(08-23-2017 10:42 AM)Eldonabe Wrote:  The thing that always killed me about how they got this off the ground was by the premise of getting " a little pregnant". They needed to go all in or all out. If they had taken that approach at the onset - I think we would be much farther along at this point.

I am not saying they needed a 60,000 seat stadium, but part of the roll out should have included more renovations than they did. The performance center is awesome, the seating and fan experience amenities are and continue to be atrocious for an FBS program.

Bamford is playing the hand that was dealt to him and so far he seems to have a good perspective on this situation. This season is more important to the long view than many realize. We have to start moving the needle in the win column and the overall support - with more on campus games (finally) we need to get the apathetic (and pathetic) students to show up and get some atmosphere in that concrete barn of ours.

Hawaii would represent a stepping stone win for us. Are they a powerhouse - no of course not - but they would not be an FCS win or some ****** bottom wrung MAC school pushover win which nobody gives a shite about. With the early (calendar) start - the students (en-masse) will not be there since they are not arriving until the following week, but a good 10K+ crowd and a great shot at 2-0 before the second home game win will certainly give them buzz and a shot at filling the building for the ODU game on 9/9.

Umass has always been a funny place when it comes to fan support - if you give them something "supportable" it can be one of the better places to take in a game for any of their sports, but when they turn on you it can be downright depressing (and embarrassing). They are smart too - if they recognize the potential and can see the momentum (even of the wins are not there yet) they will show up - when they know it is a ****-show like Molnar and Kellogg only the die hards go to the games.

It really comes down to intitutional support or lack thereof. Money isn't going to grow on a tree. Does the University foundation have money? Are they willing to spend $30M to $50M to fix or begin to fix the stadium issue. Winning is necessary but UMass also has to show seriousness from a facility standpoint.

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