Being an Indiana football fan isn't easy.

You'd be blind if you didn't see the obvious progress being made this season. Aside from a disastrous trip to Virginia on Oct. 10, Indiana has stood toe-to-toe with each of its opponents. Quarterback Ben Chappell has been very solid, and Tandon Doss and Damarlo Belcher form one of the Big Ten's top wide receiver tandems.

But then there's that 4-7 record, which looks all too familiar to Hoosiers fans. The strides being made on the field aren't helping in the win column.

That's why it was good to receive this news release that shows how Indiana has exceeded its football attendance goal of 40,000 fans per home game. The team has averaged 40,478 fans through its first five home contests and will easily surpass that number for Saturday's rivalry game against Purdue (Big Ten Network, 3:30 p.m. ET). The attendance is way up from 2008 (31,782 average) and will top the 40,000 mark for the first time since 1992.

Even more encouraging is that the overall increase stems partly from greater student support at games. The school has sold an average of 10,184 student tickets per game, an average increase of 2,824 tickets from last year. As a result, athletic director Fred Glass will expand the student section capacity from 8,100 to 12,500 for the Purdue game.

"This team hasn't quit, and it's great to see that our students and other fans haven't quit on this team," Glass said in a statement. "Our attendance has been very solid throughout the season, and we think that expanding the student section is an excellent way to show our appreciation for their support."

This is certainly a positive sign for 2010. While head coach Bill Lynch and his staff still will need to win more games next fall, the support that has been lacking for much of the past 15 years appears to be back.