Montana pregame
So, do they still tailgate before football games at Montana when the temperature is in the teens and the wind chill is much lower?
Absolutely.
A good number of early arrivals at Washington-Grizzly Stadium had their portable heaters blowing in the parking lots and pre-game meals were cooking. One Grizzly fan was offering hot soup, and had several takers.
Some ASU fans were in the mix exploring the surroundings. Three-hundred tickets were sold for the game through the ASU ticket office. A crowd in excess of 20,000 is expected for the game.
The temperature an hour and a half before kickoff was 16 degrees with a few snowflakes flying in a brisk wind. Some Montana players were warming up in t-shirts, some sleeveless.
It might be a struggle to get to the mid 20s as earlier forecast.
Field conditions won’t be an issue as compared to when ASU lost 19-16 in overtime in the 2000 semifinals. The stadium now has SprintTurf, similar to ASU’s field turf. In 2000, the field was natural grass and was slick and frozen after snow had been pushed away.
Wind could be an issue, although the field sits below a bowl stadium and winds aren’t as strong at field level.
Two ASU assistant coaches – Dale Jones and Mark Speir, both training for marathons – braved the elements early this morning and trained by running up a steep slope to the big “M” symbol that towers on the mountain beside the stadium.