Tulane coach Chris Scelfo, grinning humbly, said he hoped his recruits watched the nationally televised reopening of the Louisiana Superdome when the New Orleans Saints played the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night before a raucous sellout crowd.
It's the same type of scene when Tulane plays in the iconic downtown stadium, he joked.
In reality, the school officials expect 15,000 and 20,000 fans in the 70,000-seat stadium when Tulane plays its first game in New Orleans since Dec. 4, 2004.
But Scelfo made a few last requests this week for everyone who could to make the game.
``We've all been through a lot. These players have endured a lot also. It would really show an appreciation for them by being there and cheering for them,'' Scelfo said.
Displaced last year by hurricane Katrina, which flooded part of Tulane's campus and heavily damaged the Superdome, the Green Wave played all 11 games last season in different stadiums outside of New Orleans. Tulane (1-2, 0-1 Conference USA) also played its first three games of this season on the road while work continued on the dome up to its reopening this week.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Tulane will finally be back on its home field, hosting SMU (2-2), which will be playing its Conference USA opener.
``We need to have a good crowd out there,'' Scelfo said. ``The energy level from the crowd would be fantastic for our players. We're hoping a lot of people come out and have three hours of enjoyment for the football team.''
The Tulane athletic department has been on a tight budget with the school recovering from storm damage, which included a number of athletic fields and facilities.
Tulane's football facilities have been rebuilt and might be better than ever, but much work remains, including on a baseball stadium and field next to the practice football fields.
So there will be no high-profile concert prior to kickoff as there was on Monday night, when U2 and Green Day played, followed by Irma Thomas singing the national anthem with Allen Toussaint on piano.
Instead, Tulane's 45-member band will play the American anthem, along with a halftime show featuring New Orleans music, while a DJ and brass band will perform during intermittent stoppages in action throughout the game.
Tulane also plans a halftime salute to its medical community, which provided care at Tulane Hospital during and after Katrina battered the city with wind and floodwaters that swamped the city's hospital district.
Tulane Hospital was the first medical facility to reopen downtown last February and its neighbouring medical school also is back in session.
The Superdome has undergone about US$185 million in repairs and renovations, with new scoreboards, giant video screens and a new sound system. Its reopening drew media attention around the world, raising further the sense of anticipation for Tulane players who have been eager to play there again.
``Our players are excited about playing back at home, but the one thing we can't do is get caught up in all the hype,'' Scelfo said. ``We're playing a football team that's coming off back-to-back huge victories. ... It's kind of unique from the standpoint that it's our first time back in the dome in a long time and it's a situation where we're going to have to be able to handle it.''
