Make it rain on them fans

Alumna Sara Press, class of 2007, huddled underneath an umbrella with two friends to avoid getting soaked by the downpour of rain before the Terrapin homecoming football game Saturday. Press came all the way from New York to attend the football game.

"It is very upsetting," Press said. "It is depressing when you come all the way down from New York [and it's raining]. I paid a lot to come back here on a bus. … I am glad there is still a turnout though."Despite the rain, many football fans still flocked to the campus to tailgate for the homecoming game. Cars lined Route 193 hours before the game, and the campus was full of fans barbecuing, tossing footballs and playing bean bag games before the game between the Terps and the N.C. State Wolfpack.

"It's homecoming," said Katie Atallah, a freshman letters and sciences major, as she rushed across Lot 1 bundled up in a hooded sweatshirt. "My whole floor is going."

Even though the campus played host to tailgaters, many said the turnout for the tailgate wasn't great.

Alumna Cathy Colleli stood under a large, nearly empty red tent in Lot 9 by Comcast Center. A season ticket holder, Colleli said her tent is usually packed with people, but because of the poor weather, only three fans occupied her spacious tent.

"This tailgate is very lightly attended," Colleli said about the tailgate in comparison to other tailgates she has attended. "There's usually 15 of us."

Caitlin Kelly, a junior at Glenelg Country School in Howard County, said she attends a lot of tailgates and Saturday's tailgate was fairly empty.

"It's usually packed," Kelly said. She and her two friends were cooking out of the back of a truck, with no tent to cover their grill from the rain.

"There are always cars over there," Kelly said pointing to the back of Lot 1. "I guess cause it's raining."

Kelly's friend, Ololade Adeoye, a freshman at Glenelg Country, said Saturday was her first tailgate and she was still excited to be there despite the rain.

"I don't care," Adeoye said. "I brought an umbrella."

Others shared the same positive attitude about the game and didn't let the rain get in their way of supporting the Terps.

Alumna Kathleen Donovan, class of 2008, said she and her group of friends "are all alumni and had to come back for [the homecoming game]."

One of the members of her tailgating group Rich Resch, a fellow 2008 alumnus, said, "We come out full force for this, 110 percent, rain or shine, to support our boys."

jbauerdbk@gmail.com