Ohio State fans are so accustomed to the hulking concrete mass that is the Horseshoe; many the size of the crowd it can hold for granted. This weekend, for example, it's likely over 105,000 people will fill its confines to watch Ohio State take on the state school of New Jersey.
But while crowds of 100,000+ are routine for Ohio State fans (and its players), this weekend will also feature the largest crowd to ever take-in a game featuring Rutgers.
The previous record was Rutgers' 2002 trip to Tennessee; a game watched live by 103,925 fans. By all accounts, Rutgers' players were stunned by scene.
From Ryan Dunleavy of MyCentralJersey.com:
"It was me and 100,000 fans there, screaming," said Clarence Pittman, who rushed for 104 yards. "I was stunned to be able to have that opportunity. It's a dream as a kid. As a player, you are not supposed to look in the stands, but they're sitting so high up you have no choice but to look. You're amazed by it."
What does Nate Jones, the man who returned the opening kick against the Volunteers, remember the most about that crowd? Deafening it:
"My most vivid memory was just looking up at the steep wall of orange all around us, thinking, 'We are definitely not in New Jersey anymore,'" said Jones, who was named 2002 Big East Co-Special Teams Player of the Year. "I will never forget that silence. It was arguably one of the best plays of my career."
And here's then-star tight end L.J. Smith on the lessons he took from playing in front of such a large crowd:
"It was kind of like a boxer going the distance with a heavyweight champ," Smith said. "He's trying to prove himself. You know the saying: 'You've got to knock the champ out to beat him.'"
Rutgers didn't knock Tennessee out on that day; after falling behind to the Scarlet Knights 14-7 in the first half, Tennessee rallied to finish off the 45-point underdogs, 35-14. (Although, players still contend two critical calls (wrongly) went against the Knights.)
Unless something cataclysmic happens in the next 28 and a half hours, Rutgers players will be walking into a scene unprecedented by any other game in the program's long history.
And while former players still speak in awe of playing in front of 100k people, the most relished memory was silencing it. So, if you're attending the game tomorrow, your marching orders are clear: don't let Rutgers silence the Shoe.
