FAYETTEVILLE — It is hard to believe just how small a crowd of 16,500 can look in an area capable of being filled by more than 70,000 people.
With press box seating limited, the decision was made to watch Arkansas' season opener from the stands. The top row on the west side was the perfect place to observe both Georgia 37, Arkansas 10, and the sun spash off the foothills of the Ozarks on a beautiful fall afternoon.
The walk to the stadium began about 45 minutes prior to kickoff. The lack of foot and vehicle traffic was striking. Standing in intersections that would normally be bustling so close to game time, police officers casually waved through much lower volumes of cars and pedestrians.
It was the first sign of a unique game-day experience.
With the aroma of food and sounds of music or a TV play-by-play emanating from thousands of cars, a walk to a football stadium can normally fill up your senses. But with the elimination of tailgating, that isn’t the case this year.
Maybe more so than the attendance restrictions, the lack of tailgating was the most notable contrast for anyone accustomed to attending games. The tailgating scene in Fayetteville might lack the accolades of some other campuses, but it is no less integral to the Razorbacks' home tradition.
In the weeks since Arkansas announced it would significantly alter its game days this fall, it was heard on multiple occasions that the elimination of tailgating was a dealbreaker for some ticket holders. As much as the atmosphere inside the stadium, the atmosphere outside makes attending college football games a beloved tradition for many.
The absence of tailgating made it feel kind of like another day in town. The parking lot adjacent to the stadium looked no different prior to a game against the No. 4 team than it will for the start of the work week Monday.
Music playing inside the stadium and a trailer carrying the live mascot, Tusk V, was a reminder there was a game to be played. Cheerleaders stood atop a porch on the stadium’s north end holding signs welcoming fans.
The biggest crowd outside the stadium was found at the Wild Band of Razorbacks monument on the northeast corner of the stadium. With the financial backing of Jerry Jones, sculptor Dick Idol created a masterpiece that has become a go-to backdrop for photos.
Near the gates, decals dotted the ground reminding people to remain 6 feet apart. At the mass-entry gates on the north side of the stadium, barricades were put in place in a zig-zag pattern to control the traffic flow.
The high-pitched sound of mobile ticket scanners filled the air, as did the steady flow of late-arriving personal aircraft making a descent into Drake Field.
Otherwise there wasn’t much to be heard on the walk. Conversation between passerbys was often muffled behind masks or gaiters.
Once inside the stadium, a watch check was required midway up the ramp to peer over Razorback Road. It’s a view that has been taken in each game since my first here 27 years ago, but never had it been so vacant so close to kickoff.
It is typically a red-and-white sea of people who are bumper to bumper or shoulder to shoulder. But 25 minutes before kickoff only a few cars and 100 or so pedestrians could be seen in the ½ mile between the stadium and the basketball arena to the south.
Razorback Road is usually full in the hour before a game, but it was virtually empty 25 minutes before Arkansas' season opener.
Most concession stands and all water fountains were closed on the concourse, and menu items were limited to ballpark staples. Stadium restrooms have probably never been more empty or more clean on a game day.
Once in the seats, it was interesting to see the placement of the cheerleaders and the band’s flag line members on top of the stadium’s north end, visible from most anyone's seat.
After scores, a cheerleader waved a giant Razorback flag from the rooftop, whereas typically he would run around the field with it. The Razorback pom squad recorded a dance routine that was shown on the video board during a timeout.
It was a pleasant surprise to hear a band play inside the stadium. Initially there had been talk of allowing only a drumline, but other instrumentalists were present — all wearing masks (presumably with cutouts for their mouths) and with covers over their instrument’s bell to reduce spittle. The band's pregame and postgame arrangements were played from its position on the east side of the stadium.
A pregame flyover by a group of civilian pilots was not perfectly timed with the playing of the national anthem, but received one of the day’s big ovations.
With no band on the field there was no “A” for the football team to run through. The pregame clock was winding down, but without the traditional pregame fanfare, the team’s entrance felt rather abrupt. Arkansas’ players entered the field from the northwest corner of the stadium instead of from the tunnel that splits the north stands.
After kickoff, attention turned more to the play on the field than the happenings off the field, but a few observations:
• Minus kickoffs, the only Hog calls heard were scripted before the game.
• The bombardment of in-game advertisements appears to have diminished greatly.
• Submitted videos depicted fans cheering from home, similar to NBA games since the restart.
• The student section was spaced in increments of 2-4 to allow distancing. Arkansas officials had cited poor spacing in student sections elsewhere.
• Whether intentional or just a PSA, the fan cam appeared to shame some for not wearing face coverings. Crowd shots would often show several whose faces were not covered, accompanied by a graphic reminding that coverings were required unless actively eating or drinking.
A video board graphic reminds fans to wear face coverings.
The game itself had the tendency to feel more like a well-attended scrimmage. As poor as attendances have been in Fayetteville the past couple of years, none had come close to being as small as the crowd Saturday. The stadium was as full at kickoff as it is for the fourth quarter of blowout losses.
There were some moments when the crowd erupted, such as Treylon Burks’ long touchdown catch in the first quarter and on some big defensive plays before halftime, but otherwise it felt fairly subdued.
The large number of punts and penalties robbed the game of much flow early. The first quarter took 54 minutes to complete.
At least from the top of the stadium, fans of both teams seemed to be stunned by the results of the first half. Of course that was based on perception. No one really spoke to anyone outside their group.
It became obvious there were several Georgia fans in the upper deck when the Bulldogs made a flurry of big plays in the third quarter, although it felt odd not to hear the opposing fight song. Georgia’s band and cheerleaders didn’t make the trip and were among the many notable absences Saturday.
Football is back, but the return of what most recognize as a football game day will have to wait a while longer.