NCAA should be embarassed by this field

[elcid83]

What a disgrace to play a National Championship on such a crappy surface.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Lay down new sod in November, get a cold spell, turf doesn't root?

Lessons from history just don't seem to get learned in the laying of turf I guess.

[NDSUSR]

Its like a beach spray-painted green.
Terrible, WTF Frisco?

[GoAgs72]

UC Davis used to play on grass but I never remember groundskeepers and players having to replace sections of turf during the game. It could get muddy at the end of the season but not a situation like this.

[mainejeff]

The field condition is pathetic. I wonder how the NCAA will feel if Terrence West gets injured and sues them for future earnings forfeited?

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I didn't see this thread before posting mine but this is the exact same thing that was done in 2004. Lay new sod in November for the game and you get this if there's a cold snap and the turf can't root. Don't understand how they did this again.

[Bronco]

It's a soccer field

[Nickels]

I didn't see this thread before posting mine but this is the exact same thing that was done in 2004. Lay new sod in November for the game and you get this if there's a cold snap and the turf can't root. Don't understand how they did this again.

I know very very little about grass but it doesn't take an expert to know that planting sod in November that needs be ready by the first week of January is liberal stupid.

[mainejeff]

I know very very little about grass but it doesn't take an expert to know that planting sod in November that needs be ready by the first week of January is liberal stupid.

Is Frisco, Texas liberal?..........

[whoanellie]

worst case scenario saw this at a Panthers game a dozen years ago, Owner fired his son....
looks like players are learning to deal with it.

[IBleedYellow]

Drop the politics. Who cares. Field sucks.

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

[mainejeff]

Drop the politics. Who cares. Field sucks.

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Is North Dakota still burning?

[Tribe4SF]

NCAA forced Chattanooga to put in FieldTurf after the 2004 fiasco. Can't believe this has happened again.

[kdinva]

Even the sod in Pittsburgh and Charlotte looked great this season (December)....

[Laker]

I haven't seen a field that bad in years when it hasn't even been raining. I went to a Gopher game at Indiana years ago where they were literally replacing divots after every play. There were a high number of missed PATs and FGs that day. I never heard a reason why it was so bad since it was sunny and dry.

This field is dangerous.

[Nickels]

Is Frisco, Texas liberal?..........

Dallas yuppies. The whole area is filled to the brim with $30k millionaires.

Looks like some latte sippin death panelmen just denied this field care.

[GaijinBluehen]

Lay down new sod in November, get a cold spell, turf doesn't root?

Lessons from history just don't seem to get learned in the laying of turf I guess.Horticulture 101. Ridiculous!

[Bogus Megapardus]

You wont see that crap in Green Bay or Philadelphia this weekend.

[Mr. C]

And the NCAA will shun responsibility, like it did in 2004 in Chattanooga, and put the blame on the Frisco organizing committee.

[Cleets]

Dallas yuppies. The whole area is filled to the brim with $30k millionaires.

Looks like some latte sippin death panelmen just denied this field care.


You ^ sir
Are extremely entertaining for a village idiot
Please continue

[NDSUSR]

You ^ sir
Are extremely entertaining for a village idiot
Please continue

Please do not.

[Mr. C]

The NCAA just released a statement DURING THE GAME on the field conditions:

“The facility replaced the turf on the field between the hash marks on Nov. 18. Shortly thereafter, an ice storm came through Frisco and ice sat on the field for a week. This prevented the grass from taking root underneath the turf. We haven’t changed any field preparation from years’ past. The only difference this year is that weather did not cooperate with us.” – Nick Shafer, Toyota Stadium vice president of operations.

[NDSUSR]

Weather can be a bitch. It is what it is.

[Nickels]

The NCAA just released a statement DURING THE GAME on the field conditions:

“The facility replaced the turf on the field between the hash marks on Nov. 18. Shortly thereafter, an ice storm came through Frisco and ice sat on the field for a week. This prevented the grass from taking root underneath the turf. We haven’t changed any field preparation from years’ past. The only difference this year is that weather did not cooperate with us.” – Nick Shafer, Toyota Stadium vice president of operations.

So it's the weathers fault because it got below freezing between Nov 18 - Jan 4?

- - - Updated - - -

They lucked out the past couple of years but that doesn't mean they were correct planting sod this late. Huge fail.

