Hokie Nation got rave reviews from recruits, commentators and the Twittersphere for the electric atmosphere vs Ohio State on opening night. It was pretty cool to see. However, I was pretty surprised when I cut the Pitt game on last week because the North End Zone looked so empty. "North End Zone is the party zone, what's going on?" Then I saw the SEZ and that placed looked deserted. I'm not used to seeing that.
The attendance for the Pitt game was listed as 49,120 which was the lowest attendance for a Lane Stadium crowd since the Rutgers game in 1998 (42,452). I was wondering if it was Fall Break and the students were just gone, but Fall Break isn't til Oct. 16. Granted, it was a pretty miserable day so that may have contributed. Also, it still sounded pretty loud on TV (idk if it's just me, but it sounds like Fox and ACC Network games give you a better sense of the crowd noise than ESPN games).
So now we have a Thursday Friday night game on national TV with our ACC backs against the wall. So I'm wondering what you think Lane Stadium will be like vs NC State. I got a chance to go to the Miami game last year and it was rocking until we started getting our doors blown off. Once it became clear we were in for a beating, some of the fans hit the exits in a hurry (I'm guessing some people needed to get to work or class the following morning so they figured there was no need to hang around). That attendance around 64,000.
I'm hoping the atmosphere could be similar to early in the Miami game last year because that was another night when we were getting complimented by recruits for how loud we were (before we were silenced). Thoughts?
Comments
It had better be a full house and LOUD!!!!!
I'm currently a student and can say that the 12pm kickoff in pouring rain and sub 50degree temps turned away many hungover students from going. This Friday should be different and I can say I've seen a lot of people looking to buy tickets on the VT facebook pages and excitement is definitely high.
kids these days. smh...I remember camping out in the lawn between Pritchard and AJ in freezing weather, just to get tickets, to go sit out in freezing weather again during the game.
nothing for nothing but I'm sure the games you camped out for were a bit different considering the way our season is going now. Not to say I dont disagree with you though. The NEZ looked horrible saturday.
Dude! Us older alumni did that when the football team was horrible with no legacy.
There's your answer. We have a legacy now, people are apathetic because we're not playing like it. I still go to all the games (I'm a somewhat recent grad) and sure, it'd be great if the NEZ was the definition of insanity each game. However, when your fans are used to seeing something better and you perform like we have been, it's not surprising when they're not willing to brave the elements to go see another poor product.
Yes, they were. They were worse than anything our current season holds.
Here's the 1984 home schedule, in order: West Virginia, Richmond, LOLUVa (well before the final game, weirdly), Duke, Williams & Mary, Tulane. Whooo.
Students not making their way to games now, legacy or not, is pretty inexcusable.
I don't even understand the comparison. VT won 8 games that year, and went to the Independence Bowl. That was back when not every team went to a bowl. For VT, it was great.
Two years later, 1986, VT won 10 games. They beat NC State in the Peach Bowl that year.
I think the scheduling is better now, but it's not like VT didn't have a decent team in that era under Bill Dooley.
Attending games was pretty fun in those years. It wasn't the same as now, but it was pretty good.
Yes, we went to bowl games; yes, we won 8 and 10* games in those years. (Really, we won 9, but thank you, Temple, for cheating!)
The point he was making, as I read it, was that people waited for games "in the old days" because games were somehow better. All that was better was that we won more than we lost most of the time. The level of opponent was terrible. The year I detailed? Our hardest opponents were WVU and Clemson. (Granted, the 80s Clemson, which was The Good Clemson, but still.) And we lost those games.
I was just pointing out that no, the opponents were nowhere NEAR as good as they are now, taken as a sum of their parts.
Edited to add: the Dooley era looks far better than it was, since we played a lot more in-state competition than we should have, for a team that wanted to make a name. I really feel like Bill would have put Mary Washington on the schedule, if they'd have done a 2-and-1. And I don't even think they PLAY football! Point is, we had good/decent records against decidedly poor levels of opponent, and we lost to most opponents that were truly good.
Point is, we had good/decent records against decidedly poor levels of opponent, and we lost to most opponents that were truly good.
I recall both WVU and Clemson being pretty good back then. How are we doing against opponents who are truly good THIS year and LAST year?
Back then it was all just good fun, and it was fun to see VT winning games, but it wasn't like the early 2000's. Then again, it's not like that now, either.
Yes, UMDub is undefeated in football.
Another thing to consider. Until the last 8-10 years, very few games were on television. You either listened on the radio or you got your butt to the stadium. Now even our I-AA games (Furman) are available live on TV and/or the internet.
