Any endzone, at a college football game, is generally packed.
In Seahawks Stadium for the Seattle Bowl, the south endzone was mostly empty — save for a few Oregon fans and an equivalent number of Husky Hecklers.
By the end of the game, the Huskies — now converted Wake Forest fans — outnumbered the Ducks left in the endzone.
It was like a bad commercial for Southwest Airlines.
“Want to get away?”
Who didn’t?
Well, Wake Forest, I suppose.
Oregon and its fans needed the Seattle Bowl the way a straight-A student needs mono during finals week.
The Seattle Bowl wasn’t going to help the Ducks finish above eighth in the Pacific-10 Conference, and it certainly didn’t help redshirt junior Onterrio Smith with his NFL draft-ability. Even after surgery, Smith wasn’t able to become super-human and single-handedly save the Ducks from the bottom of the Pac-10 barrel.
Oregon fans went to the game for the love of their school and their football team. They went to see the promise of a new season and the end to this one.
Unfortunately, Duck fans were let down before the game even started.
“Priority seating,” as was promised by the Athletic Department, equated to 300-level, nosebleed seats offered for the same price as many of the stadium’s 100-level seats. If it had rained during the game, those seats would have been the priority because they are the only ones under a roof.
Was the Athletic Department really worried about Oregon fans getting wet? Chances are, many of the fans at the bowl game were also in attendance at either the 2001 Civil War or this season’s contest against the Huskies. Even Seattle weather is rarely as harsh as the weather at Autzen Stadium during those two games. Duck fans can handle harsh weather.
Empty seats — especially when closer and the same price, however, are something Oregon fans don’t take lightly.
Unfortunately, the only rain was on the Ducks’ parade.
The low-lights started December 28 with the Pike Place Market fish toss.
Anyone could tell Oregon wasn’t all excited about being there. Wake Forest brought their cheer squad to the fish toss as well as other members of the team besides those catching salmon. Oregon only sent the four players who had to befriend the frozen fish.
Wake Forest won the fish toss, as they would the game.
Everywhere Oregon fans went, the Husky Hecklers were sure to go. First to the fish toss, then at the pep rally and finally to the game.
With all the Huskies in attendance, the stands at the Seattle Bowl were more exciting than the game itself.
There must have been almost as many Washington fans as Wake Forest fans, with many of the Huskies migrating to the endzone by halftime.
After one radio station in Seattle encouraged Huskies to attend the game as newly crowned Wake Forest fans, the Demon Deacons must have been more than happy to welcome some locals into the crowd. The trek from North Carolina is pretty long, after all.
From the stands, the game didn’t look like a lost cause until the fumble-that-wasn’t, and suddenly Duck fans had to face the facts.
The season was over. There would be no bowl game win.
A loss in the who-wants-a-Seattle Bowl is worse than not going to a bowl at all.
Maybe Duck fans should start blaming Mandrake. He made his debut before Oregon’s second loss of the season, but couldn’t be bothered to follow our fuzzy-tailed original mascot to Seattle for the bowl game.
If nothing else, Mandrake and his padded rear might have helped the Ducks have a softer landing from their hard fall to reality.
It would have kept the Huskies occupied for another quarter or two, at least.
For the Ducks, the Seattle Bowl was this season’s last-ditch effort to prove that Joey Harrington and the players who left with him weren’t the end of the mighty Oregon Ducks football program. They may not have been the end, but they certainly took something with them when they left.
Any questions?
For fans, there are only two
questions.
Is the massacre over yet?
And can we have a promise of no more Seattle Bowls?
Yes as an answer to both questions would be much appreciated.

Mindi Rice is a freelance writer for the Emerald. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald.