Seeing red, red, red, red and red

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Certainly, a lot of talk this week on the red turf of Roos Stadium at Eastern Washington. Here’s the Cliff’s notes version of my crack research:

  • The red turf has no affect on the players and coaches at field level, that coming from Southern Utah head coach Ed Lamb, EWU head coach Beau Baldwin himself and a sportswriter from Cape Girardeau, Mo., who covered the Southeast Missouri State game at EWU last Saturday.
  • It does have an affect on the eyes watching videotape that is shot at press box level. Bison defensive end Coulter Boyer said it’s difficult with the red jerseys, red pants on the red field.  The best quote came from Lamb:  “The video is really scary because it’s hard to see the players. But it’s not like that from field level.”
  • There is no NCAA rule regarding color of turf nor is there any NCAA involvement, to date anyway, of mandating color of turf.
  • The main purpose from EWU’s angle was to create some notoriety and to hang its hat on something and it has certainly done that. Baldwin compares his home field nuance to that of NDSU and the Fargodome, saying not many teams see the inside of a dome.
  • The surface is Sprinturf, the same as the new NDSU practice field at old Dacotah Field.
  • There is no camouflage effect with the red uniforms on the red turf. The only way that would happen, Baldwin said, is if the school constructed a 10-foot red wall around the field.

22 thoughts on “Seeing red, red, red, red and red”

    • UND will be seeing that field every other year in the Big Sky if they are in the same division as Eastern Washington.

  2. I watched their game on NCAA.com last week after the Bison won to see what they were like and that red field kind of bothers you a bit watching on TV. They had snow piled all around their stadium too, so expect another cold weather game. My guess is the Bison will once again have a size advantage on the offensive and defensive lines which will play a part in the outcome of the game. I was not impressed with SEMO at all, so it was very hard to tell if Eastern Washington was that good or SEMO was that bad. I’m leaning toward SEMO being that bad.

  3. Its funny I didn’t even think that the field is flat and the players can’t even see the field down field but it will look terrible on TV and from the stands if they have red jerseys. Feel kind of dumb now.

    The best way to take homefield is hope they have another pitiful turnout like last week with only 3600 fans. Throw in 1,000 Bison fans and it wont be. Much of a home field at all. Throw in the fact its going to be cold, wet, and snowy and it could really be similar to last week. Power running teams have an advantage in the elements.

    Here’s to hoping nobody goes to the game! Even if they do it wont be near as loud as MSU and their 14k fans!

    • The field may well be white. The rumor is that a snow storm is moving in.
      But the Bison play in the dome and can’t handle cold and snow.
      I predict DJ has his best game yet.

    • Official college footballs have a white stripe to help with visibility.

      But footballs must have very grainy leather to assist with grip. A ball with the texture of a baseball would be difficult to catch, receive during a hand-off, and hold on to during a tackle. Consider too that most college games are played on an outdoor field and that the game is usually played during wet and snowy seasons.

      Painting the ball or tanning it so it will be whiter or bleach-able both compromise grip.

  5. The effect is so overrated it’s ridiculous. I talked to a few fans and they were actually annoyed by it and thinks it will ultimately hurt attendance. Here’s how they described it.

    New turf. Rah Rah. All the kids get excited and they start the season off with a bang. They beat Montana and they think it’s all magic! (but in reality, Montana sucks really bad and they would have beaten them anywhere)

    But after they got all excited over the red turf and the novelty wore off, the fans started to get annoyed because “you can’t see the team on the field.” Seems kind of dumb huh? So they have seen attendance drop week after week after week. Attendence was up slightly over prior years but playoff turnout has been a disaster.

