“We started it because some of us were scared to get tackled when there was no snow to cushion the fall,” Nelson said. “We thought today would be a good day to have the game after all the snow days, because we hoped the snow would stay.”

Nelson and his friends drew lines in the snow to mark the end zones.

They often had trouble running in the snow, which proved to be a formidable obstacle in its own right.

Most of the participants didn’t bother to suit up with gloves or snow pants. Instead, they opted for bare fingers ?and sweatpants, most of which were soaked by the end of the game.

Eleven people showed up for the tackle football game, including sports and ?commercial turf management ?sophomore Richard Goodyear.

“Last year was my first year here — Nick was my roommate, so he just invited me,” Goodyear said.

“I thought it would be a fun thing to do.”

Compared to previous years, Goodyear said there wasn’t nearly as much snow and the temperature remained higher than expected. Weather ?conditions further impacted the game with a touch of rain on Saturday morning.

“This is nothing really, we only hoped for more snow,” Goodyear said.

Although the snow was not enough to cushion the tackles, second-year veterinary?medicine student Lauren Fischer participated in the game with no padding, snow pants or boots.

She said she doesn’t get much practice playing throughout the year.

“I don’t play football other than with family at Thanksgiving,” Fischer said, adding that participating in the ?snow football game is a tradition she loves to keep.

“It’s an opportunity to ?connect with friends who have been gone, or went home over the holidays,” Fischer said.