[Skyhawk71]

Nope, it's not about weather- #1- No turf manager believes he can root turf in November; #2 Once the epic fail to root was identified- they should have taken out the middle and went with deep roll sod- there are enough videos online about the Rose Bowl u will understand- City of Frisco, I promise made way more money in local sales tax revenue than that would have cost especially between the hashes, some of the higher ups went over the turf manager and said we are not paying for this- more than likely he will be fired, as is what happened in Chattanooga.............this was a piss poor management decision plain and simple= while I HATE synthetic turf- I do believe it should be used this time of year for championships...........I'm embarrassed for the guys at Toyota Field, they usually do a great job- but u can't screw it up on national television..........rant over

[Drblankstare]

The worst part is that they knew this was probably going to happen and did nothing about it.

[elcid83]

The NCAA just released a statement DURING THE GAME on the field conditions:

“The facility replaced the turf on the field between the hash marks on Nov. 18. Shortly thereafter, an ice storm came through Frisco and ice sat on the field for a week. This prevented the grass from taking root underneath the turf. We haven’t changed any field preparation from years’ past. The only difference this year is that weather did not cooperate with us.” – Nick Shafer, Toyota Stadium vice president of operations.

There are tarps to keep the ice away. There are heating units that can be placed on the field to keep the turf warm. A good field manager [or golf course superintendent knows how to make this work]. Blaming the weather for poor planning is unacceptable. Players that play for a national championship deserve a proper field.

[Bogus Megapardus]

From the standpoint of the decision makers this was "just FCS" not "real football" so it "doesn't really matter."

[NDSUSR]

From the standpoint of the decision makers this was "just FCS" not "real football" so it "doesn't really matter."

Time to change that avatar back? :)

[Yotes]

Play the game somewhere with turf. Did either team play even one game on grass this season? Well, I guess NDSU did at SDSU's pathetic stadium, but no division 1 game should be played on a field like the one we just saw, let alone the national championship.

[centennial]

Time to change that avatar back? :)
Let him keep it. He will remember this loss every time he looks at it.

[melloware13]

Play the game somewhere with turf. Did either team play even one game on grass this season? Well, I guess NDSU did at SDSU's pathetic stadium, but no division 1 game should be played on a field like the one we just saw, let alone the national championship.

Towson played on grass at UConn, but that was a season opener on a surface that is good enough for CONCACAF to host Gold Cup matches. They then played at Holy Cross, but again, it was September.

[Bisonator]

I agree the field was terrible. They should have done something a couple weeks ago if it was that bad. Lay down deep rooted sod down the middle or put down some field turf. Hopefully no serious injuries occurred.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Time to change that avatar back? :)


Yep.

[lionsrking2]

There's no acceptable excuse for these field conditions - period. An ice storm in November would not have caused these type of conditions, unless they sat around doing nothing about it.

[Seawolf97]

If they want to host a National Championship venue every year that field has to go. Looked like a poorly maintained middle school field.

[Pards Rule]

Looked like a bunch of bad toupees deposited around the field!

[Cocky]

Time to move

[mainejeff]

Good-bye Frisco, Texas!

[Wallace]

18735
CSN's Mark Campbell snapped this picture

[Wallace]

18736
from a newspaper

[ngineer]

Back to Chattanooga! On second thought, why not Orlando? Game was played there many years ago.

[NDSUSR]

Best turf in the world compared to the ice sheet that will be Lambeau Field tomorrow.

[lionsrking2]

Frisco is a great location for the game and the Southland Conference office has done an outstanding job hosting. That said, the field issue is a gigantic concern moving forward, and blaming it on an ice storm in mid November isn't going to cut it. Lincoln Financial in Philly gets snow and ice all the time and has no problem growing stable grass ... their field was in great condition tonight.

[dewey]

It was amazing after the first NDSU drive to see 5-10 people out there replacing the divots. Then as the game went on more and more people were out there trying to 'fix' it. At some points there had to be close to 100. There numerous people in suits and ties trying to fill the holes.

As an NDSU fan I have not seen a field as terrible as this since the D2 national semifinals game in 2000 when NDSU went and played Delta State.

Everything about having the FCS championship game in Frisco is first class but the field was flat out dangerous.

We ended up talking to numerous Towson fans, great people by the way at Pluckers last night and that was the first thing that we talked about.

There is no way in heck the NCAA would allow this to happen in the FBS bowl games.

Dewey

[Bison56]

I was scared for the players with those field conditions. One wrong step and it could have possibly been career ending.

[kdinva]

.....blaming it on an ice storm in mid November isn't going to cut it....

The Frisco stadium manager should look to hire a football groundskeeper.....who has experience with prepping a field for the linemen digging in and driving, etc...

