For the second straight year, a group of generous donors has teamed up with Duke Athletics to give free tickets to Duke students for team's postseason bowl game.
In an email sent to students Sunday night, Duke Athletics announced that the school will be providing tickets—priced at $47 apiece—to watch the Blue Devils play No. 15 Arizona State in the Hyundai Sun Bowl Dec. 27 free of charge for any undergraduate or graduate student with a valid Duke I.D. card.
The email states, "A great student showing in El Paso, TX not only supports the program but also makes a statement for future bowl invitations as Duke looks to consistently compete and play in postseason games going forward."
The tickets are available on a first come, first served basis between Wednesday and Friday at the Cameron Indoor Stadium ticket office. Students can also purchase tickets for family or friends for $47.
That doesn't mean a trip to El Paso, Tex. will come without a price tag. Although the city is within driving distance of the Houston and Dallas metropolitan areas, a quick search on Expedia.com showed that flights from RDU, Miami, New York and Los Angeles all exceeded $500 roundtrip. Lodging and meals are other costs students and fans will have to incur.
There was strong fan turnout at the 2012 Belk Bowl and the 2013 Chick-Fil-A Bowl, but there are concerns that El Paso's geographic isolation and distance from alumni bases will mean a sparse Duke crowd Dec. 27. In contrast, the Phoenix metro area, which is home to a large number of Sun Devil alumni, is only a six-hour drive from El Paso.
This will be the Blue Devils' first-ever appearance in Sun Bowl and their third-straight bowl appearance with head coach David Cutcliffe at the helm. Duke has not won a bowl game since a 7-6 win against Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.
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