It is the morning of cougar football Saturday, and you were just woken up by the band playing the fight song outside your window. You know what this means...it’s COUUUUGGGGGARRRR FOOOOTTTBALLLL SAAATTUURDAAY! There are no words to explain how it feels to hear music blasting throughout Greek row at 8AM, while watching Butch and the spirit squad dance their way to Martin Stadium.

Tailgates, Fieldhouse, The Coug, and Vahalla are all traditional go-to spots that are never vacant on game day. With crowds of people, alumni and students of all kinds, it feels like a family is uniting to cheer on our beloved cougs. In the sea of crimson, grey, paw tattoos, and screaming "GO COUGS!!!!" until your voice is gone, it doesn't matter what the outcome of the game is. The spirit itself is something you can’t explain and it truly compares to nothing. There is an energy present as groups of people flow into the  new and improved Martin Stadium for the first home game of the season. The excitement level is at an all time high.

Let’s not forget about Butch. While he spends most of the game crowd surfing and taking pictures with swarms of people, he is the ultimate symbol of cougar athletics. Have you ever noticed Butch is the quickest one in the stadium? First, he’s mingling throughout the stands, and then the next thing you know he is on the 50-yard line pumping up the entire crowd. With Butch’s lively personality and crazy antics, the energy stays up the entire game.

Keys are jingling in the air as the greatest sound on earth, “That’s another cougar first down!” blasts over the intercom, causing the entire student section to burst into cheers and chants. Can I just say it is always great to see security run through the student section as one of the benches has been ripped up from the ground...and is crowd surfing? Of course we always have the enviable and classic chant that randomly occurs of, “Huck the Fuskies,” even though we aren’t even playing them. Though the atmosphere of our football games is great, we can’t deny that the boys don’t look too bad out on the field either. 

The pre-game nonsense that happens beforehand is one of those things that will always be memorable (somewhat). With all of Greek row in one spot gathering to rage before the first game of the season…well…nothing could get much better than that. 

Let’s not forget about our alumni. Cougar football would be nothing without them. With their incredible support, they continue to bring back memories, soul, and pride. The are constantly reminding us of the old saying, “once a coug, always a coug.” There is an unexplainable feeling that comes with game days, which is arguably comparable to Christmas morning. It is something only a coug could understand. Cougar football Saturday’s are more than just another football game. It is about creating memories, showing cougar pride, and knowing that we are apart of something special. 

All in all, GO COUGS!