ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Normally, Saturdays at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium are centered around Wildcats. But this Saturday afternoon was all about the dog — the D-O-Double-G — at the Snoop Dogg ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop.Ìý

On his way to the battle between Colorado State and Miami (Ohio) at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium, the hip-hop legend and newest sponsor of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl stopped by the tailgate scene.ÌýÌý

Escorted by ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl chairman Ali Farhang, Snoop Dogg, donning a custom tan and green ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl letterman jacket, took the porch — er, stage at the "Gin & Juice House" set up on the UA mall near Campbell Avenue.

Snoop Dogg greeted fans, signed autographs and took photos with Gin & Juice employees before trekking to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium.Ìý

After changing into an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl tracksuit, Snoop Dogg met the Colorado State and Miami captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss. In the first quarter on Saturday, Snoop Dogg was the offensive play-caller for both teams on the first play, then served as a color commentator periodically throughout the game on The CW broadcast.Ìý

Before every kickoff,Ìýthe in-stadium DJ ordered the crowd to yell "Snooooop" in the same tone as the "Drop It Like It's Hot" chorus.Ìý

At halftime,ÌýSnoop Dogg conducted the Colorado State and Miami marching bands as they performed several of his songs, including "What's My Name?" and "Lay Low."

Classic whips

Several car clubs displayed their classic cars on the UA mall for the tailgate scene. The "Stylistics Car Club" ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ chapter and "Perfect Imperfections," among others, had cars such as a 1964 Chevy Impala, Lincoln Continental, Chevy Bel Air and others.

Gin & Juice had a lowrider simulation, with airbags and hydraulics, for fans to take pictures and videos and enjoy the lowrider experience.

The south end zone was repainted with a black lowrider against a black, gray and turquoise desert backdrop.

Faces in the crowd

Jeremy Beloate, a "Team Snoop" member and finalist on Season 26 of NBC's "The Voice," sang the national anthem before the game. Julian Torres, the first mariachi singer signed to "Death RowÌýRecords," performed at halftime with local folklorico dancers.Ìý

ColoradoÌýState track and field standout Mya Lesnar was in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to support the Rams. Lesnar, an indoor national champion in the shot put, is the daughter of retired UFC heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. Mya Lesnar was named the Mountain West's Female Athlete of the Year earlier this year.Ìý Ìý

The Bijan Robinson Foundation, founded by the Atlanta Falcons running back and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native, purchased "several hundred" tickets for the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl, according to a bowl executive. The Bijan Robinson Foundation had its own section in the north end zone of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium.ÌýÌý

Grub galore

The tailgate featured an abundance of food options from local vendors. They included:

•ÌýCowPig:ÌýThe food truck offered a “Gin & Juiceâ€� menu that included an “LBC Burger,â€� “Snoop Friesâ€� and a “Shiznit Sandoâ€� (chicken sandwich with bacon and ranch).

•ÌýUkies:ÌýThe Ukrainian truck’s menu included borsch and Solyanka, which Ukies describes as a “hangover soupâ€� consisting of pickles, kielbasa, pulled pork, celery, onions, carrots, black olives and lemon.

•ÌýSexy Grilled Cheese:ÌýWhat makes a grilled cheese sexy? The sandwich in question has cheddar, mozzarella and provolone cheeses; shaved chorizo; and red onion jam.

•ÌýDr. Bombay:ÌýFlavors available at Snoop Dogg’s ice cream stand included Iced Out Orange Cream, Tropical Sherbet Swizzle and Syrupy Waffle Sundaze.

Music, too

The tailgate also showcased local musical acts. They included Tonight’s Sunshine, which fashions itself as, among other things, a “ukelele metal� band.

Mariachi bands played outside the gates as fans entered ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium. Mariachi Estrella Juvenil performed near Gate 1, while Mariachi Nueva Luna played near Gate 8.

Pep in their step

The pregame festivities began Friday evening with a pep rally at the corner of Fifth and Toole avenues.

Both schools’ marching bands played for a crowd of several hundred — although CSU green outnumbered Miami red about four to one.

“I think we’ve got half of Fort Collins here,� CSU athletic director John Weber said. “This is fantastic.�

Thom Brennaman, who called the game for The CW, emceed the pep rally, which did feature a bit of smack talk.

“Our mascot is way cooler than CAM,� Miami president Gregory Crawford said, referring to Swoop the Redhawk, who was in attendance. CSU’s mascot is CAM the Ram.

Miami athletic director David Sayler then dropped a reference to a matchup between the teams in 2003, when Ben Roethlisberger led the RedHawks to a 41-21 win in Fort Collins. Miami led the series 2-0 entering Saturday.

Snoop and Swoop

Snoop Dogg posed for a picture with Swoop the Redhawk before the halftime show. Then, just before the second half began, “Swoop Dogg� was shown on the video board.

Swoop Dogg is a yellow robotic dog often seen on the sidelines at RedHawks games. It was originally named SPOT, but Miami students renamed it after it was gifted to the school.

Warm and sunny

One of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl’s biggest draws: the weather.

The temperature at kickoff was 70 degrees under a mostly sunny sky.

It was unseasonably warm in parts of the Midwest on Saturday; the temperature in Oxford, Ohio, at kickoff was 60 degrees — 18 above the average high. It was 42 degrees in Fort Collins.

Numbers game

202 million: Snoop Dogg's total followers on social media (Instagram, X, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube). Snoop Dogg has 88.7 million followers on Instagram; Miami and Colorado State have a combined 88,100.

4:ÌýSnoop Dogg is the fourth title sponsor of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl, succeeding Barstool Sports, Offerpad and Nova Home Loans. Gin & Juice also has four flavors: citrus, apricot, passion fruit and melon.

3: Number of teams from the state of Colorado playing football Saturday. In addition to CSU, Colorado faced BYU in the Alamo Bowl and the Denver Broncos visited the Cincinnati Bengals in Game 2 of an NFL tripleheader.

They said it

“When we were doing the deal with Snoop last spring, he was a huge deal then. When we closed the deal and made the announcement, we knew that the Olympics were coming and he was going to be doing something with the Olympics. We heard that he was maybe going to be a coach on 'The Voice.' … After our announcement, the Olympics happened, he’s on 'The Voice' and he’s on all of these commercials. If you watch the T-Mobile commercial with Patrick Mahomes, our helmet is there with our logo on it. It’s awesome. We could not have planned this better. This is Snoop’s world; we’re just living in it.â€� —ÌýÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bowl executive director Kym Adair, on Snoop Dogg’s impact