Sept. 17, 2014 RUSTON - Due to a Conference USA rule prohibiting a member institution from allowing the student section directly behind the visiting bench, Louisiana Tech is reserving the first five rows between the 35-yard lines on the east side of Joe Aillet Stadium for non-students.
In order for the LA Tech team to be on the west sideline, Tech officials are installing 195 temporary chair back seats on the first five rows between the 35-yard lines on the east side and selling them to non-students.
"We are abiding by the league rules," said Tech Athletics Director Tommy McClelland. "We are targeting our young alumni and any other fans who want to sit in what really is a premium seating area. We felt that this was a better option than having to cover these seats with some type of banner in order to prevent our students from sitting in these seats.
"North Texas did this exact same thing at their stadium. They had a lot of their younger alumni seating in these seats and it was really a great atmosphere. We want fans in this area who are going to be loud and energetic and that will help our student body maintain the home field atmosphere on that side."
In the past, Louisiana Tech has moved its sideline to the east side for home games. However, the administration and coaching staff agreed that it was a competitive disadvantage to continue to do that moving forward.
"Being on the press box side is huge," said Tech head coach Skip Holtz. "It is not so much the sun. Signals are a big part of this game; signaling plays, defenses and people stealing signals. Sometimes occasionally that may occur. I think it is important to be able to signal and not have three coaches with binoculars on you. It is an advantage defensively when you know what play they are going to run offensively. It can be a large advantage.
"I think to have the opportunity to be able to hide those signals with your back (to the press box) is great. I have had people ask about the big sail the defense carries around with them on the sideline. It is to hide as many signals as we can. I think that is a big part of it. I enjoyed having the students behind us, but I think it will be better to have students and other energetic fans sitting right behind the opponents. I encourage the students to come out. Like Dorothy said, there is no place like home."
The 195 seats went on sale Wednesday morning in the Tech Ticket Office and are located in the first five rows of Sections N, O and P. Cost of the seats is $80 (plus a $50 LTAC donation) for young alumni (29-years-old or younger) or $160 for any other fan. A limited number are available on a single game basis for $30.
For more information or to purchase a ticket, fans can call the Tech Ticket Office at 318-257-3631 or email TechTickets@latech.edu.
The Bulldogs open up the home portion of their schedule this Saturday against Northwestern State at 6 p.m. at Joe Aillet Stadium.
