By Brent Parker
September 5th, 2012
A crowd of 53,742 was treated to a 21-12 Husky win in the home opener at CenturyLink
Field. This total is the lowest attendance in the Sarkisian era, and many are concerned that the problem lies more in a growing apathy among fans than the change of stadium.
While this total is only 79% of capacity, there were some moments it got pretty loud. A "Go Huskies" chant even emerged in the 4th quarter with the Dawg Pack in the South Endzone yelling the former, with the North Endzone producing the latter. It was not as loud or as passionate as the ones that went on at Husky Stadium, but it was not bad.
The Dawg Pack, UW's student section, was loud and excited. There were some empty seats, but this is definitely due to school not being in session at the University yet, with the first day of classes beginning on September 24th. UW Students started the "Go Huskies" chant, sang their fight songs, and made some noise. The Dawg Pack had a very successful night at The Clink.
On the other hand, the rest of the stadium seemed relatively tired and lethargic for most of the game. Only a few in attendance participated in the kickoff rituals. The fans between the end zones better bring it in the next five home games.
The music was either too quiet or too loud, and the siren was barely audible when the Huskies scored. The band played well, but not often enough, and none of the music played by the band or the stadium speakers were motivational enough to pump up the crowd.
It was a warm-up for Husky fans. Only the second game at a stadium that isn't theirs definitely produced some cobwebs. Portland State won't generate much excitement, but Husky fans better bring it when Stanford and USC come to town. A win over LSU would also generate a ton of excitement and possibly give CenturyLink the added edge to become a huge home-field advantage in 2012 for Washington.
