As Northwestern left the field Saturday after beating Kansas 20-17, players stopped in front of the student section and doffed their helmets to salute fans they felt played a part in the Wildcats’ first win of the season. School was not in session yet, but more than 3,000 students turned out.
“I questioned our passion as a football team a week ago, and I questioned the stadium’s passion,” coach Randy Walker said. “I probably shouldn’t say that, but all of a sudden we had a bunch of students back who have fun, paint their bodies up and get after it.
“The students get fired up, and it was great to have them back. It gave us some juice, and the team really appreciated it. Shoot, we’re not even in school yet and we had over 3,000 students show up, and that makes a difference. It helps.”
Said quarterback Brett Basanez: “When it gets loud in there, it’s great.”