(08-31-2012 11:55 AM)Tennessee_Eagle Wrote:  ODU has a tremendous amount of fan support, money and wins games. Big difference compared to Ga State IMO.

We have dwindling support. We had that support Year One as we were 10th in FCS attendance. Unfortunately our AD raised a Mission Accomplished thread on 9/2/10. We had 10k students last night. We're not lacking student support. The difference is that people are holding on to their money and playing wait and see because they can see the signs of an AD turning towards the iceberg. Like I've said on Panther Talk, if youre attitude whenever you get a suggestion is "Dont worry, we've got this.." then you very well had better HAVE it. But our AD has now proven that though she is a capable administrator she is not a strong development and program building AD. This is the Deep South. It doesnt take a genius to get people to come to football games. Morehouse averages 12k a games in Division TWO down the street. People come out every year to watch 4 HS games in one Saturday in the Dome for the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic. We're in a city with 6M people and have almost 200k alumni. So if I pay you a quarter of a million a year I am banking on you finding the pricepoint to get buts in seats. Mind you 19k is not a bad crowd even for the Sun Belt but we expect and demand more. She has to go

(08-31-2012 12:01 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  If your administration is not behind the program then it is DOOMED to failure.

She has to go. Period. I am counting on Benson to put some pressure on President Mark Becker. Has been no coincidence that four(?) SBC ADs are gone in the past year.

(08-31-2012 11:55 AM)Tiguar Wrote:  You didn't move up too fast, but GSU may have created a football program when the time wasn't right. Let me give some insight.

USA had been talking about creating a football program for years and years. Every time the topic came up, it was discussed and determined that the time wasn't right. There were still reservations about this that or the other.

One day, everyone was on the same page and we got the green light.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it's my understanding that folks pretty high up in the GSU chain of command (president or AD, I forget which) said something like "GSU will never have a football program" or something. Like a year later, y'all were suiting up. To my understanding these folks are still in charge.

As long as those people who said that are still around, GSU is going to be fighting its own administration in some capacity. They will not want the program to succeed. They may not want it to fail, necessarily, but they aren't going to go out of their way to put effort into it. Just a thought.

Timeline is off. Our previous President said never ever. Then he finally relented due to too much pressure (donors?). The feasibility study was in 2007. Team started in 2008 with CBC hiring. First recruiting class was 2009. First game Sept 2010. Again, this is not the problem. Its not, of the talent isnt there yet. Its not that there is no market or support for GSU football. The football on the field problem is coaching. The off the field problem is mismanagement. The coaching problem will resolve itself since the entire staff will be gone. The off the field can only be resolved by President Mark Becker

(08-31-2012 11:39 AM)panama Wrote:  We are feeling as bad or worse. Heard several people ask aloud in the parking lot including my wife "Can a conference univite you?"

Worse home loss in our short history. The worst part is that the students came out BIG. Looked like 10k of the 18k. They have no reason to return in 2 week vs. UTSA.

Serious question, you'd rank this loss as worse than Lambuth?

You guys shouldn't lose that badly to SC State, but anyone that knows FCS football wouldn't not have been shocked if they beat you guys.

I certainly hope they don't see losing to a good FCS team as a worse loss than a now-defunct DII Lambuth squad.

What this is is another bad loss. I'd expect progress if I were them and last night's performance showed no progress. It's one game so the best thing they can do is suffer for a day and move on. Every team has experienced this.

Things are never as bad or as good as they seem. GaSta will win one or two games this season, it's not written in stone that they will go 0-11 cause they lost one of the gimmie games. Things will turn around.

Of all of the conferences to be in to get prepped for going FBS, CAA is probably the best one so it should give you a slight idea of the amount of competition you will face.

Rhode Island, and UTSA should be easy wins for GaSta.

(08-31-2012 12:01 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  If your administration is not behind the program then it is DOOMED to failure.

We had a decade of our administration not giving two rats behinds about football. The difference the last 2 years have made for Southern are incredible. College football is a cut-throat game... not everyone in your administration being on the same page will kill any momentum a team can produce for a program.

99 and 00 Southern wins back to back national titles, school attendance is on the rise. While lots of other top FCS schools are making the jump to FBS and we sit on our hands. As a result lose our head coach (Paul Johnson, now at GT).

Hindsight is 20/20 but that was a huge mistake by that administration. Current president will not let that happen.

