Nine hours in the press box with assistant sports editor

By Andersen Pickard 11/5/24 11:31pm

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to sit in the Rice Stadium press box for nine hours, drinking Diet Coke and watching raindrops slowly slide down the windows? Let’s revisit the commotion of Rice’s weather-delayed win over Navy on Saturday from the perspective of assistant sports editor Andersen Pickard.

2:16 p.m. – The first delay

While the game was not set to begin until 3 p.m., an announcement from Rice Football on X, formerly known as Twitter, said that pregame warmups were delayed due to inclement weather.

2:20 p.m. – Arrival

After a long wait for the elevator, I made my way up to the Rice Stadium press box, grabbed a complimentary lunch and Diet Coke, found my seat in the front row above the 40-yard line and opened up a blank Google Doc.

2:22 p.m. – The first rain

Seemingly out of nowhere, the clouds dropped heavy rain on Rice Stadium, soaking its occupants and the fans still tailgating in the parking lots.

3:00 p.m. – Radio silence

The original kickoff time came and went. We were officially in a weather delay, but there was no update on when the game might begin.

3:15 p.m. – Rice breaks the silence

An X post from Rice Football confirmed that there was still a weather delay but didn’t provide an estimated start time. Fans started to get restless in the concourse and parking lot.

3:20 – Tell us how you really feel

X user @PhotoThoughts1 tagged the official Thresher Sports account, writing, “PLAY THE FUCKING GAME!!!” I was flattered they thought we had the authority to decide when the game started.

3:33 p.m. – Why not us?

Across town, the University of Houston’s game against Kansas State University kicked off following a one-hour delay. However, there was no sign of action on the field at Rice Stadium.

4:05 p.m. – Where’d that come from?

The sky quickly darkened, winds picked up and rain started falling sideways. More thunder and lightning approached Rice Stadium. When lightning strikes inside an eight-mile radius, teams have to wait at least 30 minutes before taking the field.

4:45 p.m. – Updates, at last

Officials announced that Navy versus Rice would kick off at 5:30 p.m., barring any unforeseen changes in the weather pattern.

4:46 p.m. – We have movement

Two Navy staffers jogged out from the Midshipmen’s locker room. Shortly after, more staff emerged on both sidelines.

5:00 p.m. – Warmups begin

Players left both locker rooms in full force. I spotted junior quarterback E.J. Warner, whose warmup suggested he would return to the starting role after missing the Oct. 26 game at the University of Connecticut.

5:30 p.m. – We have liftoff

The opening kickoff was finally in the air, two and a half hours later. Rice started with the ball.

5:33 p.m. – Payday?

In an X post, @og_bng tagged me and wrote, “Shoutout to you for being basically the only person with updates for the majority of that delay. Get this man a raise.” I liked the sound of that.

5:39 p.m. – You’re kidding me

Officials hurried to both sidelines, informing the head coaches that there was lightning within an eight-mile radius. The game was yet again delayed, and both teams were ordered to their locker rooms.

5:59 p.m. – The sports bettors love me

In a post on X, @Yinzerzz replied to me, “I bet on this game so I’m waiting for it to start. Props to you. You’re the only information I can find about the delay. Please continue to keep updating everyone.” Should I be concerned that my top followers are non-Rice fans with gambling obsessions?

6:09 p.m. – Time to update the LinkedIn

In an X post, I joked that my new title at the Thresher should be “Official Football Meteorologist,” poking fun at my barrage of weather-related posts over the past four hours. It seemed humorous at the time, but upon reflection, I think I was just starting to go insane.

6:18 p.m. – Let’s try this again

A press box announcement revealed that the game would resume at 6:38 p.m. Both teams were given 20 minutes to warm up.

6:38 p.m. – We’re so back

The game resumed. On the first play from scrimmage, Navy’s quarterback was intercepted by redshirt sophomore safety Tyson Flowers.

6:47 p.m. – You’re kidding me (again)

Rice’s offense marched to Navy’s five-yard line. The Midshipmen called timeout, and I noticed an official run out to the referees on the field. He had a weather report, and it was not a favorable one. The referees relayed the bad news to both sidelines: another weather delay. Everyone returned to their locker rooms.

6:55 p.m. – Someone take my phone, please

You can tell I’m getting restless when I start cracking jokes on X. In a post on my feed, I wrote, “That 2:30 a.m. Pete Alamar press conference gonna hit different.” What was I doing?

7:00 p.m. – Can we please get Dean Connors a sandwich?

Interim head coach Pete Alamar’s support staff swarmed the Rice Stadium Chick-fil-A stand, buying the rest of their chicken sandwiches. The players had not eaten a full meal in eight hours and were getting hungry.

7:12 p.m. – Leaning Tower of Pizza

Rice Rally Club somehow managed to build a tower with around 80 pizza boxes. X user @Lou_Raneri3 asked me how they reached so high, to which I had no answer.

7:25 p.m. – This is it, the apocalypse

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dystopian scene unfolding in the weight room of the Brian Patterson Center. Dozens of Rice players were walking around in circles — still in full uniform and gear — trying to stay warm during the lengthy delay.

8:03 p.m. – Glorious news

A Navy staffer jogged out to their sideline. Seconds later, an announcement in the press box revealed that the first quarter would resume at 8:25 p.m.

8:10 p.m. – Change the channel

Another football game kicked off on ESPN2, so Navy-Rice moved to ESPNEWS. Fortunately, the Turf Wars Co-ed Kickball Championship on ESPNEWS ended, so Navy-Rice got the channel all to itself.

8:14 p.m. – Country music heals all wounds

Kenny Chesney’s “When the Sun Goes Down” played over the speakers at Rice Stadium. Instantly, my restlessness dissipates and I feel relaxed. Thanks, Kenny.

8:24 p.m. – Third time’s a charm

The game resumed. On the very next play from scrimmage, senior running back Dean Connors scored a five-yard touchdown.

9:12 p.m. – Navy doesn’t care about your parlay

On X, the official @NavyAthletics account posted, “Just so we are clear, we do not care who you bet on or who is involved in your parlays. That's an instant block. WE DO NOT CARE.” The post earned roughly one million views.

11:17 p.m. – That’s a Rice dub

The clock finally hit triple zeroes. Rice won, 24-10, and the small contingency of fans still in attendance went wild. Interim head coach Pete Alamar got a bucket of Powerade dumped on him after securing his first career victory.

11:29 p.m. – Admin is cooking

Whoever runs the Rice Football page on X was pretty excited. They fired off a series of memes celebrating the Owls’ upset victory over Navy, who had not previously lost an AAC game this year.

11:30 p.m. – Time to party on South Main

Alamar led a postgame speech in the locker room. The players formed a circle around him and he started dancing. You can’t make this stuff up. “That’s probably worth the price of admission there,” he joked.

11:45 p.m. – The Owls speak

Alamar arrived at the podium for his postgame press conference, followed by Warner and senior safety Gabriel Taylor. They talked about an impressive week of preparation, waiting out the rain delays and celebrating the victory with tremendous energy.

12:08 a.m. – Bedtime?

After almost 10 hours at Rice Stadium, the day was over. I returned to my car and exhaled, as I saw that I did remember to roll up my windows. A relieving ending to a wild afternoon (and evening and early morning) covering Rice football.