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Overview:
The raucous pre-game show filled the University of Oregon’s campus in the early morning hours before the football team played against Indiana.
What do you call a Duck riding a horse?
Maybe one of the most lowkey parts of “ESPN College GameDay”, the rollicking college football pre-game show filmed early today on a dark, cloudy morning on the University of Oregon campus.
Long before ESPN’s personalities took to the Memorial Quad to chat about the day’s matchup against Indiana University, fans in green and yellow started staking out prime spots in front of the Home Depot-branded stage. An occasional smattering of cream and crimson worn by Indiana fans also peppered the quad. (And yes, the Duck mascot actually rode in on a horse named Maverick.)
But fans who wanted to claim prime spots for the broadcast started gathering at the quad well before that, with early devotees getting in line Friday.
At 4:30 a.m., Saturday, an hour and a half before the GameDay show began, echoes of cheering crowds could be heard wafting over downtown Eugene. By then, Kincaid Street was lined with large white, ESPN-branded trucks; two men were seen carrying the platform the Duck mascot does push-ups on whenever Oregon scores.
It wouldn’t be light for hours, but fans held out in the long, dark morning for a chance to be spotted on ESPN and spot their favorite commentators in return. That dedication didn’t go unnoticed onstage when the broadcast actually began at 6 a.m.
“It is an honor to be out here in the pitch black celebrating college football,” ESPN personality Pat McAfee said.
The scene at GameDay
Finding a good spot with a clear view was a tall order. But Ryan McWilliams, 8, had a solid view perched atop his dad Blake’s shoulders. The two, who live in Eugene, woke up at 4:30 a.m. to find a spot to watch the broadcast.
“This guy on my shoulders really enjoys all things Oregon Ducks,” Blake McWilliams said.
“Shout” by the Isley Brothers was a constant refrain, including McAfee’s own hammed-up rendition of the UO tradition, as were frequent cries of “Sco Ducks.” Requisite boos for anything related to Indiana also rang out, including when Nick Saban posed a question about this match’s importance for the Hoosiers to potentially prove themselves on the road.
The crowd camera, suspended by four cords, zipped over the crowd, sweeping and dipping on its lines like a marionette as it hunted for signs and energetic Ducks fans to show on-screen.
Fans brought oodles of signs for the camera and hosts, many of which were punny takes on Indiana’s “Hoosier” mascot, like “Hoosiers = Losers” and “Hoosier Daddy? I am your father” above a photo of the Duck. Others went goofier, like “Dan Lanning is on QUACK” or “Phil Knight > Bob Knight,” pitting the Nike father against the legendary IU basketball coach.
Speaking of Lanning, when he was on-stage, a round of cheers rang out — did someone start singing “Shout” again? No, it was Lanning and McAfee taking their shirts off to amp up the crowd.
Clara Persson, Juliet Robin and Bee Montes, all 19-year-old sophomores at UO, wore green wigs they kept from St. Patrick’s Day to GameDay. Their morning started at 1 a.m., they said, before a two-hour nap, a 3 a.m. alarm and a scramble to the quad to join the crowd.
Montes went to GameDay when ESPN visited Eugene last year, but this time she wanted to lean in more after thinking she didn’t see the event’s full potential.
“Take a nap, set an alarm and get up and just rally,” Montes offered as advice. “Honestly, even if you feel like you’re gonna be tired, just get up.”
Ron Borntrager, 54, wearing IU’s signature cream and crimson despite having lived in Oregon for decades, said the IU slander was all in good fun. He was born in Goshen, Indiana, and moved to the West Coast in the ’90s, now living in Lebanon, Oregon. He woke up at 2:30 a.m. to come to GameDay with his 17-year-old son.
“It’s fun,” Borntrager said about the GameDay experience. “Sure, if you’re a little younger and in college, you’d have even more of a fun time.”
The festivities
UO freshman Luka Thiara had an opportunity to kick a field goal for $250,000 and a new Toyota from McAfee, but missed despite a hearty “Sco Ducks.” When McAfee bumped that up to $1 million, half from him and half from Saban, Thiara still fumbled.
“Yeah, this guy stinks!” McAfee roared after Thiara’s second wayward attempt.
The novelty segments weren’t limited to the field goal contest. Hometown singer Mat Kearney, performed his song “Coming Home (Oregon)” live. Fans squared off in competitions for best dance moves, best costumes and best signs.
But toward the back of the crowd, it was hard to hear some football prognostications over crowd chatter, and the recurring patter of college students triangulating locations with “Hey, I’m here. Where are you?”
Temperatures were in the 40s during the coldest stretches of Saturday morning, but stray, empty plastic bottles of Fireball and trash bins packed with beer cans betrayed how people kept warm.
Host Kirk Herbstreit left the set early for the Eugene Airport to head to Texas, where he’s calling the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns. But he called in from the plane, snacking from a box of baked goods from Voodoo Doughnut.
In the closing moments of the broadcast, UO grad and WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu was the show’s guest picker, joining the team to select which team they think will win. (Despite his frequent cries of “Sco Ducks” during the broadcast, McAfee was ultimately the only host who did not pick Oregon to win against Indiana.)
Ionesco said she didn’t need to prepare for the big decision.
“I know who my pick is,” before choosing — of course — Oregon.
