Doug Karsch delivers the first From The Sidelines look this year, following the loss to MSU.

Here’s Karsch, on…

Watching from the first two rows of mostly empty stands: “I do not want this to come across as any kind of excuse. But it was actually kind of depressing, to be honest with you.

“Empty stadium, very little atmosphere — pretty much no atmosphere. The energy is provided by the teams themselves. It’s a reminder of the bleak reality we are in right now.

“Having watched 50 college games already on television, that first time in the stadium, I didn’t like it at all. It just stinks. I don’t think there is home and road advantage anymore. It just feels like a neutral-site game to me.

“If you’re a player or a coach, going on the road isn’t nearly as tough, and being at home isn’t nearly as much of an advantage. Ultimately, my number one emotion was finding it kind of depressing.

“You drive up to the stadium with no traffic, no fans, no tailgating, no smoke coming off the grills, no corn hole, no all of it. It stinks.”