I’ll tell the story from the beginning so get a cup a coffee and make yourself comfortable.

I was on the campus of ASU at 4:15 Friday afternoon. I got a warm greeting from an old friend, an ASU campus cop (that in itself is another epic tale). Inside of 20 minutes the guy who manages parking, a Jonesboro cop and off and on different ASU employees stayed with me until the RV armada showed up. It was an impressive site to see 4 Tiger laden RV’s roll up. I can only image how impressive it looked rolling up University Avenue (or is it Road) towards the ASU campus.

We tailgated overnight and all day Saturday. The sun shined throughout the day. It was as muggy a day as I’ve ever experienced. I changed shirts 4 times during the day and they were wet almost immediately after putting them on. It just a sweaty, hot day.

We walked into the stadium about 5:30. The Tigers and Indians were warming up on the field. The Tigers looked ready to play. I wasn’t paying attention to ASU so I couldn’t tell you about them. I just didn’t care what they looked like. The Mighty Sound of the South played. The cheerleaders cheered. The fans sang and cheered along. We were still dry as not a drop of rain had fell.
Then the rain started. It came quickly after the dark clouds made a rapid appearance from my perspective. The ponchos and rain suits were out quickly. The spirits of Tigers fans weren’t dampened at all. The MSOS was still playing. We were still worked up and read to start the game. Then the first announcement came. “There will be a 30 minute delay.” Groans came from our section but most of us were understanding. Cell phones would ring with different reports from home that they were saying the game wouldn’t be played, it would be played with another hour delay, and about 30 different variations of they former and latter.
The rain really began to come down. There was some sparodic thunder and lightening in the distance but nothing that appeared to be close to the stadium. Now the rain was pouring out of the sky. My feet were completely wet at this point. The shoes and socks were now twice their original weight. That logo poncho was proving to be the best father’s day I could have ever been given.

People were gathering under the upper deck on the west side. The east side were bleachers so the rain just flowed through them onto anyone underneath. The rumors were really beginning to fly as the night went on. Sure it was raining as if the sky was emptying buckets onto us. But no one I talked to ever thought lightening was a threat. And I surely didn’t think so.
At one point the ASU cheerleaders did their intro “ceremony.” The Tigers came out of the lockerrom and looked as if they were going to come back on the field. Only to be turned around and sent back to the lockerroom. The word among those in stands was that the game was delayed another hour. Yet there was NO announcement on the PA. Needless to say everyone was getting frustrated. People started heading for their cars to either just dry out and wait for the start of the game or headed home. The vast majority of Memphis fans were staying. We had come a ways for the game and we weren’t leaving.

It is now about 8 p.m. We’re getting word the game will start at 9. We thought that was good as we hadn’t seen lightening or heard any major thunder in quite a while. Sure it was raining but the general consensus was there was nothing dangerous afoot.
The word was that ASU wanted to delay the game until Sunday but the Tigers wanted none of that. Which makes sense if you ask me. They wanted to the Tigers to bus back to Memphis (there isn’t enough hotel rooms in Jonesboro to properly house them) then bus back to play tomorrow. Of course, all the while the ASU team can sleep in their own beds and get twice the rest that the Tigers would have got. That may have been the greatest attempt at maximizing your home field advantage ever.

Many of us had gotten back into the stadium for the 9 o’clock start. Then the announcement over the PA came. The first I had heard since 5:45 p.m. The game was postponed until September 27th. Which the first response of most was, “They’re out of their minds.” Not only was the raid subsiding last night. But to schedule the game between game in Orlando against UCF and a home game against Marshall is sheer lunacy. You’ll ask the Tigers to play 3 games in 11 days. The announcement instantly ticked off EVERY Tigers fan in attendance. This included several former Tigers players who were really confonded by the decision.

So we all headed out to the parking lots. Most were angered not only by not playing tonight but the fact that someone had agreed to have the Tigers play 3 games in 11 days. The rain was now a mere drizzle. RV’s and cars were fighting getting stuck in the muddy field that earlier was the perfect tailgating area. The lights of their baseball stadium were on to provide lighting for people to prepare to leave. People were gathered is different pockets and getting angrier by the moment.

We were all leaving Jonesboro and we weren’t happy with our experience. We wanted to see the Tigers play. We had felt that they could’ve played.

I don’t know who made the decision to have the Tigers play the game on the 27th but it is the wrong one. I’m normally one to toe the line. I believe in blind support of the University of Memphis. But to put this kind of scheduling burden on our football players is simply WRONG. It holds the possiblity of being a season killer. It will put undue stress on the team.

I and many others believe that the contract with ASU needs to be torn up. We are their biggest draw. I know as I talked to a ton of people associated with the school. Their largest crowds are for our visits. For their leaders to make the decisions they made is simply unacceptable in my and other Tiger fans’ minds. They wanted to manipulate the situation to improve their advantage in playing us by trying to play today, Sunday, after driving back to Memphis and returning on Sunday early to play them. Yeah right, let’s wear them out by sending them back to Memphis while we rest overnight.

Finally, don’t play on the 27th. Appeal to the NCAA to just list it as not played. We shouldn’t have to place undue stress on our program primarily because of ASU’s attempt to manipulate a situation. I have to wonder why our leadership didn’t stand up to this as well. We should not play the game and send the the torn up contract via FedEx. It simply isn’t worth it.