Bulldog buildup to opening night

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Red Wave anxiously awaits kickoff at Bulldog Stadium. The countdown to Thursday night's home opener is underway. The 'Dogs take on Abilene Christian.

Fresno State senior associate athletic director Paul Ladwig said about 30,000 tickets have already been sold. Ladwig said, "We're probably going to be in the low 30s, somewhere around 32-33,000 if everything goes right. We're expecting a really large walkup on Thursday because people are going to wake up and go, 'oh, the game's today.'"

At the Bulldog Fan Zone across from campus, it was time for fans to load up on new gear. Manager Misty Bassham said the new season always seems to call for a new shirt or decal. Bassham said, "A lot of anticipation, how the team is gonna do this year. New guys, the returning guys. It's a good buildup."

The Bulldog Fan Zone is also the home of Sequoia Textbooks but now offered more Fresno State gear this year.

Some fans can't do without Bulldog cowboy boots. Bassham said, "We have a lot of Ag students that shop here and a lot of people that like to tailgate, and guys will wear shorts with the boots sticking out. We have some fun cowbucker hats, the newest thing."

"Cowbucker" - that would be a combination of a cowboy and a trucker hat.