TAMPA, Fla. – The largest stadium in the BIG EAST has been sold to capacity in anticipation of Friday night’s football game between No. 18 USF and No. 5 West Virginia.
The sellout is the first since the program has been playing at Raymond James Stadium and all but guarantees that USF will play in front of a record crowd for the game that will be televised nationally by ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
“We want to thank our fans, especially our season ticket holders and students for their participation with our football program and for driving our ticket sales to capacity,” said USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard. “I know our football coaches and players will appreciate playing in front of one of the largest college football crowds in USF and Tampa history.”
Raymond James Stadium holds, 65,657, which is slightly larger than Heinz Field (65,050) where the Pitt Panthers call home.
The USF record for attendance was set at 49,212 in the program’s inaugural game against Kentucky Weslyan on Sept. 6, 1997. That was at the old Tampa Stadium, the USF record for a game at Ray Jay is 45,274. That mark was set for the West Virginia game on Dec. 3, 2005.
USF eclipsed 20,000 season tickets last week and appeared on its way to a sellout for the top-20 match up. The buzz around the program picked up steam after USF defeated North Carolina 37-10 last Saturday.
USF students have been allotted 12,501 seats at Raymond James Stadium. The student section is also the largest in the BIG EAST.
