BleedGopher
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per Joe:
The Gophers regularly played to capacity crowds last year, but much of that buzz has been missing as they’ve opened this season with nonconference victories over Oregon State, Indiana State and Colorado State.
Season-ticket sales are down about 18 percent from last year, and the actual in-house attendance in the 50,805-seat stadium has looked considerably smaller than the average announced attendance of 43,487.
The next 10 days — with games at Penn State and home against Iowa — could set the tone for the rest of the season. After that, the home schedule brings Rutgers, Purdue and Northwestern, which have a combined record of 4-7. None will stir much excitement, unless the home team is on a roll.
“I think a win at Penn State would be so huge for this fan base,” said Nadine Babu, a longtime season-ticket holder and co-owner of Gopherhole.com. “I think the die-hards see a lot of potential. But I don’t think the casual fans are coming to games and really have much interest.”
Coming off a 6-7 season, the Gophers know they also must improve on the field. These next two games will say a lot about their chances of competing for a Big Ten West title — and their chances of filling their stadium this fall.
Ricker said they’ve sold about 8,000 student tickets for the Iowa game on Oct. 8, but plenty of tickets still are available all over the stadium. A victory at Penn State wouldn’t hurt.
Nadine has a few other quotes in the article as well:
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-football-team-entering-a-pivotal-stretch/395042491/
Go Gophers!!
The Gophers regularly played to capacity crowds last year, but much of that buzz has been missing as they’ve opened this season with nonconference victories over Oregon State, Indiana State and Colorado State.
Season-ticket sales are down about 18 percent from last year, and the actual in-house attendance in the 50,805-seat stadium has looked considerably smaller than the average announced attendance of 43,487.
The next 10 days — with games at Penn State and home against Iowa — could set the tone for the rest of the season. After that, the home schedule brings Rutgers, Purdue and Northwestern, which have a combined record of 4-7. None will stir much excitement, unless the home team is on a roll.
“I think a win at Penn State would be so huge for this fan base,” said Nadine Babu, a longtime season-ticket holder and co-owner of Gopherhole.com. “I think the die-hards see a lot of potential. But I don’t think the casual fans are coming to games and really have much interest.”
Coming off a 6-7 season, the Gophers know they also must improve on the field. These next two games will say a lot about their chances of competing for a Big Ten West title — and their chances of filling their stadium this fall.
Ricker said they’ve sold about 8,000 student tickets for the Iowa game on Oct. 8, but plenty of tickets still are available all over the stadium. A victory at Penn State wouldn’t hurt.
Nadine has a few other quotes in the article as well:
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-football-team-entering-a-pivotal-stretch/395042491/
Go Gophers!!
