Idaho State won its first game of the season Sept. 13 in Holt Arena. The worst crowd for an ISU home football opener in five years was there to see it happen.
As Chadron State roared back in the fourth quarter on the back of three straight touchdowns, a chunk of the fans who were in attendance to start the game had already left after Idaho State led by 21 points at halftime.
The reported attendance, 4,838, was the lowest in an Idaho State home opening game since 2010, John Zamberlin’s final season as the Bengals head coach.
One factor that may have played into the low attendance is that Chadron State, a Division II team, is not the draw for ISU fans like long-time Big Sky rivals Weber State and Montana.
But in the past 11 years, Idaho State has played non-Division I teams seven times and averaged nearly 1,200 more fans than what the Bengals pulled into Holt Arena for the matchup with the feisty Eagles.
What gives?
Idaho State head coach Mike Kramer thinks he knows.
“I wouldn’t buy a ticket to watch a 2-9 team or a 3-9 team. I wouldn’t do it,” he said. “I don’t care if you charge me a buck or a $100.”
Kramer continued: “I don’t blame the fans at all. Until we put a consistent, considerable team on the field that’s going to show an entertainment value every single game, we’re ... going to have empty seats. And deservedly so.”
Idaho State went 3-9 in 2013 and that followed seasons of 1-10 (2012) and 2-9 (2011).
The Bengals started this year with back-to-back losses on the road to Utah and Utah State. Preseason expectations of the Bengals weren’t high either. Big Sky coaches tabbed ISU to finish 12th in the preseason poll.
“We have got to rise this program to the point where we’re an entertainment value,” Kramer said. “And you’re not an entertainment value when you get your teeth handed to you every week. So I see it. I love the fact that fans are coming. As more fans come, great. Do I feel like those fans should come before the product is shown? Absolutely not.”
Kramer wants to validate to Eastern Idaho and Bengal fans that there is a team in Pocatello worth paying money to show up and watch. It’s part of the reason why the finish to the Chadron State game was disappointing.
ISU had a chance to make a statement with a 39-13 lead in the third quarter. Holding on for a five-point victory might not inspire fans to think Idaho State can field a winning team, something the program has not done since 2003.
And it’s why Saturday’s homecoming game against Sacramento State carries a heavy weight.
Homecoming crowds are the largest of the season for Idaho State football many years. In 2013, ISU averaged 5,367 fans in six games at Holt Arena but 7,568 showed up for homecoming against North Dakota.
Idaho State did not leave a lasting impression that the program has taken major steps forward after having to hold off Chadron State in the fourth quarter. But beating a 3-1 Sacramento State team and starting the Big Sky schedule 1-0 could send a message.
“The disaffection in this program is legendary,” Kramer said. “Fifty one years of god-awfulness intersected with a couple years of OK-ness. ... But if we’re a good team, I’m going to buy tickets. I want to see that show.”
(8) comments
Kramer is being accountable. The crowd will follow when the wins start coming. Good Luck Bengals!
Sacramento State is not a better team than ISU. Their 3-1 record is deceiving. Incarnate Word 0-4. Weber 0-4 and Menlo and NAIA school 1-3. They did as about as well against California
56-14 as ISU did against Utah. Cal and Utah being Pac 12 and Utah the better team. ISU's biggest worry are comebacks.
Special Teams in 2014 are the same as defense in 2012. Worse than bad. And ISU is easily tricked.
But Sac State comes away poor on defense too. Really this game is up for grabs with ISU having home field advantage. Should be another nail biter.
birdiet
At the main campus in Pocatello, and at locations in Meridian, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls, ISU offers access to education in more than 280 programs. Almost 14,300 students attend ISU, receiving education and training in those programs. Idaho State University is the state's designated lead institution in health professions and medical education.
Idaho State University is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research high and teaching institution founded in 1901. At the main campus in Pocatello, and at locations in Meridian, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls, ISU offers access to education in more than 280 programs. Almost 14,300 students attend ISU, receiving education and training in those prog…
en.wikipedia.org· Text under CC-BY-SA license
Tuition: $17,870 USD (2014)
Undergraduates: 10,484 (2010)
I admit I am confused. several site list the main campus as 10,000. But here it is only undergrads. Also does he total include all city sites such as Idaho Falls and Twin. They are also expanding online courses.
And to follow the University of Wyoming--really a far bigger school in buildings and facilities lists a student body of 12,000.
And let people have their opinions. We all go through it. The real reason Zamberlin got the axe was he couldn't dance with the ISJ an
Yeah, let's fire another football coach. That'll solve the problem. We've only fired the last six we've had, and that's made all the difference. The last football coach who left Idaho State with a winning record was Dave Kragthorpe, in 1982. After coaching here only three years.
Mike Kramer is not a perfect football coach, but he's won Big Sky titles at two other places in this conference. The fact that he hasn't won here speaks volumes to the institutional issues Idaho State football faces. ISU was out-drawn for its home opener by the College of Idaho and its brand-new NAIA team over in Caldwell, as just one example of the depth of the problems with this program.
Sure, you can be like the FCS version of the University of Idaho -- just keep rolling over football coaches every five years, give folks a little hope for a year or two during the "rebuilding phase," maybe even have a good season or two, and then comes the inevitable regression, followed by another firing.
Or we can try something different. Let Kramer coach until he either turns it around, or we decide to take a realistic look at whether football can succeed at Idaho State, and if so, how do we fix the systemic issues that have made it so bad for so long. And let's address those problems before we hire yet another football coach.
Under Jeff Tingey's leadership we have not won a Homecoming, and have only won 4 conference games with 44 loses. That does not bode well for our future.[sad]
Kramer could do more as well. For a fact other coaches get out in teh community and on campus to drum up support. For example, every week Jerry Kill walks around campus giving away free tickets to students at the University of Minnesota. Before he started this, the average student section was 2,500 students per game. Now it is closed to 7,0000 students per game. Be proactive, sell your team and sell your program. Kramer has seen his time ... #firekramer
Where are you getting your enrollment numbers, Maggie? ISU lists its current enrollment at 14,449.
When Kramer made coments about Western state and Black Hills State being botched teams and Chadron being the Big Time may have been not only unflattering considering ISU's poor record,
but a little pre mature considering Western State came real close to besting the Conference champ Colorado Pueblo and Chadron lost to Colorado Mines 33-18. Not a good sign. We are not convinced.
Another factor to consider is that ISU has lost 4,000 students since 2009. From 14,000 down to 10,000. It seems Boise State
has sky rocketed and ISU is on the down.
When Sacramento lost its fan base when they were the cellar stoppers a decade ago it took a long time to get them back.
The Sac State crowd was around 2,000 for years even during the Zamberlin era.
A big big factor is poor promotion. Some people on this campus don't even know it is Homecoming week. We need a promotional Billboard on I-15 coming into Pocatello probably on the North end from idaho falls with justin Arias holding the football or Xavier Finny as back-up and Broc Malcom and Madison magnum there too--the fearsome foursome welcomes
Sac State to Bengal Country.
Cheney and eastern washington has vernon Adams on their welcoming Billboard.
How about signs along 5th street in front of Campus saying "Game day."
And ISU loses to Sac State and it is curtains to the fan base.
This is the Conference opener. ISU blew it against North Dakota last year. If they do it this year we can hear the bells tolling the doom song.
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