Otto’s Army currently has 30 people on a waiting list for bus rides to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this Saturday for the football game between Syracuse and Penn State.

Students started lining up at the Carrier Dome for 200 available bus vouchers at about 4 a.m. on Tuesday, said Ben Glidden, president of Otto’s Army. By 7 a.m., there were more than 200 people waiting, resulting in people going on the waiting list, he said.

Otto’s Army is providing four buses to the season-opening game. People taking the bus will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Schine Student Center on Saturday, Glidden said.

“It’ll probably tend to be very Penn State heavy at the game. I heard that its student section is coming with a contingency of over 1,000 people,” he said. “Even when we’re outnumbered, we still have a blast.”

Glidden said he saw “high participation” among freshman students, estimating about 70 percent of freshmen buy football tickets.

“It’s definitely dominated by freshmen because it’s their first season and they’re excited,” he said.

Though he arrived at the Dome after people started lining up for tickets, Glidden said he heard that some students had been camping out in line. He said he was unsurprised, since it’s “the kind of environment we set up here.”

“The student section (Otto’s Army) is a very special component on game day,” said Marc Donabella, associate director of athletics and marketing director, in an email. “They lead the cheers, they set the tone and the crowd and even the team feed off of their energy.”

The game against Penn State is the first the SU football team will play as an Atlantic Coast Conference school after leaving the Big East conference. It will also be the 71st time Syracuse and Penn State will face off, according to the Penn State athletics website.

Since SU is playing in the same venue as the New York Giants and New York Jets, it makes the game against Penn State special, Donabella said.

Calling SU “New York’s college team,” he said Syracuse’s presence at MetLife Stadium is very fitting and natural.

“It’s a great opportunity for all of our students,” he said. “On and off the field.”

Published on August 29, 2013 at 2:04 am

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