Bayou Classic is one of the most anticipated football games of the season. The 34th annual brought out approximately 53 thousand fans. As I stepped on the field, I felt the spirit of competition in the atmosphere.Fans went crazy as the players from each team came out. The players looked enthusiastic and ready to play. Unfortunately Southern slipped through our grip and scored the first touchdown. Southern fans went crazy with their cheers and flying pom-poms.
Grambling quickly came back and made the second score of the game. Our band began to play and the GSU fans jumped out of their seats happy to see that the Tigers were going to fight tooth and nail.
“I’ve been going to games since I was about 10 or 11 years old. The games have always been exciting for me. As far as the players, I feel that good momentum gets the game going. I used to play for Grambling. In my opinion, the players still have great speed and talent, but I believe that the guys were bigger when I was playing,” says Matt, Grambling Alumni.
Halftime was one of the best parts of the game for GSU. Not only did our band come out clean and sharp in all white tuxedos, they surprised the crowd with live performances from Soulja Boy, Hurricane Chris, and Cupid. It didn’t look like a single GSU fan was sitting down in the crowds.
And even after the performers were done, part of the band was still playing on the side of the field as Hurricane Chris and his entourage danced around. The fans stayed on their feet the whole time.
The game drew a lot of emotions for both GSU and SU. During the last few seconds of the game fans began to show their frustration.
One man even had to have security calm him down. He was yelling that the he loved Grambling, trying to assure that he wouldn’t do anything irrational.
“I knew that the Jaguars were going to come through and win. First off, it’s a guarantee that we are going to have a larger fan base. The fans play a role in the confidence of the players. The players usually feed off of the cheers and excitement,” says Jeremy Wells, SU student.
Even though Southern walked away with another victory, Grambling’s spirit was not lost. The celebrations still went on and there were fans that didn’t miss out on buying left over memorabilia.