Overview
- UMass Athletics says it expects a full house for the game against Eastern Michigan, about 17,000 fans and the program’s first capacity crowd at McGuirk Alumni Stadium since 2014.
- Strong student interest has exceeded the roughly 4,000 tickets the school holds for students, so the department is planning standing-room areas to avoid turning students away.
- The surge follows a 4-0 start that included an upset of Rutgers and dominant wins over Sacred Heart, Stonehill and Sacramento State, which has driven unusually high local demand.
- Athletic director Ryan Bamford credited coach Joe Harasymiak and his staff for reversing the program after an 0-12 season, and a win over Eastern Michigan would give UMass a 5-0 start.
- Sustained sellouts would boost revenue and raise operational pressures for UMass, and they could accelerate the program’s push toward bowl eligibility and stronger recruiting and campus engagement.