I remember sitting in my dorm room on Sat afternoons and my roommate asking, "What's up for today?", and me answering, "Football game started about an hour ago, let's go check it out."
Then we would flash our student IDs at the west gate, and go find some choice seats.
Of course that was 1987.
(I was there for that Clemson game that has been mentioned this week in comparing dismal offensive outings. I remember the Hokies still looking better during that game than they did Saturday against Pitt. But, then again, that game was more fun for other reasons. First home game for me as a student, etc. etc.)
I was also around for those days. That Clemson game was better-looking because we were DECIDED underdogs back then, for virtually every game. When you're favored, and look like that, it's a groin-shot, to say the least.
My second ever home game as a student was Cincinnati shutting us out 16-0 in Lane. We got better...
Beating Miami for the first time, Druck-to-Holmes, and whipping the 'sips in New Orleans... man I miss those days!
I was just gonna say, 1995 getting shut out in the rain and chill in Lane by Cincinnati. I won't say they were worse than we did against Pitt, but they were at least equal displays of ineptitude! I think Cincinnati scored on a WR reverse that day too.
That came on the heels of one of the worse nights ever the night before the game (involved cops, summons, and bongs). We figured the team was as hungover and shellshocked as we were.
Mine too. Good grief, did that game suck, and the weather was terrible. On the bright side, because the attendance was so lousy, a buddy and I were able to wander over to the West Stands and take some empty seats in the 3rd row right around the 40-yard line. Great view of a terrible game.
And we had to walk uphill both ways in the snow with no shoes just to get to the game so we could sit in the freezing weather!
Those hurricanes and rain storms not named Miami will get after ya. Blame it on the media. If they had proclaimed last Saturday a sunny day, far more people would have been there.
Go Hokies!
I expect lots of bourbon to be consumed before, during and after the game. I find that this enhances the stadium environment.
The 8pm kickoff will mean all the students will be drinking the moment they get out of their last class.
... if they go to that class to begin with.
I'll speak for myself and many others and say that I will be drinking during my last class
Matrix Analysis?
Chem E Senior Design
Still taught by Dr. Liu? Best class I ever had.
Unfortunately not this semester. He's taking some time off.
Dr. Liu did teach us Aspen Plus over a weekend though. So we aren't missing out on him completely.
on Thursday.
No Friday classes for this guy!
That was me senior year.
Although, do they even have classes after noon on Friday? I remember a lot of Monday/Wednesday 1:30 and later classes with a Tuesday/Thursday length.
Freshman year (2001 for me) I always ended up with a Spanish class at 1:25-2:15 MWF. I didn't mind it at all though.
nice. I managed to get only Tuesday Thursday classes my last semester. I didn't know what to do with myself. Good thing I had mostly pass/fail classes or it could have been ugly.
Thursday night vs. West Virginia in 2001 or 2002 (can't remember). My classes ended at 1:00pm. It was just a little cold. The bourbon and I, we get real close during the afternoon. I vowed never to get that drunk for a game again.
That was actually a Wednesday night.
Good 'ole Big East scheduling for ya!
Haha, like I said: bourbon.
You've added a piece to the puzzle 14 years later! Leg.
I was at the Pitt game, the student turnout was pitiful. I am still surprised how many people are still walking to the stadium when the game kicks off. I've now been to two games this season anOSU and Pitt and both times there were crowds at the two main west gates to get in after kickoff. I was impressed with the students that were at the Pitt game in the cool rain and how most of them stayed and for the most part were paying attention to the game. But for Friday I'm not so sure the crowd will turn up.
did you mean impressed? Or depressed maybe?
Damn phone typing, "impressed".
I'm impressed with you if you drove up from Myrtle Beach. Can't imagine getting home was any easier.
We left Friday night from SC, in the worst rain I've seen since Gaston and Isabelle in Richmond. Drove back Sunday and made it back to house an hour or so before the roads all started closing down.
Well, Mrs BCH and I will be there. Our anniversary is Saturday. Win or lose we're going to overindulge ourselves and enjoy the trip. It'll be a better crowd than Pitt.
Happy Anniversary. If you guys met in Blacksburg, or were there together, that's even cooler. Enjoy that. I know I would.
Thanks Leonard. We were already together when she got accepted to Tech. I wasn't disciplined or mature enough for college yet so I just got a dead end job down on Commerce St, a $300 a month glove box of an apartment in Apartment Heights, and we shacked up. Her roommate in her dorm freshman year loved it because she was never there.
Just the fact that it is a night game should fill the stadium up a good bit. The rest depends on if people still care after last week,
I'm guessing it will be somewhere between OSU and Pitt
I would certainly hope so...
