Yes, geese really do land on Boise State’s blue turf all the time

Boise State’s Albertson’s Stadium is one of the more unique venues in all of college football, thanks to its signature blue turf paired with a bright orange end zone.

But one thing over the years that’s made it even more wonky is how often geese are found on the water-colored turf.

It’s quite the common occurrence, especially in the offseason.

On why the turf is blue to begin with, former Broncos AD Gene Bleymaier says it was simply to set Boise State apart from other schools:

It was our way of creating a home-field advantage,” he said. “When you’ve got a Nebraska or Wisconsin, a lot of places around the country, it’s all red, all orange or whatever (in the stands), and it can be intimidating. So why not have a blue field, which is one of our colors, and try to create a home-field advantage?

“It would be the first of its kind and unique and get some attention.”

Not all the attention was good. People called it the “Smurf turf,” in reference to the blue cartoon characters. Others were convinced ducks and geese would mistake the field for a lake and be injured or killed trying to dive in.

There are plenty of Canada geese around the stadium, Moe said, not because the turf is blue, but due to the stadium’s proximity to the river.

In the summer of 2016, a Reddit user noticed that there was geese on the field in a Google Maps photo of the stadium:

Geese aren’t the only wildlife you can find on Boise State’s field. The Broncos have an adorable tee-fetching dog named Kohl who’s on the sidelines for every home game.

Keep on keeping on, geese.