With a 2-0 start and expectations building, the N.C. State–Cincinnati Thursday night game is becoming a very anticipated game. And the students showed it as over 12,00 of them requested a ticket for the nationally televised game. But with only a little over 8,00 tickets available in the general student seating area many students were left out in the cold.
But a simple e-mail sent out to all N.C. State students left many of those students who did not get a ticket, a glimmer of hope to be able to see the game live from the confines of Carter-Finley Stadium, as the University gave away 2,00 extra tickets to the first students at Reynolds Coliseum yesterday at 4:30.
“We had some seats returned to us late from the University of Cincinnati in the visitors’ sections,” associate athletic director Dick Christy said. “They were in a couple fairly large chunks, and when we saw the student demand for tickets, a short notice decision was made to try and release some of those tickets.”
And students responded as a huge line began to build and spill out to the left and right of Reynolds. But many students believe the wait in line was well worth it.
“Yeah it was worth it,” Brett Lane, a junior in political science said. “We didn’t have to wait that long and the campus police came around and told us that they had enough for everybody so that was relieving.”
Freshman Sherrie Smith echoed Lane’s comments but says her ticketing strategy is going to change from here on out.
“It was definitely worth it because the football games are really fun and just a great experience,” Smith, who is majoring in Biochemistry, said. “I was mad, because I usually always get a ticket but I signed up in a new group with my friends and we didn’t get a ticket. So I am never trying to get a ticket with them again.”
Like both Smith and Lane, senior Julia Howie was glad that more tickets became available, but was frustrated in the first place because she did not get a ticket even though she is a senior.
“Yeah it was definitely worth the wait,” Howie, a communications major, said. “But it was kind of frustrating because this is my fifth football season and I didn’t get a ticket originally. So I was pretty upset at first.”
However, Christy says just because you have a lot of points, does not directly mean that you will get a ticket. Comparing the student ticket lottery to the NBA rookie lottery.
“It is basically the NBA lottery,” Christy said. “The more points you have the more balls you have in the lottery. But it does not guarantee you are going to win.”
But as happy as many students are about the available extra tickets, Christy stresses that students should not count on this as a regular occurrence, and chalks it up to something that just came together perfectly.
“When we can do this, it is great,” Christy said. “But it is not the norm and is a once in a blue moon scenario in the way it worked out, but I was glad we could help.”
