Does it bother anyone else that the loudest that our stadium gets for the most part on game days is when the 110 plays at halftime? It bothers me, and it's not because the 110 don't deserve it because they do. It bothers me, and it should bother Jim Schaus and his staff. The problem is, there's a lot of times when Solich's team hasn't been very exciting to watch. I'm not slighting their efforts, or the kids on the field, and most of them are great ambassadors of Ohio University. But this bunch, particularly on offense, has become so predictable that they're boring to watch half the time. No matter what anyone says, defense might win championships, but offense is what most people get excited about at a game. Along with winning, it's also what KEEPS people at the game for the duration.

It's not a secret that I'm a basketball before football guy. The game is faster paced. OUr crowds are noticeably, from my perspective, more into the game. Some of that has to come from the fact that the game itself is keeping their interest. Maybe a little more is that basketball, because it's a shorter length of time, is easier to pay attention to in an era of shorter and shorter attention spans. A fast paced, fun to watch offensive football team could do the same thing. I think we have the athletes, when healthy, to be exactly that. A fun to watch team, even if they're losing or behind, would at least keep people in the seats past halftime to see what happens next. I'm a sports guy, not a band guy. I want to come to a game, and stay at a game because I'm having fun at the game, in the stadium, not because I'm waiting for the band to play at halftime so I can go uptown, or back to a tailgate. It's something to consider if you're Ohio Athletics. I know this much: You don't see a quarter to a third of the crowd leaving The Convo at halftime.

It doesn't help when you can't hear the PA and have a videoboard screen that is smaller than what you can find in the average person's living room. I've noticed that while its not showing up that much in the overall attendance numbers student attendance is down from previous years. The hill hasn't been packed all year.

I thought this was going to be about the Rufus that drives the Harley appearing to be 90lbs heavier than the Rufus that walks the stadium. Come on, I can't be the only one who's noticed that.

But when the band simply approaches, there's a buzz. When you're around the Convo on a gameday in the winter, there's a buzz AND our fans generally are into the game, and know when to cheer to get the team up. Why not in football?

If you are going to expect people to pay prices they would at a professional baseball game you are going to have to invest in it. Turn Peden into a mini NFL stadium with all chairbacks if fans are expected to trudge through 4 hour long games with TV breaks. Play classic rock over the audio in the later quarters as a tribute to the history of bands that have played at the school. That is what they are doing at Madison Square Garden. Make Peden a place people want to be.

You hit the nail on the head to what I'm getting at. Based on the numbers of tickets sold, it's a place people want to be. Is it a place people want to stay at for the whole game? Why don't fans get into the game in the same way they do at basketball games, when they watch the Marching 110? Why do half, or more, of the students leave right after the 110? What would keep them there longer?

Those are the questions, if I was in the AD's office, that I'd want to know about and remedy. Some of it starts with a more exciting product on the field in my opinion. It could continue with other things like you mention, maybe better concessions, offering beer maybe.

I would offer additional reasons night games have a more electric crowd.

We should probably be grateful that people show up for whatever reason they show up. There are not a ton of us on this board, and if we're honest with ourselves the few dozen regular posters and few hundred regular readers on this board probably represent the lion's share of humans on Earth who are fanatical about Ohio athletics. We can wish it was otherwise, and we can make donations to try to make it otherwise, but we can't force people to share our passions.

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 there were very exciting games at Peden.

Temple, Marshall, NIU, CMU and Miami with that lefty QB all exciting games at Peden with the fans being into the games. Each against fine competition. Basketball is no different, Saul's first season was a snoozer getting ripped by tough MAC teams. How exciting was the atmosphere for some TOS teams or when Nee first took over?

Do not lose to Texas State or a team that was a perennial bottom feeder. Forget the music and good PA and jumbo tron. None of it is needed. Hand off to a guy and he breaks tackles and runs over a safety and drags three guys for a first down and the same thing happens and the next play there will be excitement.

Buffalo proves this. Not much excitement over the years and OHIO travels there and the fans were going nutso watching the Buffalo running back getting 10 to 15 yards per carry while the entire OHIO defense was being pushed back. Three and outs to bottom 30 programs and you read on the thread the question of why are the fans so mellow?

I got news for you. If OSU gets lousy three years in a row you won't see sell outs or excitement at a game against Purdue or Indiana. When OHIO had the Bucks down in the second half, you couldn't imagine sitting in the best seats in the house how unexcited their top fans were and how quiet it was.

OHIO fans may be the best in the MAC. They get excited when there is a very competitive team on the court/field and not so excited for a struggling product.

They must be having a better experience at the Horseshoe because its awfully boring to watch a team that is #2 in the country every year and expected to win games by 20 points. Going to a game like that costs money, a different demographic and in a 100,000 seat stadium you don't recognize people you know every time. OSU has better demographics for college football. WMU has better demographics for it than Ohio.

Apparently true and about as damning as it gets: OSU scores drawing the loudest cheers at Peden.

Maybe if we were winning (and not just against cupcakes).

Classmate, you're talking about the 'safety' at the 3-yard line game, right? In the second half of that game, Buff's O-line was pushing our d-line back 3,4, 5 yards on every run before we touched their ballcarrier. We got stomped.

Then, there was the BG game (that same year?) when we were down 21 or 28 to zero after the first quarter with one pass near the goal line (a td I think) by BG being an absolute balloon that our db's, moving in slow motion, couldn't get to.


WINNING. A MAC title. That's what it will take.

I am not an alum, but I am a player parent who hopes that my son will graduate and continue to have ties to this University. With that being said, I have some fresh eyes when it comes to observations about the Game Day experience. OU seems to do some strange things that are not the norm at other colleges that could contribute to the lack of student interest.

Why aren't are our cheerleaders (the ones actually responsible for pumping up the crowd) ever near the students? How can anyone expect a student section to stay focused when there's nothing to focus on? I have never been to a college game where the cheerleaders are such a non-issue. They spend 2 quarters cheering in the corner near a cannon, battling for space with the cheerleaders from the opposing team. A complete dis-connect from your fans.

Why is the student section behind our bench? That does not seem to be very common in other college stadiums either. i don't know the reason for this but obviously that's why the cheerleaders can't go there, so move the student section to either side of the bench.

Stop with the stupid contests down by the Bobcat tunnel. Nobody cares how well random 8 year olds can dance. The only good thing about it is, that seems to be the only time somebody actually has a PA mike that we can all hear and understand. Maybe use that opportunity to go up into the student section and broadcast or do a contest from there. Maybe have the cheerleaders or dance team do a routine during that time.

Why is our bench across from the press box? In most stadiums the press box is the "home" side and your fans and team stand there. It is also the side the band performs to. i am sure there are reasons for this but I'm not an alum so I don't know the history.

The MAC had a rule that prevents the student section from sitting behind the opposing team. A few incidents at some point in the past I guess.