Remember those stupid intelligence tests we all had to take in school growing up. Questions like, which of the following groups of words match the given word best:

1. Homecoming

A. Bricks, roof, windows, doors

B. Walking, running, moving, jogging

C. Sun, football, beer, fans

D. Typhoon, mud-wrestling, beer, a few fans

The answer, this year at least, was definitely D. If you took a third grader to Saturday’s Mud Bowl at O’Brien Stadium, they surely wouldn’t have missed that question. I mean it’s a no-brainer. A is talking about a home, B is talking about coming or going somewhere, C is obviously talking about an experience that was a whole lot cooler than Saturday, so that leaves D – a bunch of college students drowning in beer and rain.

In all honesty, though, Saturday really wasn’t that bad. Yeah, sure, we all want perfect weather for the perfect Homecoming win, but we didn’t get it. Heck, in a game that crazy, we were lucky to get the win.

Yeah, I know what you’re saying: Well, Ruthhart, maybe if you were in the stands like the rest of us you’d know. Oh, but I was.

For a rare instance, I got to attend the game as Joe College. I didn’t stay dry in the confines of O’Brien Stadium’s wonderful press box. Instead, I drank, tailgated, drank some more and then battled the monsoon conditions in the stands like everyone else.

Of course, with my luck, the one game where I got to sit in the stands is the one game where Hurricane Charleston rolled in. When the rains began before the game, tailgaters let out a drunken cheer. But after about 10 minutes, the torrential downpour got old real fast.

The majority of tailgaters went home instead of going to the game. I don’t blame them. The conditions were absolutely ridiculous. Gusting winds created a sideways rain that pelted everyone in attendance.

If you were smart, you sat on the left side of your friend at the game and made them get the worst of it.

Just 2,386 fans turned out for the game, and if you’re familiar with the Eastern school of attendance guessing, it was probably a little less than that. Either way, it had to be close to one of, if not the worst, Homecoming crowds ever. Fans decided they’d rather seek refuge in their dorm rooms, houses or bars than play Marco Polo at O’Brien Stadium.

Yes, in an ideal world O’Brien would have been packed with fans and it would have been a beautiful day. But it wasn’t. The fans who sought shelter shouldn’t be blamed, and the ones who stuck it out should be commended.

If you answer C to the question above, in the end you’re teacher’s going to give you that little red check mark instead of the gold star. So, let’s give the gold star to those who braved the conditions for the entire game.

After all, getting the red check mark isn’t the end of the world. Even I couldn’t take it anymore and listened to the second half on the radio. Oh well, -1 for me.