Fans eager for the first home game of the season lined up to buy tickets outside Bulldog Stadium Friday. Prices will remain the same this year starting at 15 dollars for students. Henry Phan said, "Everyone is all about the Bulldogs and we want to get out here for the opening game."
Ethan Stolle said, "I mean, this is the first game I'm going to and I plan to go to the Boise State game next, so I feel like we're gonna do pretty good." Inside the stadium crew members cleared debris and posted signs.
Fresno State athletics spokesman Paul Ladwig says, this season marks some exciting changes including the now complete, $1.2 million turf project. Paul Ladwig said, "It's the first game on the new turf, the first game with the new Nike combat uniforms and it's the first time Derek Carr is going to take this field." While Ladwig doesn't expect the North Dakota match-up to be a sell-out, he says Bulldog fans will not disappoint.
Action News found several people buying gear for the game at The Bulldog Shop, including Karen Lewis, whose son, Donavan is on the team. Karen Lewis said, "I'm going to switch into my Fresno State gear, and I bought my flag for my car and just wishing my son well."
Fans are also buying food for the occasion. At The Meat Market in Northwest Fresno, employees were busy preparing tri-tip. They plan on selling more than one-thousand of them to tailgaters, a spike in business they hope to see all season long. Vince Barger said, "A lot of getting our tri-tips ready, slicing it up, getting it ready for tailgates and people picking stuff up to go out and be the red wavers."
A note to tailgaters, gates will open four hours before the game. Of course, if you're near Fresno State around that time, keep in mind, there will be a lot of traffic.
