The crowd is cheering. The band is playing. The air is alive with scents of charcoal, fresh-cut grass and excitement. The stands are engulfed in a sea of maroon-clad minions, with cowbells in hand.
Any second the home team will come roaring out of the tunnel with a burst of speed and emotion, ready to tear into the first opponent they see.
Only they do not come running out. Instead they walk out, single-file. Each one is in a perfect line, each in tow behind their head coach. They take their place in a straight line down the side of Scott Field, solemnly holding their helmets in their hands, as the team chaplain leads them and the now-silent crowd in the Lord’s Prayer. Tragedy has come to the Magnolia State.
That was the scene before the Mississippi State University home football opener Saturday night, a game MSU won 38-6. Coaches, players, opponents, fans and evacuees alike all shared in that special moment less than a week after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama gulf coasts, killing what could amount to thousands and leaving many more homeless.
“Thinking about all those who have had losses due to Hurricane Katrina made getting ready for this game tough,” MSU head coach Sylvester Croom said after the Bulldogs’ win. “This week has never been focused on just football. You can’t get away from it (Hurricane Katrina).”
“To see what others are going through makes you realize that we take so much for granted. We had players directly affected. Everything they own is gone,” Croom said.
Sophomore tight end Eric Butler is from Moss Point, a coastal Mississippi city devastated by an estimated 35-foot storm surge. Though his family is safe, they have still felt Katrina’s catastrophic damage.
“I found out early in the week that my mom had lost everything,” said Butler. “That was pretty tough.”
Derek Ambrose and Jeremy Jones are both from south Louisiana. Jones had no contact with his mother until just before the team’s pre-game meal on Saturday.
“She told me she was OK, that she loved me and to just go out there and play hard,” Jones said. “She said she was sorry she couldn’t be here but that she would be here in spirit.”
Center Chris McNeil’s home in Petal is without power, and his family has temporarily relocated to Knoxville, Tenn., to seek refuge. Yet, he still considers his family to be blessed.
“We’re still here,” McNeil said. “It’s definitely hit home. My family could’ve been one of the ones lost, like those hundreds of thousands on TV.”
Despite the solemn tone of practices and meetings during the week, most of the players have been able to remain focused on the task at hand.
“I was very impressed with their concentration throughout the week,” Croom said of the players who were directly affected. “There were a couple of them that I know went at least 24 hours without being able to get in touch with their people. I have a great deal of respect for them (in their preparing for the game), because I don’t know if I could have done it.”