Joe Knows: Big game of the season almost fills stands

Nov 3 2009 - 10:32pm | Joseph O. Garcia

Saturday marked the first time the new-looking Bobcat Stadium welcomed home alumni.

Whether the renovations helped the team win is up for debate, but at least the stands were almost as full as the season-opener against Angelo State.

In fact, the attendance reflects only 154 fewer people attended Saturday’s homecoming game.

Despite the fact it was Halloween, more students should have attended what was the most important game of the season thus far.

From the press box, the student section looked to be at about 70 percent capacity for most of the first half. It eventually filled to what looked like close to 80 percent.

However, the question is, why can’t we get the stadium full?

Texas State set an enrollment record this semester with 30,000-plus students. The capacity of Bobcat Stadium is about 24,000 seats.

Oh, and by the way, the games are entirely free of charge for enrolled students.

The west side of the stadium is almost always packed and those fans usually pay to get into the game.

However, there was plenty of Bobcat pride on display during the tailgating, which took place before the game.

Students, especially last Saturday, tailgated and then left without going into the stadium to cheer on the Bobcats.

“I went to the tailgate with three other friends,” said Olivia Tapley, public relations junior. “The best part about tailgating was being with my friends and the weather was nice.”

Tapley said she spent most of her time in the Delta tent.

“None of the people I went with actually went to the game, but I do know of some people that attended,” Tapley said.

Tapley has ideas to get more students into the stadium.

“The university can get me into the stands by doing more promoting like handing out fliers, setting up a table in The Quad, or advertising Facebook events,” she said.

Saturday marked the first game of the season for some students.

“It was fun and exciting,” said Victoria Martinez, undecided sophomore. “The stadium looks awesome and I will probably come back for my homecoming.”

Martinez attended high school with Matt Harris, sophomore linebacker, who recorded an interception in the game.

“I was sitting with his parents when he got the interception,” Martinez said. “We were all really excited for him and the team. That was my favorite part.”

Tailgating is fun and it’s a part of what makes football so great for fans. However, it shouldn’t be the focal point of the event.

It’s especially important for Texas State, in the midst of “The Drive to FBS,” that students attend the games.

In case you missed the game, this team is pretty good. Texas State took out a quality Stephen F. Austin team and could use some support during the rest of the season as the Bobcats try to repeat as Southland Conference champions.

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