Boston College's new kicker Steve Aponavicius and I shared something last night: Our first football game.

Mind you, Steve had been to football games in the past. That was evidenced this morning by last-season footage on Sports Center of him in BC’s stands, painted from head to toe, wearing a little girl’s cowboy hat.

But last night’s game against Virginia Tech was the first he ever played, even counting high school. With a baseball/soccer background, Steve walked on and dominated the evening, helping to secure BC’s 22-3 victory over Virginia. Even I noticed that all his kicks made it through the goal posts.

Which is more than I can say for the last guy they had. As my boyfriend is a BC alum, I knew all about the last kicker they had and how badly he sucked. That’s all I ever heard when BC played, lost of yelling about how they had to get rid of that %*&^@#! kicker.

Lucky for Steve, the last guy got rid of himself by getting into a bar fight, started by a group of guys heckling him over what a crappy job he’d been doing on the field. In the end, his best contribution to BC was “kicking” some guy’s ass and getting “kicked” off the team.

I felt lucky to be tired for work this morning, having witnessed one of the rare BC Thursday-night home games that only come once every four years. The neighbors get pretty pissed at all the noise pouring from the stadium late at night, and last night the fans certainly took advantage of this opportunity, turning up the volume to unprecedented levels. My ears are still ringing.

But the noise level wasn’t the only aspect of the evening that left an impression. The screaming, stomping, clapping and shouting was deafening overall, but I had the added bonus of sitting next to a ‘Boston College Super-Fan.’ Seems Steve’s display of support is not unique. This insane high-school kid had painted his face maroon with what I swear was permanent marker.

Every time BC scored, he did the corresponding number of push ups in the aisle. Any time they played music, Super-Fan was up and dancing, albeit poorly. With each blow of his neck whistle, the game became that much more memorable. Especially for the guy passed out in front of him (tailgating started 4 hours before the game).

I was also amazed at how physical the game got, both on and off the field. I had no idea people went so crazy over college football. Even getting through the crowds was a little extreme. Just the smell of beer alone was intense, though none was sold in the arena.

And there was the guy I saw laying at the bottom of a stairwell that had puked all over himself. That was hot. He was passed out cold, and I’m not sure if that happened at the top of the stairs or at the bottom. His girlfriend’s hysterics on her cell phone while the security guards stared helplessly left quite an impression.

Equally unforgettable was the enthusiasm coming from the BC student-section. Every time points were scored, they went wild. Joining the guy next to me, the cheerleaders did push ups for each touch-down point. As the mass of students chanted the score, dozens of bodies were tossed into the air for each point on the board. It was a sea of bouncing gold shirts. Pretty fun, especially when a few missed the catch on the way down. Ouch.

So what did I learn from my first football game? I’ll bet some of the same things as Steve. We were both overdressed. Steve learned he didn’t have to wear a shirt and tie for his first post-game interview, and I would have been much more comfortable in a sweatshirt like everyone else.

We were both given a chance to prove ourselves. Steve proved to his team and the country that he could do it. I proved to my boyfriend that I know which team to cheer for and that I really can be fun at a football game (contrary to my behavior when it’s on television and I want to be watching something else.)

Seeing the enthusiasm for college football first-hand, I admit there’s something to it. I think Steve and I will both be invited back.

P.S. What’s a Hokie? Virginia wouldn’t call themselves that just because they’re from the south, would they?