Huskies Heading to St. Petersburg Bowl to Take On Marshall

[uconnphil2016]

What Dooley said. Just as a side note, with the Fiesta bowl ticket prices were set pretty high and the school wanted you to buy hotel rooms since they were obligated to sell x number of packages. Fans did the sensible thing which was to look on the secondary market. Incidentally, the Fiesta bowl chairman was later investigated and convicted for improper funneling of campaign contributions and cushy perks.

There may be some media types who ding UConn for not travelling but I don't think it's as damaging to our reputation as some here make it out to be. It's annoying, yeah. But the goal for the program should probably be to add butts in seats at the Rent, those are the people who will travel to bowl games in the future. Just not this year on the day after Christmas.

We'll show em how we travel next year at BC

 

[Dooley]

Okay great, thanks for clearing that up. Definitely an odd/interesting metric to use to measure fan support, especially considering that UConn is notorious for providing really poor offers/accommodations to students looking to travel to bowls/NCAA tourney. Seems like just as we make a more concerted effort to buy up tix/travel, the low numbers are also a result of poor planning and accommodation on behalf of the administration. Yes?

Absolutely. The Fiesta nonsense was spear-headed by our worst Athletic Director in school history. I'm anxious to see how better prepared the athletic department is for this bowl as opposed to the Fiesta. Shocking that Hathaway let that opportunity slip...but then again, not too shocking when you consider the level of incompetence he delivered.

 

[huskymedic]

Herd to face UConn in St. Petersburg Bowl
http://wvmetronews.com/2015/12/06/herd-to-face-uconn-in-st-petersburg-bowl/

 

[junglehusky]

Absolutely. The Fiesta nonsense was spear-headed by our worst Athletic Director in school history. I'm anxious to see how better prepared the athletic department is for this bowl as opposed to the Fiesta. Shocking that Hathaway let that opportunity slip...but then again, not too shocking when you consider the level of incompetence he delivered.

Not to defend Hathaway who was the architect of many of UConn's past problems, but how much is actually up to the athletic department? I thought prices and hotels for the Fiesta were pre-set by the bowl committee.

 

[Kgun7]

DowntownHWV 3:48pm via Twitter Web Client
IT'S OFFICIAL: @HerdFB to take on @UConnFootball in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26!! #HerdNation#BeatUCONN

Did they really create a press release with last year's photos??????

 

[huskymedic]

American_FB 5:39pm via TweetDeck
It will be @UConnFootball and Marshall in the @StPeteBowl

 

[J187Money]

Not to defend Hathaway who was the architect of many of UConn's past problems, but how much is actually up to the athletic department? I thought prices and hotels for the Fiesta were pre-set by the bowl committee.

Agreed - unless Hathaway wanted to adjust the prices down so the school would eat the difference there was little that he could do.

 

[J187Money]

Flight booked. EWR --> TPA on the 25th, back in the morning of the 27th in time for Jets/Pats at MetLife.

 

[huskymedic]

Chase Litton leads Marshall to St. Petersburg Bowl
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/chase-litton-leads-marshall-to-st-petersburg-bowl/2256710

>>A consolation prize of sorts was awarded Sunday to the St. Petersburg Bowl. Instead of showcasing the local program that has resurrected itself, the contest gets a local player who has done the same.

Marshall (9-3), led by 6-foot-6 true freshman quarterback — and Wharton High alumnus — Chase Litton, will face resurgent Connecticut (6-6) in the Dec. 26 contest. The formal announcement was made Sunday afternoon on ESPN, which owns and operates the game<<

 

[Dooley]

Not to defend Hathaway who was the architect of many of UConn's past problems, but how much is actually up to the athletic department? I thought prices and hotels for the Fiesta were pre-set by the bowl committee.

My opinion is that Hathaway had alienated most of our donors and alumni by the time we played the Fiesta that not enough of an effort was made to sell through the school. When we knew we weren't selling tickets through the school, more of an effort should have been made to state that UConn fans are buying tickets through secondary markets. Instead, they let the gazillion stories about poor ticket sales snowball and become an official brand of the UConn fanbase. We were late to the social media game and "all about me" PR campaigns that every school runs about themselves...and we still suffer from that same perception today. Unfortunately, because of the crappy football we've had the past 4 years since, UConn fans (and a competetent AD) have never been given an opportunity to make amends.

 

[weyuo]

Well the proof will be in the pudding. If UConn wants to play with the big boys they need to represent on TV like the big boys with a large, loud, raucous crowd at St. Pete the day after Christmas. No excuses, fannies need to be in seats or Husky Nation deserves the rep they get. Lets just make it a good rep for a change because the 2016 bowl game could be influenced by how well this one is attended. Come on folks, it's just one Christmas, make the sacrifice and take one for the team. They deserve it.

Go Huskies!! Bite the Herd!

 

[J187Money]

My opinion is that Hathaway had alienated most of our donors and alumni by the time we played the Fiesta that not enough of an effort was made to sell through the school. When we knew we weren't selling tickets through the school, more of an effort should have been made to state that UConn fans are buying tickets through secondary markets. Instead, they let the gazillion stories about poor ticket sales snowball and become an official brand of the UConn fanbase. We were late to the social media game and "all about me" PR campaigns that every school runs about themselves...and we still suffer from that same perception today. Unfortunately, because of the crappy football we've had the past 4 years since, UConn fans (and a competetent AD) have never been given an opportunity to make amends.

Hathaway was a jackass. But blaming him for not being able to sell tickets for $164 that you could buy for $20 just isn't fair.

The process kind of sucks overall if you don't go "with" the school - because you can't buy ANY tickets until everyone who wants to buy the travel packages is done (same way for BB). But that process still exists even though Hathaway is long gone.

 

[junglehusky]

My opinion is that Hathaway had alienated most of our donors and alumni by the time we played the Fiesta that not enough of an effort was made to sell through the school. When we knew we weren't selling tickets through the school, more of an effort should have been made to state that UConn fans are buying tickets through secondary markets. Instead, they let the gazillion stories about poor ticket sales snowball and become an official brand of the UConn fanbase. We were late to the social media game and "all about me" PR campaigns that every school runs about themselves...and we still suffer from that same perception today. Unfortunately, because of the crappy football we've had the past 4 years since, UConn fans (and a competetent AD) have never been given an opportunity to make amends.

I think we have to be realistic. We're not going to travel like a Big Ten school - we don't have generations of fans with tradition of going to the Rose Bowl, and the media is going to piss on our reputation either way too. There's not much headway to be made from PR efforts when it comes to this stuff. It's going to take many years of improved football to increase season tickets, let alone get the fanbase used to the idea of travelling around the holidays.

 

[SubbaBub]

I see a place to donate on the UConn website. What I don't see is a link to actually buy tickets. At least Marshall tells me where not to sit.

 

[Dooley]

I blame Hathaway more for the firestorm of negative press we received from our bowl game sales than anything else. All of it could have been squashed with a simple press release that our fans are buying from secondary markets. Instead, our AD stayed quiet on the subject. No statements about the 15+K who were really there...not the 3K.

 

[Dooley]

I see a place to donate on the UConn website. What I don't see is a link to actually buy tickets. At least Marshall tells me where not to sit.

I saw that too. Not sure what that is - I'm going to wait until there are actually links to buy tickets to do anything.

 

[businesslawyer]

Well the proof will be in the pudding. If UConn wants to play with the big boys they need to represent on TV like the big boys with a large, loud, raucous crowd at St. Pete the day after Christmas. No excuses, fannies need to be in seats or Husky Nation deserves the rep they get. Lets just make it a good rep for a change because the 2016 bowl game could be influenced by how well this one is attended. Come on folks, it's just one Christmas, make the sacrifice and take one for the team. They deserve it.

Go Huskies!! Bite the Herd!

Please don't make a bigger deal of this than it is. You want to compare this to the Big Boys? Tell me how many Michigan or "Bama fans got on a plane the last time they had to play a Marshall level team on the day after Christmas? Yes, more fans are obviously better than fewer fans, but we --- no one -- is getting a "big boy" crowd for a bowl like this.