It can't get much bigger than anOSU, and I really really hope it isn't less than Pitt.
I was taking the SAT on Saturday, and got there right after halftime, and walking towards the stadium it was a constant stream of students, and older people as well, walking away. Kinda made me realize how little faith some fans have in this team.
I think using the word "faith" here is a bit too appropriate. :(
SAT prep for correct word usage. It'll get after ya
Only missed one home game in the last 11 years. I will be there.
Missed a game? clearly not a true Hokie s/
Not everyone can be committed.
Dad was having open heart surgery during the Nebraska game. I think I had my priorities right.
Sarcasm doesn't show over the internet, but I generally don't use the /s indicator. I figured it would be pretty obvious here.
Missing 1 game in 11 years is pretty committed even if you missed the one game because you just didn't feel like it. No excuse necessary. Didn't mean to offend.
Students should be there, but weekday games may start to turn away alums if the weather isn't gorgeous.
My tickets are in North. It was pretty grim.
Also I don't think I've seen SEZ packed since maybe 2011.
There is generally a premium to buy seats where you get a worse view than either East or West sides IMHO. I am not surprised those seats are always empty.
The North Remembers.
The Panthers send their regards.
Hard to remember something if you're not there to experience it
I think its gonna be good
Well, I'll be there, so that's one more than Pitt. I'd imagine a lot of people didn't want to travel in a hurricane, or be stuck away from home by one.
A big chunk of that looked to be the section where the visiting band usually stands. I was left with the impression that the Pitt band originally planned to come, but declined at the last minute. Plus, the visitor's section had maybe two rows of people. So those were two really big sections empty.
As for the rest, it was probably due to some combination of rain and performance. Even though the hurricane didn't turn westward, there was still enough fear at the last minute that there could be water problems.
I think Friday night will be better. As we discussed over the summer, Friday night games are probably easier for a lot of folks than Thursday night, because it's less time off of work.
Amen to that
In reference to the PITT band and fans, I believe I heard Lazer say on the radio that they hit terrible storms on the way down and had to turn around and go back. So you have to figure there would have been atleast a couple hundred more there.
There were several busloads from Pitt, including the band, that had to turn back due to weather concerns. That would explain the empty visiting band section and probably quite a few fans in the visitors section.
I know I'll be there screaming my head off!!!!
I'm a student as well and can tell you exactly the reasons it was dead:
1. We aren't very good or fun to watch
2. Noon kickoff, tough to get Lane full for 12pm even when we are doing well
3. Completely miserable outside. Driving rain and 50 degree temperatures
4. Peer pressure, students aren't gonna go to the game if their friends don't go. Their friends aren't going because of reasons 1-3
I'm tempted, but I'll be nice and refrain...
So if all your friends were jumping off a cliff...
We were there in lot 5 at 8:30 am eating breakfast burritos and drinking spiked coffee.
We came back out after the game and partied until it started getting dark.
Kids don't know how to party anymore.
Surround yourself with better people.
Oh no don't get me wrong. I'll be going to every game regardless. I was just giving common reasons as to why students don't go. I highly judge classmates that skip games for petty reasons like those.
No worries man, if you are on this site I'm sure you are at the game.
Night game at Lane? It should be and better be rockin!
Now that we've got no expectations for this season, I expect the place to be rocking if the weather holds. It's the last after-dark Sandman of the year. I could care less how the game goes, but there are only so many chances in life to start jumping at Lane after the sun goes down.
I've got expectations. Win out in our division with Pitt losing two and we go to Charlotte. Mathmatically even if we lose on Friday we're still in the hunt for the coastal/ACC.
For me, those are the hopes. I don't expect anything at this point.
Myself and the fiance will be there. First game in Lane for us this year.
The crowd will be more dead than people expect. Also expecting the corners to be sparse.
If State jumps on us early, the atmosphere could get ugly fast.
There may not be a school sponsored blackout, but I predict a blackout nonetheless. Eshiben hasn't put out his weather report yet, but I predict 100% chance of bourbon with vision and memory partly to mostly cloudy. Drunken loudness will be at dangerous levels for visiting Wolfpack. A false-start warning is in effect for the greater Worsham Field area. (Unfortunately, this warning is in effect for home team as well until OL gets their shit together. This warning will be at extreme levels if Ron Cherry is detected in the area.)
My first and probably my only game this year. I only go to one every
season usually. I'm just hoping for the best game possible! I will be
yelling my head off!! LET'S GO!!!
EDIT: Sister can't get the night off so not going with those tickets. I might try
to find some on Stub hub.
so you're not making the trip to Charlotte?
