Missed Opportunity.

Oh. My. Goodness. 29-26 in 3OT?? The energy in Notre Dame Stadium during those extra periods was as high at is has been all season. Not to mention that campus is a much happier place after a win. Whew! That was WAAAAAY too close for comfort! But a win is a win! GO IRISH!!

- Facebook status of 95% of ND fans post-game

Now that we have that out of the way, it’s time to be objective. At 8-0, ranked 3^rd in the country, Notre Dame football had more momentum going into this game than any other game in our college careers. As soon as the Irish took the field, the combination of team energy, the band, recorded music, and *highlight videos*, should have created a home-field advantage that made Pittsburgh feel like they had to play against 80,000 people instead of just the 11 on the field. Notre Dame Stadium, however, missed the chance to set the tone for the game.

Up until Notre Dame scored to make the score 20-12 Pittsburgh, the atmosphere in Notre Dame Stadium resembled that of a theatrical performance. Fans sat back and watched the Fighting Irish, listened to the band and politely applauded the recognitions during TV timeouts. With the students and the band in the north endzone, the fans in the south endzone seemed detached from the rest of the stadium.

Warning to all traditional Notre Dame fans, cover your eyes. NOTRE DAME NEEDS A VIDEO BOARD.

Please hear us out before you call the Dome and ask for us to be expelled.

Tradition defines Notre Dame. Instead of just talking about the incredible history of the school, why not show it to everyone? Let everyone see the team hitting the iconic “Play Like A Champion Today Sign”, show Tim Brown catching a touchdown pass vs. Michigan, or even Manti Te’o lighting up a running back from Purdue.

During the long NBC media timeouts, show a highlight video of the National Champion Men’s Club Volleyball team before bringing them on the 20-yard line where only one-fourth of the stadium can see them. Then, play a quick pump-up video to get the fans excited for the offense to take the field. It’s easy to do, and it keeps fans engaged throughout the seemingly endless media timeouts. On a smaller scale, PA announcement can be brought to life with music and video accompaniment.

On a related note, RECORDED MUSIC WORKS.

The band does a great job of playing energetic, popular songs that students and fans love, but the piped-in music boosted the noise level in the stadium to another level. Students, fans, and even the notorious “old alumni” jumped up and down to Zombie Nation during overtime. Skip to 2:07 and try to tell us that music doesn't work.

Yes, the Pittsburgh game had enough drama and excitement to make a bad high school prom jealous, but only in the waning moments of the game did the stadium have the energy you would expect from an undefeated team in the middle of a dream season. While a video board cannot be put in for the next game, more effective uses of recorded music before kickoffs and key defensive plays throughout the game would help energize the normally reserved Notre Dame crowd.

Finally, a message to Notre Dame fans who think we have lost our minds: Don’t get mad at us. Bottle that anger, save it, and let it out when Wake Forest comes to town. Yelling at us won’t help the team win, but yelling in the stadium will.

Won the Day

With 9:13 left in the 3^rd Quarter, the sellout crowd in Autzen Stadium rose to its feet to cheer on the Oregon defense. Which of the following events gave the crowd cause to stand and yell?

a. The game was close.

b. Washington was about to score.

c. It was 3^rd or 4^th and short.

d. All of the above.

e. None of the above.

Answer: e.

Oregon led Washington 38-7, and Washington had the ball 1^st and 10 from their own 46. Not only was the crowd standing and yelling, they were screaming as if Washington was about to score the mythical 40-point touchdown to win the game. Regardless of the time or circumstances, the Oregon faithful showed the most consistent energy out of any crowd we have seen.

So that leads to the question, why? Why did Oregon have the most engaged crowd? How did they create the stadium energy that opponents who come into Autzen Stadium dread?

It all starts with the team.

Yes, the recent team performance, high paced offense, pure speed, and athleticism play a major role in the crowd’s enthusiasm. But it’s more than that.

The fans feel like they know the team. They feel connected to the team. They feel like they’re a part of the team. They are not just spectators; they are living and breathing with every tackle, every breakaway dash down the field, and every touchdown.

