After multiple delays UCF Football is back and kicks off their final season in the American Athletic Conference against the SMU Mustangs tonight with Hurricane Relief Effort opportunities being made during the game for students impacted by Hurricane Ian last week.
The conference opener that was originally scheduled at the start of the month this past Saturday is finally here after delays from the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Ian for students that saw the university reopen after nearly a week on Tuesday.
Unlike a traditional weekday home game, Classes will not close early for tonight’s kickoff at 7 p.m. This means parking lots and some of the gameday activities for fans will be impacted. Here’s what you need to know for UCF vs SMU Gameday 10/5:
UCF athletics released new modified gameday parking procedures for tonight’s game
Parking:
Gold Zone Village (E lots, Softball, Baseball and Garage F) opens at 4 p.m.
Gold Zone campus (Garage C & D, Lots C1-C3, D1-D2, Arboretum) opens at 5 p.m.
General parking in Garage H Opens at 5 p.m. for a $20 donation that supports student scholarships.
Due to normal campus weekday operations, all pregame activities will take place in the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village.
Shuttles:
Will operate student shuttle buses for all normally serviced apartment complexes including NorthView, Tivoli and Northgate since classes are in session. Shuttles will operate continuously from 6:30 a.m. to until 11 p.m. The Rosen and Downtown shuttles will operate on their respective daily schedule with a final departure from Main Campus at 11 p.m.
Park and Ride – will remain 4 hours prior to kickoff to 2 hours after kickoff
ADA Shuttle – will remain 4 hours prior to kickoff to 2 hours after kickoff
Corona Beach Pregame Party at IOA Plaza:
A special pregame party will be held at IOA plaza for Knight Nation that opens at 4 p.m. Located next to gates 2-5 that will be:
A Kids Zone
DJ on the Corona Beach Stage
Trucks with Food and Drink available for purchase
Food Trucks – One way Coffee & Ice Cream, Simply Boba, Up In Smoke
And of course love live music and entertainment like You’d except at a UCF home game experience
There will be no Knight Walk or March to Victory for tonight’s game, but it will return for next week’s matchup against Temple.
Gates Opening and Tickets
Gates will open for student claimed tickets at 5 p.m. with all other gates opening at 5:30 p.m.
Remember only a limited number of students with claimed tickets are allowed in, so line up as early as possible!
Hurricane Relief Efforts
With so many members of Knight Nation affected by Hurricane Ian, UCF is encouraging attendees to help those affected at today’s game and released the following information:
Recommended items to donate include:
Bottled water
Shelf stable, protein rich items (canned meats, canned fish, peanut butter, bars, vegan protein sources, etc.)
Travel or single-use toiletries
Can openers
In-Stadium:
Continued opportunities to donate via Emergency Relief QR codes located throughout the stadium concourse and on the video board throughout the game.
Moment of Support pregame.
UCF Football will unite with other in-state college football programs wearing One Florida decals on the back of the helmets. The team will also wear One Florida pregame and sideline shirts to share its continued support of relief efforts:
In partnership with FloGrown, One Florida shirts will be available for purchase with 100% of profits going to hurricane relief efforts. Click here to purchase and support. https://flogrown.com/products/one-florida-charity-tee
What the Team and You Will Wear:
The Knights will rock a black and white combo with a black Jersey, white shorts and a specialty white helmet with the Florida state flag in the gold UCF logo on both sides to show unity the state has after the impact of Hurricane Ian.
What fans wear will be White, so bring out your favorite white Knights merch or purchase the white game-day shirt and show off your UCF pride for tonight’s matchup.
Enjoy a return to football action tonight Knight Nation and cheer on your team pick up their first conference win of the season! The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
