By David Carducci
Record-Courier staff writer
The disappointing crowd of 10,788 at 73,200-seat Cleveland Browns Stadium for Saturday's season opener with Boston College did not discourage Kent State on the Patriot Bowl idea.
It did, however, teach KSU a lesson that will change the way the school considers future offers to participate in the event.
"I wasn't happy with the crowd ... but I have no regrets," said Kent State athletic director Laing Kennedy. "Still, I think we have to really evaluate this game. I'm not sure it should be on Saturday during Labor Day (weekend). We have to look at that. And more importantly, for this concept to really work and to have a significant crowd, you almost have to have a team like Notre Dame playing in the game."
The Patriot Bowl idea was created with the hope of bringing a service academy team to Cleveland each season to face a Mid-American Conference program. The first game in the series " pitting Army against Akron - drew 17,865 fans at the start of the 2007 season.
When the schedules of the service academies couldn't be worked into the plans of the Cleveland Sports Commission for 2008, Kent State "somewhat reluctantly," according to Kennedy, offered to move its game with Boston College to Cleveland. The game wasoriginally scheduled for Dix Stadium on Thursday Aug. 28.
"Had we kept the game at Dix Stadium, I think we would have had a chance for a (near-capacity) crowd over 20,000," said Kennedy. "But we were committed to the idea of (the MAC participating in) the Patriot Bowl and working with the Cleveland Sports Commission. ... We still are. It is a great group, and we have a great relationship."
Unfortunately, Kennedy has learned schools like Army and Boston College, while national programs, just don't travel well enough and don't have the drawing power in the Midwest to make moving a game off the campus of a MAC school worthwhile.
"I've heard that Boston College only brought in the neighborhood of 500 fans," said Kennedy. "That's not their fault. ... And I think between Kent State and the (Cleveland Sports) Commission, we did all we could to market this game. I know, personally, I have never worked harder on a project.
"Now I think in the future, we just have to bring in either a Big Ten program or a school like Notre Dame where we could really count on their bringing at least 10,000 fans. If you combine that with the community that Kent State had there, then you would have had an acceptable crowd."
KSU has home games scheduled with Iowa State next season and Army in two future seasons that would be attractive to fans willing to come to Dix Stadium.
"I guarantee we will not move either of those games to Cleveland," said Kennedy. "I'm very committed to the community to keep those at Dix Stadium."
That is just fine with Kent State players who would prefer to play some bigger-name schools on the Kent campus.
"I would have rather had the (Boston College) game at home," said Golden Flashes quarterback Julian Edelman. "If we would have filled the big stadium (Cleveland Browns Stadium) up, that would have been fun. But I like our home."
Kennedy said he will still use the potential of playing at Cleveland Browns Stadium in future negotiations with Big Ten schools like Penn State. The Flashes and Nittany Lions recently worked out a contract that will send KSU to State College, Pa., in 2013.
Penn State proved it is willing to play on the road in professional venues in its recent deal to play two games per decade against Temple in Philadelphia. Ohio State will play at Cleveland Browns Stadium next season in what will technically be a home game for Toledo. In exchange the Rockets will play two games in Columbus.
"Schools like Penn State and Ohio State would never come to Dix Stadium to play a game, but they might come to play us in Cleveland," said Kennedy. "That might be a good (payday) for those schools as a (road game). It gives us something to put on the table for future negotiations."