Starting pregame, 35 minutes before kickoff, when the team took the field for warm-ups, “Joker and the Thief” blared over the loudspeakers and the fans clapped in sync with the team to create a hyped atmosphere. This pregame team-fan interaction elevated the crowd’s level of interest from start to finish. Finally, before the team made its entrance, led by The Duck on a motorcycle, an intro video was played to add even more energy to the stadium.

Throughout the game, they used the video board to further showcase the team and players, both current and former. When Washington scored a touchdown, at first the energy subsided, but by the end of the media timeout you never would have guessed this crowd knew how to be quiet. To uplift the crowd, they showed a highlight video of great moments in Oregon football and the fans cheered as if it was happening live.

Throughout the game, the video board made PA announcements and on-field recognitions come to life. During a media timeout, the women’s track team took the field accompanied with a highlight film of last year’s accomplishments. The crowd cheered as the video ended and as each runner was introduced with a live shot on screen. Highlight videos promoting “Matt Knight Madness” and the Oregon Duck volleyball team also gave the crowd reason to cheer and to show even more support for their Ducks.

And, as if the fans in Eugene needed another reason to shout, between the 3^rd and 4^th quarters, video from “Animal House” (filmed on campus) came on, and the whole stadium stood up and sang along to “Shout.” The Ducks capped off the emotional high of the crowd with a touchdown on the very next play, sending Autzen Stadium into a frenzy. No one cared that the game had been well in hand since the first half.

The energy in Autzen Stadium, from pregame events until the final whistle, made gameday in Eugene truly unique. The University of Oregon may not have the tradition of Ohio State, or Notre Dame, but they have a distinct identity that shapes their gameday experience. High energy on the field, in the stands, and on the video board undoubtedly helped the Oregon Ducks “Win the Day.”

Heading Out to Oregon!

Eugene, Oregon. Home to just over 156,000 people, and 155 sunny days per year (the national average is 205), does not sound like the ideal destination for the best high school football players in the country. The University of Oregon, however, has now become a college football destination, and the next stop for the Gameday Guru!

To understand how impressive the Oregon football program is, let’s look at a few comparisons:

Most big-time football programs build their success on in-state, high school talent. Oregon, however, has very little elite talent to draw from. According to Rivals.com, the state of Oregon has produced 18 high school football players ranked in their respective positions (8 in the top 10) from the 2010 class through the class of 2013. Meanwhile in only the 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes, Florida, Texas, and California each had over 40 high school recruits ranked in their position’s top 10.

The Duck’s home, Autzen Stadium, holds 54,000 fans. Bryant Denny Stadium (Alabama) seats 101,000. The Horseshoe (Ohio State) has a capacity of 102,000. The Coliseum (USC) holds 90,000, and the Swamp (Florida) hosts 89,000.

Undesirable weather, very little in-state talent, a smaller stadium, and maybe even less tradition, but still, the Oregon Ducks compete with the traditional powerhouses in college football both on the field and in the stands.

As the story goes, the Oregon football program began its rise to prominence in 1994. On a Saturday afternoon in Autzen Stadium, #3 Washington trailed the Ducks 20-24. Driving down the field to win the game, Washington QB Duane Huard threw an interception to Oregon’s Kenny Wheaton. The redshirt freshman returned the interception for a touchdown, sealing the win for the Ducks.

As Oregon’s football momentum continued to build on the field, the Ducks needed to establish an identity to attract recruits from around the country.  But how could they do this without the rich, historic, tradition of a national powerhouse, such as Notre Dame, Alabama, or Texas? 

Enter, Nike. Let the uniform transformation begin. 

The Oregon uniforms became a little more unique in 2000 

A little more aggressive in 2006-2008

And today, they have the most distinct, creative, (awesome?) uniforms in the country.

The exciting uniforms and high-speed offense in Eugene have created one of the loudest, most electric stadium atmospheres in the country.

How loud is Autzen Stadium? In 2007 against USC, the Oregon faithful registered crowd noise at 127.2 decibels. The pain threshold begins at 125 decibels.

On October 5^th, the Gameday Guru heads out to Eugene to see how a small town in the Pacific Northwest does gameday. What makes a stadium that only holds 54,000 people so loud? How does the University of Oregon create such great energy in the stadium?

