is also encouraging to hear people talking about watching the LSU game tonight -- on TIVO. The Demons kick at 6. Actual kickoff at Tiger Stadium for the LSU-Va. Tech clash is 8:22. As we've said all week on the radio, you can enjoy both games -- and with TIVO you don't have to miss a play of the LSU game. You can also fast-forward through the pile of commercials in the first quarter, which will still be going on after our game ends.
Speaking of TV, there's SouthlandTV tonight. Our first crack at video streaming from Turpin Stadium. The audio will be provided by the Demon Sports Network, so folks watching will get to enjoy the insight of Britt Brittain and E.P. Garth and the colorful, exciting call of the game by Patrick Netherton.
The video production is headed by Tommy Hazlewood, the NSU alum who has been the producer of N-Side Demon Sports for nine years now. Nobody is more passionate about Northwestern than Tommy. He will have his TIVO set for the Va. Tech-LSU game, too. Tommy's family roots are in Virginia and long before last spring's tragic events at Blacksburg, Tommy had plenty of Va. Tech gear that would join his Washington Redskins gear as alternative wardrobe choices if he wasn't wearing NSU gear.
BTW - great first-game effort last night by the Lady Demon volleyball team against Stephen F. Austin. Coach Brittany Uffelman said it was the best her team has looked in her four seasons, against a team that has everybody back from last year's second-round NCAA Tournament appearance. The Lady Demons have a lot of newcomers and will be constantly improving this fall.
It's almost time for the morning games to kick off, so I'm headed to, what else, set the TIVO for any FCS games of interest. We'll check back later today.
Doug Ireland, SID
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