Brutal Fact: The 2 Greatest Moments in Last Half Decade.....

[Stallion]

have concluded before 3,000 fans. Beating UH last year and becoming Bowl eligible last nite. Thank each and every one of you who were there but this is not normal. We are tying both hands of our Coaches behind their back in recruiting. Once again I'll say they will get it done despite SMU's fanbase and then move on. I seriously think its preferable that SMU prospects never visit a game in Ford before committing. We are an anchor around this coaching staff's ankles

[Charleston Pony]

Our (lack of a) fan base is an embarrassment and I cringe every time I tune in for a game televised at Ford Stadium. Have to believe SMU has the worst support of any program in D-I FBS. We are incredibly fortunate to have this coaching staff building a foundation but if there was ever a time for a Mustang Mania 2.0 campaign...

[BIGHORSE]

The fans we have that get to the games on time, cheer, and stay till the end are

some of the best Mustang fans ever, the ones that do not attend the games

when they really could are the worst "fans" ever, and are a major problem for the program.

[Arkpony]

Mrydel and I Drive 700 miles RT to see football ancd b-ball. I just cannot understand how some our Dallas fans cannot drive10-30 miles.

[mtrout]

UH win was awesome.

Last night was a bit rough. The lack of buzz was palpable. When i walked in i saw the home stands partially full but the skyboxes seemed rockin

We’re 6-2 and a lot of people are still bummed? If you ever see Morris, thank him because he is relentless.

[ALEX LIFESON]

When the game ended, could there have been more than 1,500 people in the stands? The people that have tickets, especially season tickets, and don't show up or leave early, are an absolute disgrace. These people are helping pack coach Morris's bags.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

It was very tasteless of the Mustang band to make the team and the fans who stayed for the whole game in the cold wait to sing Varsity so they could shoehorn in their little dance, but thanks to all of the fans who stuck it out. Sad there were so few of us.

And thanks to Coach Morris and the team for making this a good and potentially great season!

Go Ponies!

[JasonB]

It was really cold, but it was nice to see the players and students having fun with the band during Beans. Investment in more student fans paints the future, so I don't mind a couple more minutes in the cold.

It is very obvious to me that only the frosh go to the games. And they just go because they can walk back to the dorms at half. I would have expected the size of the student section to grow with the addition of the new upper class dorms. But it isn't happening.

When the sorority girls are walking to the tailgate area in super short shorts and skirts and the long boots, it is obvious they have no intention of toughing it out in the cold, and never had a single thought about going to the game.

They need to start some type of student board to understand why kids don't go to the football games, and solve the problem.

As for the rest of the crowd last night, we all knew it was going to be a disaster. Friday night, game on TV, super cold outside. Right now, it is the 1500 watching a decent team at Moody fighting to get into the NIT. Dallas will care when this is a legitimately good team. When you can see team speed on defense in addition to the strong offense. Everyone watches the team right now knows that the offense is good and the defense is below par. We have made an important step forward to being a decent team in our conference, but we aren't to the level of product that will draw the average fan out in Dallas. Once we have a good team, like we do in basketball, the fans will show. Take a look at how hard it is to sell Mavs tickets right now. It's the Dallas way.

I actually think Morris will stick around until he sees something bad on the recruiting trail. If he isn't going to be able to fix the defense or if he thinks the team will take a step back. I don't think we are there right now. As long as he is winning at SMU, jobs will be available. He can afford to wait for the right job as long as our program stays on the upswing. And that is what I think he will do. The IPC is only a problem if his recruiting starts to suffer, and same with the attendance. As long as his recruiting is good and the team improves, he will stay.

If he goes to Tech and loses, he has lost his shot at A&M. And Tennessee is too far out of his recruiting base. None of the bigger schools (Tenn, Ark, A&M) are going to come calling until he wins 10 games anyway. A&M has a huge buyout for Sumlin, he isn't going anywhere until Morris is deemed ready and acceptable. Morris isn't a young coach desperate for a P5 gig. He is a 50 year old coach who is a great recruiter, and is going to be patient because he knows the one shot he takes is his last opportunity at a big job.

Enjoy the ride and hope for some recruits that fix the defense.

[Pony81]

Look in the stands- we have a 60+ year old season ticket fan base. Cold, late games don’t work for that fan.
Not surprised by the turnout. We lost the young fan. . And may never get them given the alternative of TV and internet.
Chad leaves when he is offered more pay for him and his coaches at a program where he can win.
SMU is a stepping stone for coaches - have been for since the 1970s

[SmooBoy]

It was very tasteless of the Mustang band to make the team and the fans who stayed for the whole game in the cold wait to sing Varsity so they could shoehorn in their little dance, but thanks to all of the fans who stuck it out. Sad there were so few of us.

