Our home record over the past 5 years is probably 5-30 and people want to blame the fans for not showing up in time. Give me a break.
Well, Stanford's fan support sucks. They're a top 10 program and averaged just 44,000 a game last year. No sell outs in a 50,000 seat stadium. Their crowds look pathetic on TV.I park in my assigned lot when it opens. There is plenty of time to tailgate and take my kids to the area where they can play and meet Cy and such and get into the stadium in time for all the pregame performances and the team entry. As a person who has attended games since JTS opened in 1975, I have never understood how football fans could not be in the seats for the game....at least be in the seats until the game is out of hand. Yes, I have seen LOTS of games get out of hand.
I like beer, but I can have one less beer in order to make it to my seat on time. I bet others can do that, too, if they really want to make JTS a tougher venue for opponents.
The fans have 100% done their part. We can in no way blame or critisize the fan support.
Then why have we sucked even worse on the road?Not sure if this has been discussed anywhere at all, but it's one of the biggest points of optimism for me going into this season. It's also another reason I'm all in on the Campbell train. His decision to switch the sidelines at home.
If anybody was unaware, CMC pushed for this because the previous setup allowed other teams to easily watch our sideline from the press box and memorize our play signals in the first half. Ever wonder why we continually fall apart after halftime??? It's because the other team could anticipate the majority of our plays! He knew this because he did it when he played against us while coaching Toledo.
Besides that, the switch also allows the teams to not have to awkwardly cross anymore, and our student section can now heckle the opposing team all game! Basically, CMC is bringing home field advantage back and it has me pumped.
Fan support and creating a home field advantage are not the same thing. You are right that based on the lack of success it is amazing the level of support that is there. Would be crazy to see what would happen with 3 or 4 winning seasons in a row.
That being said, we don't have a great home field advantage even in close games or when we lead. What is there largely evaporates if we get behind, and disappears every game for the first 10 minutes of the third quarter. Exhibit A: Iowa at Iowa State, 2015.
I mean, nearly every stadium has the opposing team on the other sideline, so your signals could get stolen pretty easy. At least with signalers on the press box side, you can employ managers to hold something up behind them so that if the other team wants to steal, they have to do it from the ground.Then why have we sucked even worse on the road?
The fans have 100% done their part. We can in no way blame or critisize the fan support.
I think it's the students. Yup, gotta be the bad student support. Or is that basketball?
We don't have an advantage because we get out coached and have poor depth. It has nothing to with the fans.Fan support and creating a home field advantage are not the same thing. You are right that based on the lack of success it is amazing the level of support that is there. Would be crazy to see what would happen with 3 or 4 winning seasons in a row.
That being said, we don't have a great home field advantage even in close games or when we lead. What is there largely evaporates if we get behind, and disappears every game for the first 10 minutes of the third quarter. Exhibit A: Iowa at Iowa State, 2015.
Our fans are incredible at buying tickets to football games for a team that doesn't win much at all, that's a fact. However, our fans are not the greatest fans once their ticket has been bought IMO. Now.... with the lack of success, you can't really blame them at all though, so I think it will be up to CMC and JP to start winning again to correct that.
But it's hard to deny that our fans show up late to the game from tailgating, and then leave at halftime and many don't come back at all or show up quite late. I understand they have every right to do that since they bought a ticket and financially support the program, but I just wish some would think about the players more. Who wants to run out on the field to start the game, or after halftime to a stadium that isn't full? After halftime, in fact, it's barely half full sometimes, even in close games, until midway through the 3rd quarter.
I think it's the students. Yup, gotta be the bad student support. Or is that basketball?
Then why have we sucked even worse on the road?
But it's hard to deny that our fans show up late to the game from tailgating, and then leave at halftime and many don't come back at all or show up quite late. I understand they have every right to do that since they bought a ticket and financially support the program, but I just wish some would think about the players more. Who wants to run out on the field to start the game, or after halftime to a stadium that isn't full? After halftime, in fact, it's barely half full sometimes, even in close games, until midway through the 3rd quarter.