Oxford/Ole Miss was awesome

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darius

500+ Posts
What a great trip to Oxford! The experience almost makes me envious of aggy joining the SEC.

The Grove was even more than I imagined. Incredible game day experience that far exceeds any tailgating I have participated in. Far beyond Longhorn tailgating. I thought it was even far better than the Texas/OU game day atmosphere at the State Fair.

As for the Ole Miss fans...best I've ever met. Gracious, kind, hospitable. I can't tell you how many people yelled welcomes to us, even from passing cars. Very little trash-talking.

Oxford itself is a beautiful college town, and the picturesque Square's shopping exceeds that on the Drag and restaurants & bars exceed 6th Street (in my opinion) because of the absence of the Bourbon Street/sleaze factor that so much of 6th Street has developed.

The stadium was neat and VERY loud until we got a sizable lead. I was surprised at how quickly the Ole Miss fans bailed out. By midway thru the 3rd quarter, the crowd was almost entirely Texas. But, who could blame them with the Grove awaiting nearby?

All in all, a truly awesome experience. I hope to go back one day.

Thanks, Ole Miss!
 
Agree 200%. The grove is simple the best tailgating scene on the planet. No cars or trucks or asphalt to pollute the experience. Just acres and acres of tents on the grass under majestic oaks with friendly locals who make it their mission that you are treated to a good time. Co-eds (and former co-eds) maybe the prettiest anywhere, and certainly the most dolled up. I got a kick out of all the UT fans that got in he preppy spirit and wore burnt orange ties/bowties with sports jackets to match the locals. I would make this an annual game. It was that fun, and the town and people were that classy.
 
Glad you had a good time and that the tailgating was great, but there is never any reason to be envious of aggy.
 
agree with positive analysis of The Grove and Ole Miss fan base in general--if our fans show anything less of class and respect towards them next year I will be thoroughly disappointed--had many fans ask us "welcome to Oxford" or "enjoy your time at Ole Miss', all while asking us if we needed something to eat or drink (a plus)
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thanks again, Rebels
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I have never had a better experience (except our most recent national title game) since I've been going to UT games. I can't say enough wonderful things about Ole Miss and the people I met. I have always said my kids would go to UT no matter what, but I would consider adding Ole Miss to the list just to be able to visit that place more often. I pray that our fans are exceedingly nice to their fans next year when they come to Austin, as I felt like people went out of their way to be nice to to me and make me feel welcome. If we ever play there again I will encourage every Horn fan I know to make the trip. I was about to cancel my plans for various reasons and am so glad I didn't.
 
These reports tell a different story than what I experienced at the Super Regional in 2005. While not on the order of Ohio State, the Ole Miss fans exhibited a level of arrogance I found both puzzling and frustrating. One man tried to fight a UT baseball dad, and they did all sorts of trash talking and SEC-style chest thumping. Texas flags were stolen off RVs. Taunting was aggy-esque after Ole Miss won the first game.

I'd just as soon never go back.

And the idea of wearing hose and heels to a football game is ludicrous.
 
I can only agree with the original poster. The Ole Miss fans and students were as friendly as can be imagined. Everyone welcomed our crew and treated us with incredible class.

I can only hope that we return such hospitality next year and I will certainly seek out Ole Miss fans next year to welcome them to Austin.

The Grove and Oxford atmosphere were the best I've seen out of 32 college stadiums I've visited. Thank you Rebs and Hot Toddy!
 
Texanne, we experienced none of that this past weekend; quite the contrary.

But, it's funny that you mention that. The morning after the game, we stopped at a restaurant near our hotel to get some sweet tea to-go. An elderly fellow was sitting at a booth near the register. Noting our Longhorn wear, he asked us how we liked the game. I told him how much we enjoyed it and how gracious and hospitable the fans were. His response: "Of course they were; they were supposed to lose and they did. But when Ole Miss wins, their fans are the most arrogant ******** in the world." I asked him if he attended Mississippi State, and he acknowledged that he did. Pretty funny.

But again, no arrogance this past weekend. Just southern good manners.
 
I was there and had an amazing time. I even found the Ole Miss fans to be more welcoming than fellow Horn fans. But, I was very excited to see how many Horn fans made the trip. There was a lot of burnt orange all around Oxford and many Ole Miss fans told me the Grove had never been that packed.
 
From a relative and some friends who attended the game - re: The Grove:

It was the aftermath that was so disgusting. We stayed until the end of the game in order to sing The Eyes of Texas. We walked back to our tailgating spot, which required us to walk back through The Grove. Of course, it was virtually abandoned by the faithful. Before we even got there, walking through two buildings, I saw table flowers casually discarded on top of some landscaping. The Grove itself, at least the part we walked back through, was a total disgrace. Garbage, bottles and cans everywhere. It was deplorable. Part of our return walk was on the “Walk of Champions”, a brick walk through the area that the team walks on when they arrive for the game and walk among the fans in The G. That hallowed ground was not spared either. Trash everywhere, along with the smell of puke and sour beer. For a University that takes so much pride in what goes on in The G, I would be embarrassed and ashamed. Granted, this area is also the area where the frats and sor’s do their partying, but they evidently don’t see the need to bag their trash likes our hosts did in this holiest of spots. And, not a single hotty toddy was to be heard from anyone. They were too busy getting the hell out of Dodge in front of a stampede of longhorn steers!
 
I was in the Grove before and after the game, I didn't see anythiing as bad as this. The Grove is an awesome place to tailgate, best I have ever seen.
 