#eternaloptimist
Same here. The last few years I've only been able to make it to one game every season.
I might have spare, send me an email if you need tickets.
ey if youre looking for a tailgate meteorology tailgate is always welcoming visitors
Yeah, crowd will definitely be much better this game. Somebody already sort of mentioned in, but the Virginia Tech Facebook page was filled with people selling their Pitt tickets last week. This week, it's entirely different. People are asking to buy them instead of sell them. So while this is disappointing it's gotten to that point int terms of our student fan base, it's reliving to know that nobody is selling their ticket this game and hopefully North End Zone is packed as ever. Go Hokies, we really need this win.
I hope the rain doesn't drive people out again. There's probably greater than a third chance for thunderstorms and more rain Friday night right near kickoff. Hopefully people will be out tailgating in the dry hours before and will already be dedicated to the game.
We really haven't been playing well in the rain this year.
I think you put the wrong day in there, although the forecast is correct for Friday.
Good catch. Thanks!
I would say really drunk since their is no work or school the next day but that just might be me who will be watching from home unfortunately...
More fans than a LOLUVA spring game.
All kidding aside, we have a lot of people (around 20-30) showing up to our tailgate on Friday and people are still asking if there are tickets to spare. Should be a good one
I sold mine (and they sold really quick, like 5 minutes fwiw) because I forgot I was going to the Caps first home game is the next day, so I'll still be liquored up and cheering for my Hokies but in front of the TV on my comfy recliner.
Sometimes that's a great way to watch a game. I'd argue an introvert like me sometimes enjoys it more. Yes, that sounds crazy, but football is football; no matter how I'm watching it, I'm happy.
Has anyone mentioned how extremely strict they're being with letting people into North Endzone this season? Even this past Saturday when it was a ghost town there? I had my Student ID checked on my way into the game and three times on my way into NEZ.
Didn't the stands get broken over there on Labor Day?
I think they started doing that just last weekend. Funny timing seeing as how nobody showed up anyway.
As an alum that sits in the student section (guest ticket), they checked me for Furman and Pitt.
Something like this:
http://imgur.com/gallery/SVronSf
It'll be a bigger crowd than Pitt because NCSU will have 8k there
They have to come through Greensboro to get there. You can bet I'll be laying some traps.
It's going to be freaking crazy because I'll be there
Told y'all
Same here!
Honest opinion is the crowd will be sparse. 80% chance of thunderstorms for the game plus a team that is losing respect from many fans is going to lead to a less than electric gametime atmosphere.
That being said - I hope the students prove me wrong. I'll be there, bourbon airplane bottles in hand, jumping to Enter Sandman.
The scary question to ask is how many fans will NCSU bring? Greensboro is only 2 hours away and with Raleigh 3 hours away there will be plenty of red in the stands...
I dunno, thunderstorm could be the very definition of electric atmosphere.
maybe we'll get lucky and the game will be postponed or cancelled due to weather
I don't care how bad we are EVER. That would literally ruin my Friday if that happened.
State fans will travel well for this one. They feel this is almost a guaranteed win.
How would they know?
Seriously, NC State goes against the grain all the time, to the point where I never feel comfortable picking one of their games.
They'll come within one possession of beating FSU, but then go belly up against Syracuse, but then dominate UNC.
Well NCST didn't sell out their allotment.
I think they bought a lot of tickets on stub hub or something.
There were a lot around us in section 13.
I couldn't predict this one if I had to.
I'll be there, screaming my lungs out on every defensive play, shaking my keys on third downs, and drinking an irresponsible amount of bourbon.
Good on ya!
Leg to you as a snack for the game, kind sir!
I'm really hoping a lot of people show up to the game. As a lifelong Hokie fan (and hopefully future student, because I'm 17) I'm really hoping for the best for the guys. I want everyone to be jumping up and down on Friday and hopefully we can go out there and get the win and turn our season back around.
So the point was made about the Pitt game that over 15,000 tickets went unsold, I disagreed with that based on VT saying only unsold Pitt returned tickets were left. Now again VT is saying "a limited number of returned NCST" tickets were returned and are for sale. Can anyone verify how Tech counts "sell outs" vs attendance and how many games are actually sold out this year. Not attendance but how much money Tech is losing each game.
It will be the same as Miami last season. It will start loud and end deathly quiet. No way it's full.
Secret State Fan?
It certainly was not quiet, nor empty.
I'm glad it wasn't.
In spite of the problems caused by the lightning delay, it seems to have morphed into a good fan experience.
Selling more tickets because of the Ohio State game likely helped. Now people have the tickets, so they might as well go to the games...
This is what I am hoping for: