Enter Sandman… Fans’ Influence on CFB
The massive effect of having fans back in College Football stadiums was on full display Friday night where there was lively atmosphere, upsets and field stormings galore.
While there was college football in 2020, one of the best parts was forced to stay at home thanks to Covid-19: Fans.
Schools played the season with either no fans or a 25 percent capacity crowd, which caused a visual emptiness in the stands and emotional emptiness in our hearts.
That is why Friday night was so important. Stadiums are at full capacity, and the full effect of fans can already be felt: creating unbelievable atmosphere, providing upset fuel, and rejoicing in celebrations.
At Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Hokie fans jammed packed the 65,000 seats for not only the first time in a long time, but in preparation for an ESPN primetime game against conference rival No. 10 North Carolina with a legendary national championship coach and Heisman hopeful QB.
Check out this pregame entrance, and tell me what is better.
The Hokies, however, were 0-7 against top 10 teams under head coach Justin Fuente and had not beaten a top 10 team at home since 2009. With a massive home field advantage against the Tar Heels that would change.
Virginia Tech picked off UNC’s Sam Howell three times and VT quarterback Braxton Burmeister accounted for both of his team’s touchdowns, which he scored in the first half.
The Hokies survived despite only scoring three points in the second half, and kept the Tar Heels in the game thanks to a bizarre four-play sequence with 12 minutes to play. UNC turned the ball over on downs, Burmeister threw a pick on the next play and then Howell threw a pick two plays after that. It cumulated with a Hokie missed field goal.
The game was not officially over until Howell threw his third interception with 37 seconds left. And then, the Hokie faithful of 65,000-plus in Blacksburg celebrated with a good old fashion field storming.
Field Storming is Contagious
College football fans had reason to celebrate across the nation last night.
First, Conference USA’s Charlotte beat Duke 31-28 for their first win ever over a Power 5 team. Quarterback Chris Reynolds found Shadrick Byrd for an 11-yard game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. And the 49ers fans stormed field.
Meanwhile, new Kansas coach Lance Leipold led the Jayhawks to a 17-14 home win over South Dakota. Quarterback Jason Bean hit Lawrence Arnold for a 16-yard game-winning TD with 1:10 remaining. It was the Jayhawks first victory since October 26, 2019, and snapped a 13-game losing streak in the process.
And the fans rushed the field.
A Spartan Tough Performance
Northwestern could not tackle Michigan State’s running back Kenneth Walker III on Friday. Walker, a Wake Forest transfer, had 264 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries as he either flattened the Wildcats or left them in the dust at Ryan Field.
Spartan quarterback Payton Thorne managed the game effectively with 185 passing yards and a score on 15-of-25 passing. If Michigan State can keep up their ground game’s effectiveness and be turnover free then they could be dangerous late in the year.
As for Northwestern, that was one of the most embarrassing performances I have seen from the Wildcats in a long time. Rarely does Northwestern—even if they are paying Ohio State— get boat-raced right out of the gates like they did last night. Traditionally, the Wildcats are a hard nose, fundamental defensive team that does not make mistakes so that they usually prevail in close, heart-stopping games.
This almost seemed to be the case Saturday as Northwestern cut the lead to 21-7 a minute before half, and then had a goal to go situation right out of halftime. Instead of cutting the deficit to seven, the Cats missed their second field goal and Walker scored another touchdown to make it 28-7, which was a 14-point swing Pat Fitzgerald’s crew could not recover from.
Baylor Prediction
The Bears should have an extremely great defense; some are even saying their best defense in history. That remains to be seen, however, I am buying into the hype that this can be a top 10 defense with the amount of returners they have coupled with guys returning from injury and adding key transfers.
It’s the offense that is the question mark. Coach Dave Aranda has opted to select Gerry Bohanon as his starting quarterback. By all accounts, the four-star prospect from Earle, Arkansas, is humble, hard working and hungry to compete at Baylor and be compared to Heisman winner RGIII.
A favorable early schedule could allow the Bears to get their feet wet and grow before getting into the teeth of conference play. I think Baylor finishes 8-5 with a bowl victory, but they could be poised to explode if things bounce their way.
Saturday Showdowns
The best part of Thursday and Friday games is that fans have a full slate of Saturday action still to go. Here are some of the best to look forward to:
No. 19 Penn State vs No. 12 Wisconsin
No. 1 Alabama vs No. 14 Miami
No. 17 Indiana vs No. 18 Iowa
West Virginia vs Maryland
No. 23 Louisiana vs No. 21 Texas
No. 5 Georgia vs No. 3 Clemson
No. 16 LSU vs UCLA
Texas Tech vs Houston
Thanks for reading, and Happy Gameday!