And thanks to Coach Morris and the team for making this a good and potentially great season!

Go Ponies!

Tasteless? The students and players were into it and having fun. There was no making them wait for varsity as they can't start mingling with family and fans until Tulsa is off the field. They had fun and literally waited it out to walk 10 feet.

[SMU21TCU10]

Was 1500 at games end. To the above comment, The problem with SMU women when it is cold is that unlike state school girls, they have to look cute and fashionable, and therefore cannot cope in the cold.

[RGV Pony]

While attendance talk is rote by now and last night should've surprised no one, at times I do wonder how the hell we filled up the place for the Armed Forces Bowl. Yes Army brought a lot but since then even TCU & A&M haven't packed the place.

Oh and Memphis wasn't sro last night either

[sbsmith]

SMU is a stepping stone for coaches - have been for since the 1970s

We've been a graveyard the last few decades, it'll be nice to be a stepping stone again.

[Pony_Law]

So The atmosphere in ford terrible. II know this is a chicken and egg situation but even why I was a season ticket holder (start and peak of JJ era) and we had 17k and a decent team it still was terrible the fans in my section sat quietly. If I’m going to sit quietly I may as well be on my couch so I can channel surf and drink cheap beer rather than deal with traffic parking and the blue hairs in my section. Add into it the last 2 JJ season and I’m done buying tickets to those games. I’ll go if offered a ticket but I’m not buying them ever again.

[78pony]

It was really cold, but it was nice to see the players and students having fun with the band during Beans. Investment in more student fans paints the future, so I don't mind a couple more minutes in the cold.

It is very obvious to me that only the frosh go to the games. And they just go because they can walk back to the dorms at half. I would have expected the size of the student section to grow with the addition of the new upper class dorms. But it isn't happening.

When the sorority girls are walking to the tailgate area in super short shorts and skirts and the long boots, it is obvious they have no intention of toughing it out in the cold, and never had a single thought about going to the game.

They need to start some type of student board to understand why kids don't go to the football games, and solve the problem.

As for the rest of the crowd last night, we all knew it was going to be a disaster. Friday night, game on TV, super cold outside. Right now, it is the 1500 watching a decent team at Moody fighting to get into the NIT. Dallas will care when this is a legitimately good team. When you can see team speed on defense in addition to the strong offense. Everyone watches the team right now knows that the offense is good and the defense is below par. We have made an important step forward to being a decent team in our conference, but we aren't to the level of product that will draw the average fan out in Dallas. Once we have a good team, like we do in basketball, the fans will show. Take a look at how hard it is to sell Mavs tickets right now. It's the Dallas way.

I actually think Morris will stick around until he sees something bad on the recruiting trail. If he isn't going to be able to fix the defense or if he thinks the team will take a step back. I don't think we are there right now. As long as he is winning at SMU, jobs will be available. He can afford to wait for the right job as long as our program stays on the upswing. And that is what I think he will do. The IPC is only a problem if his recruiting starts to suffer, and same with the attendance. As long as his recruiting is good and the team improves, he will stay.

If he goes to Tech and loses, he has lost his shot at A&M. And Tennessee is too far out of his recruiting base. None of the bigger schools (Tenn, Ark, A&M) are going to come calling until he wins 10 games anyway. A&M has a huge buyout for Sumlin, he isn't going anywhere until Morris is deemed ready and acceptable. Morris isn't a young coach desperate for a P5 gig. He is a 50 year old coach who is a great recruiter, and is going to be patient because he knows the one shot he takes is his last opportunity at a big job.

Enjoy the ride and hope for some recruits that fix the defense.

I tend to agree with most of this post. I said something to a guy leaving at halftime and his stuttering and stammering made me think that he felt he had fulfilled his obligation to a team effort that he thought was cxxp. Can't say that he shouldn't have felt that way at least to a degree. Then a few minutes ago I ran into a guy that I always see at games and he said that he and several of his buddies were at the HP game due to family involvement and a couple others he socialized with made the decision to watch us and the astros on tv (too cold, we aren't as good as our record might suggest, and if you can fathom this, they didn't want to get home at midnight or later). Do we have bandwagon fans, no doubt. Do we have spoiled students, I say yes again. Have we put a product on the field long and consistently enough to impact the way both friend and foe think of us; to this I say no, not yet. I think we are somewhat of a curiosity and that's not good enough to overcome certain options that the entertainment dollar and time present. At least yet. Win next week and you might begin to make some headway.