Student gates temporarily closed at Saturday game

The student section at Auburn’s season opener against Louisiana-Monroe wasn’t over sold, but gates were temporarily closed to ease congestion in the stadium’s concourse and portals, according to an AU athletic official.

“In hind sight, we could of accomplished what we did by not closing all the gates. It was a decision made at the time for safety,” said Tim Jackson, executive associate athletic director.

Jackson acknowledged crowd management and communication at the student gates could be improved.

“We’re going to do a little bit better job with our signage and the folks directing traffic,” he said.

Jackson said the gates were closed about 20 minutes beginning at approximately 5:20 p.m. The gates re-opened at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Bryant Haley, who attended Saturday’s game, said the crowded student gates are typical.

Haley, a 20-year-old junior in wireless engineering from Lakeland, Fla., said the problem would be improved with better separation between lines at the student gates and others. While Haley said there is a sign, other ticket holders still line up, only to be turned away at the gate.

De Hill, a 19-year-old sophomore in computer engineering from Demopolis, agreed the department could do a better job. But Hill said he had no problem entering the game during the middle of the first quarter.

The closure was meant to allow students already in the stadium to get seated after security saw congestion in the portals and the inner concourse, Jackson said.

An unexpected capacity crowd, lots of freshman and the lack of a PA system at the gate contributed to the problem, Jackson said.

“All they knew is we stopped letting students in, and I think that caused some anxiety,” he said.

The student section has about 15,000 seats, of which about 14,000 are sold or used, leaving the rest as a buffer, Jackson said. There’s 13,460 seats sold to students, the rest going to the band and student athletes.

“That section will look full when its has 2,500 to 3,000 seats left,” he said.

Fans are usually spread out, and attendance is tracked with the stadium’s scanning system at the gate, he said.

Based on past experience, the department sells additional tickets assuming some seats will be left open by student ticket holders who don’t attend, Jackson said.

The department expects 90 to 92 percent of the seating capacity for a game, he said. Crowds increase with night games and big-name opponents.

“Two years ago when we played Arkansas here, we sold an extra 1,000 tickets, and we still only had 11,000 students come,” Jackson said.