(08-31-2012 07:39 AM)Tribal Wrote:  SC State was in the top 30 of most preseason polls (not that that matters). This was an important game for GA State because it won't get easier next week. Naturally, I didn't see the game but the stats indicate State didn't run the ball enough, neither QB could find rhythm, and their defensive backs had problems. Week 2 is where GA State could have used a DII team (I'm resisting the easy smack here) because their players need confidence. They need a Clark ATL on their schedule asap. There are a few teams on GA State's schedule that aren't any better than SC State but 4-5 of them would dominate SC St at every phase of football. Just one game.

(08-31-2012 12:13 PM)panama Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 11:55 AM)Tiguar Wrote:  You didn't move up too fast, but GSU may have created a football program when the time wasn't right. Let me give some insight.

USA had been talking about creating a football program for years and years. Every time the topic came up, it was discussed and determined that the time wasn't right. There were still reservations about this that or the other.

One day, everyone was on the same page and we got the green light.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it's my understanding that folks pretty high up in the GSU chain of command (president or AD, I forget which) said something like "GSU will never have a football program" or something. Like a year later, y'all were suiting up. To my understanding these folks are still in charge.

As long as those people who said that are still around, GSU is going to be fighting its own administration in some capacity. They will not want the program to succeed. They may not want it to fail, necessarily, but they aren't going to go out of their way to put effort into it. Just a thought.

Timeline is off. Our previous President said never ever. Then he finally relented due to too much pressure (donors?). The feasibility study was in 2007. Team started in 2008 with CBC hiring. First recruiting class was 2009. First game Sept 2010. Again, this is not the problem. Its not, of the talent isnt there yet. Its not that there is no market or support for GSU football. The football on the field problem is coaching. The off the field problem is mismanagement. The coaching problem will resolve itself since the entire staff will be gone. The off the field can only be resolved by President Mark Becker

panama you keep saiding the the problem is the AD. I said that the problem is location. The city of Atlanta has never supported a team unless they were winning or showing some sort of improvement. Georgia State will never change unless they stop shooting themselfs in the foot by example losing to Lambert and there piss poor showing last night. It remains to be seen if State will be able to bring in the quality of players and what I am getting at is will a player that has a offer from only 2 FBS schools and everything else is equal choose State over the other school. My reasoning for this is that States campus is not a traditional looking college campus in any shape or way. Another problem is the dome because until it looks full and in the case of the dome we are talking 25,000-30,000 it is going to look like there is not much fan support with so many empty seats.
AD cannot put butts in the seats, fans have to want to put there butt in the seat. AD has no control wheither a fan will renew there season tickets. An AD can ask for people to donate money but has no control on wheither they will give or not give. Now I have not idea what your AD has done other than (1)start a football program and get it moved up the football ladder in a very short time frame, (2)start the planning to move pantherville closer to campus. Just these two would be very large task from any athletic dept.

(08-31-2012 11:39 AM)panama Wrote:  We are feeling as bad or worse. Heard several people ask aloud in the parking lot including my wife "Can a conference univite you?"

Worse home loss in our short history. The worst part is that the students came out BIG. Looked like 10k of the 18k. They have no reason to return in 2 week vs. UTSA.

Climb in off the ledge! At least the loss wasn't against some 2nd year program . . with 1 year of FCS and a schedule of mostly D-II schools, .. a D-III loss . . No football history, no facilities . . .. and an invite to cusa . . . . . . oh wait, you see them in 2 weeks . . . . Counting on you guys to give them a pasting!!

i'm hearing this internet rumor and wanted to reshare it here.

"Not sure how true, but read where SCST is considering dropping to D3 citing a $6 million shortfall. Supposedly, school officials notified the BOT this past Wednesday of the possible move."

(08-31-2012 02:08 PM)GaSouthern Wrote:  Rhode Island, and UTSA should be easy wins for GaSta.

i agree that URI and UTSA are their only potential wins at this point. I doubt they're good enough to beat any other CAA team unless they're terribly unprepared or injury riddled.

Hate to see you so down panama. GSU may need a lot of things, but doesn't do too much good worrying about one loss. You will have many going forward. Biggest thing is getting the right coach. If the AD is the problem, doubt you are going to be able to do too much about that for awhile. Up to the administration mainly. Their support is worth more than anything. Good luck. Winning a couple of games can make all the difference. At least your coaches know what to work on more now.

It takes time. You'll get there. Its going to take a couple of seasons though. FIU couldnt get any support till they started winning at FBS level. Why should GSU or USA get to start with no hiccups? Newbies take lumps.

