Multiple threads recently have mentioned the turrible game day experience.

[The Peeper]

What are the issues that everyone is having, what is missing that you want, or what is making the game day turrible? Other than the boring damn offense and apparent lack of motivation by the team what is missing? I'm not a Cohen fan so don't be calling me an apologist but what are you getting or hearing about at other venues that you want here in Starksville? I don't do concessions so can't comment on that but my main complaint was always lack of cell service and that wasn't bad Saturday.

 

[Shmuley]

I try to have low to zero expectations. I get to the game in time to walk in and sit my *** down. I don’t leave my seat until the game ends. I walk my *** back to the car and drive my *** home. My game day experience is uneventful and I don’t feel cheated.

 

[Smoked Toag]

I think most of it revolves around the West Side, where it is crowded and where people pay a lot of money for seats (therefore they are more bitter if things aren't perfect).

Easy and convenient is a big thing apparently. Over on the East side, I always see a line out the *** for the elevators. People would rather wait on that, than walk up the ramp to the Club Level or Upper Deck. Blows my mind.

 

[Drebin]

I didn't really have any concerns with the gameday experience this week. Everything was fine.

Are there lines at concessions? Sure, but what do you expect? I never really understand why people buy up a bunch of overpriced crap at the concession stand, anyway.

Are there lines for the restrooms? Sure, but what do you expect? If everyone is swigging tubs of soda out of ***-smelling cups or drinking 9 dollar beers, they're gonna have to go to the bathroom.

Are there lines to get into the stadium? Sure, but what do you expect? If everyone tried to get into the stadium at a reasonable time instead of waiting until the last possible minute, they'd be able to walk right in.

Did they fumble the chairback situation? Sure, but what do you expect? They only had nine months to get it right.

The "game day experience" is way down my list of things to gripe about, and everything above it has to do more with the product on the field.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Same. I walk in, sit down, watch the game, leave. Works out fine for me.

 

[Mjoelner]

My cell service in the stadium has gone from being able to stream in past years to not being able to text this year with Verizon. Wasn't planning on streaming anyway but can't access the boards to see what everyone is saying about the game while watching on tv. My biggest complaint is that the pisser trailer set up in Lot 11 was locked shortly after the game was over. There were still people tailgating and bumper to bumper traffic to get off campus and they already had it locked. Wasn't nothing but a step for a stepper though. There was plenty of shrubbery to step behind.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

My phone is just the opposite. For years you might as well turn it off because it wasn’t going to work in the stadium to now I can do anything I want.

 

[GloryDawg]

Same. I walk in, sit down, watch the game, leave. Works out fine for me.

That's what I do but the West Side of the Stadium is jammed because of the metal detectors. You have no room to walk.

 

[NTDawg]

My cell service in the stadium has gone from being able to stream in past years to not being able to text this year with Verizon. Wasn't planning on streaming anyway but can't access the boards to see what everyone is saying about the game while watching on tv. My biggest complaint is that the pisser trailer set up in Lot 11 was locked shortly after the game was over. There were still people tailgating and bumper to bumper traffic to get off campus and they already had it locked. Wasn't nothing but a step for a stepper though. There was plenty of shrubbery to step behind.

one of my favorite sayings

 

[GloryDawg]

I hammered on them in the additional comments on my gameday survey this morning.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

My cell service in the stadium has gone from being able to stream in past years to not being able to text this year with Verizon.

Same issue with CSpire (ceasefire), very poor cell service.

 

[8dog]

Yep.Att is awesome in the stadium. Now just need to make it awesome outside the stadium. We really need to make it as easy as possible to tailgate. But the admin doesnt care which is really missing the forest for the trees

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

What plan are you on? I've been talking to Verizon a lot of having similar issues in certain places. I'm on an old plan that no longer exist because of that I get throttled anywhere there is high use. I asked about changing plan but it was $20 a line. I said no thanks.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

Same issue with CSpire (ceasefire), very poor cell service.

Cspire has been a turd in the punch bowl for a while now in this area. I have no idea what is going on. My house is 2 miles from Walmart as the crow flies and more often than not my signal speed will be under 1mbps or no signal at all. I'll go to Columbus where it is supposedly 5G and I'l be in the middle of town with a full signal and still just be pulling 5 mbps.

 

[8dog]

Just go in another entrance and walk around

 

[ronpolk]

Same. I walk in, sit down, watch the game, leave. Works out fine for me.

