Rice-Eccles Back To Full Capacity — What That Means For Fans

With the upcoming college football season less than three months away, fans are in for a treat as Rice-Eccles stadium will be back to full capacity — and that includes the finished product of the newly formed Ken Garff Performance Zone

On Sept. 2 at Rice-Eccles stadium, an official will blow a whistle and 22 players will take their positions on a football field. Nearly 52,000 people will rise from their seats as the ball will be kicked high into the air.

In that moment, society will feel back to normal. In that moment, the 2021-2022 college football season will be in underway as it should — with a full house at Rice-Eccles.

The Utah athletic department has announced that Rice-Eccles will return to full capacity for the upcoming season. It's a huge announcement for one of the most raucous and loyal fanbases across the country — a place where having home field advantage truly makes a difference up in the mountains.

“We are incredibly excited to be planning for a sold-out, full-capacity environment at Rice-Eccles Stadium for the 2021 football season,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “We are so grateful for our passionate, loyal fans, who have stood by us and supported our department through a very challenging time.

“I’m also thrilled for our student-athletes, coaches and staff, who have worked so hard and maintained a high standard throughout everything, and will again be able to experience the roar of the home crowd. We can’t wait for Sept. 2 when we open the expanded Rice-Eccles Stadium and unveil the Ken Garff Performance Zone with 51,444 in the building.”

Dec 19, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes celebrate after a fumble recovery by linebacker Nephi Sewell (29) in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Utah will open up the season against in-state foe Weber State on Thursday night, Sept. 2, set to air on Pac-12 Network with kickoff still TBD. 

The Utes will then return to action the following weekend when it travels south to face hated-rival BYU for a primetime special — kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. MST and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham and co. will then close out the preseason on Sept. 18 with its first road game of the season at San Diego State. Kickoff will be at 5 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.

Utah is in good shape entering this upcoming season by returning 20 total starters, half of whom earned all-Pac-12 recognition this past season. Among those players include Britain Covey, Nick Ford, Mika Tafua, Devin Lloyd and Brant Kuithe.

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