Ruff Riders invade Dons' territory
By Chris Furnari
Carrying on a tradition, a contingent of Bronco faithfuls made the trip to the University of San Francisco on Monday to watch the men's basketball team square off against the rival Dons.
The Ruff Riders have been making the trip to San Francisco for the past four years.
"I love the idea of heading into enemy territory and putting the opponent's fans to shame," said senior Brian Nelson.
"I like the cheering section at home because it is just so powerful. But it's great when we get a win on the road," Nelson added.
Current Ruff Rider President Ian Frost organized the trip.
"Santa Clara and USF is a big rivalry," said Frost. "The rivalry may have started when both schools had football programs. Now that they don't, it has translated to basketball."
Entering Monday's contest, the Broncos led the series 101-95 since the first meeting in 1909. What started as a group of impatient fans in the Leavey parking lot soon became a five-hour journey, highlighting the true Bronco Spirit at Santa Clara.
The bus ride up was filled with taunts, music and high aspirations for Santa Clara. Hopes of out-cheering every single USF fan lingered in the air.
"Last year we got a good group of people together and got real pumped up before the game," said Nelson. "I am expecting to do the same thing this year and win again."
Upon arrival to War Memorial, the Ruff Riders made their presence felt. From tip-off, it was a constant battle between not only the players on the floor, but also the two rival cheering sections.
The first two and a half minutes were sloppy. Both teams turned the ball over multiple times. Finally, the Ruff Riders had reason to cheer after John Bryant scored the game's first points.
The game was officially underway. San Francisco took control and gained a nine-point advantage over Santa Clara. The cheering section had fallen quiet until senior Joey Kaempf hit a pair of rise-up three pointers to pull the Broncos within three.
The cheering section was ablaze, trying to swing momentum back in the Broncos favor.
"We like to think that we make an impact," said Frost. "I definitely think having fans makes the players more comfortable in an opponent's arena."
With time winding down in the first half, a timeout called by USF left the Ruff Riders with little to do but heckle. However, it was during the timeout that a crazed USF fan riding a stick horse entered the small area that the Bronco faithfuls occupied. President Ian Frost would have none of it and immediately sent him riding home to join his fellow "Los Locos" members.
"Ian made me proud to be a Bronco," said junior Andrew Willingham. "He stood up for the fans and Broncos everywhere."
It was in the second half that the Ruff Riders truly came alive. The Broncos went on a tear, out-scoring the host Dons 14-4 halfway through the second half. It was Dougherty that led the charge, scoring 11 of the 14, two of which came on a reverse dunk that just about sent Ruff Riders over the second story railing.
"Dougherty's dunk was nasty," said one fan on the bus ride back to Santa Clara.
Both USF and Santa Clara traded baskets the rest of the half until Dougherty nailed two free throws, making it a three-point game with 12.6 seconds left to play.
"Scotty's two biggest points of the night were on those free throws," said Frost.
The Broncos held on for the win, 61-58, and the Ruff Rider cheering section exploded.
Frost hopes to have more trips in the future. He said he'd like to see more fans not only interested in traveling to away games, but also coming out to home games.
"It would be great to see the demand increase," said Frost. "If that happens, we would consider adding more trips."
Contact Chris Furnari at (408) 551-1918 or cfurnari@scu.edu.