Officials urged students to “Roll out the Red Carpet” for Ohio State football fans in Madison for Saturday night’s game at Camp Randall.

The reminder for good sportsmanship was e-mailed to University of Wisconsin students from the UW Athletic Department.

After 99 people were ejected from last year’s night game against Iowa, UW Senior Associate Athletic Director Vince Sweeney said the e-mail was a “reminder of sportsmanship.”

“We’re rivals, but we’re not enemies, and people need to remember that,” Sweeney said.

The e-mail asked fans to refrain from vulgarities, rude behavior, tossing of objects and other insults against fans from the opposing team.

This will be Ohio State’s first visit to Madison since 2003, when the No. 23 Badgers upset the No. 3 Buckeyes 20-17, ending Ohio State’s 19-game winning streak.

After the game, students stormed the field, and their ensuing rude behavior to visiting Ohio State’s fans was one of the reasons the “Rolling Out the Red Carpet” campaign began, Sweeney said.

“Progress has been made over the five years; we haven’t changed things dramatically, but we’ve gotten somewhere,” Sweeney said.

Lt. Bill Larson of the UW Police Department said there will probably be an increased police presence but that it can often be hard to get more officers from around Dane County or other UW System schools.

Generally, Larson said, more arrests and ejections occur at night games compared to afternoon and morning games.

“It’s later in the day, people tend to be a little more intoxicated than they do for earlier games,” Larson said.

Students ejected for alcohol-related reasons can only go to future Badger games if they participate in the “Show and Blow” program. After presenting their voucher, these students will have to blow into a Breathalyzer.

To gain entry to the game, they must be totally sober if they are underage and legally sober if they are of age.

UW spokesperson John Lucas said 14 students are currently in the program, but most chose to not even show up to the game.