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Rice University Athletics
Rolf Kruger Bowl Diary
12/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 21, 2006
The rain was really coming down here in the morning. I was glad to know that we were done with our full practices. The weather was really rough, but not as rough as it was in some other parts of the country.
We had a big public luncheon today and it was the first time we saw the guys from Troy. Up to now, it has just been our team at different places in New Orleans, but seeing them brought back into focus the idea that we are here to play a game, and it is time to play. You realize that the fun part of the trip is over and it is time to play the game.
The main speaker at the luncheon was the General (Lt. General Russel Honore) who came in and led the Katrina efforts when the troops came in. He talked about the power of a team vs. the power of one and used that to draw a comparison to the military. I have a buddy in Iraq, so it all hit closer to home for me. He was really intense and it was almost like watching the opening scene from "Patton".
Tonight will probably be a long one for me. Before every game I get pretty nervous and it sets in the night before. You have to try and calm yourself down. If you let yourself wind up too early, you don't get much sleep and you have no energy for the game. David Berken is my roommate and we usually try to watch a comedy movie to break the mood and have a few laughs. Tell some jokes, something to ease the mood. You have to try to not dwell on the game.
For me, the hardest time to get past is those last hours before the game. Riding over on the bus is the worst time for me. On a normal game day (a Saturday in the season), if you are playing at night, you usually have about three hours of free time. You can try to watch a game, but I usually try to get some sleep so I am not groggy or anything.
Everyone is asking about Troy, and it is tough to compare teams. But when you look at them on film, they are very athletic. They are kinda like UAB, but they are a better team overall than UAB, but there is something about those teams from Alabama. They seem to have a lot of athletic linemen. Troy has a real good secondary. Actually, in terms of their athletic ability, I'd compare them to Texas.
This game feels a lot like it did going into the UH game, since we are so fresh and not beat down from the weekly grind of games. It is kind of weird to be going into a game not all beat down. Instead of a couple of days, we have had three weeks to prepare. It is a different feeling.
I will talk to you all after the game. If you are reading this while you are in New Orleans, I hope you are ready for a great game, And if you could not make it here for the game. I hope you will get a group together to watch it.
