SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Most came from Columbus or Cleveland, others from places as obscure as South Dakota. In unison they descended on Phoenix, Ariz. last week in throngs of scarlet and gray, leaving no O-H without an I-O. The Ohio State Buckeyes take the field in the desert tonight, and the Buckeye faithful have been living it up.
“I’m going to just get drunk,” said James Houdek, a senior in business, when asked about his plans leading up to tonight’s BCS National Championship game against the Florida Gators.
His sentiments are common to the Buckeye fans visiting a city similar to Columbus. Although the bars are more modern and the cover charges higher, the sea of scarlet makes the Phoenix area feel like home.
Anyone looking for proof needs only to take a stroll downtown in neighboring Scottsdale. Like red paint splashed on a desert backdrop, spotting the droves of Buckeye fans is easy, even among a few strokes of Gator blue.
Scottsdale has turned into a makeshift pre-game base camp for Buckeye fans, packing the area bars and restaurants and spelling out Ohio to each other, two letters at a time. But Scottsdale is not the only pre-game hot spot; Tempe, Mesa, Glendale and downtown Phoenix are all swarmed by the same Buckeye blitz.
Many fans ventured to Glendale’s Glitter & Glow BCS Block Party on Saturday, others chose the OSU pep rally in Phoenix Monday, but the Buckeye presence is everywhere.
OSU alumnus Marka Gehrig made it to Phoenix on Saturday. The Cleveland native also traveled to Austin, Texas in September to see the Buckeyes defeat the defending national champion Longhorns.
So how does this atmosphere compare to that one? Well, she said the Buckeye fans out and about in Phoenix take the title.
“It’s not even close,” she said.
But that unrivaled atmosphere might not get Gehrig into the stadium tonight. Despite having a ticket, she said she is so enamored with the festivities she might bypass the game in favor of a full day of tailgating. As crazy as such a statement might sound to some, Gehrig seems more than content.
“It’s so much more fun to party outside the stadium,” she said.
Depending on her decision, Gehrig might want to get in touch with Lynn Rasmussen before tonight’s kickoff. Despite not being an OSU alum or even an Ohioan, the South Dakota native has made the trip to Phoenix to support the Buckeyes even though his attempts to get a ticket so far have come up empty.
Even if Rasmussen’s attempts end up fruitless, he said it would not kill tonight’s game for him. One of his friends is renting a Scottsdale bar for the game. Although not quite the same experience as actually being at the game, you can bet that with this kind of Buckeye presence in the desert, Rasmussen and his friend will not be watching the game alone.
Kevin Bruffy can be reached at [email protected].