[MR. CHICKEN]

18737…….SOCCER PLAYERS….WOODAH…TORN UP DAT FIELD……….BRAWK!

[NDSU1980]

Is there a reason that field can't be re sodded a lot earlier in the fall so it has a chance to grow and root down?

[clenz]

Is there a reason that field can't be re sodded a lot earlier in the fall so it has a chance to grow and root down?

Well

You see


A professional soccer team uses that for a home stadium...

The mls regular season runs through Halloween

Sent from my S4 using Tapatalk

[gotts]

I got a chunk of the field in my cooler. As soon as I'm done driving, I'll put up a picture of the lack of root structure. Almost looks like the green of the grass is painted on.

[NDSU1980]

Well

You see


A professional soccer team uses that for a home stadium...

The mls regular season runs through Halloween

Sent from my S4 using TapatalkBut the field was resodded on November 17 and Halloween is October 31, so it could have been done 2 1/2 weeks earlier, which might have made all the difference in the world.

[kdinva]

.....so it could have been done 2 1/2 weeks earlier, which might have made all the difference in the world.

the stadium folks were too caught up with the Mack Brown watch......

[clenz]

I got a chunk of the field in my cooler. As soon as I'm done driving, I'll put up a picture of the lack of root structure. Almost looks like the green of the grass is painted on.
I know a guy that was there...

He said he was on the field after the game and the root structure didn't even exist and the only reason the grass was green was paint. He guessed the grass had been dead for at least a month

[SIUSalukiFan]

Didn't they suffer a hard freeze 2-3 weeks ago? I think that was the problem. The re-sod never had a chance to take.

[Nickels]

Didn't they suffer a hard freeze 2-3 weeks ago? I think that was the problem. The re-sod never had a chance to take.
A hard freeze in DFW between Nov. 18 - Jan. 4. That will never happen. xcrazyx

[centennial]

Why would they not wait to do a re sod and just wait till after the game? Or they could have bought deep rooted sod or rented a turf. That grass did look dead.

[clawman]

And the NCAA will shun responsibility, like it did in 2004 in Chattanooga, and put the blame on the Frisco organizing committee.
It is the responsibility of the City of Frisco as it is their facility. Should the NCAA be watering the field?
I would hope this would trigger the NCAA to accept proposals from other cities. This is negligence.

[Mr. C]

It is the responsibility of the City of Frisco as it is their facility. Should the NCAA be watering the field?
I would hope this would trigger the NCAA to accept proposals from other cities. This is negligence.
The NCAA DEMANDED the re-sod in 2004. I assume (until it is proven elsewhere) they were the ones that instigated it again this season. The NCAA has the final say on all matters relating to site preparation and there are numerous times where NCAA officials are done in Frisco checking things out in advance of the game. I know for a fact that the person that heads up the NCAA Division I Football Championship was down in the Dallas area in late December, so they had to know what was going on. The difference between Frisco and Chattanooga is that there will be no possibility of FC Dallas allowing field turf to be put down on the field like was done beginning with the 2005 championship in Chattanooga.

As bad as things were on Saturday in Frisco, it was a 100 times worse in Chattanooga in 2004.

[putter]

JMU-Montana part 2.......

[APaladindad]

If the NCAA really gave a damn about FCS they could have substituted the venue with a nice 32000 seat stadium that was going unused that day. It was only 26 miles away. Gerald Ford Stadium on the SMU campus and I am sure there were many other field options that could have been utilized and rented with acceptable turf during the 47 days from the discovery of the field problems and the day of the game. Most stadiums can be turned in a day or less for different events. GSU plays on Saturday in the GA Dome and the Falcons play on Sunday afternoon in the same stadium. There is no shortage of 20k plus seat stadiums in the Dallas Fort Worth area. All within an easy drive from Frisco. The bottom line is either the NCAA does not care about FCS or someone is completely incompetent about field preparation or both??

[Bisonoline]

The NCAA just released a statement DURING THE GAME on the field conditions:

“The facility replaced the turf on the field between the hash marks on Nov. 18. Shortly thereafter, an ice storm came through Frisco and ice sat on the field for a week. This prevented the grass from taking root underneath the turf. We haven’t changed any field preparation from years’ past. The only difference this year is that weather did not cooperate with us.” – Nick Shafer, Toyota Stadium vice president of operations.

One freaking word---TARP!!!!

[caribbeanhen]

change the venue every year, like the Super Bowl..... if not, the guy that writes the checks gets to comfortable...

