University of South Alabama football game sees low attendance, fans rally anyway

MOBILE, Alabama-- The University of South Alabama met Texas State on the field Saturday, Nov. 15, with a lot on the line -- each team hoping to go to a bowl game.

Various school officials, including Coach Joey Jones, reached out to students earlier in the week imploring them to spend their Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, but attendance did not live up to expectations for the 6:30 p.m. game.
A crowd of 10,289 attended the game.
RELATED: Live-updates during the game
The University of Alabama played Mississippi State in arguably one of the most important football games of the year, which may account for the decrease in attendance. As the Alabama game ended, Auburn's game against Georgia filled the next slot.
The weather, expected to be just under 60 degrees, dropped to about 48 degrees after kickoff. "Popular excuses for this week are 'it's cold,' the Chi O formal and 'we weren't going to win anyway,'" USA student Nick Grondin told AL.com at the game. A representative of Chi Omega said that the formal dance was "planned six months in advance, before the football schedule comes out."
With the chilly air, many tailgaters made chili, and instead of "Jaguar Juice," brought on warm drinks such as the JagNation tailgate winner's hard cider, mixed with Captain Morgan.
Tailgater Patrick Dungan aptly named the South in Your Mouth tailgating tent after a phrase he and two roommates accidentally coined way before USA even had a football team.
One of the roommates meant to say "in your face" and said "mouth," thus a rhyming taunt was born.
The phrase took hold at USA basketball games, with cheerleader participation and student chants quickly becoming a staple.
When USA football was introduced, the chant grew even larger, so much so that school officials asked that it not be chanted due to its "ambiguity."
Thus, a tradition was born, and today, hundreds of shirts exist with the phrase and the hashtag #SIYM is tweeted out every time USA scores a touchdown or dunks a three-pointer.
Dungan, a 2006 graduate, was very matter-of-fact in his perception of how USA fans support the team.
"I'll be honest, Mobile can do better, students can do better, and alumni can do better," he said.
He champions the idea of an on-campus stadium, but said that he thinks the connotations that Ladd-Peebles carries is unfair.
"I've lived in Mobile most of my life and I've never felt unsafe here," he said. Moreover, he said that in order to get an on-campus stadium, students have to show up.
"This is what we've got for right now," Dungan said. "I wish Mobile would embrace that -- this is your team."
Dungan also added that supporting the Jags means more dollars stay in Mobile.
Regardless of game attendance, tailgater Elizabeth Ripp said that she has been attending USA games since the first season in 2009 and will continue to do so.
"There's a good pace here," said Ripp. "It's a family-friendly atmosphere."