Braving the elements

On the western edge of Hurricane Isabel, in driving rain and gusting winds which would reach as high as 40 mph, Virginia Tech University defied the weather forecasters and sent its football team onto the field to face Texas A&M at Lane Stadium tonight -- and nearly 63,000 showed up to watch.

While the rest of the region cowered under the threat of the storm, maroon- and orange-clad spectators huddled in the stands some 240 miles southwest of Washington. This is how they live here, where college football means more than any severe weather. [...]