As far as your AD, she did the best job possible and grabbed the opportunity for relevance by jumping to FBS when it became available. She gave your program a chance. FCS wont fly long term in Atlanta.

SC State's not that bad and you're still FCS. FCS teams are supposed to beat other FCS teams.

(08-31-2012 02:15 PM)ValleyBoy Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 07:39 AM)Tribal Wrote:  SC State was in the top 30 of most preseason polls (not that that matters). This was an important game for GA State because it won't get easier next week. Naturally, I didn't see the game but the stats indicate State didn't run the ball enough, neither QB could find rhythm, and their defensive backs had problems. Week 2 is where GA State could have used a DII team (I'm resisting the easy smack here) because their players need confidence. They need a Clark ATL on their schedule asap. There are a few teams on GA State's schedule that aren't any better than SC State but 4-5 of them would dominate SC St at every phase of football. Just one game.

(08-31-2012 12:13 PM)panama Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 11:55 AM)Tiguar Wrote:  You didn't move up too fast, but GSU may have created a football program when the time wasn't right. Let me give some insight.

USA had been talking about creating a football program for years and years. Every time the topic came up, it was discussed and determined that the time wasn't right. There were still reservations about this that or the other.

One day, everyone was on the same page and we got the green light.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it's my understanding that folks pretty high up in the GSU chain of command (president or AD, I forget which) said something like "GSU will never have a football program" or something. Like a year later, y'all were suiting up. To my understanding these folks are still in charge.

As long as those people who said that are still around, GSU is going to be fighting its own administration in some capacity. They will not want the program to succeed. They may not want it to fail, necessarily, but they aren't going to go out of their way to put effort into it. Just a thought.

Timeline is off. Our previous President said never ever. Then he finally relented due to too much pressure (donors?). The feasibility study was in 2007. Team started in 2008 with CBC hiring. First recruiting class was 2009. First game Sept 2010. Again, this is not the problem. Its not, of the talent isnt there yet. Its not that there is no market or support for GSU football. The football on the field problem is coaching. The off the field problem is mismanagement. The coaching problem will resolve itself since the entire staff will be gone. The off the field can only be resolved by President Mark Becker

panama you keep saiding the the problem is the AD. I said that the problem is location. The city of Atlanta has never supported a team unless they were winning or showing some sort of improvement. Georgia State will never change unless they stop shooting themselfs in the foot by example losing to Lambert and there piss poor showing last night. It remains to be seen if State will be able to bring in the quality of players and what I am getting at is will a player that has a offer from only 2 FBS schools and everything else is equal choose State over the other school. My reasoning for this is that States campus is not a traditional looking college campus in any shape or way. Another problem is the dome because until it looks full and in the case of the dome we are talking 25,000-30,000 it is going to look like there is not much fan support with so many empty seats.
AD cannot put butts in the seats, fans have to want to put there butt in the seat. AD has no control wheither a fan will renew there season tickets. An AD can ask for people to donate money but has no control on wheither they will give or not give. Now I have not idea what your AD has done other than (1)start a football program and get it moved up the football ladder in a very short time frame, (2)start the planning to move pantherville closer to campus. Just these two would be very large task from any athletic dept.

With do respect and not meant as a flame but you simply do not have enough knowledge of our situation. Not every recruit wants to live in a town with 3k folks the same way that not every recruit wants to live a megalopolis of 6M. The recruits that have taken OVs have been largely blown away with our facilities and you would be surprised how many are excited at living in the middle of a major international city and playing in the Dome. Its not for everyone. But its far from a problem.

If your AD cannot affect whether you renew or bringing in new fans then who can? I'll give you an example. There are some seats at the 50 yard line called The Huddle. They are $2500 for a pair per season and they provide access to the owner's club. They we''re nearly empty last night after been full for 2 seasons. I know several people personally who downgraded because of how they felt our AD was running the program. Cause and effect. Another example is that previously Orange Lot parking was a $500 PAC donation. It was decreased to $250. The result was that people downgraded to cheaper sections and the Blue and White sections (between the 40's) had maybe half the season ticket holders of last year. Meanwhile the endzone was completely empty because the cheapest ticket was $20 (not including fees if you bought online). For a family of four that is $80 walking in the door. Beer is $7.50. Food is generally movie prices. Best of fortune keeping it under $120. So how many walk up people are going to pay that for mid major level football? We pay next to noting for leasing the Dome. Why not make your lowest priced ticket $10? Who can affect that?

(08-31-2012 12:07 PM)panama Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 12:01 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  If your administration is not behind the program then it is DOOMED to failure.

