It turned out to be one of the biggest factors in Arizona State's upset victory over no. 16 Iowa Saturday night; they didn't even step onto the field.
Well, at least not during the game.
Despite a 45-minute weather delay, the 71,700 fans that filed their way into Sun Devils Stadium cheered the beloved Sun Devils to a 37-point thrashing led by the infamous student section.
"I told the team at the hotel last night, 'Don't be surprised when the
goal posts go down tomorrow night'," head coach Dirk Koetter said. "Now I see our fans couldn't get them down, so maybe they need to work out a little more, or even come out and practice a little bit."
Arizona State students began lining up at the gate six hours before
kickoff, three hours prior to the arrival of thunderstorm clouds rarely seen in a state known for its rather warm climate.
By the time fans were allowed to enter the stadium, they were "soaked and freezing" from wind and rain. Neither the weather nor the long wait in line would dampen the spirits of the fans, as chants of "A-S-U," and "Let's Go Devils," would ring through the stadium during team warm-ups.
Sun Devil fans cheered through the delay, unaware of the lopsided, record-breaking game they were about to witness.
The Sun Devils wouldn't disappoint their fans, opening up a 27-0 halftime lead capped off by a 48-yard field goal by Jesse Ainsworth that drove the crowd into a frenzy as the team headed to the locker room.
Freshman Zach Miller rounded out the scoring for the Sun Devils midway through the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Andrew Walter. The score gave the Sun Devils an insurmountable 44-0 lead, but more importantly, made Walter the ASU career leader in touchdown passes with 66 (surpassing ASU great and current NFL quarterback Jake Plummer). The NFL prospect ended the night with 428 yards passing and five touchdowns.
"Thank God the rain went away," Walter said. "It would have been really hard to throw in the rain so thankfully the skies cleared up."
Following the touchdown, chants of "Walter Heisman" began circulating through the student section.
"I didn't really know I was that close to the record," Walter said. "I couldn't have done it without some great players around me, and I have a great connection with these receivers."
With just under two minutes remaining the game, students began to leave their seats to prepare to run on the field in celebration of the upset. Fans, as well as some players were screaming "rush the field" which prompted stadium security to line the gate in front of the student section.
As the clock hit triple zeros, however, Sun Devil fans bolted through the gate and onto the field to celebrate with their team.
"The fans tonight in the crowd were great," Miller said. "They were loud all night."
While a field rush seems somewhat premature just three games into the season, keep in mind that ASU hasn't beaten a Big Ten opponent at home since 1988 and if the Sun Devils win next week against Oregon State, will be 4-0 for the first time since heading to the Rose Bowl during the 1996 season.
Reach the reporter at Brian.Knapp@asu.edu.
