I hate to bring people back to such a horrible time, but during 2020 when everyone was staying mostly to themselves, for an introvert like myself I had a few months where the isolation was actually fine. But of course it became too much, and to make up for all this missed time, I’ve been more ready to jump up and go hang out with friends at the drop of a hat. It has led to amazing moments, such as watching Iowa’s Caitlin Clark drop a 40-point triple-double in the Elite Eight. This is a chance for me to mention that the Iowa football team’s high point total last season was 33 against Northwestern. 

The latest example was my friend Ryan asking late on Labor Day evening if anyone wanted to go watch the Tulsa vs. Washington game. For a nervous fan like myself who would melt into a puddle of distress if I had to witness firsthand a tightly-contested game of one of my teams, the chance to watch the Huskies’ thrilling passing attack against a heavily overmatched opponent sounded like a dream. One of these days I will watch the Huskies play the Oregon Ducks in person, but not anytime soon.

We headed out to the game around 10:30 a.m., and after painstakingly navigating traffic and finding parking, we walked to the stadium. For a non-conference game against a lowly Group of Five team, the atmosphere was buzzing. Bikers heading to the game weaved past plenty of fans wearing purple and gold. My friend and I were also wearing Huskies gear, but on the hottest day of the week, we decided to wear black. While our outfits were not exactly well thought out, our seats were perfect. Usually I would rather see the whole game, and I had the opportunity to do so years ago when another friend’s family had given me and my dad tickets in back-to-back seasons for conference games. While the second game was a loss, the first game (which was the first college game I ever attended) was an all-timer.

But for games that are lopsided affairs, being closer to the action is the way to go. Being there is not about the X’s and O’s. Instead, it is about taking in the entire setting and being able to see the emotions on the players’ faces, the coaches screaming instructions, high-fiving the mascot, and more. I went to a third Huskies’ game before this against Portland State a few seasons ago, and this time, we were right in front of the student section, as these early non-conference matchups against lesser opponents are not heavily attended by the students, and tickets come cheap. My friend, who had attended Washington before he hilariously enough transferred and graduated from Tulsa, knew this and snagged us two inexpensive tickets. As the stadium slowly filled, the energy increased. We watched the players warm up and it was especially jarring to hear the pads crash together as the linemen warmed up in the end zone just yards away from us. 

Then the wide receivers started warming up on our end. Seeing Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillian up close, even as they just jogged and got loose, made it even more clear why they are talked about as two of the best in the sport and potential first-round draft picks come April. One final note from the warmups was watching the quarterbacks. Michael Penix Jr. was impressive, but seeing all 6-foot-6 and 226 pounds of prized recruit Austin Mack and JUCO walk-on Alex Johnson and his 6-foot-6, 214-pound stature effortlessly flip passes out to receivers on the money made me excited for the future at the position for the Huskies. The players then huddled up before heading back into their locker rooms for a final few words. The stadium began to fill faster as people began to settle in.

Finally, the moment came for the teams to enter. First, Tulsa came on, and it was funny to hear the smack talk from the students hurled at the Golden Hurricanes who were well too far away to even acknowledge us. Then, like a low rumble, the feeling in the stadium electrified as the video board showed the home team slowly walk through the tunnel. When the Huskies began to run out, the roar, even for a game lacking much hype, was intense. 

While I felt beyond juice, the smoke definitely was a smack in the face and the lungs. Also visible in the video above was some white foam stuff. I have no idea what it was, but we spent a few seconds wiping it away. But that brief inconvenience was gone as the game kicked off. Washington spent the first quarter heading away from us, but when the Huskies came down to our end, I kept my phone ready to capture any exciting moment. After a few false starts on my end, I was able to get an easy Penix-to-McMillan touchdown pass and the ensuing celebration. I was equally thrilled that the Huskies scored and that they came over to our corner of the end zone to celebrate. 

As the game went on, my friend and I could not help ourselves. As Tulsa kept picking up yards on runs while Washington could not get the ground game to work besides some wide receiver jet sweeps, we kept turning to each other and complaining. Then there were a few turnovers by the Huskies that were just sloppy right before halftime. While it was frustrating that it took until the fourth quarter to even crack 100 yards rushing for the Huskies while the Golden Hurricanes seemed to pick up whatever they wanted on the ground and the home team did not look particularly sharp, it was also funny to me. While my friend and I were annoyed in the midst of a blowout, the students around us were being, well, students. It wasn’t much strategy talk like “Why can’t we run on AAC linemen?” between my friend and I. It was more “Take that weak stuff back to Oklahoma!” from students out to enjoy the sunshine and avoid homework. If anyone ever wants a particularly…enlightening experience (I guess I’ll call it that) and have never sat in the student section, give it a try. 

More than a few times, the cameras focused on our section to capture the students who had gone all out. One guy had a UW flag as a cap, a few had painted their entire front side of their upper bodies, and of course there were plenty who were right up in the camera lens screaming. I even got on the big screen a few times, but I was too excited to remember to take a picture. The mascot Harry came over a few times. He jumped up a few times for the TV cameras to get shots coming out of a commercial break, held up a “Penix for Heisman” sign and sprayed us down with one of those big syringe looking water guns. That brief cool down felt amazing as we roasted in the sun. While Washington could not stop Tulsa from running the ball (HOW CAN WE NOT STOP TULSA FROM RUNNING THE BALL?!), being right in the middle of people just having fun was a grand time. 

As the game wound down, I focused more on trying to get an all-time memorable video. As this late-game fade route happened, I could feel my heart leap in my chest:

Ah well, maybe next time. 

Something to note about videos I took: I shot them with the phone at chest height so I could fully embrace the moment. I understand that is not the best way to make sure one gets a good video, but after experiencing what I talked about at the beginning of this piece, I’d rather commit as much to memory as possible instead of just rewatching a moment I viewed live through a phone screen. 

While I never got an epic video, this photo I snapped quickly right before halftime ended might be my favorite from my camera roll of the day. Perfect weather, my team winning and hanging out with a friend: what more could a college football fan ask for?