Gopher Football: Traffic, Tickets and Food

The Gopher home opener starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and fans are eager to jump-start the season. Here is information to prepare for game day:

Tailgating: To promote ticket sales, GameDay Envy is sponsoring a tailgating event for students starting at 7 a.m. this Saturday. They purchased four parking spots at the Ski-U-Mah lot to provide a variety of services: Big-screen TV, karaoke, DVD player, Nintendo Wii, grill with propane, private restroom, horseshoes, giant Jenga, plates, cups, napkins, tables, barstools and more. All students have to do is bring food, if they want to cook on the provided grills, and drinks.

Traffic/Parking: Parking will be available on the East Bank (Pay $10 in the East River Road Garage and pay $20 in Lot C79), West Bank (Pay $10 at the 19th Avenue Ramp and 21st Avenue Ramp) and in St. Paul (Pay $10 at the State Fairgrounds Lot S108). Gopher football shuttles will provide transportation every 10 minutes starting three hours before the game only from the St. Paul parking locations. The University guide advises that fans should arrive early, and parking facilities will be open at 7 a.m.

“Make sure fans build enough time to get to the game because of all the light rail construction,” Garry Bowman, University of Minnesota director of athletic communications, said.

Keep up to date on how to get to the game at KSTP.com/traffic.

Tickets: According to the Gopher GameDay Guide, all fans over the age of two need a ticket.  Kids under the age of two will have to sit on their parent’s lap. Tickets are $15 for students who have their University of Minnesota Twin Cities ID and non-students tickets are $30.

Food to Eat: Tons of vendors at the games will be open to serve food such as: pizzas, pretzels, roasted nuts, beef stew bread bowls, hickory smoked bacon, cheese curds, walleye fingers and more.

Beer: Three kinds of beer will be offered for the fans for the first time ever: Miller Lite, Grainbelt and Summit Pale Ale for $7.25.

Background on the University of New Hampshire: The Gophers will take on the University of New Hampshire Wildcats at 11 a.m. for the first time. New Hampshire finished the 2011 season with an 8-4 record and advanced to the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. They had to replace their old quarterback Kevin Decker who threw 3,272 yards and 22 touchdowns last year.

Information provided by gophersports.com.