Except the ones who were caught by police officers. Those students were wrestled to the ground, pummeled, shoved against the wall and sprayed directly in the eyes with pepper spray.
The heightened security at Saturday's game was an example of hypersensitive planning run amok. The officers were out to break up a riot - but there was no riot to break up.
Early last week, University officials warned students against rushing the field. Department of Public Safety spokesperson Beth Hall said, "It's a violation of regional ordinance, and it's also very dangerous. We don't want anybody to hurt themselves."
Whether or not it should be, running onto the field is a civil infraction. But on Saturday, it was not harmful. Students did not engage in the type of destructive behavior that has typified post-game "riots" at other schools, like the uprising at the Univeristy of Wisconsin in 1993. On Saturday, students stayed away from the goalposts - a common cause of injury in on-field celebrations - and refrained from thrashing about or otherwise frenzied behavior.
Troops of officers sporting riot gear marched along the sidelines midway through the fourth quarter. Their ominous presence recalled police action at the student riots of the '60s and '70s - but Saturday's crowd of students had none of the violent intentions of the past. While the students were out to have a good time and savor the moment, the officers' No. 1 agenda was to stifle and subdue - with force. Fans in the stands watched in shock as officers chased and tackled students who loped onto the field to join friends. As many as three officers at one time attacked one student, forcing him to the ground, sitting on him and repeatedly striking him. Officers who could not run fast enough to catch students simply stuck out a foot and tripped them; other officers grabbed students by the ankles and dumped them on the ground. Students fell to the sidelines, weeping and clutching their faces as officers released clouds of pepper spray. Even students still in the stands - several rows above the field - experienced pain and tearing when the pungent spray wafted up into the bleachers.
Students celebrating on the field after Saturday's game commited a minor civil infraction, but they did not behave in a way that warranted police brutality. Although University officials expressed concern for students' safety, it is bitterly ironic that some students suffered injuries at the hands of police officers who were supposedly there to keep students from getting hurt.
For many University students, memories of Saturday will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Most will remember the exuberance of victory; others will remember the blows they received from officers who were supposed to protect them. In the future, Univeristy officials should weigh the punishment against the "crime."