Students from Hall 2C in DeHority Complex transformed the kitchenette down their hallway into a party hub Sunday afternoon to watch the game they hoped would end in an Indianapolis Colts victory.
Hours later they left dejected, but some said watching the game with friends was more important than the outcome of the game.
Freshman Tyler Sanders was one student who watched Super Bowl XLIV in the kitchenette. Sanders said he used to be a Bears fan, but his loyalty changed when his younger brother's friend, a big Colts fan, died the same year the Colts last won the Super Bowl.
"When the Colts won [in 2007], we thought God was there, to keep us together and keep his family strong," he said. "[Peyton] Manning has a strong faith and support in the community, and he's everybody's favorite player."
Sanders said early in the game he had a positive feeling the Colts would win. He said the New Orleans team has heart, but Indianapolis has a big support base.
"I'm from Notre Dame country, where on Saturday you watch Notre Dame and on Sunday you watch the Colts," he said. "It was a big family thing."
Sanders said he thinks people from Indiana are a sincere fan base.
"You follow [the Colts] no matter what, like when they get a new coach, when they win or when they lose," he said. "For people in Indiana, that's what it's all about."
Freshman Heather Closson helped plan the second-floor party. She said a couple students started setting up around 4 p.m. Sunday.
Among the group of about 20 students popping pizza rolls in their mouths and decked out in blue and white, freshman Joey Fazio was the minority as a Saints fan for the night. Fazio said he's from Wisconsin, where the people aren't such die-hard fans for their home team. Wisconsin fans just like to watch a good game, he said.
"I want the Saints to win because it's their first Super Bowl...and they're the underdog. America loves the underdog," he said.
Closson said getting together with friends was a big part of watching the game.
"This is almost our whole hallway," she said. "If we don't win, then we have to give in to Joey Fazio, and he'll parade around or something."
At another watch party in the first floor lounge of Brayton/Clevenger Hall, students consumed about 700 chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, dozens of two-liters of soda and a table-full of cookies.
Colts fans at the party were shocked at the outcome. A few Saints fans got the opportunity to jump around the fans in blue jerseys while shouting "Who Dat?" a catch phrase for the Saints.
Freshman Tyler Fager, a resident of Clevenger, said he enjoyed the food and the chance to meet new people.
At the Newman Center at St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Riverside Avenue, students and church staff got together to watch the game.
Campus minister Mindy Bowman said the gathering was a result of a casual idea.
"We just thought we'd have fun," she said. "Someone recently donated a TV and we decided to hang out."
In small room filled with students, there was animated talk and whispers. Every so often, sudden ‘ohs' and ‘come ons' stood out among conversation.
"I have faith we're going to win this game," a voice in the distance said.
Then, three minutes from the end, Colts fans knew the outcome.
Some were standing up while others stood frozen in their seats, disbelief on their faces.
Senior elementary major Sam Owens said she was disappointed at the outcome.
"I felt like we just gave it away," she said. "A lot of calls were made on us we didn't need or deserve. And we gave crappy passes."
But reactions were varied as students filed towards the exit.
Sophomore meteorology major Samuel Champlin said he was not a Colts fan from the start. He said he liked to support opposite teams from his friends.
"I'm an anti-Colts fan," he said. "Too many people jump on the band wagon. Manning's OK, but the rest of the team is not as good."
The festivities extended not only across the United States but across the world.
Freshman Madisen Basey said while she was watching the game on a big screen in the lounge of DeHority Complex, her friend in France, who lived with her family two years ago as a foreign exchange student, also was watching the game. She said at 7 p.m. in the Midwest, it was midnight in France.
"People in France follow American football because they don't have it there," she said. "She texted me [during the first quarter] and said she was watching it. My dad rubbed off on her because he watches all the games."
Adrienne Conley, a residence hall director at Howick/Williams Hall in Noyer Complex, said it's nice to see people come together to watch the game. But being from Cleveland, the Colts aren't her favorite team.
"Cleveland Browns fans have it out for certain teams we'd root against," she said. "And I think Colts is on that list of teams."
Freshman Aaron Grayson, who watched the game from the Mysch/Hurst Hall lounge in LaFollette Complex, said he had faith in the Colts team.
"It's probably one of the best seasons we've had," he said. "Garcon and some of the rookies have really stepped up. Peyton's in his prime right now. It's the best defense I've seen in years."
He said he knew it would be the Saints against Colts back when both teams had a 10-0 record. He said he knew this because they were at the top of their game.
As the Saints accepted congratulations at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, the crowds at watch parties began to dissipate.
Fazio didn't parade around the room, but he did pump his fists as the Saints scored two touchdowns in the final minutes of the game.
"That's the game," he said, with 44 seconds left to play. "I bet they're going nuts in New Orleans."
Steven Walsh contributed to this report.
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