A primary focus for the Southern Miss Athletics Department in 2018 will be striving to increase attendance for football games at The Rock.
The Golden Eagles’ home attendance average in 2017 — ranked fifth among Conference USA programs — was significantly lower than the 2016 season average, which boasted roughly 6,000 more tickets sold per contest. Last year’s season opener brought an SEC opponent to Hattiesburg for just the second time in nearly two decades, yet only 22,761 fans attended the game in a stadium that is built to seat 36,000. Coach Jay Hopson well understands the importance of fan support and its correlation with overall team success.