Doyt L. Perry Stadium holds a maximum of 28,599 fans. It would take three home games to surpass the crowd the Falcons played in front of on Saturday.
At Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., BG played in front of a crowd of more than 65,000 people, with the exception of several empty seats in both the lower and upper bowls.
“I’m excited. I hate to say it about the Doyt, but this is my first football game in a big college stadium,” said sophomore Tom Streetman before the game.
Bowling Green and East Lansing are only 135 miles apart, which made it easy for many Falcon fans to travel north and support the team.
It was easy to tell who was friend and enemy Saturday as BG orange stood out against a sea of Spartan green and white. The Spartan crowd was almost silenced when the Falcons caused a scare in the first half with a 14-7 lead.
The BG cheering section didn’t have the assistance of the marching band on Saturday since it was the Michigan State Marching Band’s Alumni Day, and the MSU alumni band performed when the visiting team normally would have.
“It kind of sucked because we could of got a performance in at Michigan State, but it was their alumni game, so it was understandable,” said freshman trumpet player Tim Steinke.
Despite the band’s absence, the BG cheering section was loud throughout the game, chanting “BG-SU, BG-SU.” The crowd even attempted to start an “Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba” chant after Tyler Sheehan’s six-yard touchdown scramble in the second quarter.
Despite the Falcons’ 11-point loss in a hostile stadium, Saturday’s game gave some freshman fans their first experience with Division I football.
“The atmosphere at the stadium was electrifying. It was my first great taste of college football, it left me looking forward for more,” freshman Daniel Daily said.
