October 10, 2026 - 7:22 pm

Fans of the North Dakota State Bison migrated to Las Vegas in big numbers on Saturday to watch the team’s first game in Las Vegas against UNLV.

About 20 percent of the announced crowd of 33,516 were wearing green and yellow in support of the Bison. Officially, UNLV said they sold 3,000 tickets to Bison fans (based on zip and area codes), but the number of fans in attendance Saturday was expected to be greater than that number.

Aside from it being the Bison’s first game against UNLV since they joined the Mountain West this season, the location was an added bonus for fans.

“It definitely adds to the atmosphere,” said NDSU fan Randy Weyrauch, who traveled from Phoenix. “You got fans coming for more than just the football, and there’s other things to do, obviously.”

NDSU’s base traditionally travels well, drawing fans to away games from not only North Dakota but other states where alumni call home, according t0 Bison fan Angela Eastman, who is from Arizona.

“The herd travels really well,” Eastman said. “We always want to go out and support them whenever we can. We run a local booster club called Team Makers, so we do watch parties every week in our city where we’re from. … The first time being here at Allegiant in Las Vegas, this is really exciting for all of us. It’s amazing.”

Being able to watch North Dakota State play in an NFL stadium was also a highlight for Eastman, as the Bison play in the 18,700-fan capacity Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.

“I think it’s only the second time we’ve ever played in an NFL stadium,” Eastman said. “The only other time was when we played was in Tennessee.”

NDSU fan Darrell Rindy, from Warren, Minnesota, said the turnout of Bison fans could’ve been even greater if the game took place a month later, as it is harvest time in North Dakota.

“It’s harvest time, so you got a lot of farmers that are in soybeans, corn and sugar beets,” Rindy said. “So they’re busy, and that’s their livelihood. So they’re going to take care of that before they come down here for the game.”

The matchup saw strong enough demand for UNLV to open some seats in the 200 section for the first time this season. UNLV head coach Dan Mullen has been using every chance he gets to urge more Rebels fans to attend games.

UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper said having larger crowds has an impact on the game, as players feed off the fans energy.

“It’s really important,” Harper said. “The players really feed off of the crowd and the bigger the crowd for the Rebels, the more excitement that the players have and the more that they want to prove and the more that they want to perform for the fans.”

To be able to open more levels of Allegiant Stadium, putting a winning product on the field is a must, Harper said.

“The more you win, the more excitement there’s going to be,” Harper said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.