I was upset after Saturday’s game. Not only because of what had just unfolded in front of me in Ann Arbor, Mich., but also because of what I saw on Facebook — statuses people had posted just minutes after the Wildcats’ overtime loss.

Was the game a heartbreaker? Yes. Was the last quarter disappointing? Sure. I mean, I can’t argue with these statuses. I just watched my team give up a tying field goal, battle through overtime and lose in front of a record crowd of more than 112,000 people screaming “Go Blue” and furiously waving maize — not yellow — pompoms, all in a matter of about 10 minutes.

And to top it off, I had Wolverine fans sarcastically telling me that they were “sorry” as I walked out. Yeah, OK, I agree, the game was a disappointing heartbreak, and it sucked.

We all know the Cats have blown double-digit leads in the fourth quarter in all their losses this season. The corners have struggled, and sometimes the defense isn’t just on the struggle bus, it drives the struggle bus. Sometimes it’s the offense that struggles.

But do you know what the football players do in preparation for these games that isn’t included in the game statistics? They get up at 6 a.m. every morning and head to Ryan Field for meetings, lifts and a full-blown practice, all before they even go to class. During Fall Quarter, the majority of them don’t see their families until Christmas, and, even then, it’s only for about three days.

Now some people may be quick to counter with the argument that the players are on scholarships, so playing football is their job. However, the football team brings in roughly $23 million and nets a profit of about $7 million, which is used to fund non-revenue-generating sports. On average, football players bring in more than their scholarships are worth.

And the thing is, the Cats are 7-3 and have been ranked twice this season. They are not getting blown out of games. Before we go bashing the team and its coaching staff on Facebook, maybe we should start trying to fill up our own stadium and show our Cats we appreciate all the effort they put in to make our Saturday afternoons great. If we’re going to expect so much from the players, they should be able to expect everything and nothing less from us.

As I walked out of the Big House, a Michigan fan told me that NU would never get to the Wolverines’ level in the Big Ten. I was upset, but I did not immediately pull up Facebook on my phone to post a status about how mad I was at the Cats for blowing their third double-digit lead this season. I acknowledge and appreciate all that the football team has already done to make my fall Saturdays some of the best memories I’ll take away from NU. And because of this, I will never, ever lose hope in the Cats.

We’ll get ‘em next Saturday.