"We've been planning for this ever since it's been on the schedule," he said Monday night. "We began weekly operational meetings in preparation for this in mid-October just to make sure we were crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's. But we just want to make it a great fan experience."
This one should have the look and, more important, the feel of an Eagles game. Roberts said that for other home games the outer gates have been opened 2 hours before game time, with fans allowed to their seats an hour later. Saturday's schedule includes opening the parking lots around 7 a.m. for tailgating, the Headhouse Plaza at 9 and the suites at 10. The inner gates will swing open an hour-and-a-half before the noon kickoff.
"And that's basically the same timetable that the Eagles follow," Roberts said. "It gives people an opportunity to come and socialize before the game, then get in and watch their teams warm up, and that just takes us right through to kickoff."
Some of the focus on how the stadium handles this throng comes out of the long lines that accompanied the Aug. 31 opener vs. Navy. That game drew 30,368, the 10th largest crowd to see a Temple home game.
"In some of our games, you don't know what the actual attendance is going to be, so you guesstimate," Roberts said. "This game, we know what it's going to be. Being you know how many guests are coming to your home, you plan accordingly."
Mark Donovan, the senior vice president of business operations for the Birds, agreed.