Yep… I’ve never had issues either.

 

[ronpolk]

Yep.Att is awesome in in the stadium. Now just need to make it awesome outside the stadium. We really need to make it as easy as possible to tailgate. But the admin doesnt care which is really missing the forest for the trees

What can be done to make it easier to tailgate?

 

[Xenomorph]

AT&T being solid in the stadium is an huge quality of life perk. Now it's possible to stream an interesting game while having to watch ours.

 

[MSUDC11]

Same issue with CSpire (ceasefire), very poor cell service.

C Spire has been hit or miss for me in the stadium this year. Could not do a single thing on my phone during the NC State game, but it was fine for LSU and actually really good on Saturday. I was able to watch the Ole Miss-Tennessee game on my phone at half time.

 

[mobowhunter27]

First game in several years. Besides the play on the field, it was a pretty buttoned-up experience in our section.

 

[Mjoelner]

What plan are you on? I've been talking to Verizon a lot of having similar issues in certain places. I'm on an old plan that no longer exist because of that I get throttled anywhere there is high use. I asked about changing plan but it was $20 a line. I said no thanks.

I had to look it up. My plan is called "Do More Unlimited 5G UW".

 

[8dog]

More dropoff points, more shuttle/golf cart access to campus, more options to purchase tailgating services other than letting Southern Tailgating have a monopoly, use some money to hire college kids to help with any of this (like unloading or helping folks set up), blanket the campus in wifi, provide power to people, encourage catering services to set up shop on campus Going to have to think much bigger though. Tailgating is what will keep people coming to games and our gameday scene is a huge student recruiting tool. So for the university to just act like its not important is really ignorant.

Take $1 mill and spread it over 7 home games. Thats 142k per game. Pay 200 kids $500 for the day and spread them everywhere. Im just spitballing

 

[crackerjax]

Echoing the need for in-stadium WiFi. Ole Miss provides WiFi for free at Vaught-Hemingway and has done so for years through a partnership with C-Spire. Why is MSU incapable of doing the same? I have Verizon and could not so much as send a text message during the game, much less check other scores or twitter.

 

[DirtyDog]

Well, there are ups and downs. After 30 years of going to home football games, there are always ups and downs with the gameday experience. They try some things and some work, others don't. Some observations from Saturday night:
1. Quick metal detectors on the East side were an upgrade and seemed to make things easier getting in the stadium.
2. New chairbacks are made for kids; they are set a bit too far forward IMO. The old chairbacks were more comfortable.
3. The concession stands are inadequate (for those that might want a concession). There is an old saying that if you are going to do something, then do it right. We are far from doing it right - the price cut a couple of years ago was a good move though. Now, we just need production.
4. The bathroom lines are ridiculous for a basic requirement. First, the lines were long, but when you got to the restroom half the urinals were not being used...maybe need a staff member to move people along and direct them to the empties to keep the lines moving (I don't know why people can't see). Second, why not put another set of bathrooms and concessions on the fence side (towards alumni center) for a mild cost that would take some of the pressure off.
5. Almost every year, they mess with the traffic flow, and almost every year it sucks. They have untrained staff members directing traffic and stopping for the 2-4 pedestrians to cross instead of maximizing flow away from campus. Why not turn both lanes outbound (like a hurricane) after the game on the new road to the south? They already have the entry lane blocked, but it would help move traffic that way. When they were building that new road, why did they not make it 3 lanes wide to begin with to open the center lane in either direction to help with traffic flow (short sighted and not easily corrected due to the additional earthwork required).
6. From my view, it looked like tailgating was up for the Alabama game as expected. I agree that more options for student assembled tailgates at a reasonable cost would be awesome, especially if connected to a central TV feed. They could even make some money off this by providing some catering as a service as well.

 

[atomic dawg]

This year things seem to be flowing better overall than they did 2 years ago when we last had a full stadium. The gates and metal detectors have been working fairly well this year it seems and security is moving people through more quickly. This past weekend seemed a little worse than the previous games, but thats probably the largest crowd we'll have all year, so as far as gates and concessions, I think we'll be alright if they can keep those adequately staffed for the remaining games.

Ive got Cspire and it used to be terrible on gameday 4 or 5 years back. The past couple of years its worked better for me... which isnt to say its great, but I can text and pull up scores pretty quickly most of the time so no major complaints there.

I kind of miss the old stadium cup sizes, even if they did stink. The larger size cups have thrown off my mixing proportions that I had down to an art. Ive been mixing them way too strong lately. But all things considered maybe its for the best.

