Did UCF’s visit to Tampa draw more fans to Ray Jay than Sunday’s NFL game there?
Are there more college football fans in the Tampa Bay area than NFL fans?
Well, for one week, there were more fans watching the college football game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, than the NFL game.
The War on I-4 rivalry game between UCF and USF drew nearly 7,000 more fans on Friday than what showed up to see the Bucs-49ers game on Sunday, the Tampa Sports Authority announced, according to The Athletic.
UCF completed back-to-back undefeated regular seasons with a rout of the Bulls on Friday, despite losing quarterback McKenzie Milton to a scary right knee injury early in the second quarter. Milton, a junior, was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Head coach Josh Heupel told Orlando-based radio station 96.9-FM that details about Milton’s injury are left to the family to release if or when they choose to.
The Tampa Sports Authority, which manages Raymond James Stadium, said 47,104 fans were in attendance for the UCF-USF game.
Meanwhile, the TSA announced actual attendance for the Bucs-49ers game at Ray Jay was at 40,682.
The Bucs defeated two-win San Francisco, 27-9. The Bucs rank No. 29 in home attendance in the NFL this season with an average of 55,181 fans, according to ESPN.
The 49ers, meanwhile, rank last in road game attendance, according to ESPN. However, both the Bucs and 49ers rank ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers, who are enjoying a better season than Tampa and San Francisco, in average total attendance, ESPN reports.
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This story was originally published November 27, 2018 at 10:32 AM.