Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
WVU's Holgorsen in Charlotte to Promote Belk Game
May 24, 2018 05:26 PM | Football
CHARLOTTE - Coaches Dana Holgorsen and Jeremy Pruitt were in Charlotte today to promote the Belk Kickoff Game to be played here at Bank America Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 1.
Holgorsen and Pruitt talked to reporters and then visited with members of the Charlotte Sports Foundation at Quail Hollow Club.
"We're excited to be playing in this game, and I'm a big proponent of these neutral-site games to start the year," Holgorsen said. "It's a bowl-game atmosphere. Although the players and coaches don't get to treat it like a bowl game, the fanbase does."
This year's meeting will be the first-ever between West Virginia and Tennessee, two historic college football programs. The Volunteers and Arkansas are the only two SEC programs West Virginia has never faced on the gridiron.
It will be the Mountaineers' fourth visit to Bank America Stadium, beginning with a 1999 matchup against East Carolina and continuing with bowl-game appearances against Virginia in 2002 and North Carolina in 2008.
The game against Virginia, in what was then known as the Continental Tire Bowl, established a Bank America Stadium record attendance of 73,535, which has since been broken. In 2008, West Virginia faced North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl and another capacity crowd of 73,712 came out to watch the Mountaineers rally to defeat the Tar Heels, 31-30, during Pat White's final season at WVU.
West Virginia senior quarterback Will Grier is from nearby Davidson, North Carolina, and will be playing in front of friends and family for the first time ever as a collegian.
Game promoters are anticipating a crowd approaching 75,000 for this year's contest, to be played on the opening weekend of the college football season. Bank of America Stadium has undergone more than $100 million in improvements since WVU last played there, with new video boards at both ends of the stadium, wider concourses and refurbished concession areas.
West Virginia has already sold its allotment of tickets for the game and Tennessee has nearly fulfilled its ticket requirement as well.
This will be Tennessee's first-ever trip to Charlotte to play a college football game.
West Virginia University director of athletics Shane Lyons, also in the Queen City for today's luncheon, said playing Tennessee in an early-season game in Charlotte fits the types of appealing, non-conference matchups he wants to continue scheduling in the future.
"I think it gives a lot of exposure to our institution," Lyons explained. "It's a big game against a big-name, non-conference opponent. As the first game of the year, it gives our student-athletes something to look forward to working out all summer to have that big non-conference opponent. It's something that I like and will continue to look at moving into the future."
Lyons pointed out that Charlotte is an important city to West Virginia University with its proximity to the Mountain State and the large number of WVU graduates currently living and working in the area.
"It's in one of the footprints of our alumni base and represents one of our larger alumni bases so (this game) is very attractive," he said. "In 2020, we have Florida State in Atlanta, which has been good exposure for us in the past playing Alabama there. Last year, we played Virginia Tech in (Washington) D.C. so we're trying to keep something like this going because it's important."
Lyons and Holgorsen were in the southern part of the state earlier this week taking part in Mountaineer Athletic Club events in Princeton and Beckley and the third-year athletic director indicated many of the fans he interacted with are excited about making the short trip down Interstate 77 to Charlotte over Labor Day weekend.
He said that it takes about the same amount of time for fans from Beckley and Princeton to drive to Morgantown or Charlotte.
"In the southern part of the state, they can get to Charlotte just as quick as they can get to Morgantown so they're excited about the opportunity, and Charlotte adds a lot," Lyons said. "As coach Holgorsen said during the press conference, it's almost like a bowl atmosphere for the fans. It's a four-day weekend.
"They get to come down Friday night and stay the weekend," he added. "There is the (Brad Paisley) concert to go along with this on Friday night and the game will be on Saturday. The good thing about Charlotte is you can get a downtown hotel, stay downtown, park your car, and never have to get your car out until you go back home, which is also important."
Holgorsen said his players are once again looking forward to opening the season in a professional venue. Last year, West Virginia began the season at FedExField against regional rival Virginia Tech.
"From the players aspect of it, being able to be in an NFL stadium and being in a huge venue is something that they really look forward to," he stated. "We've got a bunch of these games in the future and we've played a bunch of them already and we will continue to do it."
According to Jason Lowman, director of ticket sales for the Charlotte Sports Foundation, single-game tickets for this year's Belk Kickoff Game will go on sale next Tuesday afternoon to the general public.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets through TicketMaster or by logging on to the website BelkTickets.com.
Game promoters indicated a kickoff time and television coverage could be announced as early as next week.
