"Do you work for the school newspaper or something?" said Mo Morris, who works facilities for the Denver Broncos, after I asked him what player scored the first touchdown at the Rocky Mountain Showdown (CU vs. CSU) Sept. 1 at Invesco Field at Mile High.

"Were you still out tailgatin' or something?" he asked.

"No, no, no ... no drinking for me today. I was snapping a photo of those fans over there for YourHub.com. I didn't expect CU to score so soon! Plus, this is my first, big 'press experience' at a football game."

"Obviously," Morris laughed. "Well, just follow all the other photographers and by the fourth quarter you'll be a seasoned vet."

Thanks to John Eisel, YourHub.com community journalist, I received some valuable advice before my big day on the sidelines of Invesco. Luckily, I was able to practice taking football photos at a local high school game between Westminster and Adams City the weekend prior. It came as no surprise that my wrists were sore from holding that monster of a camera that everyone else refers to as a Nikon D1H. Eisel recommended I start doing push-ups. (I haven't done a decent set since elementary P.E. I wasn't going to start now.)

"Don't wear flip flops. Don't wear any CU stuff. Stay off the field. If a player starts running toward you -- take a picture -- but know when to get out of their way. Make sure the sun is behind you and remember that a good picture has the ball IN it," he said. "Oh, you have my cell phone number, right? Just in case you call me saying that you can't see anything, I can remind you to take the lens cover off."

To most folks, that may sound like common sense. But for ignorant football amateurs like myself, those pointers definitely came in handy on the sidelines.

However, Eisel knows me a little too well. After my first try at capturing some CU cheerleaders in action (and wondering if my hands would ever stop shaking), I solved my first, short-lived crisis of not seeing what I was taking by, of course, removing the lens cover.

It was definitely a shaky start. Ask the security personnel. I'm sure I spoke to almost all of them -- asking where I could set my bag down, if I could set my bag down, if I could use the bathroom and where it was, if I was allowed to drink the Gatorade by the bench, if it was the white or yellow line I couldn't cross and so on.

Oh, and I'm sure the Denver cops are still laughing about the moment I ran up to them before halftime saying, "Do any of you by chance know how to change a battery on a huge camera like this? There's no way I can ask any of those big photographers. They'll laugh in my face." Thankfully, another young gal was kind enough to help me out with a task that turned out to be quite simple.

I expected all the other photographers to be competitive and cold to one another. Those with video cameras were the most vicious of all. They might as well have thrown some helmets on, because those folks can be more aggressive than the players. And why aren't their cameras wireless? Eisel didn't tell me I'd be playing offense against those damn wires.

Although most of the photographers would take a long stare at my press pass to see where I was from, others were very welcoming.

A reporter from Pueblo dropped a few hints on how to get good shots of Hawkins and Lubick.

"Who exactly is Lubick?" I asked.

"Um, CSU's head coach!" he said.

Ah ha! It all came together why one of the bets in the YourHub.com office was for CU fans to have their heads Photoshopped onto Sonny Lubick's body saying, "I love CSU" if CU lost. (Wow, Brit. Way to already be graduated from CU and just now learn the name of your biggest rival's head coach. I wasn't lyin' when I said I was ignorant.)

You may be thinking that I should never deserve another chance at covering a Buffs game, let alone any other sporting event. While that would make perfect sense, there's something very addicting about CU's football program. There's something to be said for coaches that recognized me from the Football 101 for Women camp or for players that managed to smile to folks on the sideline - even in the midst of a possible loss against CSU.

(There's one exception - I caught No. 84, Tyson DeVree, scratching the inner workings of his nose, and I by all means accepted the dirty look he shot back. Hey! Travis Henry, editor of YourHub.com, had me on the lookout for all things odd and awkward that photographers weren't after on CU's side. Don't worry, DeVree, the photo was blurry.)

How cool it was to see 10-year-old Joe Caplis, of Denver, with his CU hat covered with the players' autographs as he got to be the tee boy for that particular game. Thanks to his dad, I was able to find out what a tee boy does. (Simply enough - they run out to the field and retrieve the tee that the ball is set on. Thanks to a charity auction put on by the Denver Chamber of Commerce and Metro Sports Commission, kids are able to participate.)

How amazing it was to see some of the players run straight for the fans after they won and give them high-fives. No. 50, Austin Bisnow, even jumped up into the stands - participating in the biggest, manliest group Buffs hug I've ever seen.

To see CU basketball players, Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, Marcus Hall, Jeremy Williams and Xavier Silas all lined up in the first row before fans even started filing in was admirable. They could have been busy tailgating, but instead, they were dancing, yelling and cheering on their fellow Buffs during warm-up.

All in all, Sept. 1 was a great day. For those who saw the game, I don't need to deliver any details as to why it was so exciting to watch. Plus, I'm still in the process of learning what a first down even is. Take the stats and game highlights from the experts for now, will ya?

Just in case I end up covering any upcoming home CU football games at Folsom Field Stadium, you should give it a read. For a gal who never cared for football to now be a fully converted supporter, is huge. I don't know much, but I know that the Buffs are up to something awesome this year and I will undoubtedly do everything in my power to keep you updated.

To read another blog entry on the big game from a gal that has also been converted to being a football fan, check out Kelsey Page's blog at http://denver.yourhub.com/boulder/blog~356411.