She has to go. Period. I am counting on Benson to put some pressure on President Mark Becker. Has been no coincidence that four(?) SBC ADs are gone in the past year.

I don't see that she has done anything wrong. There are the concerns that have always been there for an Atlanta team and the competition (Braves, Falcons, Ga Tech, UGA, events, bad traffic). Then there is the poor coaching and recruiting by Curry and staff. Curry was here before her so she had no control over him being the coach. She at least deserves to make a football hire before she can be judged. So far, she made a very good basketball hire.

With all due respect GSUEagles, how what you have any knowledge of what Cheryl Levick does or doesnt do right? I am more than just a casual observer of our program and have been for years.

(08-31-2012 06:17 PM)panama Wrote:  With all due respect GSUEagles, how what you have any knowledge of what Cheryl Levick does or doesnt do right? I am more than just a casual observer of our program and have been for years.

The football team is terrible because of Curry and the football environment he has created. They are the softest team I have ever seen. What did she have to do with hiring him? How did she do with her basketball hire?

(08-31-2012 06:34 PM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 06:17 PM)panama Wrote:  With all due respect GSUEagles, how what you have any knowledge of what Cheryl Levick does or doesnt do right? I am more than just a casual observer of our program and have been for years.

The football team is terrible because of Curry and the football environment he has created. They are the softest team I have ever seen. What did she have to do with hiring him? How did she do with her basketball hire?

There are on the field issues which I will lay at CBC's and even moreso at our OC John Bond's doorstep. We had a running back run 12 times for 120 yards last night. So why is our OC trying to prove he's a genius with a RFr QB? This has been ongoing for 2 years. If your defense is on the field for 80 plays youre not going to win at any level. The off the field issues which are even more troubling than the on the field issues fall at our AD's doorstep. The attendance last night and particularly the number of PAC members who either did not renew or downgraded falls on her. Our basketball coach was found by a search firm and was not the first choice. She is the queen of low hanging fruit and she completely lucked out. I am told the first time he set foot on campus was to come sign his contract. That is just the tip of the iceberg. I hear stuff on a daily basis that is beyond hard to believe and even harder to stomach. She is perfectly happy to coast to retirement in 2014 with 15k attendance and riding the backs of students and their fees.

(08-31-2012 06:49 PM)panama Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 06:34 PM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  

(08-31-2012 06:17 PM)panama Wrote:  With all due respect GSUEagles, how what you have any knowledge of what Cheryl Levick does or doesnt do right? I am more than just a casual observer of our program and have been for years.

The football team is terrible because of Curry and the football environment he has created. They are the softest team I have ever seen. What did she have to do with hiring him? How did she do with her basketball hire?

There are on the field issues which I will lay at CBC's and even moreso at our OC John Bond's doorstep. We had a running back run 12 times for 120 yards last night. So why is our OC trying to prove he's a genius with a RFr QB? This has been ongoing for 2 years. If your defense is on the field for 80 plays youre not going to win at any level. The off the field issues which are even more troubling than the on the field issues fall at our AD's doorstep. The attendance last night and particularly the number of PAC members who either did not renew or downgraded falls on her. Our basketball coach was found by a search firm and was not the first choice. She is the queen of low hanging fruit and she completely lucked out. I am told the first time he set foot on campus was to come sign his contract. That is just the tip of the iceberg. I hear stuff on a daily basis that is beyond hard to believe and even harder to stomach. She is perfectly happy to coast to retirement in 2014 with 15k attendance and riding the backs of students and their fees.

Could fans downgrading their seating and donation levels have anything to do with the poor on field performance? Why pay for something that isn't the quality you thought it would be going into it back in 2010.

From an outsiders perspective, it seems like yall are so worried about charging high prices for special parking lots, and seats, and exclusive this and exclusive that when you hardly have anyone showing up to the games. Why should a fan pay 2500 for seats for a team that goes 3-8? Yall need to worry about on field product and getting fans hooked on the program and THEN start raising the prices over the course of several seasons... not up front while you are losing at the fcs level. You are chasing fans off IMO.

Anyway, best of luck to you guys the rest of the season.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 2

Panama...

I LOVE YA...

...but those of us in Statesboro who have been seeing this TRAIN WRECK coming since the first tiny saber-rattle out of the State camp about the quick move up: ARE LOVING THE HELL OUTTA THIS!!!


Good luck the rest of the season.

PS-- we fired that AD, so feel free to contact us again about that "Home and Home" you've been pushing for!