umass game atmosphere?
I like to make the trip to a lot of home games but could not make it last week. Just a few questions about umass game experience.
1. How loud was the stadium compared to Uconn
2. What rawk songs were played and how often?
3. Did they announce slippery rock score?
4. What did people think of the pre game pump up video?
5. Any other video's played?
September 21st, 2010 at 1:00 AM ^
Ahh free-basing.
September 20th, 2010 at 8:49 PM ^
I've heard players saying they may have had a letdown on saturday and i think the crowd experienced one also. We were coming off an emotional win and were ranked but the crowd seemed flat. I understand the crowd doesn't make many tackles but it seemed that the whole experience was muted. Perhaps the weather played a role but i sure hope I don't see that again. The game seemed similar to Ball State (?06) when we almost suffered a staggering loss.
September 20th, 2010 at 8:55 PM ^
Be optomistic.. cuzz allott can fix the wpelling but they have no ida how to winn a footbaaallll game. We invested alot in RR like him or hate him i never had a vote.
September 20th, 2010 at 8:55 PM ^
This doesn't really deserve it's own thread, so I'll throw it here:
Student Section: Props on being respectful at half time. BUT, no props for starting the wave during the 3rd quarter while UMass is driving down the field. Especially no props on the fact that after the wave was more than past it's prime, you continued to focus on it, on top of the fact that the UMass offense was driving right at you. I know most of you were freshman (or not even in college) when the Horror happened so you didn't have as much of an ability to see UM blowing out teams in the late 3rd (hell, neither did I really), but please, please pay attention and try to act like you care about the game.
Signed,
Disgruntled '09 alumn.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:03 PM ^
Weren't we up 18 at that point? After having scored 28 unanswered, against an FCS opponent? If you can't do the wave THEN, when can you? I'm just glad when they get it right and do it when the other team is on offense instead of us....
September 20th, 2010 at 9:09 PM ^
But doesn't it make more sense to do the Wave when we have the ball, so fans aren't distracted from making noise when the opponent has it?
I will at least credit the students for getting the order correctly, with the slow wave before the fast one. They had been doing it backwards lately.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:50 PM ^
The whole point of waiting until the game is out of reach to do the wave is so you don't have to worry about the play and make noise on defense.
September 20th, 2010 at 11:13 PM ^
After two solid seasons of being in the correct order, fast then slow, it went back to mid 2000s order. In the mid to late 90s, fast came before slow. The magnification of how cool the slow one looks is only really fantastic when following the fast one. The slow picks up speed as it moves around, too, so it's perfect for the reversal.
We can go on and on about "correct" I guess, but to me "correct" is what it was from 95-99, which was fast first. Wonder why it switched, then switched back then switched again? That's the true mystery.
September 21st, 2010 at 9:17 AM ^
You have nothing to really tell the regular wave from the fast one. The fast one just looks like people got hyper on the regular one. If you slow it down, then there's contrast.
September 21st, 2010 at 9:15 AM ^
And a visual distraction. You always do it when the opposing team is on defense.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:05 PM ^
Even though I love the wave, and cant think of any other stadium that does it better, I also became very frustrated with it during the 3rd quarter. As an out of state student, I expected the students to be far more into the games here. There are definitely students who take it very seriously, although as a whole, I thought the students would be more into the actual game as opposed to doing the wave and getting drunk before the game.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:28 PM ^
September 20th, 2010 at 9:33 PM ^
I actually wasn't too disappointed with the student atmosphere. Considering the weather was iffy (potential storms/rain) and the holiday, I was slightly impressed. And the Daily agrees with me, giving us 3 Michigan Stadiums.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:38 PM ^
So if there is the possibility of rain, that's a mitigating factor? It didn't actually end up raining at all, except for a couple of drops around the third quarter.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:42 PM ^
My apologies. i guess you weren't here to see how bad it rained earlier in the day and see what the radar looked like? I was talking more about the student section. And, if you read the back page of the Daily's Sports Monday, they say almost the same thing that i just did.
Yeah, i'd say it is. Especially if it may rain really bad.
September 20th, 2010 at 10:09 PM ^
No, I was in attendance, which is how I was able to comment on how it didn't rain during the game aside from a sprinkle or two. To use that as an excuse for a subdued fan reaction is beyond lame. I'm not even sure what you're trying to argue. What, if it rains two hours before the game, that renders your vocal cords useless for the entire day?
If the Daily's football writers thought it was a good atmosphere, they either haven't been going to many games or they can't get a feel for the crowd from the new press box.
September 20th, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^
Jerk.
September 20th, 2010 at 10:34 PM ^
To be fair, I was in section 26 (student section) and the atmosphere around me was, well, fine really. Of course we didn't go as crazy on big plays as we would have if it was ND, but it was still pretty loud in our area.
When it comes to fixing "game atmosphere," well...that's tough. There is hope though - for example, when I start yelling right when the opposing offense breaks huddle (we should be yelling while they're in the huddle, but that's asking a bit too much for now), a lot of people follow suit a second later (presumably because someone else is doing it). If I wait...then sometimes the people around me don't start making noise until the QB is already under center and about to snap the ball (aka not terribly "useful" noise, especially if the QB has already audibled). That's about all the difference that can be made - just setting an example and hoping people follow it. If you call out the people around you, they just get mad.
