How can we make The Big House a more intimidating place to play?

Submitted by robbyt003 on

I don't feel like The Big House really gives us that home field advantage like it should.  What do you think Michigan should do to change that (besides the obvious like have a better OL or QB)? 

Do you put in more stadium suites to help hold in the sound?  Do you kick out all of the fans that say "down in front"?  Expand the student section?

schreibee

October 9th, 2017 at 2:07 PM ^

Dude clearly said what can WE do as fans, not how can the team do better.

Or, what can the AD do within the realm of sound design or architecture.

I've been to lots of games where we rolled teams and it wasn't loud at all. In my decades long, but recently infrequent experience going to games at Michigan Stadium, the comeback vs Colorado was the loudest I've ever heard it. And I was at UTL3 (but not at 1 or 2 sadly).

Now, our seat location under just under the suites may account for that. We were lower in the bowl for UTL3. And that's the point - it's the architecture that has always kept the stadium relatively quiet for the 100K+ peeps there. And the "down in front" crowd of course.

How can THAT be fixed? We are not a cowbell crowd, or lots of fake piped in noise crowd, so either WE gotta get off our ASSES and ROAR - or some sound engineering will need to be done.

Heywood_Jablome

October 9th, 2017 at 3:15 PM ^

Most of the reason it's not loud is because of the stadium's design.  Our stadium goes "out" instead of "up".

Second reason is there's a bunch of old fucks who look like they belong at a nursing home instead of a football game.

UMxWolverines

October 9th, 2017 at 6:27 PM ^

This is a cop out excuse that is just that...an excuse. They did sound tests when they did the renovations, peak noise we can generate is 110 db. Now we are never going to reach peaks like Florida, Washington, Oregon, Clemson, LSU, etc because of architecture. But those only come on big plays. When we're on defense there's no reason we can't be as loud as anyone else in the country. I remember at the last MSU game they showed a decibel meter on the scoreboard which was hovering around 100 decibels. I would bet it was louder than that on Saturday. Someone did the same thing for a Penn State white out night game and it was around 104. You're telling me with our supposed wine and cheese crowd we were right up there with Penn State's legendary crowds? If everyone would be into it like at Penn State it would be nearly the same.

mgoblue0970

October 9th, 2017 at 6:03 PM ^

Apparently you missed the days of when Bo had to ask the students to quiet down because back in the day, crowd noise was a penalty. 

...and that was before a few expansions.

So how did the crowd manage to be loud back then but the stadium design is a culprit now?  I'm confused.

SpikeFan2016

October 9th, 2017 at 7:53 PM ^

This frequent narrative was more applicable in the old days without box seats and is relative to Michigan's noise on a relative scale, not a raw scale. The Big House is a loud, hostile environment to play in. 

 

It's not as loud as many other stadiums would be with 110,000 fans, due primarily to the structural design but also due to some cultural factors. This is where most of the criticism initially stems from, if you read other message boards. "They should be louder with that many people!" doesn't mean that "they aren't loud" (it doesn't for people who aren't partisan hacks for our rivals). 

 

This OP is very stupid in the context of last week's game. In 2016 I attended Ohio State's biggest and loudest home game of the year. In 2015, I attended Penn State's biggest and loudest home game of the year. In 2013, I attended Michigan State's biggest and loudest home game of the year. 

The Big House on Saturday, particularly when MSU was pinned back on the 1 in the 3rd quarter, was electric and right there with all the aforementioned environments. Louder than I've ever heard Spartan Stadium and right up there with how Beaver and Ohio Stadiums were (as close as it can be with the structural disadvantages). 

 

The crowd was EXCELLENT on Saturday and was most certainly very close to the loudest stadium in the country on that day. Nothing the crowd can do to help the offense, unfortunately.

schreibee

October 9th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^

AGAIN - Defense is when WE the people make noise... not on Offense.

And the D is doing just fine, thank you. So MOAR noise would be great, being known as a Hellish place for opponents would be awesome. 

Not sure it's gonna win us any games though...

WoodleyIsBeast

October 9th, 2017 at 2:18 PM ^

Did someone tell you that you decide who gets called on?  Everyone knows that we make noise on defense.  Everyone agrees that our defense is not the issue.  As fans we don't have a role outside of making noise to disrupt the opposition, so this forum topic is kind of silly.  Get out of here with your AGAIN nonsense, you remind me of my crazy aunt.