How could 100,000 people stand around and eat & drink (a lot) for 8 hours and not make a mess? An Ole Miss friend told me that the school pays an exorbitant amount (I forget the figure he told me) every game for stadium and Grove clean-up, and that by sundown on Sunday, you couldn't find a toothpick in the grass at the Grove.
 
For the record, I have no problem with the womenfolk getting dolled up for the game. That is part of their culture and tradition, and it adds to the unique pageantry of college football. Likewise, I am never going to wear a coat and tie to a game, but I thought it was great to see the Ole Miss fans that looked like they just stepped out of a Brooks Bros catalog (and there were many UT fans that got in the spirit with burnt orange ties and jackets, etc).

I grew up in Tucson -- co-eds for early season games in the afternoon at U of A and ASU would often wear short shorts and bikini tops. That would never fly in the south, but it seems to make sense on the west coast. Several Ole Miss fans commented on the Cowboys and Spurs walking around in their chaps and hats -- they got as much of a kick out of that as we did about the ties and sundresses.

To each his own. A little class is nice to see every now and then.
 
I was at a gas station pumping gas close to I-55 and Hwy 6 when I got invited to eat and drink at a tailgate at the Grove. I lost count of how many times I got welcomed. When we dropped of our stuff at the car and went back to the Grove for the pep rally I did not make it 10 feet into the Grove before being offered a drink since I did not have one in my hand. This was my first regular season trip to another university's campus. I think others will not live up to this one.
 
Notantive --

According to the official estimate, there were 200,000 people that came to Oxford for the game and the tailgating, which was the largest crowd ever by a large margin. That is roughly double what Oxford normally gets on gameday (the stadium only seats 61,000). More than half of those people were all crammed into the Grove and the streets immediately surrounding that area. Several of the locals that hosted us said it was far more crowded than normal (uncomfortably so), though they were gracious enough not to complain about it.

The idea that you can pack 100,000 people elbow-to-elbow in a few acres of parkland for a 10 hour pre-game party without some garbage and some mess is just asanine. Of course there is going to be garbage (indeed, the garbage cans I saw were full by 4:00 pm, and there was no way for maintenance to get in there to empty them because of the press of the crowds).

The school spends tons of money to clean it all up the next day. The Grove was immaculate again by the next afternoon.

So here is the question: in a thread where multiple Horns are expressing their gratitude to the truly gracious hosts from Ole Miss -- who were 10X more accomadating than any home fans I have ever experienced, and I have gone to games at OSU, Michigan, LSU, USC, Ucla, ASU, aTm, CU, UW, etc etc -- why do you feel the need to rain all over those expressions of gratitude and appreciation with complaints about garbage?

It was said many times over the weekend that the relationship between Ole Miss (flagship) and MSU (land-grant Ag school) is similar to that between UT and aTm, and that many of the same antipathies, resentments and self-esteem issues apply (and they all pretty much travel one direction).

I note your (or your family's) affiliation with Mississippi State. Maybe therein lies the answer to my question....
 
The Grove was awesome. Fans were nicer to me in burnt orange that people in Austin are to me in burnt orange. Plenty of food and drinks offered from Rebels. I fear they won't get the same amazing level of kindness when they come to town next year. Pretty much the only away school I'd want to return to for tailgating.
 
I can agree with all of the wonderful experiences except one.

I much prefer tailgating at Texas. Mostly, because I can cook (ie smoker pit). No cooking in the Grove and the tents are literally next to and up against your neighbor. Which means you have to walk through other tailgates to get to ones in the middle. Not my idea of fun. And eating catered food each game (or premade sandwiches, etc.) really doesn't do it for me.

Other than that, I agree with the comments about the trip. And, unfortunately, with the comments about the baseball trip in 2005.
 
We spent three nights in Oxford and it was wonderful. Our hosts were Ole Miss grads who own a condo there, and they showed us around the town, took us to fantastic restaurants and gave us an in-depth tour of the campus (Friday). There's so much history there (aside from sports). It was fascinating to learn about James Meredith, the first black man to attend school at Ole Miss. This is the 50th anniversary of his enrollment. Game day was unlike any other college experience I've witnessed. It compares with LSU's tailgating production, which I think is one of the best, only it's unique. The tailgating is in a park (The Grove) so there are no cars/RV's to spoil it. Only rows and rows (and rows) of tents. The people couldn't have been more welcoming. The stadium is great -- jammed and loud. It did empty early in the second half but you can hardly blame fans for wanting to leave what was turning into a blow out and return to The Grove. This is an experience I'll never forget -- it felt like a bowl game.
 
Did anybody else make it to William Faulkner's home (Rowan Oak) south of the UM campus? Beautiful house and grounds. He wrote notes for his works on the walls of his office, and they're still there.
 
Son was an entering freshman at Ole Miss in 2009 when this game with UT was announced and ever since thought there was no good reason fans of both schools shouldn't feel a certain kinship. Too much in common: alpha dogs, traditions sacrosanct, abundant feminine pulchritude, insufferable lil' bubba (no longer, thank God!!) and an over-the-shoulder appreciation of others doing things as we would (Michigan for us). Gratified this thread and near 100% of reports out of Oxford confirm the affinity I suspected.

Not so fast Orangeblood, saw good amount of open flame cooking in the Grove but only with tents facing the street it seemed. Asked several if it was a catered party perhaps and the answer was "negative". Also, corridors "should" exist in the tent cities allowing tent access buried deep but may not be obvious to visitors. Ask a grayhair.

Had extremely high expectations last weekend met by reality -- too good!!
 
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