There are few instances in American society where 100,000 diverse people can come together for a few hours with the same goals in mind.

That’s one of the great things about the big ol’ bowl that is Michigan Stadium — people from all different slices of life don’t even think twice about high-fiving the stranger next to them and celebrating a Wolverine touchdown.

It’s something I have always loved about the Big House, something that always seemed unique about the history and tradition of Michigan football. But on Saturday, the unity felt between Michigan fans on the corner of Stadium and Main didn’t even come close to the powerful message sent by the fans in Morgantown, W. Va.

While Michigan fans were throwing their traditional boos down to Penn State players and coaches as they trotted onto the field, West Virginia fans were actually applauding their opponent — a standing ovation, in fact — for the Connecticut Huskies.

Six days before the Huskies took on the Mountaineers, one of their own, Jasper Howard, was stabbed to death outside of a University-sanctioned dance. When Saturday rolled around, it was obviously difficult to suit up. The Huskies’ uniforms now included a memorial sticker to honor their fallen teammate.

"It was hard," Connecticut safety Robert Vaughn told the Hartford Courant after the game. "But at the same time, in a game like that, you've just got to forget about the last play and go on to the next play, and we did. We played four quarters.”

But the Mountaineer faithful made the day a little easier. As the Huskies exited the tunnel together, with Howard’s jersey and helmet, everyone inside Milan Puskar Stadium stood and cheered.

The class that West Virginia fans showed on Saturday is one of the main reasons college football is so great.

Sometimes it’s hard to see through the face mask — to realize that behind all the padding and athleticism, there are kids on that field, some as young as 18. But on Saturday, the helmets came off and Connecticut players saw just how powerful the game of college football can be.

The strength and courage it took for Connecticut to take an unfamiliar field so soon after such a loss is a feat definitely worthy of the Mountaineers’ warm welcome.

“A couple of tears started coming out right there," Connecticut wide receiver Kashif Moore told in the Courant.

It reminded me of the moment of silence observed in Ohio Stadium in 2006, the day after Michigan football’s greatest coach, Bo Schembechler, passed away. I had spent the entire day being mercilessly and terribly heckled by scarlet-and-gray clad drunkards, and I was fully convinced that these people could not — and would not — show any class at all when they memorialized Schembechler before the game.

But while the fiercest rivalry in college football was just minutes away — and the teams were rated No. 1 and No. 2 in the county — not a peep was heard throughout the 102,329-seat stadium. Not even an accidental cell phone ring.

When you put things in perspective, football is just a game, and there are more important things in life than a game. That was proved in Columbus that day — and in Morgantown on Saturday.

— Reid can be reached at andyreid@umich.edu.