Watch the video for more thoughts on going to a Maryland football game or keep reading for the SECU Stadium review. Be sure to check out The Touchback on YouTube for more videos.
You won’t find SECU Stadium on any list of must-visit college football venues. The home of the Maryland Terrapins is just sort of there in the ecosystem. It’s part of big-time college football without playing any sort of role. None of this is a bad thing.
On the contrary, watching a game here reminded me of the simple joy that college football provides. Nothing is better than spending four hours on a Saturday watching two teams play despite the fact that neither is chasing a National Championship and the only people who care are true fans.
In the case of SECU Stadium, it helps that the facility has become a wonderful part of Maryland’s campus. That hasn’t always been the case. Back when it was known as Byrd Stadium in the 1990s and early 2000s, things were not so great, even if Terrapins fans may have fond memories of this time.
Sure, some of the stadium’s older parts do remain. Improvements have been more a case of rejuvenation than renovation. The results are still impressive. The U-shaped lower tier ensures good sightlines. The decks placed on top of one end allow everyone to be relatively close to the action.
The sun will get those sitting on the triple-decker stand side, however. While folks on the luxury boxes are shaded, ticketholders attending 12:00pm or 3:30pm on the opposite side of the stadium will want to bring some sunscreen or risk getting burned.
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Apparently, Maryland has its own style of pizza which is sold at SECU Stadium. It’s total ass unless you love grease and a bit of cheese on top of what is wrongly described as a biscuit-type crust. The other concessions options are not worth mentioning either.
The Maryland bookstore is open on gamedays for anyone wanting to take home a souvenir. Go downstairs to find a fairly large clearance section. You’ll save some cash if you aren’t afraid to rock a Maryland Field Hockey t-shirt made by Under Armour. At 15 bucks, who could say no?
Parking can be found around the fringes of campus, and it will run you $20. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the stadium and it is a pretty nice stroll assuming the weather conditions aren’t bad. On the other hand, traffic is awful and unavoidable. Getting out of College Park is a miserable experience.
Related: Is this the (cheapest) best seat in college football? – A look at SJSU’s Spartan Stadium
SECU Stadium review score: 7.5
Grading our SECU Stadium review was challenging. There is no single thing about watching a game here that is amazing. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to explain why I like it as much as I do. And that’s the takeaway.
This is a case of a sporting venue being more than the sum of its parts. You have a good location, a nice campus, a pleasant fanbase and a team that is average most years. But when it all comes together, you get the simple joy of college football. The University of Maryland deserves a lot of credit for cultivating that.
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