Photo: The rain started to fall 30-minutes before game time. Many fans spent the game just trying to keep dry.Jackson State splashed to a 28-7 victory over Texas Southern at rain-soaked Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Thursday night.
That's the good news for Jackson State fans.
The bad: Steady rain before and during the game helped keep the crowd down. The bands could not perform on the field at halftime and exited early in the third quarter.
The announced attendance was 5,513.
Jackson State depends on walk-up, game-day sales for the bulk of its attendance. Inclement weather can cost the athletic department tens of thousands of dollars.
The silver lining: JSU doubled its season ticket sales to more than 6,000 this season, said athletic director Bob Braddy. Those season tickets were scaled from $85 to $145.
"So a night like tonight doesn't hurt us quite as bad this year as it would have last year," Braddy said. "We are trying to impress upon our fans how important it is to build our season ticket base just because of days like this.
"We really need to get that base up to 20,000, and we're pushing in that direction."
The game was moved to Thursday to be televised by ESPNU through a contract with the SWAC that earns JSU about $25,000 a year.
JSU offered special group night ticket sales.
"A lot of those church and school groups chose not to come in this weather," Braddy said.
Braddy said he had hoped for a crowd of between 12,000 and 15,000.
"But given the weather, I thought it was a good crowd, an enthusiastic crowd," Braddy said. "Hey, at least I know we sold 6,000."
- Rick Cleveland
Photo: Diehard JSU fans enjoys game and the rain.
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