Despite the game being moved up a couple of days for TV, Arkansas expects its crowd for next week’s opener against UAPB to be similar to last year’s game at War Memorial Stadium.
When reached by Best of Arkansas Sports for an update on ticket sales, the UA revealed it has “allocated” between 35,000 and 40,000 tickets for the Aug. 29 matchup in Little Rock that will also be televised on ESPNU.
That number likely includes tickets actually sold to individuals, as well as distributed to students, corporations and other organizations.
“We are still awaiting some groups to confirm their total, so that accounts for the range,” a UA spokesperson said. “Based on sales pacing to date and with a week left, we are projecting to come in around a number comparable to last year.”
The Razorbacks had an announced attendance of 44,397 for last year’s 56-13 beatdown of Western Carolina, another FCS program, at the historic venue in the state’s capital.
While that number isn’t particularly impressive, the UA has to be encouraged that the UAPB game doesn’t seem to be as impacted by the move to Thursday night as the last time Arkansas opened the season on a weekday.
In 2017, the Razorbacks opened the season against Florida A&M on a Thursday night and drew a crowd of just 36,055. At the time, it was the UA’s lowest attendance for a home game — in Little Rock or Fayetteville — in more than two decades.
(Of course, two years later, the Chad Morris effect led to only 33,961 fans turning out to watch interim coach Barry Lunney Jr. lead Arkansas in a 24-14 loss that capped a second straight 2-10 season.)
With one week remaining until the game, Arkansas is making a push to sell even more tickets by marketing a “7 days ’til kickoff, $7 off tickets” deal on the homepage of the Razorbacks’ official website:
Tickets are still available for as low as $23 through the UA.
(READ NEXT: War Memorial Stadium Unleashes 250-Gallon “Monster” to Atone for Last Year’s Fiasco)
War Memorial Stadium Attendance
The Razorbacks have played at least one game at War Memorial Stadium every year except two — 2020 and 2022 — since the venue opened in 1948.
Having a much larger capacity than the on-campus stadium in Fayetteville and being located in the most populated part of the state led to Arkansas playing a good chunk of its home games in Little Rock.
However, things began to shift when the UA expanded Razorback Stadium at the turn of the century. The Razorbacks started playing only two games down there annually and eventually dropped to one game.
The quality of that one game has also diminished, with four of the last six Arkansas football games at War Memorial Stadium being against FCS foes that resulted in an average scoring margin of 42.3.
Unsurprisingly, attendance has also suffered.
Since 2013, the Razorbacks have cracked 50,000 fans in just two of 10 games in Little Rock. Those were matchups against Georgia (54,959) in 2014 and Ole Miss (51,438) in 2018. Two other SEC games over that span were well under that mark, though, with an announced crowd of 45,198 against Mississippi State in 2013 and the aforementioned 33,961 against Missouri in 2019.
It’s also worth noting that attendance figures for FCS games at War Memorial Stadium pale in comparison to those played in Fayetteville.
Arkansas began playing one FCS opponent annually in 2005 and since then, it has hosted 11 such matchups in Fayetteville and seven in Little Rock. The games at Razorback Stadium have had an average attendance of 67,866, which is 31% percent higher than the average attendance of 46,826 for the games at War Memorial Stadium.
How to Watch Arkansas vs UAPB
Date: Thursday, Aug. 29
Location: War Memorial Stadium (Little Rock, Ark.)
Kickoff time (TV): 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 99.0% chance to win.
Odds/Betting Line: Arkansas, -49.5 | O/U 57.5 (BetSaracen)
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Last year’s game at War Memorial Stadium was a disaster for many fans. Here’s how those in charge are hoping to avoid a repeat of that:
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More coverage of Arkansas football and War Memorial Stadium from BoAS below.
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