Game Week: What You Need to Know for Thursday’s Season Opener

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football game days return to Rice-Eccles Stadium this week, as the Utes' season opener is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. MT on Thursday against Weber State (TV: Pac-12 Network). With capacity expanded to 51,444 with the addition of the brand-new Ken Garff Red Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Utes are set to establish a new single-game attendance record, while providing tremendous new premium seating and amenities in the newly-enclosed south end section of the stadium.
 
The addition of the Ken Garff Red Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium also connects the east and west stands at the concourse level, providing a complete wrap-around concourse for the first time.
 
With kickoff scheduled for early evening on a weeknight, and classes in session, as well as a number of new processes to embrace—including the implementation of digital ticketing and parking—fans are encouraged to arrive at the stadium early to allow for extra time to get parked and enter the gates. All UTA transit is free to ride for ticketholders by displaying a valid game ticket, including the new postgame bus service from the stadium to the Court House TRAX station. For more information please visit UTA.com.
 
To help inform fans and provide the best experience possible, Utah Athletics has launched a Gameday Information page that covers the most important topics related to fans' experience attending Utah Football games. The page includes informational videos and helpful links to Utah Tickets, the Rice-Eccles Stadium website and other resources. It can be found here.
 
In accordance with state law, the University is not requiring attendees of University events to wear masks, or to prove vaccination status. However, consistent with the University's messaging, Utah Athletics is strongly encouraging fans to wear masks when attending games, in the interests of health and safety.
 
Digital Tickets and Parking: Tickets and parking will be scanned on game day using the ticket holder's mobile device. They also may be easily transferred to others via email in a ticket-holders account at UtahTickets.com. To ensure a successful introduction to the new digital ticketing system, fans are encouraged to have their tickets and parking passes downloaded to their wallet on either iPhone or Android devices, and ready to present upon arrival at the parking lot and stadium gates to expedite the entry process. Step-by-step instructions for the process have been delivered to season ticket holders via email and may be accessed online by logging in to a season ticket holder's account and selecting "Manage Tickets" from the pull-down menu, under Tickets. This cannot be done through the Ticketmaster app.
 
It is also recommended that fans plan to arrive early to allow extra time for the entry process. Those who are not equipped to utilize digital ticketing are encouraged to contact their ticket office representative at 801-581-8849 to learn about alternative solutions.
 
Parking Lots: New in 2021, parking lots will open five hours before kickoff, with the exception of the tailgate lots. A parking map can be found here.
 
Free Transit Rides: Ticketholders may ride all UTA transit vehicles for free on game days by showing a game ticket, now displayed digitally on a mobile device. For more information please visit UTA.com.
 
Cashless Concessions: To reduce touchpoints and increase efficiency with concessions sale, Rice-Eccles Stadium will introduce cashless concessions transactions. All sales will be completed using credit cards. Mobile payment apps will be implemented later this season.
 
Gates: Stadium gates will open two hours prior to kickoff.
 
Clear Bag Policy: Rice-Eccles Stadium will continue to utilize a clear-bag policy, and the stadium will introduce no-bag lines at all major gates to help expedite entry for those not bringing a bag into the stadium. Only clear bags, up to 12"x18", will be allowed inside the stadium. No bags, purses or duffels may be brought into the stadium.

Ute Walk and Field Access: For health and safety reasons, the Ute Walk will not take place in 2021. Fans also will not be able to access the field after games. 
 
@UtahGameDay Twitter: The Utah Athletics department has created a designated Twitter account to disseminate real-time information to fans attending games, and to receive instant feedback to help solve issues, answer questions and improve fans' game-day experience. Please follow @UtahGameDay.
 
Utah Volleyball Tournament: The 19th-ranked Utah volleyball team hosts the Utah Invitational this Friday-Saturday, Sept. 3-4. Displaying a ticket from the Sept. 2 football game against Weber State allows the ticketholder to purchase a $3 ticket to the volleyball team's Saturday night matchup against Hawaii at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
  
A very limited number of Utah Footbal season tickets are still available by visiting utahtickets.com, and single-game tickets can be purchased here. Discounted tickets for UU faculty and staff for the Sept. 2 home opener are available for $20, and may be purchased at this link.