The Pre-game Scene, Plus Rain

Hundreds of purple-shirted Wildcat fans are tailgating in the parking lot west of Shotwell Stadium, with kids of all ages enjoying inflatable games and face-painting.  The aroma of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs is wafting to the open windows of the pressbox atop the stadium, which has begun to fill with the Big Purple Band and the makings of a great crowd.  ACU is honoring Dyess Air Force base personnel and their families tonight as its special guests, and Southern Hills Church of Christ is feeding them, also at the tailgate meal.  Unfortunately, everybody is about to get soaking wet, with a strong and fast-moving thunderstorm bearing down on the stadium from the northwest.  It's fast-moving, so it won't last long, but it looks like there's a good chance it's going to bring some much-needed rain as well as delay the start of this game.  The NCAA has rules about how long to wait before starting or resuming play after a storm passes and lightning stops, and we'll pass the word when we get it.  Teams have completed their warm-ups and returned to the locker rooms, and tailgaters are still having a great time eating and socializing. The stands are being cleared as winds pick up, dust blows in, and the lightning begins.