By Kurt Masline

The University of Maryland Terrapins’ 51-14 loss to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in a rare Friday night home game caused headaches for many students — and not just those in the stadium.

Some students welcomed the timing. But others said UMD hosting a Friday game led to inconveniences such as increased traffic and class format changes. The Terrapins’ schedule includes one more Friday home game this year, according to the NCAA.

Emily Zheng, a senior information science major, has not been to any football games during her time at UMD, but said she understands the hype. Zheng said she thinks most universities put a heavy emphasis on sports.

“I know some people mind, but personally I’m OK with it,” Zheng said. “I think it’s an exciting time for students to bond over something.”

Zheng said the traffic from people coming for the game impacts the entire campus community. She said the person driving her home on Friday planned on waiting for the traffic to die down before trying to get around campus.

Donna Yang, a junior finance major, said she thinks the changes UMD made to accommodate Friday night’s game indicate how much the university values athletics.

“I feel like it seems like they kind of care more about the game than the academics,” Yang said.

UMD Provost Jennifer King Rice established a remote learning recommendation for October 1, but Yang said her class schedule wasn’t affected. Her only class on Fridays is already held online.

Rahul Jasmin, a junior computer science and economics double major, said that while he doesn’t have any classes on Fridays, he has friends who were affected by the guidance.

Jasmin that he prefers nighttime kickoff for games earlier in the season because there are cooler temperatures. Friday night games free up his Saturdays, Jasmin said. The events often take up the entire day for students, he said.

Ben Jordan, a freshman who has not decided his major, said his Friday UNIV100 class shifted from in person to online. Jordan said he expected a Friday night game to draw a larger crowd than usual because a lot of students who live in the area go home for weekends. 

Jordan said the atmosphere at night games is different than afternoon games and said he might prefer Friday night games to a traditional Saturday kickoff.

“I feel like there’s just something more fun about having the lights on and the game being at night,” Jordan said.

Featured photo: Fans gather at Maryland Stadium Friday night for the Terrapins’ game against the University of Iowa. The defeat was the first of two Friday games on Maryland’s schedule this season.