Getty ImagesFans from two American universities packed a stadium in New Orleans for the much-anticipated football game as the city was rocked by an attack on New Year's Day.
The annual Sugar Bowl, which was due to take place on Wednesday, was postponed to Thursday at 15:00 local time (21:00 GMT) after a Texas man drove a car through a crowded New Orleans street, killing 14 people.
People gathered at the stadium observed a moment of silence for the victims of Wednesday's attack.
The game brought thousands of fans to the city to see the University of Notre Dame take on the University of Georgia in the 70,000-seat Caesars Superdome.
Notre Dame's “Fighting Irish” ended up coming out victorious, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 23-10.
Before the game, Bourbon Street – where Wednesday's attack took place – was reopened to the public for the first time since the deadly event.
Yellow barriers, designed to prevent cars from moving on the sidewalk, were lined up on both sides of the street.
Fourteen flowers were laid by the wall where the attacker first plowed into a crowd.
Many who did sneak in had come for a few drinks before heading to the stadium for the game, almost all wearing red for Georgia and green or blue and gold for Notre Dame.
As the street reopened, a fan of the Notre Dame football team yelled, “Go fight Irish! We love life! So let us live!”
A New Orleans man who was released from the hospital Thursday afternoon after being caught up in the attack headed straight for Bourbon Street wearing the same clothes he wore on Jan. 1.
Speaking to the BBC, Jovon Miguel Bell lifted his shirt to show cuts and bruises on his torso, which he said were the result of being trampled.
“I'm blessed, honestly. God is good,” he said. “Blessings to the victims and their families.”
Mr Bell admitted he was “drunk as hell” at the time of the attack, but had a vague recollection of what landed him in hospital.
“I'm walking down the street and I hear the shouting. Noise. Chaos,” he said. “As soon as I turned around, I was hit (by a person) and fell to the ground. I was stepped on several times.''
Now released from the hospital, he headed straight for the bars on Bourbon Street as the Sugar Bowl game was underway, where he said he felt lucky to have escaped with minor injuries.
Before the game, state officials assured the public that the city had taken extra safety measures.
Brian Williams, a Georgia supporter, told the BBC that “the bad guys would have won” if the game had been canceled or further delayed after the attack.
“Now, nowhere will be safer than New Orleans,” he said as he waved to a small group of state troopers on Bourbon Street. “You have nothing to worry about.”
Like other football fans in town for the game, Mr Williams said the mood was somber when he arrived in town early on Wednesday.
“I felt uncomfortable. It felt weird to be in the city and we couldn't even get to Bourbon Street,” Mr. Williams said. “But this place will soon be back to normal.”
Master P, a New Orleans native and rapper whose full name is Percy Robert Miller, visited Bourbon Street on Thursday to assure the local resident that he will do everything he can to help the city recover.
“We have to show people that we're not stopping. We're going to keep going,” he said. “Even this evil that has come against us will not stop us.”
Mr Miller described the city as one where people come to “celebrate” and described it as “our culture”.
Jefferson County Sheriff Joseph Lopinto told reporters Thursday that the college football game will be safe for fans who have come to town.
“It's probably going to be one of the safest places in the country,” Mr. Lopinto said. “If my child wanted to come to the game, there would be no problem.
As the sun set over Bourbon Street Thursday, many locals said they were confident the busy area would bounce back quickly from the attack.
Among them was Darnell Simmons, a 23-year-old member of a brass band playing at the Bourbon House Oyster bar.
“A terrible thing happened here,” he said. “But we're back, we're here to remember those we lost.”
The bar's owner, Dickie Brennan, said he felt “incredibly emotional” to hear music returning to Bourbon Street.
“We got through Katrina. God knows how many hurricanes, oil spills, crime,” he added, referring to the 2005 hurricane that left more than 1,300 dead. “One man will not stop this beautiful city and special neighborhood.”
“This city is resilient. We should be.”
Shortly after 3 a.m. local time on Jan. 1, officials say 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar killed 14 people and wounded dozens more when he drove a pickup truck into New Year's Eve crowds.
Before Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police during the attack, he had declared his allegiance to the Islamic State group in videos uploaded to social media, according to the FBI.
The Sugar Bowl is watched by millions of Americans every year, traditionally on New Year's Day.
The game, along with the Los Angeles Rose Bowl, is a major tourist draw for the city.
The Sugar Bowl dates back to 1935, hosting many of the greatest coaches, players and teams in college football history.
The Super Bowl, America's biggest sporting event, is scheduled for February 9 at the same New Orleans venue as the Sugar Bowl.
Additional reporting by the BBC's Anna Adams.