Ohio loses in more ways than one
Attendance disappoints at Wyoming game
By Michael Weisman, Senior Sports Writer
September 25, 2007 | 11:15 a.m.
The Ohio Bobcats lost a heartbreaker Saturday to Wyoming, but to make matters worse, there weren't many people there to even see it. Peden Stadium was more filled for Ohio's game against 1-AA Gardner-Webb than it was for Mountain West foe Wyoming. The Bobcats deserve the students' support, but for some reason, they're not getting it.
After falling to Boise State 24-14 on Sept. 15, Wyoming coach Joe Glenn complained that Boise had been adding fan noise in the stadium through its speaker system, giving the Broncos an unfair advantage.
On Saturday, whatever “home-field” advantage the Ohio Bobcats may have had went by the wayside in their 34-33 loss to Wyoming.
Glenn and his Cowboys had no problem running their no-huddle, hurry-up offense, especially in the second half, as they ran for 207 yards in the final two quarters. By running the no huddle, Wyoming can keep the defense from being able to substitute, but to run it, the quarterback must shout the plays to receivers and backs.
Had there been a steady stream of loud fan noise, it would have made Wyoming's offense much more difficult to operate.
Ohio hoped it would have a big crowd for this game, as quarterback Brad Bower knew the team needed any edge it could find.
“We need all our fans out here supporting us, especially when Wyoming’s on the field,” Bower said Wednesday before the game. “We need them out here being loud and crazy, to distract them as much as possible, just giving us every advantage we can get.”
The 16,781 people that showed up to watch the game were heard at times, but not often enough and not loud enough, even with their “thundersticks.”
Considering Wyoming was supposed to be this year’s “big” home game (like Pittsburgh two years ago), this was a disappointing crowd.
The Pitt game drew a record 24,545, so to expect that is a bit too optimistic. But since there were 19,823 people for the Bobcats home opener three weeks ago against Championship Subdivision (1-AA) Gardner-Webb, to expect 20,000 fans wasn’t unreasonable.
At times, the 200-300 Cowboy fans that made the 1,400-mile journey could be heard over the rest of the Peden crowd. Bobcat fans made noise at times — on big third and fourth downs and after scores — but players tried to get the crowd pumped up from the field, and it wasn’t happening.
For the first half, most of the student section was filled, except the top-right corner of sections 123 and 124, where it looked as desolate as the state of Wyoming.
The hill had sprinkles of people here and there but not enough to distract the Cowboys, who didn’t commit a false-start penalty all game, much thanks to a complaisant crowd.
In the second half, the crowd was even more pathetic as the majority of students flooded out of Peden Stadium at halftime, leaving little support for the Bobcats when they needed it most.
And look how the game turned out.
Despite the lack of student support, especially after halftime, the players still credited the crowd for their efforts.
“They were great," defensive lineman Jameson Hartke said. "We had a big student section, and they were loud when we needed them to be. It’s too bad we couldn’t give them a win. The first thing we want to do is please our fans.”
Unfortunately, had the Bobcats pulled out the squeaker, few would have even been there to see the would-be big victory.
“When you give up 34 points, that’s going to keep [the fans] pretty quiet," junior safety Michael Mitchell said. "That being said, they were awesome today. Hopefully they won’t be down on us, and they’ll still come out. They were great, but we have to give them something to cheer for.”
Apparently the Bobcats winning the Mid-American Conference East division and making their first bowl appearance in 40 years wasn’t enough to draw a rowdy crowd against a tough Mountain West Conference foe.
Perhaps playing in the day hurt the crowd as well. Gardner-Webb (and Pitt) were night games and drew better crowds.
Ohio was also competing with Ohio State for fan support, as they were playing at the same time.
With the Ohio passing game improving each week, the Bobcats are putting a more exciting brand of football on the field. Everyone loves to see deep passes and a powerful offense, so there is even more incentive for students to support their school’s football team. As Ohio enters conference play next week, the players know they need to rebound quickly.
“This game will light some fire in our behind, and we will come back and play strong next week against Kent,” Hartke said.
Mitchell reassured fans the Bobcats will be back come Saturday. “I know we’re not going to fold," he said. "The players won’t quit no matter what."
Next week is another day game, but with it being Parents Weekend, a large crowd shouldn’t be hard to find.
Then again, it shouldn’t have been against Wyoming either.
Either way, coach Frank Solich knows his team has to be ready for its MAC opener.
“We need to start again and get prepared to take on the next game,” he said. “It’s obvious with us starting conference play, it’s going to be important, and we’ll have lots of motivation.”
Let’s hope the fans can give them some extra motivation as well.