PITTSBURG — No. 18 ranked Pittsburg State University will host MIAA rival Fort Hays State University in its Family Day Game Saturday (Sept. 20) at Carnie Smith Stadium; and all signs point to the Gorillas playing in front of a packed house tomorrow.

"We've sold all reserved and general admission seats in the stadium and are now only issuing Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets or handicap access tickets for Saturday's game," Pitt State Vice President for Athletics Jim Johnson said. "At this point in time, we don't anticipate reaching our ceiling on SRO tickets to where the stadium is completely sold out, so we encourage fans to continue to purchase tickets today or at the gate on Saturday."

East and West Stadium ticket booths will open on the normal schedule Saturday at 2 pm. East ticket windows will open for SRO ticket sales and will call/player parent ticket pick-up. West ticket windows will open for will call only (no ticket sales at this location).

Carnie Smith Stadium gates open at 2:30 pm. All SRO tickets must enter through the east stadium gates. No SRO areas are available within the West Stadium.
 
Fans should anticipate longer than normal waits in lines to enter the stadium on Saturday due to the high volume of ticket sales. Fans are strongly encouraged to enter the stadium earlier than normal to ensure getting to their seats in a timely manner. The pre-game show will begin on schedule at 3:35 p.m.

"Only a handful of universities in the nation are fortunate enough to have this type of fan support," Johnson said. "I'm often asked what makes Pittsburg State game days so special and the answer is … Gorilla Nation. There's nothing quite like a sold-out Carnie Smith Stadium."

Pitt State is 1-2 on the season. The Gorillas, who have faced three nationally ranked squads to begin the season, enter Saturday's action off a 17-14 home win over No. 3 Grand Valley State University last week. Fort Hays State is 2-1 and ranked just outside the NCAA Division II Top 25 among others receiving votes.
 
Game Day Schedule
7 am – Parking lots open
1 pm – GorillaFest begins (Gorilla Village)
2 pm – East ticket booth opens
2:30 pm – Gates open to Carnie Smith Stadium
2:45 pm – Gorilla Walk begins
3:35 pm – Alumni Legacy License Plate Scholarship presentation (on-field)
3:43 pm – Pride of the Plains Marching Band performance
3:51 pm – Football team intro video/Gorillas take the field
3:55 pm – National Anthem
4 pm – Kickoff
Halftime – 2025 Honorary Family recognition