It was a late-arriving crowd at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, but fans from the University of Colorado and Colorado State showed out in full force Friday night for the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
A total of 73,932 tickets were sold, and by halftime, more than 65,000 had been scanned. That number was expected to rise, though, as a 6 p.m. weekday kickoff delayed attendance for many just leaving work. A final count was not immediately available.
The Showdown had cracked 70,000 in attendance just five previous times in the game’s history: 2003 (76,219), 2002 (75,531), 2001 (75,022), 1999 (73,438) and 1998 (76,036).