WE NEED YOU FRIDAY NIGHT!!!

From the BJ Blog:

Butch Jones wants you Coach asks for further fan involvement By Sam Elliott | Sports Editor

Friday's showdown with South Florida marks Cincinnati's Big East home opener, and head coach Butch Jones is asking fans to provide an unrivaled home-field advantage.

"The best college football venues are fan-driven venues," Jones said. "We want to create some traditions that will be long-lasting traditions here."

Jones' vision for ultimate fandom includes fans welcoming the Bearcats to Nippert Stadium during their "Cat walk" two hours prior to kickoff, a hostile pregame environment for opposing teams during warm ups and — most importantly — not an empty seat in the house.

"We need the game to be sold out," Jones said. "That's part of building the best college football program in America is continuous sellouts and that loyalty — that absolute loyalty — that's associated with your football program."

Jones has no shortage of further fan-involvement ideas and would like to see a special celebration for a Cincinnati defensive stand.

"What we call fist-up defense is when our defense stops an opponent to create fourth down," Jones said. "You'll see our entire defense put their fist up, making basically what the official does on a fourth down and we would like everybody in the stands to raise their fists, too."

The Cincinnati head coach has been pleased with the Nippert Stadium attendance and environment so far this season, but hopes his new traditions catch on with UC fans and add to the overall game experience.

"We have tremendous fan support, we have a great game-day environment, now it's getting our fans even more involved in something," Jones said "Maybe a sophomore that's going to school here graduates and comes back 10 years from now and brings their kids and they're teaching them the different things that go on on game day for the Bearcats at Nippert Stadium."