In order to really know what the experience was like this year for a Ball State student during the football season I would have to also talk about the 2006 football season. The 2008 football season was the most fun year of football in my entire life. School spirit was at an all time high and everyone was buying into the team. For a few months in my college career Ball State mattered at least a little bit in the national scheme of things in the college football world. I felt like I was actually going to a big time school in a major conference.

The 2006 Ball State Football season was not the best year in terms of pure wins and losses, much like this season (5-7). Sure, the amount of wins was higher but I would compare the seasons on the field and most importantly, on the level of talent. The talent Ball State had in the 2006 season featured a good amount of very talented young players. Players such as Nate Davis, Dante Love, Darius Hill, Robert Brewster, Alex Knipp, and Trey Buice showed much promise in that season where the team was not the most successful. After the promise of the 2006 season people started to get excited about Ball State football and you could see something special could come of that team. The same could be said for Eric Williams, Travis Freeman and the rest of the young Ball State players.

From a student’s point of view this season was a disappointment compared to last year. After an incredible season last year we had expectations that were probably more unreasonable than the expectations of Notre Dame fans on any given year. I went into the first game against North Texas excited about what the new players could produce. Needless to say that game and the games following were disappointing but the team showed promise. Attendance began to drop along with participation at tailgating, which is something Ball State students normally attend in high numbers regardless of the team. The school seemed to slip back into the normal fall routine and the spirit seemed to lack punch.

I did notice more interest in games than I saw in the 2006 season. My parents who graduated in the early 80s were watching games on TV every week and even attended a few early home games. Younger students seem to be excited about the team more than we were my freshman year. These students also seem to be coming to the school expecting good football, which is something I did not have coming to Ball State. Overall it seems expectations for the future are high and the students expect a talented and competitive team in the future. I honestly cannot wait to come back for a few home games next year and see a competitive team and an exciting fan base.

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Mike Arnott is a senior Sports Administration major from Fishers, IN. Mike writes Chirps from the Nest for OverThePylon to ensure our readers and Ball State fans the world over can get the student perspective and perception unfiltered. Have an idea for Mike? Want the campus perspective on a certain issue? Then drop an email to overthepylon@gmail.com and let us, and Mike, know.

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