GRAND FORKS – UND and Montana are a top-25 matchup in FCS college football.
It’s the Missouri Valley Football Conference versus the Big Sky Conference.
It is UND’s first Saturday night kickoff in 10 years.
The Fighting Hawks have not lost a first home game in almost 40 years.
There will be plenty for UND fans to watch when the No. 23-seeded Hawks face the No. 4 Grizzlies at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Alerus Center.
However, it is still difficult to say what audience UND can expect.
UND has sold 5,317 season tickets for 2024, so the typical large crowd on site will determine the final atmosphere.
The 5,317 season ticket count is a decrease of 170 from last season, but an increase of 371 from 2022. Perhaps the most important factor in the data is whether North Dakota State has a home game in a given year.
Previous seasons have seen similar ups and downs depending on whether the Bison game was in Grand Forks.
“Overall, we are pleased with our long-term trend of increasing football season ticket sales,” said Erik Martinson, UND’s associate athletic director. “Today, we are about 3% below last year’s figure, but 7.5% above 2022’s figure, with many variables at play. We’ve always had a tremendous audience purchasing single-game tickets, and it’s our job to work hard to convert those single-game buyers into season ticket holders.”
UND drew 8,503 spectators for the 2023 home opener against Drake, 9,940 for the 2022 home opener against Northern Iowa and 10,143 for the 2021 home opener against Drake.
The best attended first home game in Alerus history (2001) took place in 2009 against South Dakota (12,431).
On Saturday, UND will open the tailgate parking lot at 11am and the general parking lot at 12pm.
There will be a live band at the tailgate party and fireworks are expected after the game.
“The last time we were there in 2018, they beat us, so we know it’s a tough place,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. “We’re going to have our hands full trying to get a win there.”
“They’re always good up front and have a solid foundation. (UND coach Bubba Schweigert) has been around a long time and his teams are always ready. This morning (Monday) I watched their win over North Dakota State last year. It was eye-opening. I also thought they played really well at Iowa State. If the ball had bounced their way a few times, maybe the outcome would have been different for them.”
WHO: No. 4 Montana at No. 23 UND.
Where: Alerus Center.
When: Saturday, 6 p.m.
TV: Midco Sports (Alex Heinert commentates the game, Ryan Kasowski analyzes the game).
Radio: 96.1 FM.
Streaming: ESPN Plus
