Carl Hoye joined the legion of fans attending Monday's Military Bowl in Annapolis for the first time.
But the 1995 Naval Academy graduate, who drove down from New Jersey, said a key component was missing — classes of current midshipmen.
Some donning their uniforms were scattered throughout the sold-out crowd at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium during the mids' battle against the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. But the midshipmen crowd wasn't as large as a typical home game — the likely result of holiday travel.
The game lacked "the 12th man on the field" — a reference to home team fans that are thought to give the team an advantage — despite a crowd of more than 36,000 people, Hoye said.