Albany

[Petey]

Alum72

If you like the outdoors make sure to take in Watkins Glenn while you in the lakes region. Just a great section of NY state!

GOOOOOOO  GUINS!!!!!!!!!!!

[HappyPenguin]

I'll be there, having told my bride we could spend a day in Finger Lakes wine country to split the travel over two days.

Won't be the first time we've gone a long way to probably see Albany get pounded, but we thought that the first time we went to Delaware, too.


Pedwin, mascot of the Peds (Pedagogues) of the NY State College for Teachers, 1949-1965

Email or contact me through the board here and I'll direct you to our tailgating spot if you're interested. Always fun to talk to the visiting fans.

[IAA Fan]

Most of us are like HappyPenguin ...and welcome you. We are in an odd location for most of our own conference to attend, but we always have visitors from the Northeast schools, as we are a bit closer. Always happy to have visitors. We can help you with lodging, food, etc. Never fear about food and drink at the tailgate lots. Always plenty for everyone to go around. Everyone on the board has a few tips. Here are mine:

• Visitors & overflow tailgating is in what is called the "Lower Lot". Or M-7 on the campus map. It is very family-oriented & will have a kids section with rides, clowns, music, etc. Keep any alcohol under cover, as we have a recently-passed law that prohibits drinks brought in from the outside, you can purchase in the lots. General rule is to keep things in a plastic cup, and you are fine. No one checks.
• Youngstown is an old steel town. More like Philly than upstate NY. Campus is located downtown. Best areas to stay are Boardman, Poland, Austintown, or Liberty. Your team will probably stay at the campus Holiday Inn ...near Liberty.
• We are famous for our Italian foods ...primarily pizza. Everyone here will be willing to tell you their favorite. Ytown pizza is thick, but not a pie like Chicago. If you want a taste of Youngstown, than look for a Briar Hill pizza. It is named after our old Italian section of town, uses a richer or "Sunday" sauce ...more for pasta than pizza ...with shake-cheese (Romano) ...and a quarter of a Bell pepper on each slice. The old-school people will use cake-dough (yellow & more sweet) as opposed to bread dough (white)
• In the stadium, the visitors side is the smaller side. 5k, as oppose to 16k on the home side. Unfortunately (or fortunately) they put the bands and students over there, but there is not a bad seat on that side. You are right on the field, but high enough to see everything. We are very much a commuter school, so we do not get many students. The crowds are older, and like their football. During the game, our fans are knowledgeable and can be obnoxious. Outside of the game, our fans are the best.
• If you sit on the home side, general admission is just that, no assigned seats. Mosure Hall of Gridiron Glory is on that side, and well worth a look. It has much in the way of the historical YSU football memorabilia ...most proud are our Sears Trophies.
• I tailgate in the lower lot myself. We lump 4-tents together, with a couple of flags, one pole has a small YSU helmet on the top. You are always welcome

[ItalianPenguin]

YSU has opened as a 16 point favorite.

[ItalianPenguin]

Line now up to 18 1/2

[ysuindy]

Albany fans - wondering if you might be able to give me some insight on the following.

I know that college sports as a whole are not nearly as big of a deal through the Northeast as they are in most other parts of the country - especially college football with only BC and UConn carrything the "big time" label.

YSU has lots of fans, but I think it is accurate to say that most (not all) of them are also rabid followers of a FBS level team - Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Penn State, etc.  For years (especially when Tressel was at YSU), scheduling start times for home games seemed to be dependent on when Ohio State was playing.

Do you have a similar situation with your fans?  What BCS level schools do your fans follow?  Or is it more following professional sports team?

Hope any of you travelling to the game this weekend have safe travels and a good time.  As others have stated, if you are a fan of Italian food you have to come to the right place.  Living in Indianapolis where Olive Garden is known as "good Italian", I usually put on a few pounds each trip back to Youngstown.   Challenge yourself to do the same.   

[penguinpower]

Go to Paneech.com and read what the Albany RB has to say about the game.  They are taking this very seriously and are planning an upset.