Stay tuned to see what makes the Oregon Ducks one of the most unique programs in the country! 

Overtime!

On our drive to Columbus, OH, we passed by the football stadium at Bowling Green State University. Having lived in Muncie, IN and attending Ball State football games for three seasons, I (Matthew) admittedly have a soft spot for Mid-American Conference football.

 

“When do the Falcons play? We should go if it’s a night game!” As luck would have it, Bowling Green played a 7 P.M. game in Toledo against their in-state rivals.

After a couple of phone calls, and a few emails, we found ourselves with two tickets to the Battle of I-75 between the Bowling Green State University Falcons and the University of Toledo Rockets.

Upon our arrival into Toledo, we made a quick pit stop at the UT Student Bookstore, grabbed a couple t-shirts, made a Superman-esque change in the car, trading out our OSU scarlet and gray for UT yellow and blue.

In front of an energetic, sellout crowd in Glass Bowl Stadium, the Rockets beat their conference and state rivals 27-15.

From the Gameday Guru perspective, a few things can be taken away from the stadium atmosphere at a smaller school.

1. Even though the Glass Bowl is roughly one-third of the size of The Horseshoe at Ohio State, Rockets fans can be just as passionate as the Buckeye faithful.

2. The players’ interaction with the students and crowd gets people excited. The players ran straight to the student section during pregame, which fired everyone up. Before and after big plays, the players would raise their arms and look to the crowd to get the stadium excited, and the fans responded.

3. Having the band set up in the student section, and playing call/response songs with the students and fans before kickoffs and after first downs worked well to get the crowd involved. The volume of the band carried well throughout the stadium, which was also a big plus as far as atmosphere is concerned.

4. Recognizing a military veteran during a timeout always gives the crowd something to cheer about and keeps the energy up in the stadium.  And, in a later timeout, the UT Trivia Question of the Game took a shot at BGSU by asking a question where the answer was “All three of these majors are offered by the University of Toledo, but not Bowling Green,” a clever way to excite the crowd and fuel the rivalry.

Whether there are 100,000 people at the game, or 30,000, the Gameday Guru is always looking for games to go to and stadiums to study, even if that means playing a little bit of overtime!

Script Ohio

Tradition. The Horseshoe. The Best Damn Band In The Land.  Scarlet and Gray. The Ohio State University.

Without question, tradition shapes the game experience at Ohio State University. Every fan we talked with before the game valued the history of the school and its importance on gameday in Columbus.

The Ohio State stadium experience begins during pregame as highlight films showcase moments from current and former Buckeyes. The brand new video board in the south endzone gives fans, students, and recruits the ability to see the traditions that tailgaters mentioned to us during our interviews with them. Memorable touchdowns, legendary coaches, intimidating music, along with the dramatic band entrance from the north tunnel and the iconic dotting of the “I” in the script Ohio set the stage for the game versus the Cal Golden Bears.

As the teams took the field for kickoff, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes filled the stadium, inciting the “Buckeye Bounce” in the student section.  The energy in the stadium early in the game was high, but as the game progressed, definite improvements could have been made.

During the game, the stadium atmosphere became too scripted. When Cal had a 3^rd down, “Hell’s Bells” rang over the speakers. If Ohio State kicked off, “Seven Nation Army” played every time.  Adding some variation to the playlist would have kept the crowd more energized and avoided the habitual feel on 3^rd downs and kickoffs.

The most notable omission from the stadium atmosphere was the under-utilization of the video board. While replays are a great asset for the fans to enjoy, greater potential exists to boost the stadium energy. In a back-and-forth game, where momentum can shift on a single play, the home team needs to do everything it can to keep it on their side. With about 3 minutes left in the first quarter, Cal scored a touchdown on 3^rd and 18. During the ensuing media timeout, the video board only showed game stats, no recorded music was played, and the band only played a brief song at the end of the time out. This was a perfect opportunity to use the video board to OSU’s advantage by showing an Ohio State pump up video to bring some positive energy to the stadium. A similar situation arose in the 4^th quarter when Cal took the lead for the first time, 21-20. Ads on the video board, and a generic filler song from the band, did next to nothing to excite the crowd.

