As most students fail to recognize, tailgating has a purpose that transcends the hours of pre-game primping and prepping, gallons of delicious cooler punch, rent-a-cops or endless hours of Dave Matthews Band that get you extra hyped before kick-off. See, the fun isn't just before the game. Why, it can be during the game too. Okay, so maybe you were embarrassed because you forgot exactly how to stand and cheer, maybe a term paper was due Monday or the Wendy's chili bowl before the game gave you an atrocious case of the rumbles. Maybe a contact fell out and you were temporarily unable to see the scoreboard for three hours; perhaps explosive diarrhea suddenly ravaged our entire student body or football was too hard to concentrate on when arctic temperatures of 43 degrees swept through Groves Stadium.

It is certain, however, that our student section as a whole was void of any outward desire to see our Deacs take down the ACC football powerhouse, not to mention the goal posts. Jumping, sawing or kicking down the posts after a phenomenal upset is the sweet reward of weeks, months, maybe even years of cheering ¯ it's like getting that tingling sensation when Bob Barker hugs you after winning the showcase showdown, hitting the winning homerun in game seven of the World Series or the relief of catching your soap before it plummets onto the hair clogged drain of a communal shower.

Opportunities like the one we had on that Saturday may come once every decade, if that. Sure, we cheered when we were winning in the first two quarters ¯ who couldn't? But when it really counted, when the Noles neared sections 16-18 and were driving on third and six, where were we? The home field advantage for Wake Forest football is nonexistent. Some say we're too small to be effective or we're just not a football school. But look at what our football team pulled off. We were only down by three points for most of the game! Our "Bad News Deacons" have come to play this year, showing signs of a legitimate bowl run, and more recently the possibility of upsetting Florida State. As I always say, size doesn't matter; it's just how you use it. We've actually got something to cheer about besides the glory days of Brian Piccolo 38 years ago.

Wake has a disillusionment that football just doesn't compare to our powerhouse, unstoppable basketball squad; something I refer to as the "Tim Duncan Complex." Does anyone realize that Tim "the greatest man alive" Duncan played basketball for Wake, hmm É one, two, three, four, carry the three É five years ago. I barely knew we had a football team when I first got here, but man, did we have Tim Duncan! Can't we move on and understand that our football team has big-time players too? Only until it's too late, it seems, will the majority of our student fans realize what could have been, how much we could have helped our Deacs top the 'Noles.

So let's not let that happen this Saturday against Navy. Besides, they wear those silly white hats. Ha ha, boy, don't they look prissy.

Maybe that will motivate us more than a possible upset of Florida State. It could have been the biggest win ever witnessed during our time at Wake.

We must not forget that lost opportunity and shape up in the stands if we expect Wake Forest to be a top-tier football program.