We needed the rain, but unfortunately it poured on Kinnick Stadium during the University of Iowa home opener Saturday in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes took on Tennessee Tech leading all the way, but during the third quarter storms interrupted the action.
For the safety of fans and players, officials cleared the stadium because of lightning in the area. After about an hour delay, fans were allowed back in and play resumed. The Hawkeyes won 34-7.
Iowa fans not only had to deal with bad weather, but also new rules designed to cut down on binge drinking.
Under the new guidelines, anyone who appears to be intoxicated or is bothering other fans can be handed a warning card. A fan who is truly disruptive can then be ejected from the game. School administrators say that's not something they want to do, but they also don't want one fan to spoil the game for others.
As it turns out, most of the 70,000 fans were pretty well-behaved. According to figures released by university police, there were fewer problems Saturday than at the first home game last year. There were a total of 51 arrests for things like for driving drunk, public intoxication or having an open container. Five people had to be kicked out of the game.
During the first home game in 2010, police made 160 arrests and more than 100 fans had to be removed from the stadium.
