‘Blackout’ could pack Byrd Stadium after season of sparse turnouts

Empty seats have become commonplace at Byrd Stadium this season, where an unstable economy and a 2-10 campaign last year are largely to blame for declining ticket sales.

But with the Terrapin football team in the hunt for a berth in the ACC Championship, the athletics department expects Saturday's showdown against Florida State to be well attended, even if a sellout remains unlikely.

Byrd's upper-level seats have rarely been filled this year, and even the student section has been barren at times. But the implications of Saturday's game — with a victory before a "blackout" crowd and a national television audience, the Terps will be within one win of a spot in the ACC Championship — athletics officials are expecting a season-best crowd.

"I fully expect [the student] section will be at capacity," Senior Associate Athletics Director Chris Boyer said. "We're anticipating that the crowd will be in the ballpark of [46,000] to 47,000."

Season-ticket sales were down 15 percent going into the season, and 2010 has featured some of the worst-attended games in coach Ralph Friedgen's 10-year tenure. But as the wins have mounted, so have ticket sales.

"I don't think we're ever happy with a crowd that's not a sellout," Boyer said. "I think we're excited to see the numbers trending upward all season long as people started to buy into the team, and the team's performed. I think people have really been able to wait it out and understand how competitive the team was going to be."

Athletics officials aren't the only ones noticing the increase in attendance. After lamenting poor attendance numbers at times this season, Terp players said they have noted the increase in crowd size as well, and they expect it to continue.

"Obviously, coming off 2-10, everyone starts hearing about how well we're doing now, and everyone wants to come to the games," linebacker Alex Wujciak said. "As the season went on, there's been more and more fans. There's definitely a buzz going right now."

If postseason implications aren't enough of a draw, this year's installation of the annual "blackout" game has certainly helped to build the buzz. The first 4,000 students to Saturday's game will receive free black T-shirts, and the Terps will don special black Wounded Warrior uniforms featuring camouflage patterns.

"I think we're a little excited," Wujciak said. "Last year, our ‘blackout' game was during the day, so we've been waiting for one of these games for a while now. We can't be overly excited, but we'll definitely have a little extra excitement."

Some players, though, think it shouldn't take a novelty to bring fans to Byrd on Saturday.

The importance of the game, wide receiver Torrey Smith said, should be enough to fill the stands.

"I have no idea what to expect, but it's a lot on the line for us," Smith said. "I don't understand why fans wouldn't want to come. You've got a great team coming to town in Florida State, a lot on the line — it's like tournament time for us. You win, you're in."

J.D. Delesa, a freshman communication major, is confident the Terps will be supported by a good fan turnout in what he called "the best game of the year."

"[With] 7-3 versus 7-3, it's going to be legit," Delesa said. "I think it's going to be the biggest turnout so far."

Senior sociology major Nicki Doswell, still haunted by the Terps' 37-3 loss to Florida State in their 2008 "blackout" game, won't be attending.

"I remember being cold," Doswell said of the loss, which occurred in near-freezing temperatures. "It's almost not worth it. I can watch them lose from my TV instead of being there and watching."

While the athletics department sees the game as a chance for the Terps to make headway in the ACC, rebounding from a rough financial year that has led to budget cuts throughout the department might be just as important.

"It's a great marketing opportunity to have this type of exposure for a team that's in contention for an ACC Championship against a team that's been nationally ranked at times throughout the season," Boyer said. "It's going to obviously be nice to show off what will be our best attendance of the season to date on ABC television."

schneider@umdbk.com