Wisconsin-Purdue: Halloween Brings Out the Best in Madison

If I've learned anything from my years in Madison, it's that Halloween definitely brings out the best in the town.

This year was no exception.

44,000 people roaming State Street, a hockey sweep over New Hampshire, and a Third Eye Blind concert near the Capitol highlighted the weekend.

Am I missing anything?

Oh yeah, the Wisconsin Badgers football team only recorded the biggest blowout, shutout win in the Big Ten since 1991 with their 37-0 spanking of the Purdue Boilermakers.

Although there was a noticeable portion of the student section that never filled up (the 11:00 start time definitely played a part in that), the students that attended the game were as loud and rowdy as ever.

The great part about a football game on Halloween, though, is that the "Sea of Red" that is normally the student section during any other game becomes more like a rainbow.

Costumes were everywhere.

If you attended the game, you may have seen a gorilla stalking the bleachers, the Cookie Monster shoving cookies in his mouth, or even a few Bret Bielemas.

Even Wisconsin's mascot, Bucky Badger, had a few costumes. A ninja, a ghost, Batman, and the Joker were all a part of Bucky's costume repertoire.

There was definitely a sense of "let's get out of here" after the Badgers pulled ahead by a large amount, but the atmosphere was still electric through the first three quarters.

For Halloween weekend, that's not bad.

A Badgers win and great costumes?

That's good for one awesome weekend.