It certainly wasn?t the blockbuster shoot-out that was promised on paper, but the 2000 Causeway Classic was anything but a disappointment.

Well, it?s disappointing that Sac State couldn?t pull off a win, it?s disappointing that the rain kept all but 9,700 fans sitting next to the fireplace rather than the 50-yard line at Hughes Stadium, but the game itself lived up to its title?classic.

Hughes Stadium was transformed into a mud pit on Saturday, making the game of football much more difficult to play than it was ever intended to be. But the heart of the Sac State and UC Davis football teams wouldn?t allow the weather to dampen their rivalry, it only made it stronger.

The box score will show the remnants of a 13-10 UC Davis win, but the battle was so much more than that. It was the type of scenario that creates a perfect Hollywood football drama.

In fact, I don?t think that a better screenplay could have possibly been written: Two bitter rivals playing the game they love, in an ankle-deep swamp of grass which has lost all resemblance of a football field. Every step is taken with uncertainty, and the victor will be the team who can muster just one big play in the midst of a storm that is seemingly impossible to overcome. The game will not be over until the final play, and the victorious team?s sideline and marching band will run back onto the swampy field in uncontrollable jubilation. It?s football at its best, and somewhat ironically, it?s poetic.

Ironic, because these types of games are anything but pretty. It?s player after player losing their footing. It?s fumbles between the center and quarterback on the snap, and it?s passes slipping from the quarterback?s hand and floating aimlessly into a sea of defenders. But despite all of that, it?s possibly the most beautiful form of football that can possibly be played. It makes it fun. It creates a game where team unity is more important than ever. It makes it more challenging, and eventually, you look behind the mud soaked uniforms that have turned from white to brown, and you see the character that these football players have and you see the true reason why they continue to play the game: Because they love football.

The excitement of 80-yard runs and open field “daylight” is replaced by the brutish battle that ensues on the line of scrimmage. Every yard is fought for, as it is in every game, but this type of game magnifies the grunt work that goes into each yard gained. That was what the 2000 Causeway Classic was all about.

Charles Roberts broke the division I-AA rushing record in this game, but that was just plain overlooked when it was over. The game was too good to think about it. Not because he broke the record in a loss, but because there was too much more to talk about. The game came down to the last play, the weather put limitations on each team?s game plan, and the rivalry between Sac State and UC Davis put the world of records in the back seat, at least for this one afternoon. It was awesome.

Yeah, it?s disappointing that Sac State couldn?t be the Causeway victor , especially since they missed on a few opportunities which cost them the win, and added to the “should have, could have” theme of the Hornets? season. But this time out, the game was just too good for it to matter. Comments? Email [email protected].