I agree with your comments - I was very pleased/proud of the attendance!
I watched the game on the internet. It was obviously a good, noisy crowd - although it is frustrating that so many left early (somewhat understandable on a weeknight). I am curious about the perspective of those who were at the game:
Will the majority of these fans be back? In other words, did there appear to be a lot of military folks who probably were there just for the game honoring them? Did a Thursday night/first game of the season bring out a lot of people who may not be back?
Was the student crowd any larger than normal? The students turn out well but it would be good to have even more there to assist with the energy level of the building.
Any other observations about the crowd?