Players want to go to an out of town Bowl

RepublicanPNY · Post by **RepublicanPNY** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:00 pm

smudubs wrote:Why should the players want to play at home when we draw less than 15,000 for the last home game. So the 3000 students who normally attend games were on vacation, but what about everyone else? There will be fewer than 30k at the Cotton Bowl if we draw Ticket City. This is why the players don't want to play in Dallas. They have told me they prefer to play on the road where there are more fans. Places where people get into the games. In our section, I'm pretty sure that Ponyscott, BetterHalf and I are the only three people who stand and cheer during the game. The crowd was so pathetic yesterday that Mestengo or OTP or whatever he is going by these days could yell at us to sit down on a fourth down yesterday from a section and a half away and I could hear him clearly.

If we want the players to quit [deleted] maybe we should act like real fans. I challenge everyone here who is a season ticket holder to buy an extra ticket or two next season and give those seats away. I challenge every Ponyfans member to commit to bringing a friend or two to at least five home games and one away game next year. And when you are at the game get off your @$$ and cheer. Make noise and yell like no one is watching. Give the guys a real home field advantage and you won't have to worry about them saying "let's play anywhere but in Dallas."

Over the last three seasons, these guys have given up Christmas and Thanksgiving with their families and some will miss their graduations this year depending on what bowl they attend. To me it's understandable that they would want to go somewhere fun when you look at the sacrifices they are making.

When you speak with the players again ask them what happened when they played in front of lively crowds at A$M, USM n Tulsa. The big wins have to come before you'll see the big crowds. Ask the Mavericks and Rangers how their attendance looked during their down years as opposed to now. Most fans don't want to go to Ford and watch this "high powered" offense struggle to score vs. Rice on a holiday weekend. The product on the field is too inconsistent.

texasmustang10 · Post by **texasmustang10** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:11 pm

This is why I can't wait for the move to the Big East. In C-USA, we are virtually stuck to playing a bowl game in DFW (especially now since there are two), unless we actually win the conference. This has to hurt recruiting.

smudubs · Post by **smudubs** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:22 pm

RepublicanPNY wrote: When you speak with the players again ask them what happened when they played in front of lively crowds at A$M, USM n Tulsa. The big wins have to come before you'll see the big crowds. Ask the Mavericks and Rangers how their attendance looked during their down years as opposed to now. Most fans don't want to go to Ford and watch this "high powered" offense struggle to score vs. Rice on a holiday weekend. The product on the field is too inconsistent.

I've already asked that question and more specifically I've asked what was going on in the locker room because it is clear there was a problem. Your comparison to the Mavs and Rangers is inapplicable in my opinion because as far as SMU football is concerned, we are not down. Even with the weak completion, this is still one of the best three year runs in SMU football history. No one seriously expected a win at A&M and as much as it pains me to say it, USM was a better team. I cannot explain their two losses to horrible teams. Tulsa and Navy are the more troubling losses. Tulsa at home was not an easy draw, but the team and June seemed more concerned with the hecklers than on field performance. The team quit before the opening kickoff in that game. In my opinion, that was the only game this season where the defense quit.

And I've said this before, attendance has always been an issue. Even when we were nationally ranked we had to give tickets away. Just look at attendance after the TCU win as proof. Rather than constantly complain about attendance though, we should be looking for a solution. That's why I proposed an "each one bring one" idea. It may only improve attendance by a few thousand, but it's a start. And it's something the school doesn't have to do. It's something we as fans can handle.

At this point, it is more important that the team wins its bowl game regardless of where it is played. Sadly, however, we all know that the team will not be "up" for a game in Dallas. We are not talented enough to come out flat and beat any team. It makes no sense and I don't necessarily agree, but if being in Hawaii or anywhere other than Dallas gives us the best opportunity to win the bowl game, I say go for it.

RepublicanPNY · Post by **RepublicanPNY** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:35 pm

What a pouty bunch we have if this is true. That's disgusting. There should be a pride factor that drives them to compete no matter the circumstance.

RepublicanPNY · Post by **RepublicanPNY** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:36 pm

I just hope they find a way to finish the season with a win.

