It was an interesting first game for the Dayton Flyers. The good news is, they won. The bad news. … Well, some familiar bad habits from the past showed their ugly faces. How about some observations from the game.

First off, the student section needs a LOT of work. Sitting in the main section (108) row G, it was embarrassing. Remember the days when there were some students up near the front that would get cheers going on every possession, and the entire Red Scare would follow suit? Those students are gone, at least for the time being.

It was really tough sitting in the student section and hearing three different cheers going on at once. Somebody step up, make yourself heard, and get the group organized. We didn’t even sit down in time to distract a free throw shooter at one point in the game. That’s terrible.

As for the actual game, this is the most telling stat I can come up with: Redshirt senior center Devin Searcy was the player of the game. Take a minute and let that stew. Doesn’t sound right, does it? That’s because the big guy should never be UD’s player of the game. Now, I don’t want to bash Searcy. He really did play a nice game, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. But still, if Searcy is player of the game, that means the other players were not very good. UD’s offense does just about everything on the perimeter, and they rarely go inside for points. So for Searcy to get 15 points means they were not shooting very well from the outside, and they weren’t. UD was 5-21 from downtown and 6-13 on foul shots. Looks like more of the same from past years.

On the plus side, junior guard/forward Paul Williams had a nice season opener. He was much more aggressive on offensive than he has been in the past. It paid off, too. Williams was second in scoring with 14 points, and was an efficient 6-10 from the field. It’s the 10 shots that are good to see though, because Williams never used to shoot much. For UD to be successful, his shooting against Mount St. Mary’s will need to become routine.

Back on the minus side, junior forward Chris Johnson had a disappointing season debut. He was expected to be a key player for the Flyers this year. UD will not be able to survive a performance like the one he gave against Mount St. Mary’s when they are playing a team like Temple. CJ was 2-10 shooting, and 0-5 from the three point line. Luckily, the solution to the problem is simple: stop shooting threes! When CJ was a dominant player at the beginning and end of last season, it was because he was spending a lot more time around the basket grabbing rebounds, getting put backs and attacking the basket when he had the ball. The rebounding was still there against the Mountaineers for CJ (six offensive boards), but he was way too willing to pull up and shoot a three when he got the ball on offense. UD doesn’t need that.

Don’t let the negativity get you down. All things considered, it wasn’t a bad game at all for UD. For a first regular game of the season, players are expected to be a little rusty. Not every kink gets worked out in the exhibition games, and the game usually doesn’t flow as well as later on in the year. That was clear for UD, when they managed to score just six points in the first 8:45 of the game. It was ugly then, but the Flyers got more comfortable, adjusted and got going offensively. They scored 61 points in the remaining 31:15. That is some good offensive output.

Even better was that for once UD took a double digit lead and held onto it. None of this “we’ve got a lead so we’ll get complacent until they make a run and it’s a six point game,” nonsense, which has happened more times than I care to count since I’ve been following UD. This time, it was different. UD put the game away, and that was good to see.

So the Flyers have a long way to go if they are to be successful this year, as expected. But they also looked pretty good. They still hustle and rebound really well, and they are still a lot of fun to watch.

Checked out the Red and Blue men’s basketball scrimmage Saturday night, along with 5,199 other fans, according to daytonflyers.com. One quick question: how in the world do they know the attendance numbers? There was no charge to get in, no one ticking off numbers as people walked in, nothing. Did the UD athletics department just create an arbitrary number to give some attendance numbers?

At any rate, I was surprised at how good the scrimmage was. Despite the fact that it took forever (they had media timeouts every quarter during a scrimmage), the Red and Blue game was a great way to get a real look at the team. They played hard for 32 minutes. This game was not a NBA All-Star game type of deal where no defense was played. On the contrary, the defense was intense. It was awesome to get to see Chris Wright guarding Chris Johnson. The players were bringing out the best in each other. Long story short: We learned a lot from this game. Here is a little of what I took away.

Most Impressive: Chris Wright. Any surprise here? As expected, the senior forward starred in the Flyers’ first game of the year. He and CJ were the best players on the court and were both impressive in scoring, but Wright was still a bit better, because he did it in a variety of ways. He hit two three-pointers, scored slashing to the rim and was able to get points on the interior with some of Dayton’s bigger men guarding him. He even got to do a signature dunk on a fast break to get the crowd going. It was an encouraging display of skill.

Biggest Disappointment: Paul Williams. After the NIT win over North Carolina, in which Williams scored 16 points and looked really good filling in for a foul-plagued Chris Johnson, I was excited and ready to see more from PW this year. I thought that he had finally found his comfort zone, and was ready to score in double figures every game for UD this year. The Red and Blue scrimmage would indicate otherwise. Williams did not score in the game. He missed two threes, and those were the only shots he took all game. The lack of scoring is not so much the problem. The lack of aggression is. Williams is one of the leaders on this team in 2010, and they are going to need him to play that way. No longer can the Flyers afford a passive offensive performance from the junior.