The pretzels on the east side were softer than a baby's bottom so maybe we've turned the corner on that travesty!

.

 

[kired]

Sorry, I'm just pissed about the concession stuff Saturday night. I can get by without anything - but I take my kids to the games. They are old enough now to where they enjoy watching the game, but they do get bored at halftime and hungry, need to piss. So standing in line for 15 minutes only to be told they were out of food just before I reached the front - then having to get in another 15 minute line that had limited food choices really sucked. I don't mind waiting 30-40 minutes for food. But I expect them to have the food they advertise. Speaking of - why don't they sell pizza anymore? That was always an easy meal for kids.

Metal detectors are much quicker than previous years. Cell phone reception is ok - at least my phone's no longer a brick like it used to be. Traffic leaving games has been ok.

Still not sure what's going on with my parking lot. We get there about an hour before kickoff. Only time I've ever seen our lot completely full was Auburn 2014. They don't scan these mobile parking passes so my guess is people are duplicating them and getting in with a screenshot, overfilling the lots.

 

[Cooterpoot]

Need strippers in the Gridiron Club. Just put up some poles behind the endzone.

 

[SirBarksalot]

Easy and convenient is a big thing apparently. Over on the East side, I always see a line out the *** for the elevators. People would rather wait on that, than walk up the ramp to the Club Level or Upper Deck. Blows my mind.

We fightin to keep that #1 fat ranking..

 

[Mobile Bay]

one of my favorite sayings

Which one of y'all is governor Kay Ivey?

 

[Dawgbite]

Something has happened to Verizon in North Ms period, it's not just gamedays. Someone told me that the reason for crappy cell service lately is that until recently the government forced the cell providers to share their towers with each other as part of everyone's god given right to have cell phone service. The agreement has recently expired and they are no longer sharing their signal. No idea if any of that's true. All I know is that in previous years I could stream other games on my phone during our game, now I can't even send a text message that doesn't take 30-45 minutes to deliver.

 

[woozman]

My phone is just the opposite. For years you might as well turn it off because it wasn’t going to work in the stadium to now I can do anything I want.

Same. I’ve been pleasantly surprised this year with the cell service.

I sit on the east side and the line to get into the stadium looks long (especially this weekend), but it only takes like 5-mins. We eat before the game and it doesn’t take long to grab a beer or water.

Anyone know what’s up with the BBQ place that took over the normal concession space on the east side under section 20? It must be decent because the line has been stupid all year. I ran down to the bathroom about 3-mins into the 2nd this weekend and the line for that place went past the men’s bathroom. No way some of those people got back to their seats before halftime.

 

[Drebin]

Need strippers in the Gridiron Club. Just put up some poles behind the endzone.

This is actually not a bad idea. Maybe some kind of co-op or work share with the pony.**

 

[GloryDawg]

Just go in another entrance and walk around

I don't believe you can walk the entire horse shoe once in the stadium. I have only missed two home games in ten years. I sat on the East side one season and I don't think you can get to the West side or back from the inside. It is blocked.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

"ain't no step for a stepper" is how I learned it, but yeah

 

[57stratdawg]

It’s going to be tough for me to find a better gameday experience than last weekend. The weather was in the 60’s, beautiful sky, the stadium was full and loud, but not uncomfortably crowded.

I walked out of the Cotton District, into the game, and back over a 6 hour period. No complaints here.

 

[woozman]

Well, there are ups and downs. After 30 years of going to home football games, there are always ups and downs with the gameday experience. They try some things and some work, others don't. Some observations from Saturday night:
1. Quick metal detectors on the East side were an upgrade and seemed to make things easier getting in the stadium.
2. New chairbacks are made for kids; they are set a bit too far forward IMO. The old chairbacks were more comfortable.
3. The concession stands are inadequate (for those that might want a concession). There is an old saying that if you are going to do something, then do it right. We are far from doing it right - the price cut a couple of years ago was a good move though. Now, we just need production.
4. The bathroom lines are ridiculous for a basic requirement. First, the lines were long, but when you got to the restroom half the urinals were not being used...maybe need a staff member to move people along and direct them to the empties to keep the lines moving (I don't know why people can't see). Second, why not put another set of bathrooms and concessions on the fence side (towards alumni center) for a mild cost that would take some of the pressure off.
5. Almost every year, they mess with the traffic flow, and almost every year it sucks. They have untrained staff members directing traffic and stopping for the 2-4 pedestrians to cross instead of maximizing flow away from campus. Why not turn both lanes outbound (like a hurricane) after the game on the new road to the south? They already have the entry lane blocked, but it would help move traffic that way. When they were building that new road, why did they not make it 3 lanes wide to begin with to open the center lane in either direction to help with traffic flow (short sighted and not easily corrected due to the additional earthwork required).
6. From my view, it looked like tailgating was up for the Alabama game as expected. I agree that more options for student assembled tailgates at a reasonable cost would be awesome, especially if connected to a central TV feed. They could even make some money off this by providing some catering as a service as well.