HorseSense · Post by **HorseSense** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:03 pm

smudubs wrote:I've already asked that question and more specifically I've asked what was going on in the locker room because it is clear there was a problem. Your comparison to the Mavs and Rangers is inapplicable in my opinion because as far as SMU football is concerned, we are not down. Even with the weak completion, this is still one of the best three year runs in SMU football history.

What was their answer to the problem in the locker room?

sbsmith · Post by **sbsmith** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:01 pm

RepublicanPNY wrote:What a pouty bunch we have if this is true. That's disgusting. There should be a pride factor that drives them to compete no matter the circumstance.

Yeah, it's disappointing that these guys worry more about who's in the stands than their on-field performance.

smupony94 · Post by **smupony94** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:04 pm

Let them go somewhere else. I am not going to spend the time and effort to see another AFB performance

2ndandlong · Post by **2ndandlong** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:07 pm

man, you women can really spin something out of control quickly.

PP: "where wouldyou like to go?"
random player: "i'm so grateful for the opportunity to play in any bowl game, but a chance to see hawaii sure would be nice right now."
message board: "rabble, rabble, rabble. what a bunch of whiney, undeserved brats. back in my day (20 years ago), we would have been grateful to play in a bowl game in dallas and wouldn't have demanded to play in hawaii. rabble, rabble, rabble."

smupony94 · Post by **smupony94** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:11 pm

2ndandlong wrote:man, you women can really spin something out of control quickly.

PP: "where wouldyou like to go?"
random player: "i'm so grateful for the opportunity to play in any bowl game, but a chance to see hawaii sure would be nice right now."
message board: "rabble, rabble, rabble. what a bunch of whiney, undeserved brats. back in my day (20 years ago), we would have been grateful to play in a bowl game in dallas and wouldn't have demanded to play in hawaii. rabble, rabble, rabble."

Laken was the one to stir the pot

2ndandlong · Post by **2ndandlong** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:13 pm

he may have peed in the glass, but people on here chose to drink it.

johnangle · Post by **johnangle** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:33 pm

Good Lord, folks, what's wrong with what he said? Why would they want to play in Dallas? Do you guys really fail to see that it isn't desirable?

While they did underachieve in the second half of the season and probably deserve one of the bowls in Dallas he was asked where he WANTED to go. He's like 22 and spoke impulsively - everyone really needs to calm down. None of us are happy about how this season ended, the players probably moreso than us.

soccermom · Post by **soccermom** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:46 pm

IMO that we all can understand that the players would like to play in a bowl that isn't in Dallas but at this time, with our season turning out like it did, I hope they are happy to be in any bowl game. They need to concentrate on preparing for that game b/c none of us can choose where the game will be played.

mr. pony · Post by **mr. pony** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:48 pm

smudubs wrote:Why should the players want to play at home when we draw less than 15,000 for the last home game. So the 3000 students who normally attend games were on vacation, but what about everyone else? There will be fewer than 30k at the Cotton Bowl if we draw Ticket City. This is why the players don't want to play in Dallas. They have told me they prefer to play on the road where there are more fans. Places where people get into the games. In our section, I'm pretty sure that Ponyscott, BetterHalf and I are the only three people who stand and cheer during the game. The crowd was so pathetic yesterday that Mestengo or OTP or whatever he is going by these days could yell at us to sit down on a fourth down yesterday from a section and a half away and I could hear him clearly.

If we want the players to quit [deleted] maybe we should act like real fans. I challenge everyone here who is a season ticket holder to buy an extra ticket or two next season and give those seats away. I challenge every Ponyfans member to commit to bringing a friend or two to at least five home games and one away game next year. And when you are at the game get off your @$$ and cheer. Make noise and yell like no one is watching. Give the guys a real home field advantage and you won't have to worry about them saying "let's play anywhere but in Dallas."

Over the last three seasons, these guys have given up Christmas and Thanksgiving with their families and some will miss their graduations this year depending on what bowl they attend. To me it's understandable that they would want to go somewhere fun when you look at the sacrifices they are making.

I'm guessing Jones would schedule 10 away games each year if he could, with one in Honolulu, another on Maui. Two in Dallas: Homecoming and TCU. No telling what's he's told the players about SMU fans. Not a good situation.

mr. pony · Post by **mr. pony** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:51 pm

I am pretty tired hearing SMU fans, the most long-suffering of any program, get bashed as if we're the problem.