Students in residence halls and customers at Charleston bars tuned in to watch the Super Bowl Sunday night.

Some fans had strong feelings about the game and its results; others seemed indifferent.

Before the game, Jarrett Williams, a freshman computer and information technology major, said he did not mind who won, he just wanted to see a good game.

“(The Patriots) always … appeal to me,” Williams said of his favorite team. “(But) I want a good game. I like the Rams too, especially after last season.”

He said he would stop watching if one team began to dramatically outscore the other.

Freshman psychology major Matthew Riley, on the other hand, said he is strictly a Rams fan.

“I was a Rams fan before the Rams moved to (Los Angeles),” Riley said.

However, he said he does not dislike the Patriots as much as most NFL fans do.

“I don’t have a hatred towards (the Patriots),” he said. “I just like to watch football.”

When asked whose side they were on, senior psychology major Erin Murphy and Kieley Anderson, a sophomore hospitality and tourism major, agreed on the Rams.

“The Patriots are always in the Super Bowl and (the Rams are) someone different,” Murphy said.

“I just want the underdog to win,” Anderson said, referring to the Rams, who have only made it to the big game three times and won once in their 83 years since being founded.

The Patriots, on the other hand, have made it to 10 Super Bowls and won five.

The game proved to be highly defensive, the Patriots up just 3-0 at the half.

While some fans might have found this frustrating, Kenneth Marshall, a freshman with a major in sport management, said it made for a more intriguing game.

“Defense produces offense. Games like this are one in a lifetime, so it makes it interesting,” Marshall said.

The halftime show initially raised a few eyebrows, giving a nod to the TV show “SpongeBob SquarePants” and its rendition of “Sweet Victory” by David Glen Eisley.

Travis Moody, a junior English and philosophy major, said he thought the reference left a little to be desired.

“I wish they would have … paid a little more homage to it. I appreciate that they had the little … clip … but I wish there was a little more,” he said.

As for the actual halftime show, which featured Travis Scott and Maroon 5, Moody said he was caught off-guard by it.

“It definitely wasn’t what I expected,” he said, also saying that he is not a big Travis Scott or Maroon 5 fan. “I thought the stage was really cool … everything flowed really well. It was entertaining.”

As the game carried into the late stages, the Patriots pulled ahead.

As this was happening, Erin Engstrom, a freshman construction management major, became frustrated with how her team was playing.

“(I am rooting for the Rams) because I don’t like Tom Brady,” she said. “I’ve always been a (Green Bay) Packers fan.”

Patriots fans, like Marshall, got the last laugh, as they won 13-3.

Marshall largely accredited the success of his team to Tom Brady’s performance, going as far as to say that he should win MVP.

“Tom Brady is just one of the greats, period,” Marshall said.

Instead, Julian Edelman, a wide receiver, won MVP.

Austen Brown can be reached at 581-2812 or at albrown6@eiu.edu.