Everyone remembers the big screen.
Walk into AT&T Stadium, and the first thing anyone notices is the gargantuan video display — a $40 million project hanging from three-inch-thick steel cables. The two screens along the end zones are more than 50 feet wide and 20 feet tall. They are in turn dwarfed by the two along the sideline, each stretching 160 feet across and weighing roughly 170,000 pounds.
That means more than 25 million LED lights work together, creating a high-definition display that looks as sharp as many home television sets. All together, the space equals that of 4,920 52-inch flatscreens.
Something else, ain’t it?
“It is hard to imagine,” said UCLA right tackle Caleb Benenoch, who grew up four hours south in Katy, Texas, and once watched a high school state title game at AT&T. “And it’s a big distraction if you don’t tune it out. That’s something I think we’re going to do a good job of. We’re a focused team.”
All the Bruins want to make that clear: When No. 12 UCLA (2-0) plays Texas in Arlington’s AT&T Stadium on Saturday at 5 p.m., none of them will be distracted by the monstrous display looming above their heads. This uber-focused team has its sights set purely on staying undefeated, and any lingering potential jitters will be dispersed during Friday’s walkthrough.
But still … what a stadium.
“It’s an amazing architectural feat,” said UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, a 10-year NFL veteran who has been inside as both a player and a coach. “It’s unbelievable.”
“It’s impressive,” said center Jake Brendel, a Dallas-area native. “The whole stadium, the whole atmosphere — especially when it’s full.”
The building itself, which can seat more than 105,000 people, is not a model of architectural innovation. Shortly after it first opened as Cowboys Stadium in 2009, the New York Times called the NFL venue “a somewhat crude reworking of old ideas, one that looks especially unoriginal when compared with the sophisticated and often dazzling stadiums that have been built in Europe and the Far East over the last few years.” The same year, Dallas Magazine said the stadium provided “a solid, entertaining time without much hassle” — not exactly a rave review considering the $1.15 billion price tag.
But for anyone jonesing for sheer size and spectacle, few places can match up to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ pet project. Perhaps nowhere else is there a purer display of the state’s everything-is-bigger attitude. When the stadium first opened, some punters even had trouble keeping the ball below the screen.
“You hear about the Jumbotron and you’re like ‘It can’t be that big,’ ” said UCLA receiver Eldridge Massington, who played two high school playoff games there. “When you walk in, it’s like ‘Wow.’ You don’t even watch the game. You’ll be on the sidelines, and you’re not even looking at the game straight. You’re looking at the Jumbotron. It’s so big.”
The NFL’s aura adds another layer to the stadium’s atmosphere. According to the NCAA, only 1.6 percent of college football players will be able to jump to the pros. For many Bruins, this weekend may offer the closest simulation.
“That’s like a surreal thing, playing in Cowboy Stadium,” Benenoch said. “It’s not a college stadium. It’s an NFL stadium. You kind of get that feel, like you’re in the pros. The big Dallas star, the jumbotron — it’s just a whole different feel than a college stadium.”
Even those who have never been to the stadium before are captivated. UCLA linebacker Deon Hollins grew up in Houston, and only saw it in person once when he and his father drove past it two or three years ago. He still places it either No. 1 or 2 on his gotta-play-there wishlist — with the other being Oregon’s Autzen Stadium.
“I just remember hearing, ‘Football’s ultimate playground,’ things like that,” said Hollins, thinking back to the hype surrounding the AT&T Stadium’s construction. “Just how much money was put into the place. I just remember thinking, ‘Wow, I hope — I pray I get a chance to play in it.’ I remember thinking that at the moment.
“And at the time, I was like, ‘We’ll, it’ll probably never happen. But if it does, I’m gonna try my hardest. I’m gonna go off that game.’”
