Over the past few years, Bulls fans have inconsistently followed the football team.
Turner Gill, the former head football coach, brought a family-like atmosphere to campus in 2008. Buffalo had experienced one of its best seasons in school history. A few nail-biting wins, followed by a Mid-American Conference title had fans believing this was the new identity of Bulls football.
Attendance was a key factor in creating a thunderous atmosphere, giving the Bulls their confidence at home. In 2008, blue and white painted the student section at UB Stadium.
Memories of former quarterback Drew Willy rolling to his right and chucking up a prayer to wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt still gives me goose bumps today. Is it wrong I want this football team to repeat what it once showed?
That won't happen until true fans start showing up.
After Gill left at the end of the season in 2009, there seemed to be a decline in attendance. Blue and white once filled the student section, watching Buffalo pummel teams like Rhode Island 31-0. Then after losses to Baylor, University of Central Florida and University of Connecticut, the section that once donned royal blue and white shirts was present, but dwindling in numbers.
It was simple. Jeff Quinn was the new head coach. The interest in the Bulls' games began to fall. Without fans at home games, there was no edge. It was like a young boy looking to the stands to find his parents, but they weren't there.
However, one organization feels it can recapture the magic.
True Blue, a Student Association-funded organization, creates new and improved ways to increase fan attendance.
Each student will receive three points for volunteering at a True Blue event and one point for just attending a game. The object of this is to increase familiarity with student-athletes and to also create a loyal fan atmosphere.
"This year we are bringing back the point system from a few years ago," said sophomore economics major David Harary, who is True Blue's director of advertising. "We're giving out key tags that have a bar code on it, so you take these key tags and register on our website, and then you can see how many points you have."
Although their heart is in the right place, and I respect their efforts, I don't see how a key tag with a bar code could help increase the attendance of football games. Usually, you would find a party after your college football team won a game. Now all students seem to care about on weekends is finding where the frat parties are while the game's going on. It's embarrassing.
"There's not enough promotion or confirmation about games," said Jimmy Buntley, a junior communication major. "If [athletes] were more visible to students regularly, that might help, as well."
Other students feel differently.
"I've got plenty of UB True Blue apparel and hats. I've also seen that they have been hosting events," said Connor Sinnott, a freshman mechanical engineering major. "I think they are advertising [the Bulls] well."
There are high expectations this season, as players like junior running back Branden Oliver and junior outside linebacker Khalil Mack have been nominated to preseason award watch lists.
Even senior defensive end Steven Means has added to that, promising a MAC championship this year. It will be tough to tell exactly what to expect this season from fan attendance because the Bulls having a very tough schedule.
Opening up at Georgia is not an ideal situation for a program that is looking to get back on the MAC championship radar. Although a win against Morgan State is almost certain, the rest of the schedule, in my eyes, only has the Bulls winning four games and losing eight. I guess my final year at UB we won't be experiencing another shot at a MAC title, but there is always hope.
"We want to do our best, and we are really trying to get everyone out to the games," Harary said. "There is a lot of excitement. Quinn has brought in a great team."
Email: joseph.konze@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
