The following story, "Pig head thrown onto field," appeared in the Oct. 23 issue of The Daily Iowan, the University of Iowa's student newspaper:
UI freshman Natalie Newell went to the Iowa-Penn State game Oct. 21 expecting to see pigskin being thrown around.
She didn't expect her prediction to happen in such a literal sense.
"The guy behind me threw a pig's head onto the field. I was told it was tradition," she said.
Newell, who has attended all of the UI football games this year, said the audience responded to the tough Oct. 21 match-up with rowdy behavior.
"All the games are rowdy, but there were more beer cans and bottles being thrown," she said. "If the crowd was more rowdy, I think it's because of the ranking. It was a hyped-up game."
The real reason for the rowdiness Oct. 21 was the longer drinking time, said Sgt. Ronnie Rich of UI Public Safety. Because the game was televised, it started at 2:35 p.m. instead of the usual 1:05.
"The late games are the problem," he said. "People start drinking earlier, and they drink longer. We had all the same problems, just a little more of it."
Public Safety officers weren't the only ones who were busy. Caleb Powell, an employee at Melrose Market, 1006 Melrose Ave., said they received more business Oct. 21 than they usually do on game days.
"There were a lot more people here," he said. "We're only a block away from the stadium."
One student said the attention from ABC television caused the audience's obnoxious behavior.
"People want to do stupid things to get on TV," said UI freshman Brandon Ryan.