After a disappointing start to the season for the Texas Longhorns, it would appear their fans have soured on the Tom Herman era as there are plenty of empty seats at kickoff for their game vs. San Jose State.
It would appear there is a hangover effect taking place at Texas after the Longhorns dropped their season opener to Maryland. It wasn’t the type of outcome envisioned by fans, players and coaches alike after Tom Herman was hired to replace Charlie Strong as the team’s head coach. Despite the disappointing outcome, you would have guessed the great fans of the Texas football program would still come out to support their team in full force for Week 2, right?
Not so fast my friend, as Lee Corso says so often on ESPN’s College GameDay.
A picture taken from the pressbox by Anwar Richardson at kickoff of the game vs. San Jose State revealed a late-arriving crowd and plenty of empty seats. Could this just be a result of many fans flocking in late after tailgating all morning? Could this just be a picture that would look radically different if it was taken 10 minutes later?
The answer to both questions is definitely maybe.
Texas and San Jose State kickoff pic.twitter.com/hKaLK2McwQ
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 9, 2017
I can understand why Texas football fans would be disappointed with the Week 1 outcome. I can also understand if the fans in Austin were enjoying the tailgating scene and feasting on some brisket and beers before entering the stadium where food and drinks are far more expensive than they are in the tail-gate. And I can definitely understand if the excitement for a Week 2 game vs. San Jose State doesn’t match the excitement levels for a season opener or a Big 12 game.
But I can’t really fathom that many empty seats at kickoff. Texas football fans are among the best in college football, so I don’t want to rip them too much, but this picture isn’t a great reflection on their support for Herman, the Texas football players and what they’re trying to accomplish in Austin.