By Nicole Yesel
Unigo Campus Rep at Arizona
Homecoming always takes place at the end of October, the perfect time of year in Tucson. The intense desert heat has cooled to 75-80 degree weather, so everyone can enjoy the outdoor activities.
The real action begins early on Saturday morning for die-hard students. Frog n’ Firkin, a popular restaurant on University Boulevard, opened at 6 a.m.to commence the festivities this year. They served a breakfast pizza for those who did not eat before coming out early in the morning. Throughout the day, sports fans watch other football games at places near campus while they wait for the UA game to start.
While I did not get up early enough to be at the Frog in time for it’s opening, I did stop by around 1PM. By then, the restaurant was a sea of red shirts and blue and red Martigrah beads. I got a beer and chatted with some of my fellow students to see what they thought about homecoming. Adam Cohen, a senior and seasoned homecoming goer said, “Homecoming isn’t about the game. I mean it is. But it’s more about the getting pumped up about how our school is the best. Of course we want to win, but it doesn’t matter.”
Homecoming is one of the only times that alcohol is allowed to be sold on the University of Arizona’s campus. Those not in restaurants watching sports or at home getting ready are out on the Mall tailgating. There are beer stands spread out along the grass mixed in among the tents of sororities, fraternities, and various alumni groups. Anywhere you could see gold and maroon colored shirts, you could also hear booing. I was very surprised by the amount of USC fans
running around the tailgates.
The hour-long parade started at 3:30 p.m., when the floats rode through the crowd of excited tailgaters. Floats always include the homecoming court, Associated Students of The University of Arizona (ASUA), and whoever has signed up to participate in creating their own float. This year, among the creative floats, there was a giant Wilbur the Wildcat in honor of our mascot, a huge wildcat head with glaring read eyes and a red tank. Homecoming court rode through in classic cars.
The game started at 7:30PM. The excitement was palpable all throughout campus. I stumbled across a knocked down wire fence, police, and dismayed students while looking for my entrance gate. The Zona Zoo section was filled to max capacity and students were being turned away. The line I saw two hours earlier to get into the student section suddenly seemed less ridiculous than before. I had bought tickets rather than risk rushing for a seat in the student section, so luckily I still saw the game in person.
The game itself was great – Wildcats against the Trojans. Wildcats lost, but we put up a good fight against one of the current best college football teams.
“Winning would have made my day. But, we were predicted to lose by a lot of points – way more than we did. So I’m actually kind of happy about the game,” said senior Jordan Bakva. USC only pulled ahead by one touchdown in the fourth quarter, leaving the final score at 10 to 17.