Red and white, BSU, ESPN2, 22 Spartan soldiers, a samurai and 4,188 screaming Ball State University fans came to see the Cardinals take on the University of Toledo in Tuesday night's game.
In the front row, freshman Dave Carpenter had his chest soaked in red paint as he ran back and forth, exciting the rest of the fans.
"We want Scheumann Stadium to be known around the Mid-American Conference and around the country as the most hostile place with the best fans in the entire country," Carpenter said as the crowd exploded around him from one of quarterback Nate Davis' five touchdowns.
ESPN2 was the main reason fans said they came out Tuesday night. It was the first time ESPN has televised from Muncie. The chance to be on national television surpassed that it was senior night, greek night and a Ball State win would qualify the team for a bowl bid. Among the crowd, the freshmen seemed to be out in the most numbers, making up the 22 Spartan soldiers and the group of five guys consisting of ESPN2 on their chests leading the charge.
Freshman Mickey Malasson said he was disappointed in reasons why the crowd attended the game.
"It's kind of sad that the only cool thing about the last home game of the season is that it is on ESPN," Malasson said. "It feels like it should be a bigger deal for other reasons."
The possible bowl birth did mean something to the older fans in the game. The fans who remember the 2-9, 4-7 and 5-7 seasons of the last three years said they looked forward to a possible Cardinal bowl bid this year. With ESPN overlooking the game, the atmosphere in the stands seemed to be looking towards a bright future that could start with a bowl game later this year.
Senior Mike Griggs said that this game is important to a suffering fan base.
"The fans want a bowl game, so this game means a lot to us," he said.
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