[Liberty22]

What's everyone's thoughts on our crowd turnout for JMU? I have concerns because of break, but I also know a lot of people going. Some JMU fans on their board think we will have the largest opponent crowd in a couple of years. What are your guys thoughts?

[Sly Fox]

Obviously the student support is going to be lagging because such a large portion of our student body lives so far away as opposed to other schools like JMU. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if we outnumbered the folks in purple on Saturday. JMU fans are notorious for not showing up for playoff games.

[bluejacket]

Obviously the student support is going to be lagging because such a large portion of our student body lives so far away as opposed to other schools like JMU. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if we outnumbered the folks in purple on Saturday. JMU fans are notorious for not showing up for playoff games.

We are definitely not outnumbering JMU.

With regards to the bolded:
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[Liberty22]

Anyone who thinks we will out number them at home is crazy. Not calling you crazy sly just saying you're acting crazy! I just hope we have a great crowd since it's a playoff game, scratch that, our first ever playoff game.

[LUnpretty11]

Video is a little skewed since that was a top 5 match up against Montana. We should expect a decent crowd from JMU. I think Thanksgiving will throw off their attendance a bit though. I'm hoping to see 2,000+ Liberty fans... would love to see 3,000.

[DirtyDukes]

JMU fans are notorious for not showing up for playoff games.

You trolling here?

As a JMU fan who has been to every playoff game since I began at JMU, I take offense.

Also, we averaged 14,194 in 3 home games in 2008. Our capacity was 15,000. That number is lower due to the first round game being the weekend after Thanksgiving.

[LUinPA]

I called the ticket office yesterday, in a SLY attempt to find out how many tickets they were given and how many they sold thus far... The student working the phone was a padlock I could not break.

As with a typical away game, I assume we are given a certain number of tickets. Anyone know what that # could be for JMU?

[olldflame]

In the interviews following the announcement the JMU players talked about how sure they were the students would come back early from Thanksgiving break to be at the game. Ha!!! Good luck with that! Of course they will have more than us, but I think I can safely say there will be more than enough red in the stadium to completely ruin their attempted "blackout".

[ballcoach15]

I did not like Selection Committee's actions, thus I will not give NCAA $20.00. LU should be at home playing Morgan State.

[Purple Haize]

I'm sure that will make the re-evaluate.

[DirtyDukes]

Dude on our CSNbbs board said y'all were given 1500.

[BleedingPurple]

In the interviews following the announcement the JMU players talked about how sure they were the students would come back early from Thanksgiving break to be at the game. Ha!!! Good luck with that! Of course they will have more than us, but I think I can safely say there will be more than enough red in the stadium to completely ruin their attempted "blackout".

Guys, we will be welcoming you. It is my hope that you guys completely fill our Godwin side of the stadium. This will help make the game a true playoff atmosphere. I was fortunate to attend our championship game back in 04 down Chattanooga. There were pretty much equal fans with Montana on one side and ours folk on the other. There was a constant roar from the crowd as the game went back and forth with each side screaming when there team made a hit, a first down, a TD or a FG.

If you should fill that Godwin side, that will be approximately 5K fans. If my thoughts are achieved, we are expecting about 2500 students to return from the Thanksgiving holiday and be attending. That would be just about the right amount to fill our end zone seating. We do have a few JMU season ticket holders who prefer that Godwin side and I'm sure some of you will end up on the new side, but please come support your team. Our ticket sales are blowing away our expectations and we believe there should be in excess of 15K supporting the Dukes and would like to see at least 5K dressed in red.

On another note, there is a nice, and rather large free parking area fairly close to the stadium we refer to as the R2 lot that should be very accommodating for your fans. Though, you will not see much of our campus by parking there, but its easy in and out coming up from the Lynchburg area. R2 will be at the bottom left corner of this campus parking map https://www.jmu.edu/parking/_files/parkingmap.pdf

[SuperJon]

I did not like Selection Committee's actions, thus I will not give NCAA $20.00. LU should be at home playing Morgan State.

JMU outbid us by almost $60k and you're blaming the NCAA? They put in a bid twice as high as any school not named Liberty. They deserve to host.

[olldflame]

I did not like Selection Committee's actions, thus I will not give NCAA $20.00. LU should be at home playing Morgan State.

JMU outbid us by almost $60k and you're blaming the NCAA? They put in a bid twice as high as any school not named Liberty. They deserve to host.

I don't think the ol ballcoach's issue is with the bid process SJ. It's with the selection process. He doesn't think we should be playing JMU, and if we were matched against Morgan State (or anyone else BUT JMU) we would be hosting.

[Chris Lang]

Again, something everyone needs to remember:

The bids don't come into play until the pairings are made.

The second Indiana State got in the field, it was automatic the Sycamores were playing Eastern Kentucky. 288 miles apart.

Southeastern Louisiana and Sam Houston were automatic due to geography, within 400 miles. Same for Fordham and Sacred Heart.

