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Welcome back to the Tigers Football Insider, where we bring you the latest news and analysis from The Daily Memphian’s Frank Bonner II and Tim Buckley each week.
Memphis football has announced more gameday enhancements ahead of the 2023 season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
The additions include a new tailgate area on Tiger Lane while also adding food trucks and beer sales. The tailgate will now open three hours before kickoff and close 30 minutes before the game starts. It will have a large-screen TV for fans to vote on the game to watch each week. The Kid Zone will also be larger this year to allow for more inflatables and a football field for kids to play on.
DJ Tanner will be the new DJ during games and will be located in the student section. The Tigers will also have enhanced fireworks and cryo for the Tiger runout and Memphis touchdowns. Corky’s will have two stands inside the stadium at sections 103 and 120.
“Our goal is to provide a great experience for all fans, whether it’s your 40th year as a season ticket holder or you’re attending your first game,” athletic director Laird Veatch said in a statement. “We have been focusing on making Memphis Football gamedays the place to be each fall, and that includes the experience outside the stadium in addition to the game. We cannot wait for fans to enjoy these new enhancements to Memphis Football gamedays at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.”
The season ticket distribution will be different for fans this year. All season tickets and season parking passes will be delivered to fans as an “All-In-1-Pass.” Fans will now only be required to download one ticket or one parking pass for each seat or pass on their account. Tickets and parking passes will automatically update for the next game.
The Tigers already announced earlier this week their $60 ticket promotion for the season opener against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2. Fans can purchase a ticket for the first home game and get a free ticket for each home game after if the Tigers continue to win at home.
It’s a relatively safe bet for the first two home games. It would take several catastrophic mistakes or injuries for Memphis to somehow lose to Bethune-Cookman. That’s the closest game to a guaranteed win that Memphis has on the schedule this season. That win would create a free ticket to the next home game against Navy on Thursday, Sept. 14.
Memphis has won four consecutive games against the Midshipmen and should extend the streak to five this year while facing first-year Navy head coach Brian Newberry. Fans should feel confident about their chances of receiving at least two free tickets after purchasing the $60 promotional ticket.
A win over Navy would allow for a free ticket against Boise State on Sept. 30. That is the first home game of the season that offers a legitimate threat of losing for the Tigers. It would still be worth the purchase even if Memphis does lose that game, but the Tigers should have their chances to beat the Broncos down the stretch before hosting Tulane on Oct. 13 followed by South Florida (Nov. 4) and SMU (Nov. 18).
More from your Insider:
Josh Ellison appeared in all 37 games during his three years at Oklahoma but didn’t play the number of snaps he was looking for. He plans to be a significant part of the defensive line at Memphis.
Memphis football players spent an afternoon hanging out with patients at the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital before enjoying Fan Fest with Tiger fans.
Deputy athletic director Jeff Crane said Memphis would like to sell at least another 1,000-1,200 more season tickets before the 2023 season starts. Single-game tickets sales are on the rise, he said.
Chris Morris signed with the Tigers in December and entered the NCAA transfer portal in July.
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