Nick Snyderwhiskey

At the Duke Football games this season, there are an interesting collection of three good ole boys and a girl that are sitting several rows behind where we normally sit in Section 20 of Wallace Wade Stadium. Let’s refer to them as Loud & Proud.

Loud & Proud exhibits the characteristics that I would stereotypically associate with SEC football fans. They really get into the game, are boisterous, often obnoxious and occasionally funny, and never boring. I am guessing they are native North Carolinians, quite outgoing and engaging. They definitely stand out from the crowd.

Duke Football games are pretty laid back affairs. With the small crowds, there is plenty of room to stretch out usually and the historical futility of the home team usually evokes a quiet air of “It is only a matter of time before Shit Happens” from the home crowd.

Unlike most of the Wallace Wade crowd, Loud & Proud actually gets up and makes noise when the opposing team is facing a Third Down, hollering and yelling and having a pretty damn good time. How novel. They are kind of cool to sit around - their passion (however misguided at times) makes for an entertaining experience. Duke could use many more fans like these folks.

Loud & Proud doesn’t just rev the decibels while cheering during game play. They are naturally raucous even when simply conversing between each other. They all also seem to be missing that critical filtering component between brain and mouth. You are going to hear whatever they are thinking, with no exception. Never a dull moment.

Loud & Proud isn’t real savvy about football in general, the finer points of offensive game planning, or the rules of the game. For example, during the Stanford game, it seemed like every single time (I am not exaggerating) that the Duke offense rushed the ball, Loud & Proud (particularly the female member), would scream “Why do they keep running the ball?” Oh, I don’t know sweetie, maybe because there is this thing called run/pass balance and the Duke passing attempts tended to follow this pattern against Stanford:

• Three step drop. QB gets hit – really hard.
• Five step drop. QB gets hit – again really hard. QB limps back to huddle.
• Seven step drop – Stanford Defensive Team Meeting at the QB.
• QB rolls out – QB gets pile-driven into turf.

You get the idea. But that didn’t stop Loud & Proud from their repetitive critique of every running play that Cut called.

Loud & Proud also doesn’t mind running one of their rare clever ideas into the ground. The Duke defense features a Strong Safety named Matt Daniels. It feels like this cat has been a starter at Duke forever. He is a tackling machine, just a total ball carrier magnet, and a blast to watch. Naturally, his name gets called quite a bit by the PA announcer. In the Richmond and Stanford games, I lost track of how many times Loud & Proud would greet a Daniels’ tackle with: “Matt Daniels!!!! I looooove your brother Jack!!!!”. Sort of clever – the first time. Not so much by the seventh or eighth Matt Daniels’ tackle. Prediction: At some point over the next four home games, I predict that Loud & Proud will bust out : “Matt Daniels!!!! I looooove your brother Charlie!!!!”.

Loud & Proud also doesn’t worry about inconsequential details, like actually getting the player’s names correct. The first two games of this season had been a nightmare for Duke Placekicker Will Snyderwine. The preseason All-American missed a chip shot to win the Richmond game and missed several very makeable FGs against Stanford that just sapped the emotion and energy out of the crowd and Duke Team (in what was, surprisingly, a very competitive game for about 29 minutes.) So Snyderwine has been “hearing it from the crowd” (in my best Marv Albert’s voice).

Rather than refer to the kid by the name his parents gave him, Loud & Proud prefers to refer to  the Duke placekicker as Nick Snyderwine. After the sixth or seventh reference to Nick Snyderwine during the Tulane game last Saturday, I looked at Tony and asked: “Do you want to correct them or should I?” New drinking game. Each time Loud & Proud refers to Will Snyderwine as Nick Snyderwine, you take a shot. I would be shitfaced by halftime.

At the Tulane game, Loud & Proud was talking about the upcoming VA Tech home game in October, when apparently some relatives of Loud & Proud from Southern Virginia would be joining them for their tailgate. “Damn, that is going to rock. I’ll tell you what buddy - for that game, I’m a going to pick up some shoulders and we’re going to slow cook them and do that shit up right.”

A Duke punt return for a touchdown was called back due to a highly questionable clipping call last Saturday. What was Loud & Proud’s opinion of that call? “That sumbitch official must of been drinking too much got-damn Nick Snyderwhiskey before the game!”

I don’t care who you are, that’s funny.

Home Game	Flickr Slideshow
Richmond
Stanford
Tulane