Thousands of ecstatic fans poured onto the field of Scott Stadium after Saturday night's 26-21 victory against the Florida State Seminoles.
"It was complete euphoria," third-year Architecture student Marco Rivero said. "Against the fourth-ranked team in the nation, there was no better time to do it."
While the impromptu celebration was memorable, it made for a potentially dangerous conclusion to the game.
Approximately 11 students, mostly first years, were injured in the rush and sought medical aid at the hospital, University spokesperson Carol Wood said. Injuries included a broken ankle, a puncture wound, lacerations and bruises. All injured students have been released from the hospital, according to Wood.
The large number of people pushing toward the field caused part of the fence to give way at the north end zone in front of the hill, Wood said. State and University Police, as well as rescue workers, arrived quickly to attempt to control the situation.
"Well, we were present, [but] unfortunately there were more students than law enforcement, and the students were able to get around," Albemarle County Police Sgt. Amos Chiarappa said.
Student sentiment ended up overpowering the efforts of officials.
"At the end of the game, everyone just kind of surged forward," first-year Engineering student Tabb Wyllie said. "It was pretty intense."
Some students said they were pushed in the rush to the field.
"When students were trying to get off the wall, some people were pushed off," Rivero said.
Technical difficulties with the lights also delayed the game for 20 minutes. Two sets of lights went out during halftime after an outage was caused by a tripped circuit breaker, Wood said.
Overall, however, fans hailed the evening, recalling an "incredible" mood in Scott Stadium, third-year College student Sam Leven said.
"I have actually never felt the Scott Stadium atmosphere like it was last night," Leven said. "We beat Tech two years ago, and it still didn't feel like it did last night. It was amazing to see the students crowd the field."
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