[Cocky]

Isn't Frisco High (or whatever the name of the local high school) building a dome?

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Isn't Frisco High (or whatever the name of the local high school) building a dome?

We drove by their stadium. It wasn't really all that different than the ones in Fargo. I was surprised.

[Smitty]

7 pages so far and no view of the turf from the stands or higher up? You guys disappoint me...

[NoDak 4 Ever]

7 pages so far and no view of the turf from the stands or higher up? You guys disappoint me...

I got no pictures. My battery was dead by game time with the reception problems everyone was having.

[MR. CHICKEN]

18747……..DUH FIELD…LOOKED….LIKE……BUFFALO ROAMED………xnodx……AWK!

[SamIam]

The Frisco ISD will use the Cowboys' indoor facility for games when it is complete. Much less capacity than FC Dallas Stadium, though.


Isn't Frisco High (or whatever the name of the local high school) building a dome?

[SamIam]

SMU probably not available due to basketball game on campus (personnel, plus parking issues), but UNT's new Apogee Stadium would have fit the bill. Even closer at 24 miles away.


If the NCAA really gave a damn about FCS they could have substituted the venue with a nice 32000 seat stadium that was going unused that day. It was only 26 miles away. Gerald Ford Stadium on the SMU campus and I am sure there were many other field options that could have been utilized and rented with acceptable turf during the 47 days from the discovery of the field problems and the day of the game. Most stadiums can be turned in a day or less for different events. GSU plays on Saturday in the GA Dome and the Falcons play on Sunday afternoon in the same stadium. There is no shortage of 20k plus seat stadiums in the Dallas Fort Worth area. All within an easy drive from Frisco. The bottom line is either the NCAA does not care about FCS or someone is completely incompetent about field preparation or both??

[Baldy]

It was bad, but mild in comparison to the field in Chattanooga in 1999 & 2000.

[Bronco]

7 pages so far and no view of the turf from the stands or higher up? You guys disappoint me...

Alpha on his pictures of his trip has shots of the crew working on the field in between plays


http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?150634-2014-Texas-Trip-Pictures-NDSU-3-Peat

This field was bad but not even close to the JMU-Montana field
They used chicken wire under the sod that was exposed and way bigger chunks of flying sod

[jmufan999]

I didn't see this thread before posting mine but this is the exact same thing that was done in 2004. Lay new sod in November for the game and you get this if there's a cold snap and the turf can't root. Don't understand how they did this again.

just my opinion, but the field looked even worse for this year's NC game than the 2004 game. i didn't think it could get worse, but some of those "divots" this weekend were just.... unbelievable. never seen anything like it.

[smallcollegefbfan]

The field condition is pathetic. I wonder how the NCAA will feel if Terrence West gets injured and sues them for future earnings forfeited?

The only problem is that unless West and his lawyers can get the draft grades from GMs he can't prove exactly what it would be. The media is often times wrong on players. We don't know if there is already something there medically that would prevent him from getting drafted or if teams don't view him as high as the media does. I personally believe he is a top 100 pick but the only opinions that matter will never be seen in public view so you can't really prove that.

[SpeedkingATL]

Guess they could have done what I've seen done at polo matches and have the crowd come on the field between the quarters and replace and step down on all the divots.:D NDSU and Towson deserved much better.

[smallcollegefbfan]

Guess they could have done what I've seen done at polo matches and have the crowd come on the field between the quarters and replace and step down on all the divots.:D NDSU and Towson deserved much better.

What most don't realize is that the NCAA probably doesn't care. It's just the FCS championship game and doesn't matter, in their minds. The field will be perfect for the game tonight. You can bet on that.

[NoDak 4 Ever]

What most don't realize is that the NCAA probably doesn't care. It's just the FCS championship game and doesn't matter, in their minds. The field will be perfect for the game tonight. You can bet on that.

hopefully it matters as much as it did in 2004. The NCAA made sure that situation was remedied. That contract is only for another 3 years.

[MR. CHICKEN]

hopefully it matters as much as it did in 2004. The NCAA made sure that situation was remedied. That contract is only for another 3 years.

COOD DERE BE CLAUSES..DAT WOOD NEGATE…SAID CONTRACT..LIKE.FAILURE TA PROVIDE SAFE CORNDITIONS..xconfusedx..AWQ!

[walliver]

What most don't realize is that the NCAA probably doesn't care. It's just the FCS championship game and doesn't matter, in their minds. The field will be perfect for the game tonight. You can bet on that.

