One of the primary ways Florida
Citrus Sports tries to make its bowl games popular among out-of-town fans,
as well locals, is to make game day special. Wednesday qualifies at
McCracken Field next to the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Capital One, the bowl's title
sponsor, has put a chunk of its changes into pregame festivities for fans
at McCracken Field. A Jumbotron will be erected for fans to watch
two early bowl games (Texas vs. LSU in the Cotton and Florida vs. Michigan
in the Outback). ESPN Club is setting up a full sports bar, complete
with more television sets. And several vendors will sell food to
fans who don't bring their own tailgate setups.
Interactive games are the order of
the day, FCS's Dylan Thomas said, including a chance for fans to be an
announcer for a day -- reading scripts while football highlights play in
the background.
Apparel and souvenir vendors set up
shop in the Citrus Bowl parking lot last week, and business appears to
have been good.
In addition, a corporate tailgate
will be conducted at adjacent Tinker Field.
Shutting it down
Auburn and Penn State
cut back on their hard hitting starting Sunday, and Monday's workout was
the last real practice before the bowl. Teams will hold a
walkthrough practice and go very lightly.
"We had some
hard-hitting practices down here. We got after it pretty good,"
Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said.
Unlike Auburn's trip
here for the 2001 game, when Center Ben Nowland broke a finger, no Tigers
got hurt.
On Penn State's last
trip, Coach Joe Paterno twice lengthened practice when the Nittany Lions
did not prepare well. That hasn't happened this time around.
Staying Strong
If a football program
is only as strong as its commitment to a strength program, Penn State and
Auburn are in good shape. Both schools have made certain their
players can lift weights while in Orlando.
Auburn spokesperson
Meredith Jenkins said the Tigers' strength and conditioning staff brought
down parts of Auburn's weight room and set them up in a locker room at the
Citrus Bowl.
Penn State spokesman
Jeff Nelson said the Nittany Lions rented equipment and set it up in a
ballroom at the team hotel. Players were asked to lift once during
their workouts in St. Petersburg and twice while in Orlando, he said.
Taking care of
business
A year after Michigan
fumbled, Auburn and Penn State took care of their Orlando Police
Department security details. Both schools gave out hats, T-shirts
and car flags to officers assigned to them to make their travels to and
from practice and other events go smoothly.
Judging by
post-practice routines, officers are happy to wear their new caps.
Last year Tennessee was more than generous to its security personnel, but
it was an area Michigan overlooked.
Etc.
TigerWalk isn't just
for Auburn home games. The Tigers will conduct a walk through their
fans beginning at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday at the corner of Rio Grande and
South streets on the east side of the stadium. Players will walk
through a primary fan area at McCracken Field and enter the stadium at
Service Gate C.
While Auburn won't
have TB Carnell "Cadillac" Williams at its disposal, Penn State
might have freshman SS Calvin Lowry. Lowry has been sidelined since
breaking his right leg against Iowa in September.
Penn State WR Tony
Johnson gets the quote of the about him and his older brother, TB Larry
Johnson: "The student section is concerned about my parents
cloning another Johnson, but I don't think they're up to it."
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