I've been covering Northwestern football games since my very first week at school. I probably should have been out at a party, or making friends in my dorm, but instead, I hopped in my grandpa's car and drove to Champaign at 5 a.m. — witnessing my first sunrise over Lakeshore Drive — to watch NU lose to Illinois in a 38-35 thriller.
A lot has changed on the field since then. Northwestern no longer wears Adidas uniforms. Dan Persa is long gone from Evanston. Ron Zook is no longer the head coach at Illinois. And fans no longer go to Illinois games.