GRAND FORKS — UND and Montana are ranked in the Top 25 of FCS college football.

It’s the Missouri Valley Football Conference vs. the Big Sky Conference.

It’s UND’s first Saturday night kickoff in 10 years.

The Fighting Hawks haven’t lost a home opener in nearly 40 years.

UND fan interest is high as the Hawks (No. 23) play the Grizzlies (No. 4) at the Alerus Center on Saturday at 6 p.m.

However, it’s still hard to say what kind of crowd UND can expect.

UND has sold 5,317 season tickets for 2024, making it typically a large crowd that sets the final mood.

The season ticket count of 5,317 is down 170 from last season, but up 371 from 2022. Perhaps the most important factor in the data is whether North Dakota State plays a home game in a given year.

In previous seasons, there were similar ups and downs depending on whether the Bison game was held in Grand Forks.

“Overall, we’re pleased with our long-term trend of increasing football season tickets,” UND associate athletic director Erik Martinson said. “Today, we’re down about 3% from last year, but up 7.5% from 2022 with a lot of variables in play. We’ve always had a huge crowd for single-game tickets, and it’s our job to work hard to convert those single-game buyers into season-ticket holders.”

UND drew 8,503 for its 2023 home opener against Drake, 9,940 for its 2022 home opener against Northern Iowa and 10,143 for its 2021 home opener against Drake.

The highest attended home game in Alerus history (2001) was in 2009 against South Dakota (12,431).

On Saturdays, UND opens the tailgate parking lot at 11:00 am and the general parking lot at 12:00 pm.

There will be a live band during the tailgate and fireworks are expected after the match.

“The last time we were there in 2018, they beat us, so we know it’s a tough place,” Montana head coach Bobby Hauck said. “We’re going to have our hands full trying to win there.

“They’re always good up front and fundamentally sound. (UND coach Bubba Schweigert) has been at it for a long time and his teams are always ready. This morning (Monday) I saw their blowout of North Dakota State last year. That was an eye-opener. I thought they played really well at Iowa State, too. If the ball bounced their way a couple times, that could have been a different outcome for them.”

WHO: No. 4 Montana at No. 23 UND.
Where: Alerus Center.
When: Saturday, 6:00 PM
TV: Midco Sports (Reporting by Alex Heinert, analyst Ryan Kasowski).
Radio: 96.1 FM.
Streaming: ESPN Plus