Real grown ups know there is a difference between traveling to the Orange Bowl and travelling to St. Petes. And school Presidents, ADs and network executives are all grown ups. People care too much about what nobodies say in social media.

 

[junglehusky]

I blame Hathaway more for the firestorm of negative press we received from our bowl game sales than anything else. All of it could have been squashed with a simple press release that our fans are buying from secondary markets. Instead, our AD stayed quiet on the subject. No statements about the 15+K who were really there...not the 3K.

A press release would not have changed the narrative. That's the same kind of magical thinking that if Warde had only left the USVI we'd be in the ACC. Changing perceptions takes at least several years of sustained progress.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Well the proof will be in the pudding. If UConn wants to play with the big boys they need to represent on TV like the big boys with a large, loud, raucous crowd at St. Pete the day after Christmas. No excuses, fannies need to be in seats or Husky Nation deserves the rep they get. Lets just make it a good rep for a change because the 2016 bowl game could be influenced by how well this one is attended. Come on folks, it's just one Christmas, make the sacrifice and take one for the team. They deserve it.

Go Huskies!! Bite the Herd!

So you'll be there right?

 

[SubbaBub]

I saw that too. Not sure what that is - I'm going to wait until there are actually links to buy tickets to do anything.

Maybe someone who is on Twitter can tweet them and suggest some ticket buying info would be nice before the handful of people actually going buy them elsewhere.

 

[Dooley]

A press release would not have changed the narrative. That's the same kind of magical thinking that if Warde had only left the USVI we'd be in the ACC. Changing perceptions takes at least several years of sustained progress.

Agree to disagree. We had 15-20k fans in Arizona but the entire country still thinks we had 3K. I found pictures through Google that show the two different sidelines and both look similar in OU red/white to UConn blue/white. A few simple stories thanking UConn fans for their "tremendous support" and some good ol' fashioned chest thumping about the strength of UConn Nation would have gone a long way towards squashing that narrative right then and there. Throw in a few pics of UConn fans in the first, second and third decks and voila!...we have a strong traveling fanbase.

 

[noeynox]

I'll donate tickets. Unlike others here, I wasn't going no matter what, hopefully when my kids get older I will be able to bring them to a bowl game as pseudo short family vacation.

 

[UConnFranklin]

I hope we bring some fans, because if we don't it will feed into the unfair reputation we got from the Fiesta Bowl.

I've seen Marshall play at SMU. Even though it's about 1,200 miles away, Marshall had a big crowd in Dallas. They travel pretty well.

I think its really time to clarify this bad reputation people are assigning to UConn regarding our attendance at the 2011 Fiesta Bowl.

I was there. I know of which I speak. And I wasn't drunk.. darn it. The stadium was full and it was equally divided between UConn fans and Oklahoma fans. UConn fans were all over the place. The problem was not that UConn fans didn't travel well to Phoenix but that they didn't buy tickets through the University at prices upward of $100.

As I recall, the year we went to the Fiesta Bowl the Bowl was also hosting the National Championship game a week or two later. So the Fiesta Bowl committee stipulated that if you wanted to have guaranteed ability to purchase tickets to the National Championship game you had to purchase a ticket for the New Years Day Fiesta Bowl. Many people did just that. And when the teams playing in the National Championship game were announced there was a huge selloff of New Years Day Fiesta Bowl tickets on places like Stub Hub, etc. Instead of buying tickets through UConn thousands of UConn fans bought much cheaper tickets from Stub Hub, etc. As I recall online tickets were selling for as low as $15. If you were actually at the game you would have been impressed by the turnout/following/attendance of UConn fans.

It has been a continual misreporting by certain people and entities who want to discredit UConn who continue to misrepresent what actually happened as far as fan attendance at the game. UConn was very well represented at the Fiesta Bowl!!!

 

[UCweCONN]

We need to win this game. The program needs a winning season to break the streak of losing seasons.

 

[husky210]

Fiesta bowl pic.....lots of blue there?