Getty ImagesFans from two US universities filled a stadium in New Orleans to watch a long-awaited American football match, as the city reels from a New Year's Day attack.
The annual Sugar Bowl, which was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, has been postponed to Thursday at 15:00 local time (21:00 GMT) after a Texas man drove his car onto a busy street in New Orleans, killing 14. In person.
People gathered at the stadium observed a minute of silence to mourn the victims of Wednesday's attack.
The game brought thousands of fans to the city to watch the University of Notre Dame take on the University of Georgia in the 70,000-seat Caesars Superdome.
Notre Dame's “Fighting Irish” eventually won, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 23-10.
Before the match began, Bourbon Street, where the attack occurred on Wednesday, was reopened to the public for the first time since the deadly incident.
Yellow barriers, designed to prevent cars from driving onto the sidewalk, lined both sides of the street.
Fourteen flowers were placed on the wall where the attacker first drove his car into a crowd of people.
Many of those in attendance came to grab a few drinks before heading to the field to watch the game, with nearly everyone wearing red for Georgia, green or blue and gold for Notre Dame.
As the street reopened, a Notre Dame College football fan shouted: “Go fight the Irish! We love life! So let's live!”
A New Orleans man, who was released from the hospital Thursday afternoon after being attacked, returned straight to Bourbon Street wearing the same clothes he wore on January 1.
Speaking to the BBC, Jovon Miguel Bale lifted his shirt to show cuts and bruises on his torso, which he said were the result of being run over.
“I'm honestly happy. God is good,” he said. “Blessings to the victims and their families.”
Mr Bell admitted he was “extremely drunk” at the time of the attack, but vaguely remembers what brought him to hospital.
“I was walking down the street and I heard screaming. A fight. Chaos,” he said. “As soon as I turned around, (someone) hit me and I fell to the ground. She ran over me several times.”
After he was released from the hospital, he went straight back to the bars on Bourbon Street while the Sugar Bowl was going on, where he said he felt lucky to have escaped with only minor injuries.
Before the match, state authorities assured the public that the city had taken additional safety precautions.
Brian Williams, a Georgia fan, told the BBC that “the bad guys would have won” if the game had been canceled or postponed after the attack.
“There's going to be no safer place than New Orleans right now,” he said, pointing to a small group of state troopers on Bourbon Street. “There's nothing to worry about.”
Like other soccer fans who came to town for the game, Williams said the mood was sombre when he arrived in town early Wednesday.
“I was frustrated. It felt so weird in the city, we couldn't even get to Bourbon Street,” Williams said. “But this place will be back to normal soon.”
Master P, a New Orleans native and rapper whose full name is Percy Robert Miller, visited Bourbon Street on Thursday to reassure locals that he will do everything he can to help the city recover.
“We have to show people that we are not stopping. We will move forward,” he said. “Even these evil things that came against us will not stop us.”
Miller described the city as a city where people come to “celebrate” and described it as “our culture.”
Jefferson County Mayor Joseph Lopinto told reporters Thursday that the college football game would be safe for fans who came to town.
“It's probably one of the safest places in the country,” Lopinto said. “If my child wanted to come to the game, I wouldn't have any problem.”
As the sun set over Bourbon Street on Thursday, many local residents said they were confident the vibrant area would quickly rebound from the attack.
Among them was Darnell Simmons, a 23-year-old member of a brass band playing at the Bourbon House Oyster Bar.
“Something terrible has happened here,” he said. “But we are back. We are here to remember those we lost.”
Pub owner Dickie Brennan said he felt “incredibly emotional” to hear music was returning to Bourbon Street.
He added, “We overcame Hurricane Katrina. Only God knows the number of hurricanes, oil spills and crimes,” referring to the 2005 hurricane that left more than 1,300 dead. “One person will not stop this beautiful city and distinctive neighborhood.”
“This city is resilient. We have to be.”
Just after 3:00 local time on January 1, officials said 42-year-old Shams al-Din Jabbar, an army veteran, killed 14 people and injured dozens more when he drove a pickup truck into crowds on the New Year's holiday.
Before Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police during the attack, he had declared his allegiance to ISIS in videos uploaded to social media, according to the FBI.
Millions of Americans watch the Sugar Bowl every year, usually on New Year's Day.
The game, along with the Los Angeles Rose Bowl, is a major tourist draw for the city.
Sugar Bowl Stadium dates back to 1935, hosting many of the best coaches, players and teams in college football history.
The Super Bowl, America's largest sporting event, is scheduled to take place on February 9 in the same New Orleans venue as the Sugar Bowl.
Additional reporting by BBC's Anna Adams.
