‘It’s certainly memorable’: Eastern Washington excited to play first college game in Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium

Since it opened, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis has hosted seven seasons’ worth of Minnesota Vikings games, plenty of high school state championship games and even a Super Bowl.

But it has yet to host a college football game.

That changes Saturday , when Eastern Washington and No. 2 North Dakota State will begin their seasons. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. and the game will stream on ESPN+.

“It’s certainly memorable,” Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best said during his media availability on Tuesday. “ (EWU players) will take these three hours with them for the rest of their lives, and that’s what it’s all about.”

First arranged two years ago by third parties, the neutral-site contest most certainly provides a financial benefit to both programs. Eastern Washington will receive a $200,000 payout for its participation and North Dakota State will get $350,000, according to their contracts.

But to each, the benefits are not just financial.

“It’s a unique opportunity,” NDSU coach Matt Entz said during a news conference on Monday. “It has a ton of value, especially when you talk about recruiting as well.”

NDSU, which plays its home games only a few miles from Minnesota in Fargo, has more players on its roster from Minnesota – 38 – than any other state. So for many, this is a bit of a homecoming.

It is also a great opportunity for graduates to gather, Entz said.

“I think it’s probably our area of our greatest alumni population, so it’s another opportunity for our alumni to be engaged with our football program and also to engage with one another,” Entz said. “So I see it as a win-win.”

The Eagles don’t have quite the same opportunities (there are no Minnesotans on their roster). But it is still another chance to play in an NFL stadium following EWU’s 2021 game – a win over UNLV – at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. And it also gives Eagles fans a destination game to attend, said Tim Collins, who became EWU’s athletic director this summer.

“We’re so excited for our student-athletes to be able to play in an NFL stadium,” Collins said Tuesday. “What a great opportunity. It’s our responsibility to balance a game like this versus playing home-and-homes and getting people to come to campus.

“One’s not better than the other. They’re both opportunities to connect with our community.”

Collins said there are EWU alumni events scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Minneapolis.

The financial terms of this game look a bit like they would for a bowl game, Collins said, in that the two athletic departments are not on the same contract. Rather, third parties coordinated to put on the game and then signed separate contracts with each of the programs.

Eastern Washington’s contract calls for the team to receive its $200,000 from Russ Potts Productions Inc. plus a $50,000 travel stipend. Should ticket sales reach a certain threshold – the first is at 40,000 – EWU would receive a series of $25,000 payments.

According to a report earlier this week in the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, the game had yet to sell 15,000 tickets in a stadium that can seat four times that.

Eastern Washington is also bound to purchase 2,000 tickets, according to the contract. Any unsold tickets from that committed allotment will be deducted from the final payout.

The Eagles’ Sept. 9 game at Fresno State, agreed to in 2020, gives EWU a $300,000 payout. Their home opener the following week at Roos Field against Southeastern Louisiana is a home-and-home, with the Eagles scheduled to make the trip to Hammond in 2024.

While North Dakota State’s payout for this weekend’s game – per its contract with U.S. Bank Stadium’s facility manager, SMG – is higher, it also comes with more requirements. For example, NDSU has agreed to purchase tickets. Like EWU’s contract, there are bonuses should ticket sales cross certain thresholds, starting at 25,000 sold.

According to the contract, SMG retains the revenue from the sale of all tickets, which on ticketmaster.com range in price from $35 to $115.

North Dakota State has won nine of the past 12 FCS titles, including a 38-24 victory over Eastern Washington in the 2018 championship game. EWU won its lone national title in 2010. This will be the sixth meeting between the programs.

While cornerback Darrien Sampson is the only current Eagles player who participated in that 2018 championship game, many more played against NDSU in a 2021 spring FCS playoffs game in Fargo, the most recent matchup between the programs.

Even more of them, like senior cornerback Marlon Jones Jr., were on the field the following fall when the Eagles played Allegiant Stadium.

He, for one, is eager to play on an NFL field – again.

“I just am going to take it all in once I get there, and not let the lights get too bright,” Jones said Tuesday. “But it’s for sure going to be, like, a twice-in-a-lifetime experience so far.”