Stanford makes adjustment to Red Zone student section
Stanford football has announced an adjustment to their famous student section known as the “Red Zone.” As you can see from the graphic posted by the school, the center portion of the Red Zone (sections 102-104) will remain unchanged while sections 105-110 will go back to being regular sections available for purchase. Sections 136-140; 101 are new Red Zone sections. Season ticket holders in these sections will be moved to former Red Zone sections.
Regarding the decision behind the move, Stanford general manager Andrew Luck sent the following email to season ticket holders:
“This move brings our most spirited fans–our students–closer to the visiting team bench and wraps them around the tunnel, which I believe will strengthen the atmosphere and give our team a greater edge at home. This evening, fans with seats in Sections 101 and 136 through 140 will be re-seated into sections on the Stanford bench side formerly held for students. I recognize this adjustment impacts some of our loyal Season Ticket Members and ticket buyers and appreciate your understanding.”
Hopefully the change to the Red Zone doesn’t lower the odds of possibly sneaking into the section. Back in the 2016 season, prior to my time running this site, I snuck into the Red Zone with some friends of mine who were Stanford students. It was the first game of the season for the Cardinal as they were hosting the Kansas State Wildcats. I had purchased a ticket and texted my friends, saying I was at the game, too. They proceeded to invite me to come join them in the Red Zone during I think halftime. Somehow, I slipped past the red coats and found my friends in the Red Zone, somewhere in sections 105-110.
We had a great time together and enjoyed watching the Cardinal cruise to a 26-13 victory, their first of 10 wins. Senior Ryan Burns was the starting quarterback for the Cardinal, going 14-18 for 156 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. Senior Christan McCaffrey rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts while senior Michael Rector hauled in four receptions for 73 yards. McCaffrey would go on to rush for 13 touchdowns and 1603 yards. It was the second straight season that McCaffrey led the Pac-12 in both rushing yards and attempts.
On defense, senior Dallas Lloyd had a 26-yard interception, his first of five interceptions of the season. Lloyd would go on to lead the Pac-12 in interception return yards (142) having his best season ever in a Cardinal uniform. It was an all-around great Cardinal team that finished strong with a 45-31 Big Game victory at Cal and a 25-23 Sun Bowl victory against North Carolina.
Going back to the Red Zone, it remains to be seen if moving the students closer to the visiting team will make a material difference, but the logic behind the move makes sense. Furthermore, it’s good that Andrew Luck is thoughtful about improving the game day experience for the fans and players. The better game day experience you have, the better home field advantage you have. The better home field advantage you have, the tougher you are to beat which in theory should lead to more wins.
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