I didn't get a ticket for the Nebraska game (same story w/ the Cal game) and remember my grandpa coming in and out of the bedroom expressing disbelief and shock. He couldn't keep going on and on that he can't believe this is happening, I didn't get it at the time and thought he was being strange but years later I came to appreciate that victory more. They were defending champions on a 26 game winning streak and were shut out. He was a neutral too, followed the game but didn't really have a team except for Groesbeck High where he still had the small Texas town home paper delivered to Arizona. He was also the biggest fan of the Leonard Davis draft pick, lineman from Texas were his favorite athletes.
I actually used to have tapes from the season but they were mostly partials. I have tape of second half against USC, UCLA after the entire comeback happened, the entire Cal game(laugh when I re-watched it a couple years ago hearing the commentator laughed when he said "I know Plummer is having the season he is having, heisman candidate but Pat Barnes will have a better pro career" suggested he is more pro ready or whatever abilities he was trying to sugggest. Also had the Oregon & Arizona tapes.
I did find a replay of that game on Hulu I think but this back in 2011. I noted all the Ahman Green fumbles which was funny considering it was fumbles that ended up defining his pro career.
That year was special, it would pretty difficult to replicate. Even if another team sweeps their season or wins a national title, it would still be hard to match the atmosphere at Mill Avenue in those days.
Had season tickets for Cardinals the following year but things got ugly quick, got beer spilled on me first game I attended. I remember the stadium cheered when Kent Graham went down against Tennessee which was Jake Plummer's first action but the Oilers were already well ahead. I remember the next week they went with Graham but can't remember the reason why but he went back out there on the road at Veterans Stadium at the 1-yard line and ran the offense to score the TD to send it to OT. An intentional grounding killed their chances in OT.
Though I could see how hard it would be to be a fan, no matter how close to 8-8 they got or no matter how what there were just always awful aspects to their game notably rarely running and unsuccessful when they tried. Also the fire sale at the end of 2002 season sucked out a lot of passion. I didn't start til becoming like I was until about the 2007 season. I remember when Green Bay lost there early in the season in 2003, considering all the players they let go there was 0-16 speculation from the national media and Chris Berman blamed the loss on the weather. It was too hot for Farve, I couldn't stop laughing considering the advantage Green Bay in winter has.
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