[ysufan0505]

Go to Paneech.com and read what the Albany RB has to say about the game.  They are taking this very seriously and are planning an upset.

I wouldn't expect anything else from them. Doesn't mean their gonna win. They will not win

[penguinpower]

This is a dangerous game because on paper we should win, but if we have a Missouri State game we are in trouble.  I hope that the team sends a loud statement.  The TSN is struggling to believe that the MVFC is as competitive as it really is and they view Albany highly.  The team needs to make this convincing.

[ysufan0505]

You can already tell this year is different. Whole new attitude, better players. Better year

[UAalum72]

Hi, writing from Watkins Glen tonight.

IAAFan, we'll probably be in the Lower Lot (that's where the team parents will be), or park in M-2 and walk over.
I'm not sure what you think upstate NY is like, but anybody who's grown up between Troy, Cohoes, Schenectady, Amsterdam, and Rochester knows what old mill towns are like.
We also know that the Olive Garden is not a real Italian joint.

Do the stadium rules really say cameras aren't allowed in the stadium?

YSUIndy, fans mostly follow the Yankees, Giants (who had their summer camp at Albany the last dozen or so years) with some Jets, Mets, and Red Sox fans. Collegewise, for all that Syracuse has been billing itself as "New York's College Team", the local paper mostly pimps Siena basketball (the paper's name is on their arena). RPI and Union College hockey compete with high school sports for coverage - one result of locals refusing to merge school districts is that there about sixty high schools playing games in the area every weekend. And we still haven't been able to break the idea that FCS isn't much different from Union and RPI's D-III teams. Maybe with the new stadium and CAA teams next year.

Injury report: Our QB broke a small bone in his foot against Robert Morris last week, but he practiced today and won't miss any time. Only one WR is out.

Coach Ford on the radio today said if NFL or college scouts put YSU and us side by side, they'd take 19 of 22 from YSU. So he's been telling the team "Misalignments and missed assignments will kill you more than mismatches". 

[IAA Fan]

Technically you are not allowed cameras at any college football game, but I think the concern these days is more explosives, umbrellas, and an occasional Penguin-on-a-stick. So if you have a camera in a normal-sized case (better yet hand or shoulder) ..I do not expect that you will have any issues. My daughter is expecting, so I may miss the game. If not I will have pictures & hopefully some videos that you can use.

[HappyPenguin]

Wolf said this is Albany's super bowl on his TV show. A good chance for them to show they've arrived. He expects trickery and a tough game. It's also a good chance for us to prove we learned from the Missouri State game last year.

[HLecter]

Albany is not a team to overlook but I still think we win this game easily

Another Albany fan here...

- I'm inclined to agree with you. Our QB is very green and has two starts under his belt. While he is certainly talented and has gotten off to a GREAT start, this is the kind of game I see him really struggling in, atmosphere, road game, better defense then what he's seen so far. There is no substitute for experience and he doesn't have it yet. If there were ever a game for him to take it on the chin in...this will be it. Granted, he's very good so perhaps he pulls some magic out of his ass...

- Our depth is a significant issue against teams like YSU...that is we don't have any. Our starters can play with most teams at this level but due to the limited number of scholarships we hand out there is limited depth. Even if we keep it close in the first half, we'll probably get worn down in the second half, we simply don't have the depth. Not yet at least until the we move to full scholarship CAA and start to ramp up. BTW, just in time to move into our new $23 million stadium...

- This team won't quit...Bob Fords teams don't quit, we've beaten some really good top tier FCS competition over the years with limited scholarships and same lack of depth...I don't think we'll win but you'll get our best shot...hopefully everyone stays healthy and UA can make it competitive.

Clickclack:  Really cool little video there!

[HLecter]

Go to Paneech.com and read what the Albany RB has to say about the game.  They are taking this very seriously and are planning an upset.

Too bad for Smith that while they are "punching us in the mouth" he will have a fumble in the first quarter that will lead to a YSU score.  Just a feeling.