It’s hard to know where to begin when trying to wrap my thoughts around actually going out in a crowd larger than what you generally find inside the Germantown Kroger. There had been local high school games essentially played behind closed doors so football in 2020 existed as an abstract concept. We had seen high school games on TV so “Hey look it’s a football game” but what those mainly did is demonstrate how wide the range of crowd restrictions around the country are.

I went through the week with one eye over my shoulder, watching reports from other schools as they lost players for various reasons and paused practices due to testing results. Kenny Gainwell made his understandable decision and we all waited to see how the Wednesday tests would affect Saturdays game – turned out, a lot. There was never a moment where you could just relax, make your normal plans and anticipate Saturdays game.

Saturday arrived, I had one of the precious tickets and the game was going to kick off. I should be excited but I’m really not. Instead of tailgating, I’m sitting at home watching TV. Instead of Tiger fans filling the lots and strutting around telling Cotton Bowl stories we’re on Twitter taking about how bad the TV games are. Instead of firing up smokers and grills, we’re stopping at a restaurant to eat before the game. It felt like a road game but without the “we’re deep in enemy territory” fun of it.

Reality really struck once on Fairgrounds property and it was shocking. I’ve been at some ends of really bad season games and it didn’t feel as empty as the Liberty Bowl did last night. The U of M tried their best with the restrictions they faced and should be commended.

The players were as active in keeping each other pumped as I’ve ever seen on the sidelines to make up for the lack of crowd energy. Sitting behind the Tiger bench I never saw a player look up in the stands. They didn’t run to the corner stands after kick offs and just flipped the ball to the ref after touchdowns. It didn’t seem fair to them to be in that environment when the last time they played was the excitement of the Cotton Bowl.

So, after another 4-hour football game (did ESPN cram more commercials in to make up for the cancelled games they couldn’t show?) what were we left with? A Tiger win, data for the health department to massage, a demonstration of how football can continue in a logistical sense and a deeper appreciation from me of how much we have really lost.

I was surrounded by it not only in the stadium but throughout the week. Little things that once seemed trivial like 'don’t forget to get enough ice' to bigger things like 'it's time to go load TOM up for the stadium drive' were all missing and much missed. When we get it back, never take it for granted. Through good seasons and bad ones, the main thing is the human connection that college football provides. The humanity is the most vital part of any gameday and when we are allowed to be together again, treasure it. You’ll eventually forget who won or lost the game but will always have the memories.

Want to be the next fan to be featured on the "A view from the stands" series? CLICK HERE and tell us on the message boards