Gamecock Football to Open Season on ESPN

07/13/2017

The 2017 college football season will begin with Jacksonville State in front of a national television audience. The Gamecocks' opener against rival Chattanooga will be played in the renovated Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Aug. 26 and will be televised on ESPN as the network's inaugural Montgomery Kickoff Classic. The game is set for 5:30 p.m. CT and will make JSU's season opener one of the only games in the nation that day.

The third-straight time the FCS' first game has been televised by ESPN will be the first game of the college football season and will put the Gamecocks on ESPN's main network for just the fourth time and the first since the 1992 Division II National Championship Game.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for our football program and for our university," JSU Athletics Director Greg Seitz said. "The chance to be the only show in the country and draw a worldwide audience that will be tuned in to watch Jacksonville State kick off the college football season is one we couldn't pass up. It's a great opportunity to showcase our program and FCS football to a massive audience."

Want to be part of the action? General admission tickets are $20 and a limited number of student tickets are still available for $10. Call the JSU ticket office at 256-782-8499 to order.

Need a ride? The SGA has arranged for student transportation while Alumni Affairs has organized a fan bus. The $40 student travel package includes roundtrip transportation, entrance to the student tailgate, one barbecue meal and two drinks. Again, game tickets must be purchased through JSU Athletics. To purchase student transportation tickets, contact the Dean of Students Office by Aug. 1 at 256-782-5491. Other fans can reserve a seat on the Alumni Affairs fan bus for $35 or a complete  package that includes transportation, a game ticket, and entrance to the Alumni Tailgate for $85. Reserve online here.