Fans fill South Bend tailgate lots hours before Notre Dame-Miami game
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – Fans began tailgating in South Bend early today, hours before Notre Dame plays Miami at 7:30 p.m.
Traffic was heavier than usual in the area. Lines of vehicles waiting to park were backed up for miles, and the parking lots did not open until 8 a.m.
Early starts at the tailgates
Holly and Reese set up a trailer and a truck full of ice. One of them said the business is Maison Joe, which serves drinks for private companies and was bartending at the tailgate. The signature drink was an apple cider old-fashioned. They said they woke up at 5 a.m. Holly and Reese both picked Notre Dame to win, 31-30.
Stephanie said she got up at 3:30 a.m.
“I just live farther out and I wanted to be in line and get a good spot for tailgating today,” Stephanie said.
Tony said he has been coming to games for more than 20 years, including almost every game and every night game.
“This is the longest I’ve ever been back in line. I came out early as well,” Tony said. “So that’s just an indication of what today’s going to look like and the support.”
Tony said he expects many out-of-town fans, noting that planes had been arriving through the night.
Traditions and weather
The air temperature was 45 degrees with a wind chill around 40, and the wind was picking up, according to Gary Sieber, who was in the studio.
Dan said he has tailgated at games for about four years. He said he is usually there by 6 a.m. and arrived about 5:15 a.m. today.
“We get the leprechaun flying, the flag flying. Start cranking music to wake people up because it’s game day and it’s a big one,” Dan said.
Dan said people start arriving about 9 a.m. He said he was up about 3:30 a.m. and brought his baby, Bosco, who has a tailgate chair and will eat peanut puffs.
A rumor circulated that the first person in line to get into the stadium had been there since 11 p.m. the night before. Dan said that was probably true.
Miami fans travel to South Bend
Notre Dame and Miami first played in the 1950s. Notre Dame is 11-0 when playing Miami in temperatures under 70 degrees.
A father and son, identified as Harold and Gerald Palmer, set up a Miami tailgate with fire pits, generators, a TV and music. One of them said the family has a Miami Hurricanes man cave and plans a watch party tonight. One of them said his wife is a Notre Dame fan and the household is split.
One of them said he traveled from San Diego. He said he and his father, both Miami fans, go to a game once a year. He said the trip included a 3 1/2-hour flight to Chicago, where relatives picked him up and drove to South Bend.
One of them said the boards at their setup were custom made by a man in Elkhart. One of them predicted Miami would win 34-14.
Score predictions at another tailgate
At another tailgate, a fan identified as Rob said he would root for Notre Dame because the Indiana Hoosiers were not playing. He predicted Notre Dame by 7.
Other fans in the group predicted Notre Dame wins by scores of 24-17, 27-9, 35-14, 31-17, 31-28, 28-17 and 24-7. One fan predicted “Canes by a million.”
Miami fan recalls past games in the series
Dave, a Miami fan who traveled from Charlotte, said he has Miami roots.
“It would be tough. We haven’t won here since the early 80s, so it’s a tough game,” Dave said. “And without our star wide receiver, Malachi Tony, he’s out.”
Dave said the 1988 game, which was Jimmy Johnson’s last year at Miami, ignited the rivalry. He said he was a freshman that year.
Dave said Miami’s Cleveland Gary was ruled to have fumbled at the one-yard line, but he said replay shows Gary was down. He said officials ruled in Notre Dame’s favor, and Miami lost after a two-point conversion attempt was batted down. He said the conversion would have won the game instead of tying it with a point after.
Sieber said it was clearly a fumble by Cleveland Gary and that his knee was not down.
Dave said he attended the 2016 game, his first in South Bend. He said late in the game a receiver caught a pass for what he believed was a first down, but replay ruled the receiver out of bounds.
Dave said many Miami fans name other teams as their rival, but his generation names Notre Dame.
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