With the Bobcats heading off to face the in-state powerhouse Buckeyes this weekend, students might find their allegiance divided between their school and their favorite team.
The student body's usual choice of the Buckeyes instead of the Bobcats hasn't gone unnoticed by Ohio players, who play to Peden Stadium's meager crowds as many choose to go somewhere else to watch the Buckeyes play.
It's basically like pulling for your rivals
quarterback Boo Jackson said. When I first got here there was a bunch of people wearing Ohio State gear. I wondered where their green and white was at.
Since Jackson arrived in Athens from El Camino Community College in Torrance, Calif., he has tried everything to convert all the Buckeye fans.
Obviously it's the Buckeye State and that's what everyone says
Jackson said. But when I got here
I wanted to turn this into the Bobcat State.
Jackson said he's never seen a large percentage of a school's population cheer for another in-state school.
Every Saturday
I'll see all these scarlet and white jerseys
Jackson said, And I'm just like
'God
you guys go to Ohio University
you all can't do that.'
The throng of Ohio State fans in Athens impressed wide receiver Terrence McCrae when he arrived from Vanderbilt, Pa. The receiver had seen the unity of Pittsburgh Steelers fans around the Pennsylvania area.
But he said the Buckeye support dwarfed that, which puzzled him.
Sometimes it kind of makes me a little sick
McCrae said. If you go to that school
