COLUMN: USD student section pulls a Houdini at Dakota Days

A weird thing happened during the University of South Dakota’s Dakota Days game Oct. 6.

The crowd was full of energy, the defense was playing to their potential and the team was up 10-3 at halftime. Everything was working as planned for Joe Glenn.

The Coyotes looked good, but it was easy to see Western Illinois came to compete; it was shaping up to be a classic D-Days game. Something the USD student base and football program needed desperately.

It is games like Saturday’s, with a stage such as D-Days, that the USD athletics department dreams of each night. Since reaching Division I, there have not been many chances to catch the interest of the student body.

And a solid win during the celebration of USD’s 150th anniversary in front of a sold out DakotaDome would be that chance.

This was it. This would set the stage for the remainder of the Coyotes season. With the momentum from a D-Days win, the Coyotes could easily take down Missouri State on the road the next weekend, and then head to Sioux Falls with enough steam to take on North Dakota State and possibly compete.

Win or lose, this followed up by a big home game against Northern Iowa and the coup de grace with South Dakota State in Brookings, the 2012 season would be an essential introductory season into Division I.

Then it happened.

Despite the close score, despite that the home team was ahead, despite it being D-Days. Students began to file out of the student section like ants marching away from a flood.

And almost like clockwork, the team quickly began to lose steam.

One blocked punt and an interception later, the score was 10-17, advantage Western Illinois.

USD athletics’ dream had quickly turned into a nightmare.

Take away the idea that it has been a known occurrence for the majority of the “Coyote Den” to empty out between halves at USD home games; it was assumed D-Days would be different.

The student fan base is the epicenter of every university’s athletic program. Teams tend to want to “step it up” when they have the support of their student body.

So what happened over halftime of Saturday’s game?

Not only does something like this disgrace the Coyote football team, but it also disgraces the hundreds of USD alumni in attendance.

It was a shame to see such a great school so poorly represented during the school’s most important day.

If the school wants to become relevant at the Division-I level, it begins with our fan base. The teams may not be championship caliber right now, but the difference in performance fans would see with the support of the student section could be ten-fold.

For example, the men’s basketball team’s match-up with South Dakota State last February. With the help of a fantastic student turnout, the Coyotes completed it’s greatest upset in years and took down their biggest rivals.

For a school so desperate to become athletically relevant, it sure doesn’t act like it wants to be. The relationship between fans and their teams are that of give and take, something some USD fans are yet to realize.

Give the Coyotes something to play for USD, and I promise, they will return the favor.