by Chloe Matthews and Chris Zahn
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — Saturday marks the beginning of football season on the Hill with a newly renovated stadium, new parking policies, and new student access passes.
Parking:
Each game day, student and faculty parking lots are used to accommodate the tens of thousands of fans who come to see the Razorbacks play. A map of the lots that need to be vacated by 11:59 p.m. the night before the game can be found at https://parking.uark.edu/parking-services/athletic-events-parking.php, and the same map shows where cars can be relocated. Any cars left in the lots after 11:59 p.m. will be towed.
Harmon parking garage opens up on weekends for free. Cars can be relocated there for the weekend if they are moved out of Harmon before Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
Passes:
In past years, student access passes were redeemed by swiping your student I.D., but this year the pass goes on your phone.
The university sent an email out to students explaining how the new system will work.
1. On Monday of game week, you’ll get a reminder/confirmation that you are an Access Pass Holder and message telling you that your mobile ticket will be sent on Friday.
2. On Friday of a game week, your mobile ticket will be emailed to you.
3. In the email will be a PDF attachment and an Apple Passbook attachment — either one can be downloaded and used as your ticket into the game (they are the same ticket and only one can be used).
4. On game day, students will enter at Gate 17 on the southeast corner of the stadium (same as last year). Razorback Foundation Collegiate members enter through Gate 16 for SEC games.
5. If you have issues on game day or don’t have a smart phone, the Razorback Ticket Center will print a ticket for your (with valid student ID) at the south Barnhill Arena ticket window.
The pass costs $85 and can be purchased at http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/student-tickets/.
Preview:
Eastern Illinois comes to Fayetteville to open the season and the Razorbacks are heavily favored in this Saturday afternoon matchup.
Quarterback Cole Kelley will get the start under center for the Hogs. Expect him to use his size on key third-and-short situations, because his ability to push the pile back for a short gain is one of his biggest strengths.
The match-up will be televised at 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.