Tailgating is part of what makes going to college football games the experience it is.

Saturday’s game was no exception. Tailgaters were out in full bloom taking advantage of the game being at night. They were barbecuing, tossing around footballs and of course just hanging out.

“It’s the first [home] game,” junior Bryan Stanton said. ” It’s a beautiful afternoon and a big game. We’re looking better this year. If it wasn’t a night game we’d be sleeping.”

Many tailgaters like Stanton came out for the first time to get the full experience.

“We wanted to see what tailgating was like,” senior Doug Poling said.

Senior Bryan Hawkins said, “It’s a nice day and a night game. You can’t tailgate before a noon game.”

Once it neared game time the tailgaters followed the rest of the fans into the stadium.

Despite inclement weather conditions 16,183 fans came out and supported the Falcons.

Fans are a big part of any sporting event and one aspect that head coach Urban Meyer has been trying to promote.

“There has been a lot of support from the board of trustees, from the president, from the student body, from faculty, to our administration,” head coach Urban Meyer said. “That’s a beautiful setting for a football team. Hopefully the people that did come go back and tell their friends [this is] a great environment to watch a football game.”

The fans contributed to the Falcons victory more than they realized. “Everybody in the stands was excited to see us come out of the tunnel,” said sophomore quarterback Josh Harris. “I think that got the team a little bit more fired up.”

Students came out dressed in any type of orange clothing they had from orange hats to jackets to jerseys to pants. Those who didn’t feel like wearing orange chose to express their feelings for the team in other ways. Some fans painted letters on their chests that spelled out BGSU! or FALCONS! while others painted a falcon on their face.

“The students were great,” Harris said. “When the weather got bad not very many people left. That was very inspiring.”

The rain only brought out more orange as fans put on BGSU parkas to stay dry. The rain also energized the fans. They gave the team a standing ovation after every big play, while the ROTC shot off a cannon after every touchdown the Falcons scored.

Chants of “Go Falcons” could be heard throughout the crowd as the Falcons charged down the field.

“We celebrated with them [the fans] at the end,” Harris said.

After the game the players ran over to the fans and began singing the alma mater. In return the fans chanted the coaches name and Meyer invited them onto the field.

“After a victory we go to the fans because the fans help us,” said senior linebacker Khary Campbell. “They play a big part. They are like a third team on the field for us.”