The Blackshirts

Gameday

One Sealed Bottle: Nebraska Is Letting You Bring Water Into Saturday's Opener

A card reading One Sealed Bottle, noting a Heat Advisory through 7 p.m. with a forecast high near 98 and the empty bottle fans can always bring, with Colonel Kernel presenting at the right.
Graphic by The Blackshirts

Husker fans, Nebraska is bending a rule for Saturday, and it’s one you’ll want to know about before you leave the house.

You can bring one sealed bottle of water into Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska Athletics announced the exception to its food and beverage policy on Thursday, in anticipation of high temperatures for the 11:00 a.m. home opener against Ohio.

One bottle. Sealed. That’s the exception.

The part a lot of people don’t know

Here’s the standing rule, and it’s worth repeating because plenty of fans have never heard it: Memorial Stadium always allows you to bring an empty personal water bottle inside.

There are water fountains in the stadium. You can refill.

So Saturday you get both — carry one sealed bottle through the gate, and bring an empty one you can top up all afternoon.

Why they’re doing it

Because it is going to be genuinely hot.

The National Weather Service forecast for Lincoln on Saturday, as of Thursday, is mostly sunny and hot with a high near 98 — and a Heat Advisory is in effect through 7:00 p.m. Saturday.

Now think about an 11:00 a.m. kickoff. You are not getting the cool part of the day and then heading home. You’re arriving in the morning and sitting through the hours when the temperature is still climbing. The fourth quarter is the hottest part of your day.

If you start to struggle

Nebraska has medical staff on site for every home game.

From the announcement: if you become overwhelmed by the heat, reach out to the nearest stadium official or event staff member for help. Don’t tough it out through a quarter and a half because you don’t want to miss anything.

Have a plan before you go — where you’ll refill, when you’ll get out of the sun, and who you’re checking on. Full game day information is at huskers.com/operations.

Husker fans, it’s the home opener and it’s going to be a beautiful, brutal morning in Lincoln. Bring the water. Fill it up twice. We want all of you there in the fourth quarter, and we want all of you fine on Sunday.

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