Today’s Attendance

[The Jackal]

This too -

I think this young crop of players is going to help. We've got some legitimately exciting young players on this team.

I'm the type of guy that can appreciate a 10-7 football game and pounding a fullback 35 times. A lot of people don't have the same taste in defensive football that I do.

You look at these three running backs and then the ceiling of a guy like Darren Grainger and think "woah," this will be a fun team to watch in a year or two. Factor in high energy defensive players like Hope and Hodge, and that's an entertaining brand of football.

I won't say it is 100% accurate, but folks like watching points, athletes, and something special. You get a couple of guys out there that can really move and folks may just show up just to see what they might do next.

Heck, WCU isn't particularly good, but I'd show up just to watch Tyrie Adams do stuff.

[Jasper]

The question then becomes if Furman fans would come to watch a lesser division team. We can't pack our home side against Wofford.

I think some of the issue is "momentum," perceived or not.

We've started both of the last two seasons 0-3. 5 of those 6 losses were on the road to start the season. The only home game was Elon.

I think Furman loses a prime opportunity to capture some excitement at the early part of the season - school starting and bringing in a new crop of fans. Even the most stalwart fans can grow a little worn out with not winning a game until midseason.

I don't want to see us necessarily get back to playing PC/GWU every single season. I also don't think it would be a bad idea to actually go land some early season home games that we could book as a win. Get a little momentum. Generate a little excitement.

There is no question that 0 and 3 starts are buzz killers. There was a great deal of warranted enthusiasm around the program after last season. We knew we would start the season with a loss when we scheduled Clemson and didnt put much stock in that when it happened. Then the roof fell in and the enthusiam waned. Without a QB, we were defenseless against a very improved Elon team that we had reason to believe we could beat. The hurricane interfered with the Colgate game and we missed a chance to get a possible win against a team we had clobbered last season. Then we handed an improved ETSU team a win with a terrible 2nd half meltdown. 0 and 3 and goodbye momentum and enthusiasm. With that scheduling, we had every reason to believe in a 4 -1 start to the season going into the Wofford game against what I feel was a good schedule. I cannot find fault with the schedule makers in this case at all. Clemson, Elon and Colgate were great OOC games. Even allowing for a Samford loss, would a 5-2 Furman team that had a good shot at the SoCon title and the playoffs have put more than 4000+ people in the stands last week against Chattanooga? I am not sure. Since it certainly appears that FCS football is mostly a school subsidized sport, I see more benefit to the overall Furman brand in scheduling teams like Elon and Colgate and other CAA and Patriot League schools than PC, Gardner Webb, NGU et al but that is up to the folks who write the checks and the depth of their pockets.

[Davemeister]

If we had played Colgate in Week 3 we would have lost - Big Time.

[apaladin]

If we had played Colgate in Week 3 we would have lost - Big Time.

I have to disagree. Maybe you are putting too much stock in their 8-0 record? The 8 teams they have beaten have a total of 21 wins and none of those teams have a winning record. I think we have proven every time we have played them that FU simply has better athletes.

[Affirm]

The question then becomes if Furman fans would come to watch a lesser division team. We can't pack our home side against Wofford.

I think some of the issue is "momentum," perceived or not.

We've started both of the last two seasons 0-3. 5 of those 6 losses were on the road to start the season. The only home game was Elon.

I think Furman loses a prime opportunity to capture some excitement at the early part of the season - school starting and bringing in a new crop of fans. Even the most stalwart fans can grow a little worn out with not winning a game until midseason.

I don't want to see us necessarily get back to playing PC/GWU every single season. I also don't think it would be a bad idea to actually go land some early season home games that we could book as a win. Get a little momentum. Generate a little excitement.

There is no question that 0 and 3 starts are buzz killers. There was a great deal of warranted enthusiasm around the program after last season. We knew we would start the season with a loss when we scheduled Clemson and didnt put much stock in that when it happened. Then the roof fell in and the enthusiam waned. Without a QB, we were defenseless against a very improved Elon team that we had reason to believe we could beat. The hurricane interfered with the Colgate game and we missed a chance to get a possible win against a team we had clobbered last season. Then we handed an improved ETSU team a win with a terrible 2nd half meltdown. 0 and 3 and goodbye momentum and enthusiasm. With that scheduling, we had every reason to believe in a 4 -1 start to the season going into the Wofford game against what I feel was a good schedule. I cannot find fault with the schedule makers in this case at all. Clemson, Elon and Colgate were great OOC games. Even allowing for a Samford loss, would a 5-2 Furman team that had a good shot at the SoCon title and the playoffs have put more than 4000+ people in the stands last week against Chattanooga? I am not sure. Since it certainly appears that FCS football is mostly a school subsidized sport, I see more benefit to the overall Furman brand in scheduling teams like Elon and Colgate and other CAA and Patriot League schools than PC, Gardner Webb, NGU et al but that is up to the folks who write the checks and the depth of their pockets.

I agree with you about scheduling more CAA and Patriot (plus Pioneer once in a while when we we need “easier” - Davidson, Jacksonville FL, Stetson, Dayton) - and not quite so many Big South Schools that are convenient.