Post by elp525 on Oct 6, 2011 5:21:05 GMT -5
10/05/2011
Chip Fontanazza
Morgantown
Bruce Irvin hasn’t been on the WVU football team as long as many of the other WVU seniors, but he says it doesn’t take anybody long to realize how different the atmosphere is at Milan Puskar Stadium when the stands are filled.
The game day atmosphere and the passion Mountaineer fans have are some of the reasons why Irvin decided to transfer to WVU before last season. So far it’s been a great decision and he has already become a fan favorite, but even a fan favorite realizes when the fans aren’t showing up to the games.
During Tuesday weekly press conference WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen called out the Mountaineer faithful and said he didn’t think this was an elite program because only 46,603 fans attended Saturday’s game. The message sent shock waves across the Mountain State, but as shocking as that was for some fans to hear, Irvin understands the message his coach is trying to pass along.
((Below is an interview with senior Bruce Irvin))
Having nearly 14,000 less fans in the stands, like they had against Bowling Green, would be tough for any school to call themselves a big time program and Irvin agrees with that statement.
“If you want to be considered a big time program you have to have sellout games. That’s the bottom line,” said Irvin. “We consider ourselves a big time program so we want 62,000 people in the stands every week. No matter if we’re playing Florida A&M, it doesn’t matter. Its just how big programs are.”
Part of Holgorsen’s message was sent to the student section, which had a dismal showing on a rainy Saturday. A total of just over 9,400 student tickets out of 12,500 tickets were distributed for Saturday’s game and only 5,657 students attended. That’s certainly not what the players want to see and Irvin was disappointed when he saw the turnout.
“The fans are a big part of the game. When they make loud noises it distracts the offense and messes up their rhythm,” said Irvin. “You notice it when you go from 62,000 screaming people, swirling yellow towels, to gray bleachers; you notice it.”
“Alabama, it doesn’t matter who they’re playing it’s always 92,000 [fans] there,” continued Irvin. “I guess that is where coach Holgorsen was coming from. We consider ourselves a big time program, so for big time programs fans show up every week.”
Regardless of how many fans come out to the games, Irvin and the rest of the team knows it’s the players that have to fight the elements or whatever opponent they are facing to win the game.
“At the end of the day they’re (the fans) not the ones playing,” said Irvin. “We’re still the ones that have to go out there and perform. The fans help us, I’m not going to say they don’t, but at the end of the day it’s still about us. We better go out there and play.”
Chip Fontanazza
Morgantown
Bruce Irvin hasn’t been on the WVU football team as long as many of the other WVU seniors, but he says it doesn’t take anybody long to realize how different the atmosphere is at Milan Puskar Stadium when the stands are filled.
The game day atmosphere and the passion Mountaineer fans have are some of the reasons why Irvin decided to transfer to WVU before last season. So far it’s been a great decision and he has already become a fan favorite, but even a fan favorite realizes when the fans aren’t showing up to the games.
During Tuesday weekly press conference WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen called out the Mountaineer faithful and said he didn’t think this was an elite program because only 46,603 fans attended Saturday’s game. The message sent shock waves across the Mountain State, but as shocking as that was for some fans to hear, Irvin understands the message his coach is trying to pass along.
((Below is an interview with senior Bruce Irvin))
Having nearly 14,000 less fans in the stands, like they had against Bowling Green, would be tough for any school to call themselves a big time program and Irvin agrees with that statement.
“If you want to be considered a big time program you have to have sellout games. That’s the bottom line,” said Irvin. “We consider ourselves a big time program so we want 62,000 people in the stands every week. No matter if we’re playing Florida A&M, it doesn’t matter. Its just how big programs are.”
Part of Holgorsen’s message was sent to the student section, which had a dismal showing on a rainy Saturday. A total of just over 9,400 student tickets out of 12,500 tickets were distributed for Saturday’s game and only 5,657 students attended. That’s certainly not what the players want to see and Irvin was disappointed when he saw the turnout.
“The fans are a big part of the game. When they make loud noises it distracts the offense and messes up their rhythm,” said Irvin. “You notice it when you go from 62,000 screaming people, swirling yellow towels, to gray bleachers; you notice it.”
“Alabama, it doesn’t matter who they’re playing it’s always 92,000 [fans] there,” continued Irvin. “I guess that is where coach Holgorsen was coming from. We consider ourselves a big time program, so for big time programs fans show up every week.”
Regardless of how many fans come out to the games, Irvin and the rest of the team knows it’s the players that have to fight the elements or whatever opponent they are facing to win the game.
“At the end of the day they’re (the fans) not the ones playing,” said Irvin. “We’re still the ones that have to go out there and perform. The fans help us, I’m not going to say they don’t, but at the end of the day it’s still about us. We better go out there and play.”
