Sept. 9, 2000

They came from the west, clad in red, heading toward Touchdown Jesus and one of the meccas of college football. They got tickets from season ticket-holders, single-game sales and paying scalpers as much as $500 for a $36 ticket. They packed the bars of South Bend, Indiana, and roamed the campus.

Then the Husker fans, some 30,000 strong, took over Notre Dame Stadium, creating a sea of red in the 80,000-seat venue. Nebraska fans filled much of one side of the stadium, the upper reaches of the end zone, and 10,000 Big Red supporters who couldn’t get in gathered outside to cheer the Huskers to a 27-24 overtime win.

“It looked like there was a big fight outside for tickets and Nebraska fans won,” Husker quarterback Eric Crouch said after the game. “You don’t see that at many schools.”

— L. Kent Wolgamott