When Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy caught a pass at the start of the fourth quarter, eluded his defenders and ran into the end zone, fans in TCF Bank Stadium hollered and cheered.
Later, chants of “Go Pack Go” rang throughout the stadium as fans filed for the exits after the Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-21.
Despite being 275 miles away from Lambeau Field, many University of Minnesota students were able to take a short walk to see their favorite team when the Packers came to Minneapolis on Sunday to take on their division rival Vikings.
Sunday’s game marked the 109th meeting between the two teams.
And with the demolition of Mall of America Field earlier this year, the rivalry moved outdoors to the University’s campus.
Joey Smits, a sophomore bioproducts engineering and math major, was happy to don his green and gold Packers attire at the game.
“Both my parents grew up in Eau Claire, so I was born and raised a Packer fan,” Smits said.
He said he always looks forward to the rivalry, too.
“Nothing’s better than a Packers-Vikings game,” he said.
Kinesiology sophomore Christina Meyer said her admiration for the Packers also stems from her hometown in Wisconsin.
Meyer said she was happy to attend Sunday’s game because of the proximity to campus.
“It made it much more convenient to come,” she said, “and it’s been great.”
And biochemistry sophomore Joel Zembles said he knew he’d still root for the Packers despite studying in Minnesota.
“Whether you go to college in Wisconsin or not, you definitely stay a Packer fan,” Zembles said.
But the Vikings didn’t seem fazed by the number of Packers fans in the stadium.
“I think our fans did a pretty good job of booing out the chants,” punter Jeff Locke said. “Most guys at this level don’t play attention to what the opposing fans are doing anyway.”
Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn said he and his teammates enjoy seeing their fans travel with them to away games.
“It’s fun for us to see that much green and gold. It makes us feel good as players when we have that kind of support,” Flynn said.
