While the Irish "home" game in Maryland this weekend was not technically at home, many fans said it still felt that way.
Junior Sam Mitchell said the high number of Irish fans present at Notre Dame's 45-21 win against the University of Maryland on Saturday made the atmosphere at FedEx Field electric.
"You're taking a metro and stuff there, and it was all Notre Dame people," he said. "There was a huge contingency of people around the stadium, a lot of energy, a lot of alumni there, too. You almost felt like it was a home game. Obviously, it was [technically] a home game, and it showed."
Junior Joe Beglane said there were many more Irish fans at the game than Terrapins fans and he said the jumbotron in the stadium showed highlights from Notre Dame games earlier this season.
"It was surprisingly pro-Notre Dame over there," Beglane said.
Junior Matt Gilbert said he enjoyed that there was so much support for Notre Dame.
"There was a big Irish presence, and it was really good to have such a contingent there from Notre Dame," he said.
Junior Mike Dobrovic said Saturday's game was comparable to last year's game against Army at Yankee Stadium because both games were played in neutral territory.
"Both games had great energy, and the team wearing the green jerseys pumps people up a lot," he said. "It probably wasn't as special as Yankee Stadium, though, because that was sort of a special event, it being in a baseball stadium."
Mitchell said he was pleased with the final score.
"We killed them," he said. "We just dominated the entire time. It was really great to see Notre Dame beating the teams that we should be beating and doing it with some swagger."
Beglane said said he was also happy with how the Irish played Saturday.
"The football was great," he said. "I'm always kind of worried with us, but it was definitely a strong showing. It's kind of nice to have a game where you're not freaking out the whole time."
Gilbert agreed.
"It was good to see them come out with such a convincing win, and they definitely had the support of the fans," he said.
Gilbert said the festivities surrounding the game extended outside of Landover, Md., where FedEx Field is located. There were many tailgates outside of FedEx Field, and the Band of the Fighting Irish performed on the steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
"We were up in Baltimore over the weekend, and there were Irish fans there as well," Gilbert said.