    Consider this. In 2004 they had 2 home playoff games. It was the same weekend and they drew over 8K for each game. This year they drew 3,600. This year they are #1 in the Nation

    2010
    9/18 Montana Attendance: 11702
    10/9 Northern Arizona Attendance: 7472
    10/23 Sacramento State Attendance: 7147
    11/13 Southern Utah Attendance: 5357
    11/20 Idaho State Attendance: 5781
    12/4 Playoffs – Attendance: 3665

    2008
    9/20 Western Washington Attendance: 7499
    9/27 Idaho State Attendance: 5549
    10/11 Montana Attendance: 10830
    11/1 Sacramento State Attendance: 4814
    11/15 Northern Arizona Attendance: 4902

  6. I hope the coaches aren’t focusing too much on the turf. It seems other teams have prepared for the EWU turf instead of the EWU football team. To the Bison coaches and players: your opponent is the team. Do not forget this; don’t let it distract you.

    • The teams you talk about are all sitting at home now watching this game on TV. I fully expect the Bison players and coaches to come in ready to play a football game rather than take in a sightseeing trip.

  7. Sagarin Football Ratings thru December 4th-
    * – Missouri Valley Football Conference Member
    ** – Big Sky Conference Member
    60-Delaware
    61-Appalachian State
    64-Villanova
    71-Wofford
    75-Georgia Southern
    79-New Hampshire
    88-Eastern Washington**
    97-NDSU*
    101-Western Illinois*
    114-Montana State**
    121-Northern Iowa*
    124-SDSU*
    130-Montana**
    132-Missouri State*
    137-Southern Illinois*
    139-Robert Morris
    146-Indiana State*
    147-Cal Poly-SLO**(Future Big Sky Team)
    154-Illinois State*
    157-Youngstown State*
    171-USD*(Future Missouri Valley Team)
    190-UND**(Future Big Sky Team)

    Sagarin Basketball Ratings thru December 7th.
    63-Oakland, Mich
    81-NDSU
    86-SDSU
    97-Oral Roberts
    126-Northern Iowa
    130-Montana
    258-USD
    323-UND
    Go Bison!

  8. Sagarin Football Ratings thru December 4th-
    * – Missouri Valley Football Conference Member
    ** – Big Sky Conference Member
    60-Delaware
    61-Appalachian State
    64-Villanova
    71-Wofford
    75-Georgia Southern
    79-New Hampshire
    88-Eastern Washington**
    97-NDSU*
    101-Western Illinois*
    114-Montana State**
    121-Northern Iowa*
    124-SDSU*
    130-Montana**
    132-Missouri State*
    137-Southern Illinois*
    139-Robert Morris
    146-Indiana State*
    147-Cal Poly-SLO**(Future Big Sky Team)
    154-Illinois State*
    157-Youngstown State*
    171-USD*(Future Missouri Valley Team)
    190-UND**(Future Big Sky Team)

    Sagarin Basketball Ratings thru December 7th.
    63-Oakland, Mich
    81-NDSU
    86-SDSU
    97-Oral Roberts
    126-Northern Iowa
    130-Montana
    258-USD
    323-UND
    Go Bison!

  10. Last year on Bisonville the Sagarin Football Ratings were berated as nothing but a worthless joke by numerous posters. Gee, I wonder why last year they were less than meaningless and this year they are hailed as greatness?

  11. If the Bison are able to win on Saturday in the same manner they did last week, it would tell me that the Big Sky is not a very physical conference. I would guess that once UND gets their feet under them and are able to get back to being the type of physical team they were in Division-II, that they would be a force in that conference. The future will be interesting. Go Bison!

  13. Red Turf has been fantastic. All fans I know are proud of the AD, program and the team this year with everything that has been accomplished. These Eastern kids know what they are after, its a national championship. As far as attendance goes, school is out this week for holiday break and they know Spokane is a bust for crowd turnout even when its 80 degrees out. This plays as a chip on their shoulders. Whether its 500 or 15,000 fans these kids are playing for each other and the red turf is a reminder of how far they have taken the program. Looking forward to a battle. Go EAGS!

    • Pay no attention to some of the Bison fans. Only idiots worry about the color of the field and how much noise the fans will make.