Football home opener Sept. 19: Tickets, tailgating and more

FIU Football hosts N.C. Central on Saturday, Sept. 19 in the 2015 home opener at FIU Stadium.

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

Fire up the charcoal grill, dust off your jersey and bust out the blue and gold body paint. FIU football is back in action and ready to play in front of the home crowd for the first time this season.

The Panthers will host their home opener against the visiting N.C. Central Eagles at Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:06 p.m.

This will be their third game of the season and will look to improve their record to 2-1 after defeating in-state rival UCF in the season opener and dropping a tough loss to Indiana last Saturday.

But there are plenty of things you should be aware of before making your way out to the stadium for this weekend’s big game. Here is everything you need to know:

1. The home opener is also Faculty, Staff & Retiree Appreciation Day. FIU faculty, staff and retirees can purchase sideline reserved tickets for just $1 each and will include a $5 concession voucher. Tickets can be purchased in person with a valid FIU employee ID at the University Credit Union Box Office in the R. Kirk Landon Fieldhouse, located on the west side of FIU Stadium, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Tickets can also be purchased online. Go to the FIUSports.com ticket home page and select the N.C. Central game, click on the “SPECIALS & STUDENTS” tab, and then entering the code “PANTHERS” when prompted. All online tickets will be held at Will Call and a valid FIU OneCard must be presented at the time of ticket pick up.

For any questions, call 305-FIU-GAME or go to FIUSports.com.

2. Students get free game admission and party deck access at all FIU games with an FIU OneCard. And at FIU indoor volleyball’s home match against UCF at FIU Arena on Thursday, Sept. 17, there will be an in-game raffle for two pre-game sideline passes for Saturday’s home opener.

3. If you are coming from the Biscayne Bay Campus, you don’t have to worry about driving to the game. There will be a free Game Day Shuttle that departs from BBC at 3:15 p.m. from the Hubert Library and will return at 9:45 p.m.

To sign up for the shuttle, register here.

Wide receiver Thomas Owens has emerged as a key offensive threat early on in the 2015 season.

4. Coming into Saturday’s game, the Panthers boast one of Conference USA’s top wide receivers so far this season in sophomore Thomas Owens. The 6-foot-1 receiver has emerged as a go-to target for starting quarterback Alex McGough, catching 19 passes (the most in C-USA) for 244 yards (second most in C-USA) and two touchdowns in two contests this season.

5. Junior tight end Jonnu Smith has caught a pass in 26 straight games, which currently ranks tied for eighth among all active players nationally.

6. On defense, sophomore linebacker Anthony Wint leads the team with 23 tackles – including a career-high 13 tackles against the Hoosiers last Saturday.

7. The Panthers are 4-9 all-time in home openers and have lost the last two of those contests – a skid they will be looking to snap on Saturday night. This will also be the first ever meeting between FIU and N.C. Central. In addition to the Eagles, there are three other opponents on the 2015 schedule the Panthers have never faced (Indiana, UMass and Charlotte).

8. N.C. Central is coming into this game with a 1-1 record after suffering a 55-0 loss at Duke on Sept. 12.

Don’t miss out on all the tailgate activities before the game starts!

9. Parking for the game on campus is free for all fans. All garages, as well as Lot 5 located on the east side of the Wertheim Performing Arts Center, are available for general parking.

We strongly encourage visitors to park in the Blue Garage, Panther Garage, or Lot 5 as these are the closest to the stadium. However, tailgating is not permitted in these areas.

10. You may tailgate in Lot 6 or the general tailgating areas, including the Diamond Lot (Lot 4 — located next to the Blue Garage), Nature Trail and Panther Trail.

Each tailgate will be allowed one parking spot within the lot. All of the tailgating lots require reservations and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tailgating without a reservation will be permitted, but will be assigned on game day dependent on lot/trail availability.

All tailgating activities will end at 5:15 p.m., 45 minutes prior to kickoff.

For more information on tailgating or to secure your tailgate spot with a $10 refundable reservation fee, click here.

11. If you’re a freshman, you still have a chance to lead the team out of the tunnel and onto the field for Saturday’s game as part of Freshman Frenzy! And, if that wasn’t already enough, you’ll also get a $5 food voucher. All participants are asked to bring their FIU OneCard, wear their Freshman Convocation t-shirt and meet outside of Gate 6 of FIU Stadium at 5:15 p.m.

To participate, you can RSVP at this link.

12. Once you enter the stadium for the game, make your way to the Roar4More table inside Gate 4, located at the southeast corner of the stadium, to pick up a Total Score game card. Each card has several numbers printed on it and if one of the numbers on the front of the card contains the exact Total Score from the game (both teams combined), you will be eligible to enter a drawing to win your choice of a Roary cell phone charger, or an adidas #PawsUp t-shirt.

To enter the drawing, please complete the form on the card and bring it back to the Roar4More table near Gate 4. If you are a winner, you will be contacted.