Ohio State, however, did not grow into a national football brand without reason. The tradition and history of the football program undoubtedly created a unique atmosphere in the stadium. Outfitted in the recognizable combination of scarlet and gray, over 100,000 fans packed the stadium to be a part of the Ohio State experience. Before crucial defensive third downs, and after a Buckeye TD, the OSU faithful showed great enthusiasm and support towards their team by standing and cheering as the Buckeyes held off the Golden Bears.  All things considered, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Columbus, and can’t wait to see how this experience compares to other schools around the country.

Help us determine what goes into creating the best stadium atmosphere! Click HERE to fill out our survey!

(Block)-O-H-I-O!

Students: “Hey, Stadium!”… “O!”

West Stands: “H!”

North Stands: “I!”

East Stands: “O!”

Whether it’s starting the iconic O-H-I-O cheer around the stadium, jumping to “Seven Nation Army” before kickoff, or cheering on the defense with three fingers raised on third down, Block-O drives the energy in Ohio Stadium.

As the President and Vice President of the Leprechaun Legion at Notre Dame, we had a great time seeing how Block-O operates during a football game. With the Block-O Football Chair starting cheers over a microphone and speakers pointed at the rest of the students, the south endzone of The Horseshoe never lacked energy or noise.

Not to be lost in the scarlet, gray, and jersey-clad students was the Ohio State marching band. Drumline rhythms jumpstarted “Let’s Go Bucks!” cheers, and “Hang On Sloopy” always garners an energetic response.

The pageantry of college football brings students, fans, and alumni to stadiums around the country every Saturday. As the loudest, most energetic sections in these stadiums, students help create the spectacle of gameday. Block-O in the south stands of Ohio Stadium is no exception.

Hey Students! O-H!...


We also want your feedback on the atmosphere in the stadium! Click HERE to fill out a quick survey!

The Journey Begins...

As Notre Dame students, the outcome of the game between the Fighting Irish and the Wolverines doesn’t need to be brought up again. However, despite the heartbreaking loss, good did come out of this game for the two of us.  Experiencing the electric atmosphere in The Big House on the night of September 10, 2011, served as the launching point for Gameday Guru.

That night, Michigan didn’t just win on the field. They won for their stadium atmosphere as well. We didn’t want to, but we had to give Michigan credit - unheard of for a Notre Dame fan.  But more importantly, we started to ask ourselves why was that atmosphere so successful? What goes into creating such a noticeable home-field advantage? Is it the recorded music? The video board? The fans themselves? Why can’t Notre Dame be like that? We wanted answers.

So, for the remainder of the 2011 college football season, we began to take a closer look at Notre Dame’s stadium atmosphere. We conducted student focus groups, sent out a survey to the entire student body, and worked closely with the Athletic Department to identify areas for improvement. We became the Gameday Guru of Notre Dame football stadium atmosphere, and now we’re taking our stadium atmosphere research passion on the road.  

As part of an independent Directed Readings marketing class, we are going to take an in-depth look at the stadium atmosphere of elite college football programs around the country.

Our field research begins on September 15, in Columbus, OH, as we uncover the secrets behind the stadium atmosphere at The Ohio State University when the Buckeyes host California. On October 6, Eugene, OR will be the focus of our research as Autzen Stadium takes center stage when the Washington Huskies face the Oregon Ducks. Despite all the travelling, we can’t lose sight of our home base. We’re putting Notre Dame under the gameday microscope on October 13, when the Irish take on Stanford. Last, but not least, our final stop will be on November 10, in Tuscaloosa, AL when the Crimson Tide face Texas A&M.

At each stadium, we want to find out what makes these places unique. What do they do to create one of the best stadium atmospheres in the country? What recorded music do they play? How do they use their video board? How do the traditions and history of each college football program contribute to the stadium atmosphere? We could go on forever…

We have plenty of questions, and now we’re on a quest for the ANSWERS! The Gameday Guru is kicking off.  Check back regularly for updates on our research and for stories about what is sure to be one amazing experience!

Matthew Cunningham & Kristen Stoutenburgh