While activity outside was minimal, with tailgating in nearby parking lots prohibited and fans told to stay home, only a few hundred folks were allowed into Michigan Stadium for Saturday’s rivalry game between Michigan and Michigan State.
The announced crowd of 615, made up primarily of immediate family members of players and coaches, was the smallest crowd ever to witness a football game at the massive 107,601-seat venue at the corner S. Main Street and W. Stadium Blvd.
Big Ten protocols aimed to mitigate the spread of the ongoing coronavirus were to blame, with schools told not to sell tickets to the public for this abbreviated nine-game schedule.
Michigan State, fresh off a seven-turnover loss to Rutgers at home, was able to keep it together and score enough deep passes to stun Michigan, 27-24, at Michigan Stadium. MSU Coach Mel Tucker was the first coach since Nick Saban in 1995 to win their debut against the University of Michigan.
Source : Aaron McMann, “Smallest Big House crowd ever watched Michigan-Michigan State game”, MLive, October 31, 2020.