UNM implementing numerous ticket promotions to drive football attendance

The UNM Lobos know momentum — particularly behind its football program, and especially late in the season — can vanish in a hurry.

Some might say it could be gone in 60 seconds.

In the latest blitz to get butts in the seats, the university is turning over every rock to keep things rolling in the right direction ahead of Saturday’s afternoon clash with visiting Utah State, even coercing first-year head coach Jason Eck into “starring” in another social media hype video spoofing the 2000 Nicolas Cage action movie, “Gone in 60 Seconds.”

Among the promotions:

— Elementary school students, families and teachers got an email (sent by Albuquerque Public Schools) Wednesday for free tickets and those were claimed within hours. Children under 12 years old can still get into north end zone seats for free when an adult purchases a general admission seat (this is a season-long promotion).

Both initiatives, UNM Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Revenue Officer Jalen Dominguez noted when talking with the Journal, fall in line with a broader mission to make Lobo football accessible to younger fans and families with the hopes of building longterm fans.

— UNM has reached out to area pueblos with special offers trying to encourage their communities to come to the game to celebrate the team’s use of turquoise jerseys for the first time since 1979.

— The school has dropped $10 student “guest” tickets to $5 for this game.

— Businesses have been solicited to purchase 100-ticket group plans for $1,000 for the game.

Obviously getting more fans to games is always the goal, but the challenge of getting fans into University Stadium in October and November has been particularly immense.

Last week, even with general good vibes around the program and bowl eligibility in play, the Lobos followed up their celebrated Sept. 27 sellout against rival New Mexico State with an announced attendance of just 18,233 in a Homecoming game vs. Nevada.

This, in addition to calling on Eck’s acting chops and using several first-time ticket promotions, the athletic department also went with a less-than-encouraged marketing strategy of announcing a specific attendance goal of 22,511 — the figure for the Oct. 2, 2010, home game against UTEP.

The significance? That’s the highest October or November attendance in University Stadium since 2010, not counting the three times NMSU visited that late in a season (2010, 2013 and 2015).

The stadium’s average October/November attendance since 2010 is just 16,778 and just seven games in those months have reached the 20,000 mark, none since 2016.