RemembertheGatorBowl

October 9th, 2017 at 3:19 PM ^

“We don’t have a role outside of making noise”? We have just as much a role in Stadium decisions as in any other facet of the program (who starts at QB, play calling, “fielding a competent offense”) but we can’t discuss the former? That makes no sense.

WhoopinStick

October 9th, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^

1) Paint the visting locker room pink?

2) Have the visiting team and coaches searched with bomb sniffing dogs before they can enter the stadium?

3) Cover the portions of the stadium between the luxury boxes with huge metal overhangs that would help keep in the sound?

4) Stop writing about it and instead buy season tickets and scream your head off at appropriate times during the games?

 

UMxWolverines

October 9th, 2017 at 1:45 PM ^

What more could we have done? It was as loud as I've ever heard it. MSU had 3 false starts.

Playing at home at night doesn't guarantee a win, ask OSU about that with Oklahoma.

That being said, why are we not handing out pom poms or towels to the whole stadium anymore?

J.

October 9th, 2017 at 6:41 PM ^

Pom poms and towels are both quiet, and they interfere with fans' ability to see the game.  They do make the crowd look cool, but I don't think that's the point.  :)

The atmosphere was electric Saturday night.  The guy in front of me was a first-time attendee (Maryland grad; daughter now at Michigan) and he couldn't stop raving about the crowd.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't always the same.

The only time I've ever heard it louder was the end of UTL I.  (Brabbs's kick at the end of the Washington game in 2002 was close).

UMAmaizinBlue

October 9th, 2017 at 1:45 PM ^

2) At least for rivalry games or games against big opponents, stand up, stay up, and stay loud on defense. Too much inconsistency with the noise. I was impressed with the students this week and various sections around me, but my section (6) is wildly inconsistent in their enthusiasm. 

UMAmaizinBlue

October 9th, 2017 at 1:48 PM ^

Than usual, but it was a rivalry game. I find a lot of people just wait until 5 seconds left on the clock to get loud, or only cheer on 3rd down. Also, do you find that people in Sec. 6 sell their tickets to rival fans at a higher rate? I'm always surrounded by Spartans and Buckeyes - makes me fucking sick to my stomach.

BursleyBaitsBus

October 9th, 2017 at 1:56 PM ^

It's wildly inconsistent because we have a bunch of blue hairs in the fanbase (and WD) that care more about traffic than the fucking game. 

Night games need to become more common so the fanbase can get used to them. Then shit will get better. 

 

Oh and maybe, just maybe, if Michigan fields more than just 2/3 a team, we'll become more intimidating on the football field. 

bluebyyou

October 9th, 2017 at 3:20 PM ^

You mean the same blue hairs who contribute megabucks to the athletic department and U of M so our facilities are some of the best on the planet?

Yeah, fuck them because they are old and can't stand for an entire game.

These people have been fans longer than most of us have been alive. 

mGrowOld

October 9th, 2017 at 4:33 PM ^

What's ironic is for the 26 years I had season tickets I never had a voice left when the game was over.  Took me usually till Tuesday to recover my damaged vocal cords.  And I almost got in a fight once with a guy in front of me who's GF kept telling me to shut-up cause I was yelling so loud the whole game.

And I wasnt yelling "down in front" trust me.

crg

October 9th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^

Actually, some kind of covering may not be a bad idea, even something that just covers the stands and not the field.  Keep much of the rain/snow out and the sound in.  Not terribly challenging to engineer/fabricate and could be made to tastefully match the building.

LKLIII

October 9th, 2017 at 1:49 PM ^

Somewhat unrelated--I did think it's pretty sweet that the student section is starting to memorize the entire The Team, The Team, The Team speech. 

 

Get the whole stadium to learn that thing & play it at key times when we've lost momentum.

UMAmaizinBlue

October 9th, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^

For this to become a new tradition somehow. I personally say it along to the video at home games, but when I heard the students saying it, I got goosebumps. I would cosign, stamp, approve, and in every other sense 100% love to hear the stuadium recite that speech every game in unison.