Tonight's game is not an NCAA event. It is being run by a group of competent people not connected to the NCAA. The NCAA's only role in FBS to to show great moral outrage at Penn State in order to divert attention from the fact that they really aren't in control of Big-Time college football.

[Bisonator]

Tonight's game is not an NCAA event. It is being run by a group of competent people not connected to the NCAA. The NCAA's only role in FBS to to show great moral outrage at Penn State in order to divert attention from the fact that they really aren't in control of Big-Time college football.

This ^^^^. xlolx

[bkrownd]

I'm so sick of spoiled little girls who whine about weather and field conditions. Both teams play on the same field. Real Men love to play ball in the MUD. When the weather gets rough, the Men get tough, and the little boys cry to their mommies.

[lionsrking2]

What most don't realize is that the NCAA probably doesn't care. It's just the FCS championship game and doesn't matter, in their minds. The field will be perfect for the game tonight. You can bet on that.

The problem is with the stadium grounds crew, not the NCAA, SLC, or Frisco ... hopefully they take a course in turf management between now and next year.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

What most don't realize is that the NCAA probably doesn't care. It's just the FCS championship game and doesn't matter, in their minds. The field will be perfect for the game tonight. You can bet on that.

Let's stop pretending the NCAA has any say in how or what tonights facilities are about. They don't make the calls on that and if they don't care about this it isn't because or have anything to do with what goes on in the bowls.

NoDak also makes a good point in the post following yours. I'm real sure they do care a little and absolutely weren't happy with this. They have some negligence as well as the city of Frisco for this.

[moosbah]

Whether or not the NCAA is at fault for the field debacle, it's another (albeit small in the scope of PSU, Miami's semiannual occurrence) black eye on them. The beat goes on.

[chrisattsu]

If the NCAA really gave a damn about FCS they could have substituted the venue with a nice 32000 seat stadium that was going unused that day. It was only 26 miles away. Gerald Ford Stadium on the SMU campus and I am sure there were many other field options that could have been utilized and rented with acceptable turf during the 47 days from the discovery of the field problems and the day of the game. Most stadiums can be turned in a day or less for different events. GSU plays on Saturday in the GA Dome and the Falcons play on Sunday afternoon in the same stadium. There is no shortage of 20k plus seat stadiums in the Dallas Fort Worth area. All within an easy drive from Frisco. The bottom line is either the NCAA does not care about FCS or someone is completely incompetent about field preparation or both??

The Stadium is located along the Dallas North Tollway with the DNT being the dividing line between Denton and Collin Counties. UNT's stadium in Denton (25 minutes away) holds 30k+ and could have worked as a backup venue.

Or Allen High School's 18,000 person palace is only 17 minutes away

[Nickels]

The Stadium is located along the Dallas North Tollway with the DNT being the dividing line between Denton and Collin Counties. UNT's stadium in Denton (25 minutes away) holds 30k+ and could have worked as a backup venue.

Or Allen High School's 18,000 person palace is only 17 minutes away
A back up facility would change everything. It wouldn't work or happen. Anyone that has made the trip to Frisco would understand why.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

A back up facility would change everything. It wouldn't work or happen. Anyone that has made the trip to Frisco would understand why.

Exactly, they didn't go to the bidding and so forth to have it somewhere else anyway. I assumed people were not serious about just all the sudden up and moving the game on a whim. Living in fantasyland if anyone thinks that was an option.

[Mr. C]

People forget that for the 1994 World Cup, the organizers actually brought natural turf that had been growing elsewhere in for the games that were played in Pontiac, MI. The USA played their first game there against Switzerland and the turf played and looked beautiful. The technology is there to have a playable field. Frisco and the NCAA just blew it big time.

The 2004 game, incidently, looked like a Napoleonic army had marched through Finley Stadium. I was down on the field after everything else was done and it was truly amazing to see the carnage.

[blueballs]

Just be patient boys... Orlando is building a state of the art soccer stadium near the Citrus Bowl as the MLS awarded Orlando City Soccer a franchise.

[Nickels]

I really like Frisco. It's not too small where you would have to go to Dallas for fun, dining, etc. Just about anything you would want or need for a nice party weekend is in Frisco. On the flip side, it's not so big that it feels like the NC is irrelevant to the city. When your in Frisco during the NC weekend, you know it. It's also convenient that everything is within a couple of miles of the stadium.

That being said, a Vegas NC weekend would be sick.


I don't think the NCAA should be blamed for the field. The responsibility falls directly on the groundskeeper and stadium manager.

[Texas]

Honestly should just move it to BBVA Compass stadium.


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