Thoughts of Reser Stadium

The first game has come and gone. I thought I'd share my experience on the new side.

Watching the Game

My seats are on the first level, above the students about 6-7 rows up on about the 15 to 20 yard line. You can see in my pictures where my sight-lines are and generally where I sit. I thought the view was great and I had no problem viewing the game even when the ball was at the other end of the field. Plus, when we are about to score on my end we get an up close and personal look at the team.

Seats

The seats were surprisingly comfortable. I thought the all plastic seats would be a little hard, but they are great. 100 times better than the hard benches we had on the old side. The leg room was great as well. I'm about 6'1" and I really loved the leg room. The cup holders rocked. I LOVE having a cup holder. The only bummer was that the sound system kept going out. But when it was working it was nice and loud.

The Rest

Generally, it just felt like there was room to move. In the concourse, bathrooms, and everywhere else on the lower level there was just plenty of space. Not too crowded. There were a lot of people in the bathroom at one time but the bathroom was so big it was no problem.

I love the TVs at the concessions. That to me is really a step up into the next level. That gives the stadium a "Pro" feel.

Love this quote from coach Mike Riley:

"I've been in a lot of new NFL stadiums, and there's nothing any better than this. I'm very proud of Oregon State. I'm very proud to represent Oregon State at this time, because it's different. It's one of the best stories in college football in the last 50 years."

Overall, it was awesome! I can't wait until the whole stadium is done. My only complaint is that they haven't changed anything on the "old" stadium at all. Bob, please replace those old faded flags on the old side with three new ones like the new side has. How about a little orange paint to brighten things up? Maybe a nice "Oregon State" sign on the ground level wall on the other side to match the new side?

Oh, and now we need a bigger JumboTron. Looked a bit small when compared with the huge new addition.


Some articles and reviews of the new stadium:

Corvallis Gazette-Times - Players enjoy new field

The Oregonian - Beavers fans like it all at shiny new Reser Stadium

The Register-Guard - Ron Bellamy: Oregon State building a big, bright future
The Register-Guard - Bob Welch: Reser Stadium stands up to play-by-play