Arizona’s midnight thriller came with a disappearing audience | Greg Hansen

For the thousands of Tucsonans who left Casino del Sol Stadium before midnight, Arizona’s comeback against TCU became a game they experienced in fragments, through late updates, replay clips and stories from the people who stayed. The game began at 8:31 p.m. Friday before an announced crowd of 40,501, but most of those fans were gone by the time Arizona produced its most memorable plays early Saturday morning. The final moments included a winning field goal, a decisive interception and a celebration that unfolded in a nearly empty stadium.

TCU led Arizona 28 to 20 late in the game, setting up what appeared to be another disappointing night for fans who had already endured a long evening. By halftime, at 10:07 p.m., a steady stream of red taillights was leaving the stadium. The crowd had fallen to no more than about 15,000 by the time the calendar turned from Friday to Saturday. The Zona Zoo student section, which had supplied much of the energy earlier in the night, had largely dispersed for campus bars and other late night stops.

The decisive stretch arrived after midnight, when many Tucson television sets had already been switched off. Arizona’s comeback was secured by a field goal from Michael Salgado-Medina at 12:08 a.m. Saturday. Cornerback Tyrese Boss then made the interception that sealed the victory, while kickoff man Ian French and fumble recovery standout Zuri Watson also became central figures in the late rally. Their names may not have carried the instant recognition associated with former Arizona stars such as Rob Gronkowski and Nick Foles, but their performances placed them in the school’s football history.

The unusual timing was not simply a result of a slow game. Television interruptions consumed a significant portion of the night. During the first half, eight commercial breaks lasted a combined 23 minutes and 15 seconds. Those advertisements included spots from 56 companies, with multiple appearances by DoorDash, Mercedes Benz, Liberty Mutual, Burger King and Dr Pepper. One commercial featured former Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo. The stoppages added to the time fans spent waiting between plays and possessions.

The game also included four team timeouts, the standard two minute warning and a 21 minute halftime. Although the third quarter began at 10:28 p.m., play was soon stopped for a replay review involving the accuracy of the game clock. By then, spectators who had remained in the stadium or continued watching from home had seen only about 30 minutes of football during the first hour and 57 minutes of the evening. The pace made the decision to leave understandable, particularly for fans facing a late drive home or an early morning.

Television contracts provide a substantial share of the money supporting college football, and the commercial interruptions are part of that financial structure. But the tradeoff was especially visible in Tucson. ESPN used back to back commercial stoppages three times, including breaks lasting two minutes and 45 seconds and three minutes. For fans in the stadium, there was no way to avoid the waiting. For viewers at home, the repeated interruptions made it easier to turn off the broadcast before Arizona’s comeback began.

That tension has become familiar to college sports fans. The late start was promoted under the Big 12’s “After Dark” scheduling concept, a format intended to showcase games later in the evening for national audiences. But the long delays meant the people most invested in Arizona football were asked to stay awake well past midnight to see the conclusion. The same concern had surrounded the former Pac 12’s late night games, and the Arizona TCU finish offered a fresh example of why the format can work better for television schedules than for local crowds.

The result was a strange contrast between the importance of the game and the size of the audience that witnessed its conclusion. Arizona had completed a comeback against TCU, but there were not enough fans left to create the usual rush onto the field after the winning kick. The stadium’s emptying stands became part of the story, as significant in their own way as the interception and field goal. For Tucson fans, the night served as a reminder that an unforgettable finish is not much use to a local crowd if the schedule and television format make it too difficult to stay until the end.

Arizona’s late heroes will still have their place in the record of the program. French, Watson, Boss and Salgado Medina helped turn a game that seemed headed toward a TCU win into a dramatic Arizona victory. Yet the celebration also carried an unmistakable sense of what had been lost. A crowd that started at more than 40,000 had dwindled dramatically, and many who had supported the Wildcats through the opening half never saw the comeback. The game delivered midnight madness in name, but the madness itself was mostly missing from the stands.