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Eastern Washington University Football

Eastern Washington hopes to keep pace with North Dakota State on the field, in the stands

Eastern Washington Eagles Jayce Gilder (89) and Jayson Williams (2) celebrate a touchdown during against Maine during the second half of a college football game on Saturday, December 15, 2018, at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)
By Ryan Collingwood ryanc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5473

North Dakota State fans have been purchasing tickets to the FCS national title game since August.

Considering the Bison have won six of the last seven FCS national titles and have been heavily favored to win another, it’s been a pretty safe investment.

Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas – where NDSU (14-0) will face Eastern Washington (12-2) on Jan. 5 in this year’s title game – has been a home away from the Fargodome for the Bison.

Eastern Washington wants to make sure the 4,100 tickets it’s been allotted stay out of green and gold hands.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday at noon at GoEags.com. More than one-third of the $90 tickets were sold as of Tuesday.

Tickets went on sale to season-ticket holders on Monday. As of Tuesday, 1,362 tickets were purchased and another 100 were given to football staff members.

“We want to make sure that before they go to sell to the general public, that as many Eastern people as possible are getting theirs,” said EWU ticket office employee Brittney Norris said.

“We don’t want (North Dakota State’s fans) to take over.”

NDSU often sells out its allotment quickly, forcing Bison fans to find tickets elsewhere. Like EWU, it also received an allotment of 4,100 tickets this year.

Tickets are available through the NCAA and on dozens of ticket sites, but typically range between $130-500 and are going fast.

“#NDSU vs #EWU NCAA D1 FCS Football Champ outsold every NY6 bowl game over weekend,” Tweeted TicketCity.com. “Strong demand from Bison fans, who are making the 1,100 mile trip to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. #RollHerd #GoEags.”

The 2017 FCS national title game between North Dakota State and James Madison had an attendance of 19,090. The 2016 national title game between James Madison and Youngstown State had 14,423.

When EWU won the program’s first national title in 2010 at Toyota Stadium, a 20-19 win over Delaware, the attendance was 13,027.

Eastern Washington averaged 7,974 fans per game at Roos Field this season.

The Bison, who play in the comfy confines of the Fargodome, averaged 18,105 per home game

NDSU director of athletic communications Ryan Perreault said he expects NDSU fans to fill most of Toyota Stadium.

“We estimate another crowd of 15,000, if not more, Bison fans in Frisco again this year,” Perreault said.