UGA vs. OSU: not in Kansas anymore

The college football season covering the Georgia Bulldogs had a straight up nasty start. Saturday was just ridiculous. We left at 9:30 am to drive the 2.5 hours from our hotel in Kansas to Stillwater, Okla. to arrive at Boone Pickens Stadium 3 hours before the 2:30 kickoff. Once there the nightmares for me and fellow photog Tricia Spaulding just seemed to pile on one after the other. We lugged our gear around the entire stadium only to set up in the wrong press room due to misguided information. We packed up and lugged our gear across the whole stadium again to get to the right spot. We set up, nursed our aching backs with pain killers, and tried to find the energy for the game.

People start to trickle into Boone Pickens Stadium before the Oklahoma State Cowboys face-off with the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday Sept. 5, 2009 in Stillwater, Okla.


The Georgia Bulldogs stretch on the field.


Georgia runningbacks huddle before the game.


The drum major of the Oklahoma State Cowboys marching band strikes up the band.


An Oklahoma State cheerleader is tossed into the air.


Oklahoma State mascot "Pistol Pete" waits to go on the field.

I primarily shoot football with 3 cameras outfitted with a wide angle lens, a 70-200mm, and a 300mm or 400mm. Minutes before kickoff my 70-200mm died on me and my 400mm was giving me error messages. Awesome. I didn't shoot the Bulldogs taking the field. I hardly registered the Cowboys storm by with their smokey theatrics. I was on the brink of panic. I grabbed my stuff and booked it the best I could behind the team's bench in the narrow one person wide space that they forced the photographers to walk through to move back and forth on the field. This 100 yard path was full of obstacles including stairs, yes stairs, security personel, water girls, stray supplies, and worst of all people trying to go the opposite way. I found Tricia and told her what was going on. She is the nicest person ever and let me use her 200mm. We were both crippled now, but together we would get the job done. That was the theme for the day.

Georgia's A.J. Green is brought down by Oklahoma State's Terrance Anderson, left, and Lucien Antoine in the 1st quarter.


Georgia's A.J. Green misses a touchdown pass with coverage by Oklahoma's Perrish Cox in the first quarter.


Georgia's A.J. Green misses a touchdown pass with coverage by Oklahoma's Perrish Cox in the first quarter.


Georgia QB Joe Cox looks for an open receiver.


Georgia's Michael Moore catches a touchdown pass in the 1st quarter.


Georgia wide receiver Michael Moore holds up a #1 after scoring the Bulldogs' touchdown in the 1st quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday Sept. 5, 2009, at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. The Cowboys led 10-7 after the first half.


Georgia wide receiver Michael Moore is lifted by teammate Clint Boling after scoring the Bulldogs' touchdown in the 1st quarter.


Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson hands the ball off to Keith Toston deep in the Cowboys' own territory.


Oklahoma State's Hubert Anyiam just misses a pass with coverage by Georgia's Brandon Boykin.


Georgia defensive players Rennie Curran, Roderick Battle, and Kade Weston take down Oklahoma State's Kendall Hunter in the 1st quarter.


Georgia's Rennie Curran brings down Oklahoma State's Kendall Hunter.


Georgia's Rod Battle celebrates with Bryan Evans.


Georgia's Richard Samuel gets wrapped up by Oklahoma State defenders Johnny Thomas, left, and Andre Sexton in the 3rd quarter.


Georgia left tackle Trinton Sturdivant lays injured on the field.

After all of this the game was terrible and boring. The Bulldogs lost 24-10 in one of the worst offensive showcases I've seen. They only crossed midfield twice after their first drive. The game ended just after 5 pm. Somewhere in there I discovered the pen in my pack had exploded all over my cell phone. I was glad to get off the field and focus on the pictures. We edited like mad women and put together a 72 picture gallery and were quite proud of ourselves. We figured the writers were still working so took our time. We were the last to leave the photo room around 8:30. We hadn't eaten in 9 hours. Access to the bathroom had been closed down long ago and we were about to pee ourselves. The only way out of the stadium was to follow a pitch black tunnel only illuminated by the glowing exit signs in the distance. We finally came to a door that led to the outside, drug our stuff up a loading ramp and popped out across the street from the stadium. We got word that the writers would be another hour. I found a crushed up pack of cheez-its in my bag and these became our dinner. I wandered to buildings trying to find an unlocked door to go to the bathroom. No luck. We sat commiserating on a cement bench where we would spend the next 2 hours exhausted, starving, and in desperate need of a potty. After the writers arrived we went to a nearby McDonalds that looked like heaven to us and then made the 2.5 hour trek back to Kansas where we finally reunited with our beds after 2 am.

Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson


Oklahoma State mascot "Pistol Pete" fires his gun in the end zone during a time-out.


An Oklahoma State Cowboys cheerleader holds up her "pistols."


Georgia's Rennie Curran tackles Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson as he releases a pass.


Georgia's Reshad Jones takes down Oklahoma State's Keith Toston.


Georgia defensive players take down Oklahoma State's Kendall Hunter.


Oklahoma State's Perrish Cox gets a slap on the back from teammate Wilson Youman after a 60-yard punt return in the second half.


Georgia QB Joe Cox looks for an open receiver in the 2nd half.


Georgia's Orson Charles makes a leaping catch.


Georgia's A.J. Green gets tripped up by Oklahoma State's Perrish Cox in the 4th quarter.


Georgia wide receiver Michael Moore walks off the field after missing a pass.


Oklahoma State's Patrick Levine is picked up by teammates after deflecting a pass to bring up a 4th down.


Georgia fans sit stunned in the final minutes of the Bulldogs' 24-10 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.


Georgia Bulldogs sit dejected on the bench in the final minute of their 24-10 loss to the #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday Sept. 5, 2009, at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.


Georgia's Richard Samuel looks into the stands after the Bulldogs' 24-10 loss to the #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys.


The #13 Georgia Bulldogs walk off the field after their 24-10 loss to the #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday Sept. 5, 2009, at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.


Georgia's Bryan Evans shows his frustration after the Bulldogs' 24-10 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.


Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant greets the fans after the Cowboys beat the Georgia Bulldogs
Saturday Sept. 5, 2009, at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.


Georgia's A.J. Green walks off the field after the Bulldogs' 24-10 loss to the #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday Sept. 5, 2009, at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

On the plane ride out this morning I stared at a nearby Georgia fan's t-shirt that listed the team's 2009 schedule. This was 1 of 6 games in a row that I'm shooting. This should be exciting. I found it horrifying. I'm already feeling the wear and tear of football season and it has barely gotten off the ground. At least I'm not Georgia left tackle Trinton Sturdivant (pictured on the ground above somewhere). He spent the majority of his 2008 season out with an injury only to have a season ending knee injury in the first game. When I think about the players and what they go through to do what they love I feel bad for all of my complaining. They battle back from injury after injury just hoping for the chance to step back on that field. Sports photography is what I love, but I worry that the bs that goes with it will one day be more than I can bare.