Head football coach Dan Mullen has made one thing abundantly clear about the spring maroon-white football game, and it has nothing to do with what happens on the field. He will stop at nothing to see 40,000 maroon-clad fans in Davis Wade Stadium Saturday.
“It’s real important, and it serves a lot of different purposes for us,” Mullen said. “Obviously it builds excitement leading into next season for the fan base. Reminds them of the excitement that they were experiencing last year during the games and kind of refreshes their memory about how exciting game day can be here on campus.”
When the game starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, Mullen said he wants his players to feel like it really is game day.
“It also is a great motivational tool for our players going into summer practice because they get that game day feel going again before we get into that summer of conditioning, as well as two-a-day practice, which is a really critical time for us,” he said. “They get that emotional rush again about what is about to be coming up in the fall.”
However, players and fans will not be the only people with their eyes on Scott Field. Mullen said there is a third group of onlookers he has high hopes for.
“Most importantly for us, I think, is recruiting,” Mullen said. “We’ll have a lot of the top players in the state and top players in the South here on campus that day. It’s an opportunity for them just to see a college atmosphere and how exciting it can be here. They can see the support that the student body, as well as our fan base has for our sports programs and how they support each other on campus. Really what it shows these recruits, if they come to school here, look at the support they’re going to have from all of their fellow school mates.”
The players will not be split into offense and defense Saturday, but rather they will be drafted by guest head coaches. Mullen said he actually will not be involved in the game. Offensive coordinator Les Koenning and offensive line coach John Hevesy will each assist one of the guest coaches in calling plays on offense, and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Chris Wilson will help with the defensive play-calling.
Mullen said the draft style is just one of the many reasons it should be an exciting event.
“This has been an exciting spring for us,” Mullen said. “I think everybody knows we have a quarterback battle going on, and it’ll be a lot of people’s first opportunity to see Tyler Russell play since the state championship game in high school. To get out there and see he and Chris [Relf] compete against each other on the field, all of those, the excitement, the students get out there and see it.”
Mullen admits the game will be a fun affair, but said he will still be looking for improvement in his players.
“Everything is always moving in life,” he said. “You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. If you’re staying the same, other people are changing around you. For our football team, that’s the approach we take on the football field. Every single day we have to reach our potential and be a little bit better than we were the day before. We don’t have to take giant steps, because that’s not going to happen in life. The best I can be today, if I reach that level, that means tomorrow if I try harder I could actually be a little bit better.”
The head ball coach certainly expects improvement from his team that went 5-7 last season. While the players had some disappointing losses, the Bulldog fans went the other direction by coming in droves to every home game and smashing the single-season attendance record by over 70,000.
But Mullen, a man who expects constant improvement, said the players are not the only group he has high expectations for.
“We need that same approach from our student body and our entire fan base,” he said. “We beat the attendance record last year. That was great. We need to do a little bit better this year if we want our team to be a little bit better.”
Mullen said fans would be surprised at how important their involvement is to the program.
“It all coincides together,” he said. “If we have great stadiums, it makes our team play harder. It makes it a harder environment to play in. It shows recruits what an exciting atmosphere we have, what a great place to come to school. If we get better players, then our players play harder in front of bigger crowds, then we get better players, and they play harder in front of bigger crowds, then all of the sudden, that’s how you build a championship program. Everybody needs to be involved in it.”
Though the majority of the crowd for the spring game will be alumni and other non-university affiliated adults, Mullen said it is a perfect event for the students to enjoy.
“As a student, I think it’s one of the more exciting days,” he said. “Just a football Saturday is an exciting day on campus. The game is kind of an event more than a game, and I think a lot of different students on campus can get into the fun of being in an event that is a game more than just being a student of the game and critically analyzing every play of the game like some other people do. I think for the students it’s just an awesome time . a real fun time to come out and show their support for their fellow students on the football team for all the work they’ve put in this offseason to get them motivated for next year.”
Mullen said there is one thing he would like to say to the students.
“We need your support for all of the different reasons we said,” Mullen said. “Out there on Saturday at 5 o clock, let’s fill up that student section. There would be nothing greater than seeing 10-15 thousand students show up for a spring game, have a great celebration and have a lot of fun with us out there on the field.”