Holgorsen is schedule to speak to the Charlotte Touchdown Club tomorrow afternoon in downtown Charlotte.
More than 700 people are expected to attend that event.
Holgorsen and Pruitt talked to reporters and then visited with members of the Charlotte Sports Foundation at Quail Hollow Club.
"We're excited to be playing in this game, and I'm a big proponent of these neutral-site games to start the year," Holgorsen said. "It's a bowl-game atmosphere. Although the players and coaches don't get to treat it like a bowl game, the fanbase does."
This year's meeting will be the first-ever between West Virginia and Tennessee, two historic college football programs. The Volunteers and Arkansas are the only two SEC programs West Virginia has never faced on the gridiron.
It will be the Mountaineers' fourth visit to Bank America Stadium, beginning with a 1999 matchup against East Carolina and continuing with bowl-game appearances against Virginia in 2002 and North Carolina in 2008.
The game against Virginia, in what was then known as the Continental Tire Bowl, established a Bank America Stadium record attendance of 73,535, which has since been broken. In 2008, West Virginia faced North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl and another capacity crowd of 73,712 came out to watch the Mountaineers rally to defeat the Tar Heels, 31-30, during Pat White's final season at WVU.
West Virginia senior quarterback Will Grier is from nearby Davidson, North Carolina, and will be playing in front of friends and family for the first time ever as a collegian.
Game promoters are anticipating a crowd approaching 75,000 for this year's contest, to be played on the opening weekend of the college football season. Bank of America Stadium has undergone more than $100 million in improvements since WVU last played there, with new video boards at both ends of the stadium, wider concourses and refurbished concession areas.
West Virginia has already sold its allotment of tickets for the game and Tennessee has nearly fulfilled its ticket requirement as well.
This will be Tennessee's first-ever trip to Charlotte to play a college football game.
West Virginia University director of athletics Shane Lyons, also in the Queen City for today's luncheon, said playing Tennessee in an early-season game in Charlotte fits the types of appealing, non-conference matchups he wants to continue scheduling in the future.
"I think it gives a lot of exposure to our institution," Lyons explained. "It's a big game against a big-name, non-conference opponent. As the first game of the year, it gives our student-athletes something to look forward to working out all summer to have that big non-conference opponent. It's something that I like and will continue to look at moving into the future."
Lyons pointed out that Charlotte is an important city to West Virginia University with its proximity to the Mountain State and the large number of WVU graduates currently living and working in the area.
"It's in one of the footprints of our alumni base and represents one of our larger alumni bases so (this game) is very attractive," he said. "In 2020, we have Florida State in Atlanta, which has been good exposure for us in the past playing Alabama there. Last year, we played Virginia Tech in (Washington) D.C. so we're trying to keep something like this going because it's important."
Lyons and Holgorsen were in the southern part of the state earlier this week taking part in Mountaineer Athletic Club events in Princeton and Beckley and the third-year athletic director indicated many of the fans he interacted with are excited about making the short trip down Interstate 77 to Charlotte over Labor Day weekend.
He said that it takes about the same amount of time for fans from Beckley and Princeton to drive to Morgantown or Charlotte.
"In the southern part of the state, they can get to Charlotte just as quick as they can get to Morgantown so they're excited about the opportunity, and Charlotte adds a lot," Lyons said. "As coach Holgorsen said during the press conference, it's almost like a bowl atmosphere for the fans. It's a four-day weekend.
"They get to come down Friday night and stay the weekend," he added. "There is the (Brad Paisley) concert to go along with this on Friday night and the game will be on Saturday. The good thing about Charlotte is you can get a downtown hotel, stay downtown, park your car, and never have to get your car out until you go back home, which is also important."
Holgorsen said his players are once again looking forward to opening the season in a professional venue. Last year, West Virginia began the season at FedExField against regional rival Virginia Tech.
"From the players aspect of it, being able to be in an NFL stadium and being in a huge venue is something that they really look forward to," he stated. "We've got a bunch of these games in the future and we've played a bunch of them already and we will continue to do it."
According to Jason Lowman, director of ticket sales for the Charlotte Sports Foundation, single-game tickets for this year's Belk Kickoff Game will go on sale next Tuesday afternoon to the general public.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets through TicketMaster or by logging on to the website BelkTickets.com.
Game promoters indicated a kickoff time and television coverage could be announced as early as next week.
Holgorsen is schedule to speak to the Charlotte Touchdown Club tomorrow afternoon in downtown Charlotte.
More than 700 people are expected to attend that event.
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