"Keep on rollin, my old buddy. You're movin much too slow…"
This week the WSU Football Blog Urban Assault Vehicle moves on from the pink menace commune of Berkeley to invade another one of the Pac-12’s notorious hives of subversive counterculture… Eugene, Oregon. At first glance, Eugene may appear to be a modest mountain college town, but make no mistake; this bucolic little city is an international purveyor of unspeakable horrors. From the soul crushing indignities of Nike’s sweatshops, to the violence and terror of black hooded anarchists, quiet, unassuming Eugene is a massive blight on humanity’s soul.
Eugene, OR. Leading the world in crime… against fashion.
Perhaps surprisingly, of all the crimes Eugene has unleashed on the world, none have caused as much suffering as the Oregon Duck football uniforms.
Seriously, are some of the real uni combos better than this?
What the hell is wrong with that place? Clearly the brave Coug fans who make this trip need to go in guns-a-blazin. The free world is counting on us. Its time to launch a little operation we’re calling:
Operational details to follow after the jump…
Things have really changed in Eugene since the Delta Tau Chi's roamed the campus.
Unlike almost all of these little road trip previews I do, Eugene is a destination I have quite a bit of experience with. I have been to multiple Coug games at Autzen and even a Husky game, so while I’m not exactly an expert, I’m also not completely typing out of my ass like I usually do. Despite my previous characterization of Eugene the headquarters of all the world’s evils, it is admittedly one helluva college football road trip.
Autzen is loud as hell, as you may have heard, and few fan bases can get under your skin like the quacker backers, so you will want to be well fortified for this one. Fortunately for you there a number of excellent bars within walking distance of the stadium where you can get in the proper frame of mind for game day. The three I would recommend most are Taylors and Rennie’s Landing, both right on the U of O campus, and The Cooler, just across the Willamette River. All of them will feature plenty of Duck paraphernalia, TVs to watch other games and drink specials to have you well lubricated without breaking the bank.
Rennie's Landing
Taylor's
The Cooler
I am going to give the slight edge here to Taylors and/or Rennies, just because drinking there before the game means you get to approach Autzen stadium by one of the coolest walks you can take in college football.
Over the river, and through the woods…
Autzen is situated across the Willamette river from the U of O campus and approaching it from that direction is something you won’t ever forget. From the north side of the campus you take a pedestrian footbridge over the Willamette river and into the woods on the other side. Its all very, well… Oregon-y. On game day this path is full of Duck fans making it a stream of neon yellow winding through the trees. The path crosses the famous “Pre’s Trail” named for Oregon track star Pre Fontain and emerges to a clearing where across from you the South side of Autzen stadium looms over everything like a massive alien spaceship. It will probably already be roaring even if its not all that close to kickoff yet.
I was on this very walk once, a lone crimson soldier in a sea of yellow, when I came across a small huddle of fellow crimson-clad coug fans alongside the path. They must have sensed me coming because as I passed them, the huddle opened and arms came out and pulled me into their circle. On the ground at our feet was a case of Busch Light and before I could say "hand me one of th…" one was in my hand. There were some brief introductions, some Busch Lights were shot-gunned, and after a round of high-fives and “Go Cougs!” I dashed off to catch up with my mystified Duck fan friends I was going to the game with. I have no idea who any of those guys were, but to this day I consider each of them a close and dear friend. We went on the win that game 55-16.
At halftime the Moshofsky Center, which is Oregon’s indoor practice facility located adjacent to the stadium, is open and has a beer garden. Lets face it, by halftime of the game you may need a beer or 5, so this is the place to go. I have been in the Moshofsky at the half when we were down by a million and I have been in there at the half when we were up 35-0 and either way I found the Duck fans there surprisingly welcoming and easy to talk to. Perhaps because this particular crowd is made up of a lot of the old folks who remember who Dan Fouts and Amad Rashad are.
Libations at the Moshofsky Center
Despite what the P.A. announcer says (“It never rains at Autzen Stadium!” is his famous pre-game line) be prepared for some varying forms of weather. Wind, rain, sleet, hail… you may just get a little of each along with some bursts of sun. Much like Corvallis, Eugene is wetter than a dogs kiss in a monsoon, so be prepared.
For any of our readers braving this trip, if you have a chance to take in some of the new athletic facilities springing up in Eugene, including their new football operations death star, we’d love to see some pics and get a report from you. We’re even willing to pay in hugs from Huddy.
Stay tuned next week for a trip to Tuscon! Until then, Go Cougs!
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