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We may consider ourselves a 鈥渂asketball school,鈥� but there are plenty of schools capable of supporting football and basketball programs with equal fervor. Are we not as passionate about our school as they are? Do we have less energy or enthusiasm? We can no longer perpetuate the excuse that you鈥檙e either one or the other. We are better than that.

Our football fandom tends to put the cart before the horse 鈥� 鈥淚鈥檒l show up to games once we start winning,鈥� 鈥淚鈥檒l start cheering once there鈥檚 something to cheer for.鈥� The problem is we are viewing ourselves as the cart; the inanimate object that needs to be pushed or pulled. But, good fan bases are not the cart, good fan bases are the horse. They provide the power, the energy and the grit to get the cart through the mud and up unpaved roads.

If 14,000 UA fans can shake McKale鈥檚 foundation, why can鈥檛 57,000 UA fans wake the dead at Arizona Stadium? We have that pulling power, we just need to don our yokes and start pulling.

What does the first 鈥減ull鈥� look like? We stand and yell when the opposing team has a third down.

Third-down conversions can make or break a game. The louder we make the environment, the harder it is for the opposing quarterback to communicate with his teammates. Play calls get lost in the noise, the play clock ticks down, the offense鈥檚 adrenaline melts into nervous energy, confidence fades and mistakes happen. Those mistakes lead to big defensive plays, which give our offense better field position 鈥� which ultimately feeds back into the crowd鈥檚 energy.

At face value this may sound like a lot of work, given the length of a football game. But consider this: BYU only had 12 third downs in our season opener. Twelve 鈥� that鈥檚 it.

You, Mr. or Mrs. Wildcat fan, can stand up and yell a dozen times. I have seen you do far more. You鈥檝e left McKale with ringing ears, and a hoarse voice, haven鈥檛 you? I know I have.

Stand up, scream, hoot and holler, give it your all. Others will join you. How much more enjoyable would our football games be if we were that engaged? It鈥檚 not like those metal bleachers are all that comfortable. Stand up, give your backside a bit of a break while you help our defense make a stop so they can rest theirs.

You can鈥檛 change the challenges coach Kevin Sumlin inherited, or whether a tipped pass gets caught or not. But you can affect Arizona Stadium鈥檚 atmosphere. Take control of it. Take pride in that control and take responsibility for your part in the game. Push, pull, whatever it takes 鈥� let鈥檚 get this cart rolling again.

You can make Arizona Stadium a daunting place to play. You can make it easier for our recruiters to show off our fanbase to incoming talent. You can give our boys that extra ounce of energy necessary to make a stop. You can power a new era. So, will you?

Bear Down, Arizona.