Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 108/134
Since the season’s inception, Penn State’s headman and college coaching legend, Joe Paterno, needed one victory to tie the record with Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most wins ever recorded by a Division One head coach. As November loomed a short distance away, Paterno still had not managed to dent the win column. His 0-4 Nittany Lions had struggled in a fashion unlike any of his other teams since his first year coaching Penn State in 1966.
On a day where fans could barely see their hands in front of their faces due to the heavy fog, Ryan Field in Evanston was far from full. Add rain to the recipe and the atmosphere was most certainly dampened. Minnesota strode in on a losing streak while the Wildcats were looking to regain top twenty-five status after being slammed by Ohio State the week prior.
Out of respect for those who perished in the September 11th attacks and due to safety concerns, college football games were cancelled on the 15th of September. Some games resumed on the 22nd, but everything was back to full momentum on September 29. Entering the stadium, each fan received an embroidered stick-on flag to proudly wear. A lengthy moment of silence preceded the game and I knew that every stadium in the country was performing the same tribute.
Continue reading “Game 68: #23 Michigan State @ #16 Northwestern”
Three teams entered rivalry Saturday with an opportunity for conference supremacy and a trip to the Rose Bowl. After an unexpected explosion of success, Northwestern found themselves amongst this trio. Along with a defeat of Illinois, the Wildcats needed Purdue and Michigan to lose in order to head west.
Wisconsin has played its first four games at home and all of them have been plagued by crippling suspensions resulting from Badger players receiving free gifts from a local shoe store. Up to now, Wisconsin has hobbled through the first three games undefeated by the slimmest of margins escaping Western Michigan, Oregon, and in overtime, Cincinnati.
Sellout crowds in Evanston are not common unless the road team travels well and Wisconsin fans would trek to Russia if the end result involved Badger football. Since Ryan Field is merely an hour from the Wisconsin border, the stadium had a distinct red tinge. The presence of the Badger band transformed the venue into Chicagoland’s personal Camp Randall Stadium.
Starting a game with an onside kick raises questions. Northwestern coach Gary Barnett has stamped his program with moves like these and it has led him to back-to-back Big Ten championships. However the magic that “took the purple to Pasadena” has been flickering and his bag of tricks has become less ingenious and more a means of survival. He must have known that his Wildcats were outmatched.
If only everything we learned in college would come in this handy. The lessons learned from the Boise State game four weeks ago about finishing games strongly would be put into action again in Evanston. The game was part of ESPN’s night lineup. At the time, Big Ten games at night were somewhat of a rarity. Therefore, the energy in the stadium was naturally overflowing. Half of the stadium was purple and the other half was red, which is the typical way Ryan Field reaches a sellout. Both bands were there and it offered a bowl game-like atmosphere.
This game had every bit of drama followed by the one of the most stunning finishes that I have ever witnessed. The Wildcats looked to be putting together another Big Ten championship run when they rolled into Madison. The Badgers were coming off two three-point losses to Penn State and Ohio State. Both needed the victory.
Up to this point, I had seen every Big Ten team – except Michigan. Without question, I was looking very forward to seeing the famous maize and blue with their historical winged helmets. On top of that, I was excited that this was my first game that did not involve Wisconsin. I felt like I was broadening my horizons a bit. Last year, during Northwestern’s unbelievable Rose Bowl run, I was unable to attend any of their games. So, I was completely clad in purple looking forward to seeing the new and improved Wildcat team.