Curt Cignetti on Indiana football fans leaving games early: ‘We need you there’

The Curt Cignetti era of Indiana football officially kicked off last Saturday in dominating fashion with a 31-7 win over FIU. Despite the dominating first win for Cignetti as head coach, the main takeaway from last Saturday is not excitement of getting the first win, nor really anything positive from what took place on the field.

No, the main topic of conversation that has been at the forefront since last weekend has to do with an old habit that looks to still be one that seemingly won’t break. Indiana football fans leaving early and not fully bought in to the in-game action. For the longest time, no matter what era of Indiana football you look at, the program has always had a problem with keeping fans in the stadium for the entirety of the game.

To be fair, the product that has been put on the field from Indiana football has not been the greatest over the years. When it comes to football specifically, the Hoosiers have been one of the worst programs at the FBS level, so you can see why and where that trend comes from.

So what is the issue with fans doing still this season? Well it is pretty simple, times are changing and the fans need to accept that.

Football is the engine that drives all athletic programs at the college whether you believe it not. In order to have a successful football program, a lot have to line up to create that. The fans play a HUGE part in helping a program become successful.

So when Saturday rolled around, it was the exact same thing we had seen over the years. Packed house for the first half, nearly empty in the second half even though Indiana football was playing great for the most part. It really is such an odd habit that you really don’t see out of most power conferences at the FBS level.

Curt Cignetti took notice of it, and so did the Indiana football players.

“Lot of times when I coach a game I don’t notice either way, but I do notice a great crowd,” Cignetti said on Inside Indiana Football. “I thought we had a good crowd to start the game, and I was a little surprised it wasn’t sold out. I’m used to playing in front of sold out crowds at home and we got to get to that point where we sell out at home, now I understand we have to play consistently and be successful to get that done.”

More: 3 storylines to watch for when Indiana football hosts Western Illinois

One other argument that can be made along with how the program has struggled over the years is the ‘gameday experience.’ Last Saturday, there really was not a strong change to the ‘experience’ that were noticeable besides the product that was put on the field. With the times changing in college football, the experience that the fans have in Memorial Stadium could use a boost, as well.

“That goes hand-in-hand, but we gotta keep them in the stands somehow, someway and the in-game experience – we got to play well, so they enjoy watching us and we got to find ways to engage fans during the game too whether it’s music or something during timeouts, we just can’t rely on the football game alone,” Cignetti added. “But I did notice how empty the stadium was in the second half and I know our players did too and that does have an effect. That’s why the crowd is a 12th man, we need you there, we need you cheering, creating momentum and energy in the stadium. There’s a lot of things we need to improve on to get to where we want to be, look, I want to be the best in everything we do and that should be the goal. So you know, baby steps.”

So Indiana football fans, Cignetti and the players have called you out in hopes to start getting more of an in-person support. It may be a challenge to some, but having fans in Memorial Stadium most of the game, giving full energy is going to go a long way.

The excuses need to stop. Indiana football is much different culture now than what it has been in the past. Time to buy in.

We will see if any of this changes on Friday night when the Hoosiers host Western Illinois.

Below is also clip from In Touch with Indiana Sports with former Indiana football wideout Mitchell Page giving his thoughts on fans leaving early.

SEE ALSO: Despite a season opening win, Curt Cignetti wants Indiana football to ‘learn to play with a lead’ going forward

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