1. Agreed - no issues for me either.

2. I’m glad that they bolted the new chair backs down and slid them up some. I don’t spend the money for one, but the dude that’s been in front of me for years can’t continuously lean back into my knees anymore.

3. I don’t eat at the game (I take my kids too, but we eat beforehand either at the tailgate or in the Union). Beer lines have been quick especially since they started using huggers instead of cups.

4. Bathroom lines are long if you go in between quarters or at halftime. They still move quickly though. Not sure which bathroom you use, but when a urinal opens up at the one I use - the next person in line goes to it.

5. No clue on most of this, but if you open up 4-lanes for traffic only to reduce it back down to 2-lanes a mile away - all you are doing is moving the logjam somewhere else. At the end of the day, the infrastructure wasn’t designed for 30K cars to be leaving all at once. If you think State has bad game day traffic go to a game at Auburn, Bama, GA, etc. the last time I went to Tuscaloosa for a game - it took us an hour to get off campus and then like 2.5 more to get back to the hotel in Birmingham.

6. Running power and cable to tailgating spots would cost a ridiculous amount of money considering they would be used for 6 weekends and would be a pain to maintain, mow around, etc the other 45 weeks of the year. They already cater as do many local places. https://msstatedining.campusdish.com/Catering/Menu

 

[cowbell88]

Sat in section 21 Saturday and will give a to concession under section 23.

Line zig zagged 3 times around dividers and hardly stopped moving. The difference: it’s set up cafeteria style. You grab your drinks, food, candy/peanuts then proceeded to checkout. They had three people at check out. That was almost as smooth as a Chick-fil-A drive through.

 

[dawgenstein]

My cell service in the stadium has gone from being able to stream in past years to not being able to text this year with Verizon. Wasn't planning on streaming anyway but can't access the boards to see what everyone is saying about the game while watching on tv. My biggest complaint is that the pisser trailer set up in Lot 11 was locked shortly after the game was over. There were still people tailgating and bumper to bumper traffic to get off campus and they already had it locked. Wasn't nothing but a step for a stepper though. There was plenty of shrubbery to step behind.

I had a different experience. I have Verizon and the service has been bad in prior years, but I’m sitting at the game this past weekend streaming games on ESPN from my phone. It was better than coverage in my hometown of Houston, Texas where Verizon is king.

 

[dawgenstein]

Something has happened to Verizon in North Ms period, it's not just gamedays. Someone told me that the reason for crappy cell service lately is that until recently the government forced the cell providers to share their towers with each other as part of everyone's god given right to have cell phone service. The agreement has recently expired and they are no longer sharing their signal. No idea if any of that's true. All I know is that in previous years I could stream other games on my phone during our game, now I can't even send a text message that doesn't take 30-45 minutes to deliver.

I think it’s your plan. Verizon doles out bandwidth to people who pay $5 - $15 more per month for each phone on the plan. Buy the bottom feeder Verizon plan these days and your in line behind the others who pay a little more for priority bandwidth. I’m not a fan of that, but it’s the price you pay.

 

[BogeyGolfer.sixpack]

What are the issues that everyone is having, what is missing that you want, or what is making the game day turrible? Other than the boring damn offense and apparent lack of motivation by the team what is missing? I'm not a Cohen fan so don't be calling me an apologist but what are you getting or hearing about at other venues that you want here in Starksville? I don't do concessions so can't comment on that but my main complaint was always lack of cell service and that wasn't bad Saturday.

First game for me in about 3 years, no issues, lines moved quick, I like the new serve yourself grab and go set up. Beer lines were fine, service was good. I don't get all the complaints, if you want service like you get at your local steak and fish house you're not going to get it. People don't mind waiting in line at Wal-mart to buy whatever but complain about having to wait a bit with 60K people in one spot.....