I think anyone that keeps up would agree that this season has been a difficult one to watch.
Headed into this season there was a lot of excitement with the prospect of NIGHT games for the Tigers. I'd like to see the numbers, but it appears to me that attendance has been significantly higher with the night games versus the day games we've seen in the years past.
I could be wrong, but I think the homecoming game 2 weekends ago may have broken an attendance record for Ornelas Stadium. The atmosphere of the night games is ELECTRIC ( no pun intended). Obviously.... just as no one wants to sit in 100 degree games in September, no one wants to freeze at night games in November.... the season finale is set for 1PM I think on November 14th.
So..... we got the lights. We got the crowd. Stadium expansion is probably the next thing on the to do list.......
but I guess the elephant in the room is the fact that ETBU seems to be struggling where it counts.....on the field.
Ten seasons..... one playoff trip. They have only been in the playoff chase maybe 2 other seasons outside of that championshp season.
Most agree ETBU is in one of the richest recruiting grounds in the nation for Div III football. Yet our competion down the I-35 corridor (UMHB) and West Texas (HSU) have dominated the conference for the most part.
Is it the enrollment differences in the schools?
Is it the money spent on the programs?
Is it a saturated market in East Texas (Kilgore, SFA, Commerce, TJC, Texas College)
Is it lack of offense?
Is it lack of defense?
Should ETBU consider NAIA status?
I'm sure there are a dozen other questions that could be raised. There is no doubt the ASC is one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA Div III brakcet. But it's the only one that's geographically tailored for ETBU. They could jump ship like Austin College has done, which has added up to more wins for them.
Would dropping the NCAA tag to ETBU athletics really mean less press or less prestige if they were NAIA? Can anyone one name last year's NCAA Div III champion? NAIA? But would the student body remember they were in the playoffs or a possible champion in NAIA?? Possibly.
I'm just wondering if the ideals put fourth by the NAIA are more suited for small private universities like ETBU than the NCAA Div III is. Fact is.... there are schools in the ASC that are significantly bigger than ETBU.
Football only:
MISS 4162
UMHB 2713
HSU 2330
SUL ROSS 2070
McMU1430
Tx LUTH 1400
HPU 1300
ETBU 1350
LC 1000
If you toss in UTD (15,000), UT TYler (5300) Letourneau (3700) then ETBU gets knocked further down in other sports.
I do enjoy the rivalries with the ASC. Especially if Tyler and Let. had football teams, which doesn't seem likely.
Just thinking out loud. If ETBU can compete in the ASC.....and win, I'd be willing to say that we needed to stay the course. But so far in 10 seasons.... it hard to say we can. We have never beaten HSU. UMHB thumps us year after year. Looks like LC has our number the last few years too.
Any ideas?
Off week this week... then the finally against HPU next week. Hoping to close the season with a big W. Start looking foward to 2010!
Headed into this season there was a lot of excitement with the prospect of NIGHT games for the Tigers. I'd like to see the numbers, but it appears to me that attendance has been significantly higher with the night games versus the day games we've seen in the years past.
I could be wrong, but I think the homecoming game 2 weekends ago may have broken an attendance record for Ornelas Stadium. The atmosphere of the night games is ELECTRIC ( no pun intended). Obviously.... just as no one wants to sit in 100 degree games in September, no one wants to freeze at night games in November.... the season finale is set for 1PM I think on November 14th.
So..... we got the lights. We got the crowd. Stadium expansion is probably the next thing on the to do list.......
but I guess the elephant in the room is the fact that ETBU seems to be struggling where it counts.....on the field.
Ten seasons..... one playoff trip. They have only been in the playoff chase maybe 2 other seasons outside of that championshp season.
Most agree ETBU is in one of the richest recruiting grounds in the nation for Div III football. Yet our competion down the I-35 corridor (UMHB) and West Texas (HSU) have dominated the conference for the most part.
Is it the enrollment differences in the schools?
Is it the money spent on the programs?
Is it a saturated market in East Texas (Kilgore, SFA, Commerce, TJC, Texas College)
Is it lack of offense?
Is it lack of defense?
Should ETBU consider NAIA status?
I'm sure there are a dozen other questions that could be raised. There is no doubt the ASC is one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA Div III brakcet. But it's the only one that's geographically tailored for ETBU. They could jump ship like Austin College has done, which has added up to more wins for them.
Would dropping the NCAA tag to ETBU athletics really mean less press or less prestige if they were NAIA? Can anyone one name last year's NCAA Div III champion? NAIA? But would the student body remember they were in the playoffs or a possible champion in NAIA?? Possibly.
I'm just wondering if the ideals put fourth by the NAIA are more suited for small private universities like ETBU than the NCAA Div III is. Fact is.... there are schools in the ASC that are significantly bigger than ETBU.
Football only:
MISS 4162
UMHB 2713
HSU 2330
SUL ROSS 2070
McMU1430
Tx LUTH 1400
HPU 1300
ETBU 1350
LC 1000
If you toss in UTD (15,000), UT TYler (5300) Letourneau (3700) then ETBU gets knocked further down in other sports.
I do enjoy the rivalries with the ASC. Especially if Tyler and Let. had football teams, which doesn't seem likely.
Just thinking out loud. If ETBU can compete in the ASC.....and win, I'd be willing to say that we needed to stay the course. But so far in 10 seasons.... it hard to say we can. We have never beaten HSU. UMHB thumps us year after year. Looks like LC has our number the last few years too.
Any ideas?
Off week this week... then the finally against HPU next week. Hoping to close the season with a big W. Start looking foward to 2010!
