Penguinpower, great job in securing that victory. There is no doubt that your decision to make that drive was the deciding factor. One question. The box score says the attendance was over 18k My television screen suggested about 3,000 was more like it. Your eyewitness judgment please.
I say they had 3,000 and we had between 150-200. The annouced attendance was in the 18,200 range. I have really gotten to understand southern culture, I was able to understand the reason why their fans didn't show........mainly the weather. Since I have acclimated to the weather down here I wear a jacket if it is below 77 degrees. It was about 52 at game time but it was in the upper 30'so and low 40's all morning and the rain was on the way. Funny thing is that there were people from Youngstown wearing shorts.....I am not kidding. Some of our fans were in disbelief that weather was the major factor and I demonstrated by asking the event staff about the turnout and they said the reason was because it was cold and supposed to rain. Their diehards were disappointed, but I completely understood it. Those Temps were downright February-like.
They have a nice fan base, one of the better ones that I've been around. Their band was simply outstanding. The best I've seen in the FCS. There was a ton of hospitality, it was genuine, not the kind where they say "bless your heart" meaning you are a complete idiot. The campus is small compared to ours and their library is a really nice building that is the tallest building in the area.
It was an excellent game. Our kids were tired. Jax State was extremely athletic and their fans were completely impressed with our team speed. They also lacked discipline, and their fans didn't like that at all. Some of their fans were calling out penalties as we sat among them. It was interesting
By the way, their fans were also calling for the ejection of #17 for targeting too. They like football there just as we do. The most similar fan base to ours in that way among any school I've visited.