Halftime Retention

There is always a complaint about the students leaving early for me the bigger problem as I sit on the visitor side is how empty the chair back seats are every game. If people aren't going to the game sell the tickets or give them away. To me that site is worst than any student section.

Fan interest and student interest would all be taken care of and generated with having a football program that people are wanting to see. Even winning and going 8-4 will only get you so far when you are still losing to middle FBS teams or barely beating FCS. We need a nationally competitive football program, that strives to be in the top 15 - 30 range, consistently. It can be done. Fans will come out of the woodwork to see a team like that.

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Originally Posted by CajunEXPRESS

Let's face it, students have been sitting in a baking sun forever. That's not the reason that they leave. They're leaving because we're not relevant in the current football world, and top it off not very good at being non relevant.

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Current student here. I think this is true and what manabouttiwm said. We aren't relevant and people aren't that worried about staying throughout the game. I'm a huge fan so I always stay but the stadium wasn't that packed to begin with not to mention a lot of non students left as well. Yet all I hear about is students leaving

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Originally Posted by RaginCajun77

As a student I stayed the entire game. That's just how I was wired. If you're a student today and you look at the home side, how many empty prime seats do you see? We hold the students to a higher standard than our alumni and those who buy season tickets but rarely show up.

Fact is we played an FCS opponent last night that nearly beat us. Once again a new season started and the team that took the field wasn't prepared to play football. Students, fans, and alumni recognized it. Students will make a move, they have the option to go to bars and night clubs on a Saturday night and have fun drinking, dancing, etc.

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This. I think the right questions are being asked but looked at from the wrong perspective. Look at all the other seats open and not being used. Maggard just got here so I think a "change of culture" takes time

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Originally Posted by California Cajun

I saw a few minutes of Texas vs. Maryland on TV from Austin, which I didn't think was very good, and there was a large crowd and student interest. It seemed like a parallel situation to ours except that Texas has a lot of past success. It's like the students are hard-wired to be there whether the team is good or not.

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That's a joke right. UT-the biggest program in college football/the most money/their own network. We are parallel but just haven't been as successful? Gimme a break

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Originally Posted by alum81

The entire student section left at half time

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Noticed that... They sit there in the first half sun waving their fans in the heat... Then skip out on the 2nd half when it WOULD be a much more comfortable environment with the sun going down.

Don't understand it - at least from that perspective.

Now - performance on the field... I also don't think that had anything to do with it. I've seen students vacate at the half as well. If the Greeks are getting point for going to the game, tallies should be made and points awarded AFTER the game.

Just MHO.

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Originally Posted by Ragin' Caleb

Current student here. I think this is true and what manabouttiwm said. We aren't relevant and people aren't that worried about staying throughout the game. I'm a huge fan so I always stay but the stadium wasn't that packed to begin with not to mention a lot of non students left as well. Yet all I hear about is students leaving

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Dude, I went and stayed too. Many times, one of only maybe 100 kids in that place. The students aren't the problem. The product on the field has to be good enough to get their attention.

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Originally Posted by Ragin' Caleb

This. I think the right questions are being asked but looked at from the wrong perspective. Look at all the other seats open and not being used. Maggard just got here so I think a "change of culture" takes time

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I'm not sure how you change the culture....other than finding a way to be more competitive on the field. This program was the armpit of the conference a few years ago till Hud got here. It was a breath of fresh air for a while then mediocrity, black eyes to the program, and negativity surround it. Only the diehard fans will continue to support. The same ones that showed up when we really stunk. How do you energize the fan base again? The schedule doesn't lend to that this year. And the defense performance last night surely don't either. Heck, last year we fired our defensive coordinator after a similar performance. While I think we can trend upwards this year...it will be a huge task facing who we face. However, you would want to believe we can compete at this point. I think this team is better than it showed last night, but to capture the fan base we needed a much better showing on the field. This is part of the microwave society that we live in...result oriented. And the average fan sees just the results.

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Originally Posted by Ragin' Caleb

That's a joke right. UT-the biggest program in college football/the most money/their own network. We are parallel but just haven't been as successful? Gimme a break

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Parallel is lackluster team for several years running.

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Originally Posted by Just1More

Are you insinuating that beating SLU 51-48 at home was a great UL coaching effort? Maybe we're a little different in how we look at things. But I don't just walk away going "all is good - we won". I get troubled looking at a schedule that has 11 better teams to be played. Seven on the road. And then tell myself "all is good and going according to plan".

But yes, we did win. An FCS team came into Cajun Field and lost the game in the final seconds. All is good.

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