With 3:22 left on the clock in the fourth quarter of Virginia's football game against Duke, the Cavalier faithful began its exodus out of the stadium after senior quarterback Jameel Sewell's fumble resulted in a defensive touchdown for the Blue Devils. Even though the Cavaliers trailed by only eight points, the fans still headed toward the exits.
"Fans here - they aren't that patient," senior fullback Rashawn Jackson said. "Sometimes it's human nature when things aren't looking good just to turn your back."
Each week, it seems that more and more fans are doing just that.
The 2009 season for Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) has been marked by a dwindling number of fans participating in the game day atmosphere. Attendance this season for home games has fallen nearly 8 percent from last season. It's hard not to notice the significant number of empty seats in Scott Stadium.
Only 41,713 people attended Saturday's contest against Duke, which had bowl-game implications and second place in the ACC's Coastal Division on the line. Not only was the figure the lowest number of spectators on hand for a home game this season, but it was also the lowest since the 2000 expansion of Scott Stadium, which added 15,000 additional seats - increasing its capacity to 61,500.
Although the diminished fan support may be difficult for the squad to ignore, the team has focused solely on improving its chances to win games.
"We don't care ... fans don't help us win, we help ourselves win," senior defensive end Nate Collins said. "We can only focus on the things we control. We control what's going on on the field. We don't control who buys tickets, who comes, who sits in the stands, who leaves. It doesn't matter at the end of the day; anyone who says stadium helps, this and that - it doesn't help - it's all mental."
Junior nose tackle John-Kevin Dolce, who has stepped up in the last two ACC matchups to fill the defensive void left by injured sophomore defensive end Matt Conrath, echoed a similar sentiment about the players' collective need to find encouragement from one another to perform more successfully on the field.
"Our house is in the white lines," Dolce said. "We play football inside the white lines. We don't play for our fans necessarily in the aspect that we're going out there. They don't sweat with us, they don't bleed with us and they don't cry with us."
Collins and Dolce have both continued to excel "inside the white lines" despite the low attendance numbers. Saturday against the Blue Devils, Dolce recorded a career-high 2.5 sacks. Collins registered 10 tackles on the day, carrying momentum from his 16-tackle performance against Georgia Tech the previous week.
The players, however, also do not fail to notice the supporters who continue to frequent games and to cheer on the home team despite the Cavaliers' recent struggles.
"There were a few fans who really stuck out to me who were screaming on the sideline, 'Rashawn! U.Va., Hoos, we love you! We're here for you!'" Jackson said. "Those are the guys who made this loss feel even worse because they were really hanging in there for us, really giving us their all. I appreciate that effort. I appreciate those fans and those people who actually stayed and finished watching the game"
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