NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Selling tickets should be easy for a Southeastern Conference team coming off a 9-4 season, especially for the opening game against Mississippi.
Not so at Vanderbilt where tickets remained available Monday for Thursday night's season opener.
Coach James Franklin has been pushing fans to step up for months using Twitter as his platform, a countdown that has been in daily use with the opener designated as "Operation Blackout."
Franklin said Monday it's very important with a national broadcast to sell the stadium out with everyone dressed in black. He said he feels they're making progress and expects to sell out this game.
Vanderbilt won its final seven games, including the Music City Bowl, for its best season since 1915 and takes the SEC's longest winning streak into this opener. The Commodores also have the SEC's smallest stadium to fill with a capacity of 40,350. They did just that three times last season.
The Commodores will have help filling stadium. Ole Miss sold its 7,000-ticket allotment, and coach Hugh Freeze says he'll knows Rebels' fans will show up.