Team contends with more than LSU

MeanGreen61 · October 27, 2005

NT Daily article

Football contends with more than top-ranked LSU

No vacancy left from Katrina aftermath

Rian Johnson

Staff Writer

October 27, 2005

As if playing the No. 8 team in the country on a Saturday night in one of the most hostile environments in college football is not enough, NT must tackle another challenge.

The Mean Green will be forced to do what all teams that have played in Baton Rouge, La., have done this year: travel the day of the game.

Traditionally, NT would arrive in the host city the night before the game. However, because of the rebuilding of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, there are no hotels for the team to stay in. Therefore, the team will travel on game day.

Mean Green running back Patrick Cobbs said it is something the team can overcome, but it does play a small role in preparing for the game.

“It will be different, but I think we are in good enough shape that the altitude will not bother us too much,” Cobbs said. “It will be important for us to get out early and get stretched out, get our legs loose and stuff like that.”

Normally, the Mean Green would leave early enough Friday to arrive at the host city in time for an afternoon workout.

The team would then spend the evening preparing for the game and having a team dinner, before 11 p.m. curfew.

Saturday morning, the team would meet for breakfast and more meetings, before having its official pregame meal and leaving for the stadium.

This week, the Mean Green will have a similar schedule on Saturday, but it will be interrupted by an hour flight to Baton Rouge. NT will have its traditional 8:30 wake up call, its team breakfast and meetings, and then depart for LSU.

Once the Mean Green arrives, it will have hotel facilities to house its pregame meals and game preparations, but the players will have to spend their downtime before the game in conference rooms as opposed to a relatively comfortable hotel room.

“It gets you out of your routine, but it is not that big of a deal,” NT coach Darrell Dickey said.

Teams that have been forced to address the same circumstances this season has been somewhat successful.

Tennessee spoiled LSU’s home opener after flying in the day of the game, and last week Auburn missed a game-tying field goal in overtime.

The Kansas City Chiefs managed to pull off a victory when it traveled to play the Miami Dolphins when Hurricane Wilma was threatening Florida.

UNTLifer · October 27, 2005

Mean Green running back Patrick Cobbs said it is something the team can overcome, but it does play a small role in preparing for the game.
“It will be different, but I think we are in good enough shape that the altitude will not bother us too much,” Cobbs said. “It will be important for us to get out early and get stretched out, get our legs loose and stuff like that.”
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Altitude in Baton Rouge?