The intensity that permeated campus before and during the Oct. 15 USC game subsided quickly after the heartbreaking loss, leading many students to describe the atmosphere surrounding Saturday's BYU game as tame in comparison.
Senior Molly Miner felt the BYU weekend "was definitely more mellow."
"Everyone was on their feet for USC, [but] it seemed like a relatively typical game for BYU," Miner said. "The students were rowdy, and the fans were great but not as excited as they were for USC."
Junior Kaki Orr said the hype surrounding the USC game helped create an intense fan section.
"The hype being College Gameday, the 110 private jets that flew in, the pep rally in the Stadium and the mass hysteria in the media [all contributed]," Orr said.
The BYU game, students said, was a different story.
"There's obviously not as much hype about BYU as USC because when the USC game ended, our lives ended with it," sophomore Mimi Kendrick said, tongue in cheek. "But the [BYU] weekend was still fun because it's Notre Dame football. It doesn't matter who we play."
Sophomore Sam Stoner said the outcome of the USC game had a big impact on the momentum going into the BYU game.
"When you come off such an exciting game, especially when you lose, there is kind of an emotional let down," Stoner said. "And so when you play a team that you are expected to beat and are obviously better than, it's really hard to reach that intensity."
Stoner ended up leaving the BYU game at halftime.
"I was more interested in getting my work done for the week than watching our team continue to pummel a team that we should be pummeling," he said.
Although some people might argue that fall break should leave students well-rested and ready to cheer, it also led to a seemingly decreased level of student attendance at the BYU game.
Sophomore Antonia Bethel didn't make it back to campus in time for the BYU game.
"Of course I cared [that I missed the BYU game]," Bethel said. "But I had a party at my house."
Possibly the bigger factor in a student attendance drop, students said, was the opponent.
"Everyone expected a blowout against BYU, and so a lot of people sold tickets and didn't come back," junior Laura Navarre said.
Kate Antonacci contributed to this report.
