We decided it was finally time to check out a heralded duck experience. We knew it would be a regret of our college careers if we didn’t. Stories about people going to ESPN’s College Gameday have circulated over the past two years of people having such a great time, and as most of those people went very early and camped out for the event, we figured we would do the same thing. ESPN’s College GameDay has become somewhat commonplace around here these days. Lee Corso, Erin Andrews and the rest of the crew have visited Eugene three times in our three years at the University, and neither of us have never attended until this year. Yes, we had began to take it for granted, but this was the first year that we realized what a special and unusual event it was. We knew as a passionate Duck fan that we needed to go.
This year, ESPN had set up the stage in Memorial Quad in front of Lillis. Normally, GameDay is broadcast from Autzen Stadium, but due to construction to the football facilities they had to film on campus. Not a problem for us, nor for most students; the hike to Autzen from West and South University neighborhoods is a long one.
So, we grabbed our winter jackets, extra thick socks and our awesome gameday sign and left to meet at 7-11 on 13th Ave. by midnight.  Excitement hung in the air to figure out what was in store for us. The whole camping-out-for-your-team idea appealed to both of us, as we felt it’s something needed to do in order to ascend status as a die-hard Duck fan.
We walked up to the entrance at midnight, knowing that filming wasn’t going to start for another six hours. As we arrived, there was already a small mob of Duck crazies waiting to get in, hopeful that they would get the most exposure to the ESPN audience. What wasn’t expected is that those crazies would be cheering and chanting for a full six hours before the broadcast. A couple of people mentioned that they arrived at nine o’clock, making their total experience time from start to finish a whopping 12 hours. Talk about feeling like a rookie.
Surrounded by the bar crowd, it soon became evident that the party was overflowing into our tight-knit group of sober fans. Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing view and awesome location. Regardless, the party-goers saw a chance to hopefully be drunk enough to make time pass faster. Little did they know, alcohol isn’t eternal. I feel sorry for those souls who were convinced that GameDay would be a party experience, including a sloppy minor who was handcuffed just a few minutes after our arrival.
1:00 a.m. — People start to go in to the gated area. Excitement grew as we figured we would be in the gated area within a half-an-hour.
2:00 a.m. — We’re not in yet, but we’ve almost made it to the front of the line. The belligerent yelling of fans encircling us is starting to become tiresome. As the urge for sleep overcame the both of us, we realized that our decision to omit a nap was a poor one.
2:30 a.m. — We made it in! A couple 5-hour Energys, three Red Bulls, a packet of Ritz Bitz and a deck of playing cards accompanied us as we fought our strong urge to sleep. Little did we know, none of those items would be allowed past the Home Depot fences that ESPN had erected to keep the crowd penned in. Crowd Management didn’t really allow anything into the fenced area except for what was in my pockets — cell phone, keys, wallet — and my sign, of course. A secret between you and me, we somehow smuggled in a bag of Corn Nuts. Take that, ESPN.
Full disclosure: One of our crew had never in her life had a 5-hour Energy, much less two in a row. Full disclosure: After about an hour, she thought her heart might explode. Word to the wise: make sure you know what you’re doing when consuming energy drinks. Lesson learned.
We had finally reached the inside of the crowd-control area. For some reason we had imagined the interior of the fenced area to be some sort of ESPN Shangri-La, but it turned out to be pretty much the same as outside the fence except without snacks. And we had to stay there for five more hours.
Most people were standing, but it soon became apparent to most that we still had a good 4 hours to go. Finding a seat on the soggy ground would prove to save our legs for the next 4 hours that we would be standing. Unfortunately, fans started to get rowdy after an hour of sitting and we were forced to stand. For some reason, people thought that every time ESPN would test the cameras, they were filming.
The ground was pretty wet, but quite a few of my fellow Duck fans attempted to catch a bit of shut-eye in the wee hours of the morning. There was a time (around three a.m. to four) when the crowd was relatively quite, but once the ESPN crew turned on the lights it was Go time.
An ESPN producer stepped onstage at 5:15 and led the crowd through a couple practice runs, and the fans responded with enthusiasm. Chants of “Go Ducks” and the ubiquitous “O” echoed through the crowd.
And then … Erin Andrews appeared.
A roar of excitement erupted from the crowd, followed by increasingly crude chants. We filmed a couple more cutaway clips for ESPNU as we waited for the live broadcast to begin.
We were crammed on all sides by tall people with even taller signs. Ours looked miniscule by comparison as we struggled to get screen time for “Snoop Dukk”. Our sign received its fifteen minutes of fame as it was retweeted by ESPN College GameDay itself.
Our fatigue finally set in around seven. The initial adrenaline rush provided by the cameras had faded and we were left with swollen feet, buckling knees and sore backs. The novelty of being on camera had worn down as the sun came up.
Just as we were about to give up, Chip Kelly decided to make an appearance. Of course, we had to stay and hear the Duck football authority speak about the impending game. Unfortunately the crowd was too rambunctious to hear any insight into what we might expect at that night’s game.
The broadcast continued as the crowd’s energy levels dropped to dangerous lows and the admitted fans slowly began trickling out. The only reason most people stuck around was to see Corso don the Duck head and lead the band in the Oregon fight song, although his timing was slightly off.
The experience was memorable to say the least, but here are some things to keep in mind for those considering attendance in the future:
1 — Nap. This will save you.
2 — Eat. You’ll need all the energy you can get.
3 — Hydrate. Nine hours without water is a long time.
4 — Put your sign on a stick. Those with tall signs outside the fence got more exposure than those of us inside.
5 — Sleep in. Those who arrived at seven got a better experience than we did.