Herbstreit, ESPN College GameDay Head to Austin – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 7, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The match-up of No. 1 Ohio State and defending national champion and No. 2 Texas in Austin will draw a visit this weekend from ESPN College GameDay, its national college football show. Former Buckeye quarterback and captain Kirk Herbstreit, an analyst for the program, is eagerly anticipating the arrival of thousands of Ohio State fans in Austin to help create a spectacle that will impress the nation.
When the game kicks off at 8:12 p.m. EDT Saturday from Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Herbstreit is looking forward to seeing a match-up of two of the nation’s most storied football programs and witnessing the support of the fans who go along with them.
“My hope is that it will be a good celebration of college football,” Herbstreit said Thursday as the GameDay crew set up in Austin. “I have heard there could be 30,000 to 40,000 Ohio State fans in Austin this weekend and I would like to encourage them to come over to College GameDay and show America how excited the OSU fans are for this game and how many OSU fans have traveled to support their team.”
The GameDay set will be located in UT’s Mike A. Myers Stadium, home of the Longhorn’s track and field squads, and is adjacent to the football stadium. Herbstreit noted GameDay will be live Friday evening for SportsCenter on ESPN and at various times Saturday, including from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Central Time.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun and I hope all the OSU fans come out to make a lot of noise and have a lot of fun,” Herbstreit said. “But most of all I want them to be good sports and support their team right along with the Texas fans, who I think are some of the best fans in the country, too.”
The possible exodus of scarlet and gray clad fans to the Austin area amazes Herbstreit.
“This is unprecedented,” Herbstreit said. “I was talking with (GameDay colleagues) Chris Fowler and Lee Corso this week about the potential of 40,000 Ohio State fans traveling to a regular-season non-conference game. This is unprecedented not just for Ohio State, but for any team. I’ve never heard of that.
“I can’t remember an Ohio State game, especially a non-conference game, having this much build-up and anticipation,” Herbstreit continued. “The only games that come close are the Notre Dame games in 1995 and 1996. This is like a bowl game. People are traveling and turning it into a huge trip.”
Herbstreit said Ohio State fans who travel to see the Buckeyes are special.
“There’s something I’ve said ever since I played for Ohio State, that my favorite fans of Ohio State are those that go on the road,” Herbstreit said. “If we could bottle that intensity that an OSU road fan has, put it in Ohio Stadium for a home game, it would be unbelievable. Fans who travel are the most passionate and most supportive Ohio State fans there are. Just thinking about 30,000 to 40,000 Buckeye fans in Austin this weekend gives me goose bumps.”
### GO BUCKS! ###
