Dec. 24, 2008

Special guest on the blog today. This comes directly from senior wide receiver Matt Simon:

Welcome to the life of the Northern Illinois Huskies from down here, in beautiful, Shreveport, Louisiana. So far this week, the words stop lights and traffic jams are nonexistent. With five to six squad cars following us from site to site, the Huskies have yet to stop at a light or wait on traffic. You should see the look on peoples' faces, as they run to shop windows, and roll down car windows to see our coach buses coast down local streets. Everyone definitely knows when the Huskies are on the prowl.

Also, this week, the Independence bowl has set a new level of "Southern hospitality." We were quickly greeted as soon as we stepped off the plane. From there, our hotel staff has done everything in their power to make sure we are enjoying our stay. We have a player hospitality room which we are given snacks, food, and drinks (non-alcoholic, of course) which is replenished daily. There are also TV's and games for us to play on. I think right now Rock Band and Wii Bowling are the two dominant games. The local people are also very welcoming as we roam the town throughout the day, always willing to give help or directions. But, so far during this bowl experience, the people of Shreveport and the surrounding area have welcomed us with open arms and we look forward to the rest of the week.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you Huskie fans out there, we greatly appreciate all of your support.

- Matt Simon