Story by Elisha Nelson/ Contributing Writer

The Middle Tennessee State University football team had their annual blackout game last Friday in front of 15,000 fans in attendance.

Friday’s game against UTSA at home reeled in 15,020 ticket sales, eclipsing the average fan attendance that Floyd Stadium sees per game.

Fans attending the game who opted not to wear a blackout shirt had their reasons for not participating in the annual tradition.

“I just wasn’t aware of it,” said Chelsie King, an MTSU alum.

Other fans claimed they were unable to purchase a shirt in time with them selling out a day before the game.

 “It’s too cold to be wearing a t-shirt tonight.” said an unnamed fan.

Weston Hargrove, a marketing coordinator for MTSU Athletics, said they sold more blackout shirts than expected for the 2022 season.

“We have definitely surpassed what we initially thought we would. It’s a testament to students who want to support their classmates and support their team.”

Relative to the number of tickets sold, MTSU Athletics sees the sales in shirts as a success. With over 4,000 students in attendance on Friday, most of attendees sporting the shirts were students or alumni to the university.

“We got close to selling out the last units by the end of Thursday prior to the game,” said Hargrove.  It seems most fans attending are participating at a high rate, with the majority of fans in the stands sporting the black look MTSU football players donned. The fans have done a really good job of being active on campus and helping us bring Blue Raider football to life.”