Washington State’s home opener against Duquesne on Saturday comes with a wrinkle that has nothing to do with the matchup itself: Martin Stadium looks different, sounds different and, eventually, should feel different too.
The school showed off a wave of upgrades during a student pep rally Tuesday, and it also announced that students will get free tickets to the 12:30 p.m. kickoff. With the Cougars sitting at 0-2 and an FCS opponent coming to town, Washington State is clearly trying to give the home crowd a nudge.
The reveal centered on the new pieces fans will notice immediately. There’s a new PA system, a new video board with hype videos, and stadium lighting that can flicker in normal tint or crimson.
President Betsy Cantwell and Kirby Moore spoke at the event, while the volleyball and soccer teams tossed shirts and flags into the crowd. The band was there too, playing the fight song and Jaws as the students got a taste of the atmosphere the program wants to build.
All of it sits inside a $10.2 million renovation at Martin Stadium. The work included general stadium upgrades, a new scoreboard, new lights, sound and turf. The new AstroTurf was installed over the summer and is described as having a softer feel while also helping prevent injuries.
The biggest change may be the one that alters the mood of a game day. The hope is that the new scoreboard and the lighting package make Cougar home games more interactive and more fresh. The old board was not doing much, and the atmosphere had gone stale in recent years.
How it all gets used is still to be seen. The lights, especially the crimson ones, are expected to matter most when the timing works out, and there’s also the possibility of more engaging production elements, including player introductions.
Saturday won’t be the night for the full light show. With a 12:30 p.m. kickoff, it won’t be dark enough to show off the LED setup, and the lights probably won’t even be on.
That should change soon. Washington State’s game next week at Arizona begins at 4:30 p.m., and by the end it will be darker.
Then comes the Oct. 3 matchup with Fresno State, set for 6:30 p.m. and arriving just after sunset, which is at 6:26 p.m. that day. That should give the stadium its first real chance to show off the whole effect from the opening whistle.
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