To all the people angry over the fact that the Big House isn't as intimidating for UMass as OSU...well, I don't really know what to say. You're probably partially right, but it's really hard to make an accurate judgment because a large part of the problem is simply that the defense wasn't motivated enough to put together a more solid game. Once, Roh motioned everyone to get up when UMass was in the red zone and it got fairly loud...then the defense laid an egg and gave up an easy 10 yard (or so) rushing TD...
Just sayin' it's a little mucky to call.
EDIT: and having watched highlights from both home games so far many, many times, I don't think the stadium sounded that quiet on TV given that it was UMass. If XYZ State in 1AA was playing at Wisconsin, I don't think it would be any louder in Madison (or at least not very much either way).
September 20th, 2010 at 10:49 PM ^
angry over the fact that the Big House isn't as intimidating for UMass as OSU
You're beating up a straw man. Obviously, a game like this represents the baseline for fan energy. The question is, how can we raise this baseline to something that can intimidate an FCS team that plays before crowds one-tenth its size?
September 20th, 2010 at 10:58 PM ^
I mean, I'd agree that it's a baseline of sorts but I think a better baseline would be a middling team on our schedule. There's really no answer to your question (however rhetorical or not you meant it to be), which sucks. Like I said, you can attempt to set an example but that only goes so far.
I still maintain the student section wasn't as bad as people are saying, though.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:53 PM ^
Given that we were playing a FCS team, I'm shocked the student section didn't have huge patches of bleachers showing.
Really, given all factors, I was pleseantly surprised with the crowd. Was it crazy loud? No, but it's impossible to get excited with that game.
September 20th, 2010 at 9:54 PM ^
I enjoyed talking to the gentlemen in front of me throughout the game. It was his 402 Michigan game. He has also been to the last 50 games verse MSU no matter which team was home.
I died laughing then the guy two rows in front of us told him to quit cheering because it was too loud. Then the favor waa returned in the 4th when the gentlemen two down stood up during the punt block. The nicer guy of 402 games said "hey sit down I can't see," and smiled nicely. I was amused.
My 10 year old was with me and taking in his 1st game ever. I was saddened by the lack of energy and promised him it was a wierd circumstance. Would have loved a better atmosphere as we made the trip up from Arlington, Tx.
September 20th, 2010 at 10:14 PM ^
People to the upper right of me and even one guy right next to me were talking about random bullshit all game. Then when Will bobbles the punt, the guy next to me LAUGHS. Yeah, I was this close to yelling at his ass. Fuckin get with it or get out of the Big House.
September 20th, 2010 at 11:23 PM ^
Someone did propose to his girlfriend via text on the big screen (I think it was during the first quarter). They didn't show any live video (like they did of the proposal during the UConn game), so I don't know the result...
I am a huge UM fan (and sports in general), and my gf goes to games with me, but I know that proposing at a game would NOT go over well with her. And that's even if it was UM-OSU, let alone UM-UMass.
Anyone here ever attempt it? Or, witness a failed proposal at the big house?
September 20th, 2010 at 11:50 PM ^
Students get hammered before games like this. Many don't even make it to the game for this reason...Games like this, BG, etc...Im surprised, as someone said above, that there weren't more areas of empty seats.
September 21st, 2010 at 12:39 AM ^
I'm a student, and while I may not be the typical student (who goes to the games because everyone else goes to the games, but cannot name one of our linebackers and yells for RR to "Go for it" when it's a 4th and 7 from his own 30 -- but then again, as Mathlete's diary suggests, maybe this isn't a half-baked idea), I don't think it's the drinking.
Frankly, noon games = less drinking time. Most students will drink the same amount, irregardless of whether we play UMass or OSU. Further, since UM-OSU games are at 3:30, you'd expect students to drink more prior to The Game (but would you say that students don't make it to The Game for this reason?).
As others have argued, I suspect it's a matter of the opponent -- just as a lot more people are vocal and vote leading up to a November election rather than a Primary election, fans are more vocal and "into the game" when it is UM-MSU rather than UM-baby seal. Even if the game is close (like it was this week), fans won't become as vocal as they would've if the opponent was a big name -- fans have to be looking forward to the game for weeks (if not months or years) and have some nervous anxiety that they can convert into vocal support.
September 21st, 2010 at 12:33 AM ^
I felt that we were fairly into it and we had our loud moments. Surely not as loud as UConn, but still decent. The student section ended up being significantly more full than I expected as well.
September 21st, 2010 at 9:52 AM ^
Was there any mention of him or moment of silence?
I would like to think Michigan does classy things when they have the chance.
September 21st, 2010 at 10:32 AM ^
The other posters summed up the atmosphere nicely.
But did anyone else notice when it appeared that "Livin' on a Prayer" was played over the loudspeakers, as a marching band arrangment -- but not by the band? I was in sec 27 and didn't see Boerma conducting, or any of the band members moving at all. On the second time that song was played.
It blew my froggin mind. Can anyone confirm or disconfirm this suspicion?