Weather Delay in Bloomington

The first weekend in November brought a mix of weather. In Big Ten country the leaves on the trees begin to turn colors in early October and by the end of the month it is a roll of the dice with what may remain. One of the more southern schools in the conference is Indiana and we encountered two different weather scenes on our two-day visit to the Hoosier State.

On Friday the weather couldn't have been better for this time of the year. Temperatures were in the 50s with the sun warming us up. And in this basketball town celebrating Parent's Weekend, the focus had already been switching to roundball and the football team's possible chance at the Big Ten title game was a distant thought. As students enjoyed one of the last fall Friday afternoons where they could enjoy themselves outside, an opposing football coach could walk the campus without being bothered by any of the student body. Coach Ferentz, who enjoys his coffee could be seen walking along the streets, talking on his phone and not being bothered.

 It is a rarity that a football team can stay so close to campus. And over the years of coming to Bloomington, typically a resort miles to the south would house the team, but its only attraction was Lake Monroe and the bears that we had been warned to stay away from. On game day the drive was similar to that the team encounters coming down from Iowa City, but at this remote resort, there would be no distractions. But the resort had closed and a hotel close to campus became the next option, or a move to Indianapolis.

 And as nice as the weather was on Friday, storms came into the area on Saturday causing a Severe Weather delay, starting the game over an hour late. Lightning could be seen to the south and hail was in the area. Bowls of chili were consumed in the press area waiting for the on-field warmups to begin.

 And what looks to be more the norm than the exception are fireworks bringing teams to the field. Indiana is the third straight school to perform the act....

...and the smoke from the fireworks wafted over Memorial Stadium as the Iowa team entered, and close to kick off of the game.