Pleasant Surprise: Devin Oliver. This lanky, 6-7 freshman did not come in with the accolades and excitement that some of the other y0ung guys did, but watch out. Oliver looked as good as just about anyone on the court, hitting a three, slashing to the basket, grabbing rebounds (six of them) and playing solid, aggressive defense. Oliver was coming up with loose balls and making the hustle plays. Perhaps it’s his body type (6-7, 200 pounds), but the way the freshman was playing reminded me of CJ (6-6, 201) through and through. A team with two of those guys? Could be a lot of fun.

Must Improve: Big Men. You’ll never believe how much you’re going to miss Kurt Huelsman. If I were to point out one true weakness on the Flyers this year, it is the inside. The interior defense looked weak. It HAS to improve between now and the A-10 season, or Dayton will have a rough time getting many wins. Devin Searcy looked good at times, but the rest of the big men were suspect offensively and defensively. Can’t have that.

All in all, it was a great event, and a great way to learn about this team. I’m looking forward to seeing the different lineups Brian Gregory will try out in the team’s upcoming exhibition games, because there are a lot of directions the Flyers could go.

Break out the grills, put on your favorite jersey, make sure the fantasy lineups are set and go do some tailgating. Football season is finally here.

Baseball is called America’s Pastime, but that is a misnomer anymore. Football has become America’s favorite sport by far. Want proof? Look no further than the reshuffling of teams in major conferences. It’s about making money, and it’s for the football teams. Those are the teams in college that bring home all the bacon, a concept that might be a bit foreign for UD fans. Trust me though, that’s the way it works.

We’re out of the doldrums is the important thing. For the past month the only sports going on have been baseball and NASCAR, and unless your favorite team is in the playoff hunt, or you for some reason are a NASCAR fan (sorry, I just don’t get it), you haven’t had any sports to entertain you. Devastating.

Well all that changed last weekend. College football kicked off, and the NFL, my personal favorite, had its first game Thursday, and really got going this weekend. I’ve got a team to root for again.

There is much more to football than just the game, though. Tailgating, studying your opponent, being in the stands, wearing your Cheesehead or old-school Ditka sweater, those are the things that make football special. And while at UD we may not have the same experience as the 50,000 strong at Ohio State, we have a pretty good option.

UD football is for real, and it should be treated as such. It’s great to head out to a game, tailgate in the parking lot, and then enjoy a game for awhile. It’s a perfect situation. The stadium is so close, you don’t have to stay the entire time if for some reason you don’t want to. And best of all, the price is right. For students, admission is free. You can’t beat that.

I understand that UD games do not approach the atmosphere or importance nationally of the FBS big college football. But head out and watch a game one time, and my guess is you’ll be impressed. There are some great athletes on the Dayton team. Even more importantly, the guys are winners. They are just like the Buckeyes in that they are perennial contenders for their league championship.

So don’t be all negative about the UD football team or nay-say what they bring to the table. We get it. They aren’t in the division that plays on TV every weekend. Guess what though? It doesn’t matter. These guys are good.

School’s starting up again. It feels like it’s been forever, and we’re stuck in the doldrums of the sports year, when the only thing of interest is if your baseball team is doing well.

Sadly, for many UD students, that is not the case. The Chicago crowd is split. The White Sox turned things around late in the first half and are contenders, but the Cubs, not so much. The Cincinnati Reds are having a solid season, but seem to be fading to a Cardinals team that is just getting stronger. Give the Cincy-Dayton crowd that pulls for the Reds a couple more weeks, and they might lost interest. Cleveland—I probably shouldn’t even say anything about Cleveland. They’ve suffered enough this summer without me bringing it up.

The bottom line is just about everybody could use some more sports to watch. And while it’s not even September yet, UD fans should get pumped, because our games are just on the horizon.

As a member of the FN sports staff, I get e-mails for the athletics communication people about things going on in the UD sports world—press releases, game reports, etc. Yesterday it became clear that we are closing in on what we’ve been waiting for. Allow me walk you through it.

11:57 a.m. I receive an email from Krystal Warren, one of the Sports Information Directors, with the subject “Top 25 Women’s Soccer—University of Dayton.” It has a PDF file with a bunch of information on the UD women’s team, which had a fantastic 2009 season and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

2:21 p.m. Another e-mail comes through, this time from Doug Hauschild, the head of athletics communication. It is about Flyer footballer James Vercammen being named a preseason All-American, and gives a little bit of info on him and the Dayton football team.

4:29 p.m. Seth Iiames, another SID, gets in on the e-mailing fun with the message subject ”Dayton Picked to Capture A-10 Volleyball Crown.” It is all about the UD Volleyball team, and how they were picked to win the A-10 by the coaches.

4:53 p.m. One more e-mail from Hauschild, with the subject “Flyer availability.” Just to let various media people know that basketball forward Chris Wright will be available after a team workout to talk about his busy summer.

What are we to get from all of this? That sports are really just around the corner. Hold out for just a little bit longer. The UD sports staffs are putting their information out, preseason teams have been selected, and summer workouts and programs are coming to a close. A glorious respite from sports boredom is on the way, with plenty of UD teams worth cheering for.