Nearly $3,000 raised, 125 tickets purchased for students after Boise State rescinds student ticket offer
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 11 at 2:06 p.m. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
With Utah State traveling to take on Boise State in a heavyweight conference matchup on Jan. 10, the discourse has quickly shifted from the game itself to who will be allowed access to the student section.
The Boise State student section, known as “The Corral,” announced on Jan. 9 free tickets in the student section for any student at any level in an effort to increase attendance, with BSU students still on break.
Let’s bring this energy back tomorrow.
Boise State vs Utah State
7:00 PM at ExtraMile ArenaANY and ALL students (college, high school, middle school, elementary school) get a FREE ticket in the Corral Student Section with a valid student ID.#TheCorral X #BlueChaos pic.twitter.com/zxcQni4tyl
— The Corral (@BoiseCorral) January 9, 2026
In response, Utah State’s the HURD advertised the promotion, encouraging Utah State students to make the four-hour drive to support the Aggies on Saturday night.
The push for Aggie students to travel to Boise included the promise of handing out gas cards at ExtraMile Arena, with Utah State fans donating to former USUSA Athletics & Campus Recreation Executive Director Dallin Wilson to support student costs.
The donations included $700-800 raised prior to the promotion change, including a $100 commitment from Utah State Vice President and Director of Athletics Cam Walker.
Love the commitment!@usuHURD and @dallinwilsonn, count me in for $100! Let’s show them what the best student section in the country looks like … in Boise!
Go Aggies 🤘 https://t.co/yiNA6UJVlf
— Cam Walker (@CamWalker_USU) January 10, 2026
After several hours of advertising and encouragement from the HURD, Boise State amended the offer to only Idaho students, much to the dismay of Aggie fans and students.
The sudden change, despite extensive planning and advertising, did not deter Aggie fans, as additional funds had been donated following the change.
“Boise cancelling their offer made people upset,” Wilson wrote in a message to The Utah Statesman.
After approximately $1,200 had been donated to Wilson to funnel to students for travel and ticket costs, Utah State basketball’s coaching staff donated $1,000 to the HURD for students to make the trip.
“The Hurd is the most dedicated student section in the country. Any student who makes the effort to get here deserves support, and we wanted to do our part for them tonight,” wrote assistant coach Ben Asher in a statement to the Statesman.
Current USUSA Athletics & Campus Recreation Executive Director Ben Burdette also continued to make the push for students to attend despite the change. According to Burdette, nearly $3,000 has been raised with 125 tickets purchased, and more messages are coming in requesting tickets.
“Students were really stoked to be able to go support the basketball team in Boise tonight with free tickets! We’ve wanted to do HURD on wheels for a while now and this was our opportunity to. When they took back their statement saying ANY student could get a free ticket, we were obviously disappointed, but it honestly fueled us even more to get students there,” Burdette wrote in a statement to the Statesman. “We’ve been working all morning and will be working up until tip off tonight to get any Utah State student in to the game for free. DM the HURD account if you’re wanting a ticket!”