Nice get to get that "W"! Well, I was planning on writing my thoughts on the actual game/play having seen it firsthand, but I'll be honest that I think you all have a better sense of that watching on TV than I did being in the stadium. I was front row behind the Duke sideline towards the end zone with okay sightlines most of the time, but given the "limitations" of the stadium, was sometimes guessing what just happened with a call or play. Overall, though, had a great time and glad to experience it in person. So, instead of an analysis of the game/plays, will give some perspective on the atmosphere/stadium.
1.) Weather was a non-factor. The wind WAS severe in certain "wind tunnels" outside the stadium and by the lake, but on the field, it was actually quite insulated from the winds themselves. The huge grandstand on the north end largely blocked the north to sound direct wind. It was in the low 60s and generally pleasant. You could see on the very top of the grandstand the flags showing some higher winds there, but the flags on top of the goal posts (still high up there mind you) were barely moving on both ends of the field. In my seat on the east side, no winds at all. There was some light rain at the very tail end of the half and beginning of half time, but it didn't impact any plays and finished well in time before second half. But some people were taking cover under the stands like it was a tornado at half, I didn't get it. I think they just wanted to avoid the wind tunnels that were just outside the stands or the very top of that grandstand DID have some high winds in the crowd, but not on the field...I don't think you can blame winds/weather on Pelino's miss -- even if there was a slight wind it was a headwind that wouldn't have caused him to miss right. He had plenty of distance....
2.) The atmosphere was certainly unique .... but not an intense one. Not shockingly, compared to other games I've been to, the noise level/intensity wasn't there. The north grandstand was actually pretty full -- that's where Duke's allotment was, as well as NU's students section and band. So, most of the noise came from there and some fans tried their best. The sound grand stand was like half empty surprisingly, and the west and east stand were decently full but just not enough rows. My section had like 5-8 total rows.
3.) Duke fans represented - I'd guess 25% of the crowd was wearing Duke blue. Certainly outnumbered, but represented well nonetheless and always ran into a Duke fan. I sat next to two Duke 2004 graduates who now work in biology research at Northwestern. They talked about the days on campus for the 2001 championship....
4.) Ryan Young made an appearance. Saw Ryan Young and shouted "Hi Ryan!" to him, but he was busy talking to someone else who was giving him a hug, etc. What a great guy. Wonder who he was cheering for.
5.) The "walk" of both teams to and from the field was unique/cool. When I arrived, I get to see both Northwestern and Duke teams go from the locker rooms (Which are in an athletic facility that houses swimming/tennis/gyms/etc.) to the field through a path that security blocked off. The walk on the way back after the game with a victory was much more sweet! Fun to see the jubilation on their faces.
6.) The fact that they "built" this that quickly is impressive, but yeah, it's not really a "Stadium"; more like a bunch of stands strategically oriented around a field. They did have food trucks, adult beverages, and toilets in two areas on each side that were well set up and stocked. But definitely a different type of deal. Apparently in the first game, many people watched the game from their office in Kellogg (B school) since that building sits right in the corner...what did they do this time? Block all the windows with a huge Kellogg ad...bahahaha. So nobody could go to their office to watch it.
7.) Following the game from within the stadium was tricky sometimes. I had heard during game 1 that people didn't know what down it was/how much time to go/etc. Well, I thought that was fixed for this game when I arrived and it largely was in the first half when there was a scoreboard in the corner of the field that I could view with that information. Based on where I was seated, I couldn't view the two large temporary video boards because they both faced the SAME direction (East) and were behind me, and then for the entire second half and OTs, the board I was relying on was turned off! You also didn't get the announcements from the refs usually about penalties inside the stadium, so I was guessing. People around me literally had no idea what happened when Duke stopped Northwestern with an incomplete pass on 2nd or 3rd down at around the 10 yard line, and then suddenly is was 1st and goal from the 5. The "light shows" and fireworks at times were actually decently done though.
8.) Dropped passes where even more painful in person....Ugh! I had a great view -- and video -- of what should have been the game winning TD to Moore. From my vantage / video, it looked like he should have caught it easily despite not being a perfect throw, but seems like takes here were that the throw wasn't any good and it was a really tough catch.
In the end, the game was sometimes dragging on/boring/hard to follow from my vantage (Although I did have a GREAT view of the rabbit...), but still was glorious to witness an in-person victory! I also could barely see OT drives since that end of the field was harder for me and the Duke players blocked the end zone view mostly (is it always only a single end of the field for all possession in all OTs?!?! I thought they switched...).
I think given the choices, Northwestern was smart to build a makeshift field here on campus. It's never going to be a raucous crowd, but they have bigger games at Wrigley Field later, and this was better than the alternatives. Given the lack of space and the fact that they don't pull huge crowds for these early games anyways, seems like it was the right call despite some oddities of the field/surroundings themselves.
Glad I got to witness the win!
