"It completely destroyed tailgating," chemistry junior Mo Maki said. "It is nothing compared to other schools. Tailgating has completely closed down at Michigan State."

The first night game in two years sets a similar scene for Saturday, but with adjustments, university officials hope the past won't repeat itself

A new tailgate

The set of rules limits campus tailgating to five hours before kickoff and two hours after each home game, as well as restricts student access to certain areas on game days.

The once-popular student haven at the tennis courts near Wilson Road is now controlled by an ASMSU lottery that has produced noticeably less attendance.

"I just remember as a freshman, tailgating at first, it was really fun and exciting because I had never been to anything like that before," general management junior Maggie Buchanan said. "As soon as the rules changed, it went from tons of people at the tennis courts, to the next weekend, there was nobody out there — it was dead."

Accounting senior Brad Kastelin said tailgating has calmed down a lot today, but he and ski club members still enjoy grilling hot dogs and having a couple of beers before the game at their usual spot at the tennis courts, he said.

"You can still have fun, " Kastelin said. "You just have to be safe about it."

Maki coordinates tailgates for his fraternity every home football game and said because of new regulations, they moved away from their traditional greek tailgate spot on campus — the rock on Farm Lane — to off-campus houses.

"The rock is gone," he said. "The rock used to be amazing. Now the rock is dead. After that game, (students) just got lit up — MIPs everywhere, cops everywhere.

"People were scared to walk anywhere on campus."

When the lights go on

Some students can't help but wonder if another night game will cause problems on campus, despite the new regulations.

Roger Ludy, ASMSU student assembly chairperson, said he and other ASMSU members have discussed their anxieties about student safety surrounding this Notre Dame game.

Those concerns weren't addressed, Ludy said.

"We're not really sure who makes the selection process (about night games)," he said. "We're not sure where the final decision lies in athletics.

"Our concerns are primarily about safety."

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said she gets a little nervous every football Saturday because of students' excessive alcohol consumption.

"You're always concerned about having a late game, whether it is 3:30 (p.m.) or 8 (p.m.)," Simon said. "The judgment from the department of public safety and their view with new tailgating rules is: The risk is not different from a 3:30 (p.m.) game and an 8 (p.m.) game. I have to rely on that judgment."

Simon said the tailgating rules that have been instated increase student safety as much as the university can feasibly do, and after that, it is the students' responsibility.

"We've looked at things that we can control," she said. "I can't control students drinking too much, no matter what time the game is.

"People drank too much starting at the game at noon."

The Big Ten conference negotiates the schedule and the time of each game, not the university, MSU Athletics Director Ron Mason said.

A night game gives MSU the chance to be in a national, prime-time spotlight against a Top 15 team.

"You can't measure how important it is to get national exposure," Mason said.

"The visibility of our program is tremendous."

Even though the television dollars generate a lot of revenue for the conference, Mason acknowledged the potential problems surrounding night games.

"We think we've made a few changes in tailgating that might help," he said.

"We want to go in thinking we are doing things right and our fans are doing things right and our image is portrayed in a positive way."

MSU spokesman Terry Denbow said he has witnessed a lot of work during the past two years to curb excessive drinking prior to football games.

"I refuse to accept as a premise that because there were problems in the past, there will be problems now," he said.

"We have enough confidence in students. A lot of people have worked toward doing it right."

Denbow wants Saturday to be about the game and not about who is causing trouble.

"Big Ten football is part of the color and pageantry of a Saturday afternoon — it's fun," he said.

"If you put at risk someone else's fun, you should be held responsible and isolated."

MSU police are gearing up for the usual tailgate routine, but are also adding more units and portable lighting around campus because of the late hours, said MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor.

"We'll definitely have our department, the county, East Lansing — everybody will be working," Taylor said.

"We are always prepared in terms of traffic and people being safe."

Tailgating has become a trade-off between safety and fun, Ludy said.

"Safety has come at the expense of what a lot of people consider to be the most fun parts of tailgate," Ludy said. "It's something that I don't think will ever change."

Maki can't help but reminisce about the old days of MSU tailgating.

"There was no worries — you were guaranteed a good time," he said.

"Even though you were just drinking, you were drinking for Michigan State. It brought everyone together.

"You felt like a Spartan. It is nowhere near the same feeling."