5 p.m. I enter the press box and hope to avoid a certain media guy. It’s a big place with lots of hiding places.
5:40 p.m. Wow! The stadium is filling to capacity and the atmosphere is electric. The crowd has been yelling, “Let’s Go Gophers!” The marching band is greeted with a roar of approval.
5:50 p.m. The crowd explodes with noise, singing the Rouser!
6 p.m. The honorary captains are introduced including Bud Grant who played for the Gophers’ great 1949 team. The spectacular video board shows enough detail on Grant’s face to see tears in his eyes. Later a former coach said: “The ice cap melted.”
6:02 p.m. Minnesota’s Troy Stoudermire returns the opening kickoff 36 yards to the 50 yard line and a new era in Gopher football is official.
6:23 p.m. The Gophers score the first points ever in the stadium when junior Eric Ellestad kicks a field goal with about four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
8:23 p.m. DeLeone Eskridge runs seven yards for a touchdown to move the Gophers into a 10-10 fourth quarter tie. Earlier, with the game seemingly turning in Air Force’s favor, the stadium had become so quiet I could hear a fan cough on the other side of the field. (Well, not really).
8:30 p.m. In the play of the night, the Gophers Brandon Kerksey shakes the ball loose from Air Force’s Tim Jefferson. The ball falls to the surface and bounces up perfectly for the Gophers’ Nate Triplett who scoops it up and runs in for a touchdown. The Gophers lead 17-10 with about 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter and go on to win the game 20-13.
10:15 p.m. I walk out of the stadium and there are still lots of fans everywhere enjoying themselves on a never to be forgotten evening. I think about the ghosts of Nagurski, Bierman and Giel. Do you suppose they helped with that fumble? Do you think??