The four Virginia/Maryland schools were going to be paired off. Richmond played both Liberty and JMU in the regular season, so the ONLY matchup possible for the Spiders was Morgan State. Once the pairings are made, the envelopes are opened and the bids come into play. JMU is probably the only school that outbid LU. It's just unfortunate for the Flames that's how the pairings unfolded.

[Dukie95]

JMU has been the victim of this so many times. We likely had strong bids and would generate money for the NCAA, but had to go to ASU and YSU. Meanwhile, UR and W&M got home games against the MEAC rep.

In 2011, we were SHOCKED that EKU out-bid us, who drew only a couple thousand.

The JMU admin had been burned so many times before, that it's clear they did what they could to prevent it from happening again, especially as it became more and more clear that Liberty was going to be part of the equation.

[Liberty22]

Guys, we will be welcoming you. It is my hope that you guys completely fill our Godwin side of the stadium. This will help make the game a true playoff atmosphere. I was fortunate to attend our championship game back in 04 down Chattanooga. There were pretty much equal fans with Montana on one side and ours folk on the other. There was a constant roar from the crowd as the game went back and forth with each side screaming when there team made a hit, a first down, a TD or a FG.

If you should fill that Godwin side, that will be approximately 5K fans. If my thoughts are achieved, we are expecting about 2500 students to return from the Thanksgiving holiday and be attending. That would be just about the right amount to fill our end zone seating. We do have a few JMU season ticket holders who prefer that Godwin side and I'm sure some of you will end up on the new side, but please come support your team. Our ticket sales are blowing away our expectations and we believe there should be in excess of 15K supporting the Dukes and would like to see at least 5K dressed in red.

On another note, there is a nice, and rather large free parking area fairly close to the stadium we refer to as the R2 lot that should be very accommodating for your fans. Though, you will not see much of our campus by parking there, but its easy in and out coming up from the Lynchburg area. R2 will be at the bottom left corner of this campus parking map https://www.jmu.edu/parking/_files/parkingmap.pdf

I don't think we will have that many. My money is on about 2,000. If this was not thanksgiving break I could see that but I just don't see having that many without students.

[Sly Fox]

Thanks for the intel to the guys from JMU. Imagine what kind of draw this would be if it were in the second round with students back on both campuses.

[BleedingPurple]

Thanks for the intel to the guys from JMU. Imagine what kind of draw this would be if it were in the second round with students back on both campuses.

I really don't see that having the students back on campus has much to do with your attendance at a game in Harrisonburg. Unless your students are totally different from ours, they add little to our away game representation.

With that being said, had the game been in Lynchburg, how many butts would you expect to have been in the seats and could you break that down between students and all others. I believe that JMU would have brought few students to Liberty, but all others would amount to about 50% of what we will have in BFS less students. Total speculation of course.

The one thing you guys fight, your fan base (and ours, to a lesser degree) is all over the country. Schools like ODU have an overwhelming majority of their fan base located within 50 miles of campus. Which allows for a better attended game on a Thanksgiving weekend.

[VAGolf]

*Posted in wrong Thread*

[Sly Fox]

I really don't see that having the students back on campus has much to do with your attendance at a game in Harrisonburg. Unless your students are totally different from ours, they add little to our away game representation.

With that being said, had the game been in Lynchburg, how many butts would you expect to have been in the seats and could you break that down between students and all others. I believe that JMU would have brought few students to Liberty, but all others would amount to about 50% of what we will have in BFS less students. Total speculation of course.

The one thing you guys fight, your fan base (and ours, to a lesser degree) is all over the country. Schools like ODU have an overwhelming majority of their fan base located within 50 miles of campus. Which allows for a better attended game on a Thanksgiving weekend.

Under present circumstances and being so close in proximity, LU students would have been a significant presence at Bridgeforth. But that is speculation since this weekend they will not be at all.

Had the game been at Williams Stadium against you all, I could easily see us drawing 12-15k. If students were present, we probably would have a tough time squeezing folks in. We only seat 19.5k and can probably only hold abother 5k on berms. We have only had 20k twice this season so it would be tough to hypothesize.

The farflung fan base works against us in these circumstances. But it helps draw much better for distant road games than most schools our size.

[BrightenTheLights]

Another good parking option if you don't plan on tailgating, or maybe even if you just plan on joining someone else's tailgate, is the Warsaw parking deck. If you want to walk it's a little less than ten minutes, and there's also a shuttle that will drop you off right at the one of the gates. There's anout 15-20 minutes between pick ups. If you park there, be sure to get back on the right shuttle after the game. There are two shuttles that pick up/drop off at that location. One is for a handicap lot, the other is the Warsaw parking deck. It'll be the same shuttle and driver that dropped you off and it had a sign next to the door saying Warsaw parking deck.

I really wish this game wasn't during break. I'd imagine it would very easily sell out and be an amazing atmosphere.

[jimflamesfan]

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it funny that we'll be sitting in what is referred to as the "Godwin" side.

I though he retired!!!!

[Purple Haize]

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it funny that we'll be sitting in what is referred to as the "Godwin" side.

I though he retired!!!!

That's why those tickets cost more due to a mystery surcharge. But if you save your ticket stub you will receive 1 free credit at LHBI for every TD LU scores!