This isn't a "Chicken Little" scenario.

The sky really is falling as far as support for Marshall's football program is concerned.

Attendance? Falling.

Monetary contributions? Falling.

Enthusiasm? Falling.

It is a very disturbing spiral.

Take attendance, for example.

Through four home games, the Herd is averaging just 23,183 fans. Since Edwards Stadium's capacity is 38,019, that means Marshall is averaging 14,836 empty seats.

That's appalling.

So is this fact.

There are six teams in Conference USA that have winning records, including the Herd at 5-4. Yet, Marshall's average attendance is the lowest of the six.

East Carolina also has a 5-4 record, but the Pirates are averaging 43,270 fans. And, then, there is Marshall's next opponent -- Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles also are 5-4, but Southern Miss is averaging 31,084.

Does anybody think Marshall will draw a crowd in the 30,000 range when it hosts Southern Miss at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Edwards Stadium?

Of course not.

Marshall probably won't even draw its average of 23,183.

The fear is another dismal crowd much like the 18,878 fans that attended Marshall's last home game against UAB on Oct. 24 will show up.

So, what happened?

Why has Marshall's attendance slid from an average of 30,020 fans in 2007 to 24,766 in 2008 to 23,183 in '09?

Why did Marshall's season-ticket sales drop from 13,045 in 2008 to only 10,766 this year?

The reason is obvious.

The support, the attendance and, yes, the sky are falling because dissatisfaction with the football program is steadily rising.

Simply put, Marshall fifth-year head coach Mark Snyder has lost the majority of the fan base.

When Snyder was retained after a 4-8 record last season -- his fourth consecutive losing year -- many Herd fans vowed they would no longer support the football program if he were the coach. The disgruntled fans have made good on that claim this season.

Not even a winning record has dammed the flood of discontent.

Perhaps, that's because a 5-4 record in Snyder's fifth year isn't good enough. Many MU fans had higher expectations for this team.

Another disconcerting problem is the lack of quality wins. Yes, Marshall has five victories, but none have come against an opponent with a winning record. In fact, Snyder teams have beaten only three opponents in five seasons that finished the year with a winning record.

Then, there's the style of play. It's simply not entertaining. Marshall fans hunger for the wide-open passing attack they got so accustomed to watching for 20 years.

The Herd's sophisticated passing game once defined Marshall football. But, now, that fan-friendly concept has been replaced by a conservative, rush-oriented offense that is scoring only 20.8 points per game.

Disappointing losses to West Virginia University, East Carolina and UCF also have fueled the fans' frustration. All three were winnable games that should have been victories.

That's especially true of the stunning, last-minute 21-20 loss to UCF one week ago.

Support has steadily dwindled this season ... both physically with fewer and fewer fans and fiscally with contributions to the Big Green dropping 40 percent.

Unless Snyder finds a way to win back the fan base, the declining support will continue its downward spiral.

Something has to change.

Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 304-526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.

National Video