Alright, let’s talk about Texas State football. Didn’t really follow it much before, wasn’t my main thing, you know? Mostly just heard bits and pieces.
But then, my cousin moved down near San Marcos for a job. He kept bugging me to come down for a game. Said it was a whole different scene. I figured, why not? Needed a weekend away anyway. So, I looked up the schedule and picked a Saturday.
Getting There Was Half the Battle
First off, getting tickets wasn’t too hard. Found them online, printed ’em out. Easy enough. The real adventure started with the drive. Left Austin thinking I had plenty of time, but man, I-35 was just packed. Bumper to bumper almost the whole way. What should’ve been like 45 minutes turned into nearly two hours. Brutal.
Then came parking. Forget about official lots unless you get there super early. Drove around for ages, getting kinda stressed. Finally saw some folks waving signs for parking on their lawns. Ended up paying this guy $25 to park in his yard, felt a bit weird but hey, options were limited. Had a bit of a walk to the stadium from there.
The Whole Tailgate Thing
Walking towards Bobcat Stadium, the vibe totally changed. You could hear music and smell barbecue from blocks away. Tents everywhere, flags flying, people playing cornhole. It was pretty cool, actually. My cousin found me and we walked through the main tailgate areas.
- Tons of people grilling.
- Music blasting from different spots.
- Everyone decked out in maroon and gold.
- Folks were mostly friendly, offering drinks and stuff.
It felt like a huge outdoor party. Way more intense than I expected for a college game that wasn’t UT or A&M, you know? People seemed genuinely passionate.
Inside the Stadium
Got inside maybe 30 minutes before kickoff. Found our seats – they were decent, about midfield. The stadium isn’t massive, but it was pretty full, especially the student section. They were loud right from the start. The band marched in, played the fight song. Standard football stuff, but the energy was definitely there.
The game itself? Well… it was college football. Some exciting plays, definitely. A couple of nice runs, a good catch here and there. But also, plenty of mistakes. Dropped passes, penalties at bad times. Texas State wasn’t playing great that day, unfortunately. They kept it close for a while but ended up losing. You could feel the air go out of the crowd a bit in the fourth quarter.
What stuck with me wasn’t necessarily the quality of the football, though. It was the fans. Even when things weren’t going well, most people stayed, kept cheering. You see families, students, older alumni, all sharing the same space, yelling for the same team. It’s that shared thing, I guess.
So, Was It Worth It?
Leaving the stadium was another slow process, getting back to the car, then hitting traffic again heading north. By the time I got home, I was pretty wiped out.
Am I a huge Bobcats fanatic now? Probably not. But I get it now, why my cousin was so insistent. It’s not just about the game. It’s the whole Saturday ritual. The drive (even if it sucks), the parking adventure, the tailgate atmosphere, being in the stands with thousands of other people. It’s an experience, for sure. Totally different from just watching on TV. Might do it again sometime, maybe try and get there earlier next time to avoid the parking mess. Yeah, it was alright.
