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Game 111: #25 Michigan @ #21 Northwestern

A sellout at Ryan Field is not commonplace. Michigan, although hated by all Big Ten brethren, tends to bring out the best in others. A completely transformed atmosphere from the usual paltry attendance made Evanston the place to be on this Saturday night. The fact that game time had been set for the evening coupled with homecoming weekend gave Ryan Field a more purple glow, as well. Still, a strong contingent from Michigan displayed their maize and blue and when the Wolverines took the field, images of the Big House in Ann Arbor came to memory.

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Game 109: #14 Wisconsin @ Northwestern

Evanston, Illinois is the only place where a wild, exciting shootout resulting in a victory by the home team over the undefeated and fourteenth ranked squad in the nation is experienced in a stadium where large sections appear to have been attacked by a delete button. In what ranks as one of the most entertaining games of the 2005 season, Northwestern fans allowed the stage to give off a high school ambiance. The Wildcat fans managed to fill the upper deck side of the stadium with their purple followers while the other side of the stadium glowed a bright red with all the travelers from the north. Unfortunately, the two sides of fans did not meet at the curved horseshoe portion of the stadium. Rather, a few empty sections separated the masses like the Berlin Wall. This is the nature of Wildcat athletics – unless the team is competing for a championship, don’t expect a flood of backers coming out to support.

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Game 107: Penn State @ Northwestern

Usually, when legendary head coach Joe Paterno brings his Nittany Lions to a stadium, tickets are sold out weeks in advance. Add a Big Ten opener to the mix and you may as well set up camp on the couch. But, not unless it’s Penn State at Northwestern. Ryan Field has to be the only team that wouldn’t fill even half their stadium in such a situation. Northwestern’s fan base is extremely fair weather. The slightest cloud in the way will keep them home. A large portion of the fans traveled from Pennsylvania, as well. Wildcat fans have their good moments, but this day certainly was not a day to allure new recruits. Seriously, some fans actually stretched out on their bleachers and grabbed a few snoozes at halftime. Ridiculous.

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Game 71: Penn State @ #22 Northwestern

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.

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Game 70: Minnesota @ #22 Northwestern

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.

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Game 68: #23 Michigan State @ #16 Northwestern

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.

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Game 51: #11 Wisconsin @ Northwestern

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.

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Game 32: Wisconsin @ Northwestern

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.

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