Baylor Football's '254 Game' Against PVAMU Celebrates Local Area Code, Fan Appreciation
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On Saturday, Baylor will host their first home game of the season against Prairie View A&M. To help add to the festivities of the day, this game has been designated the "254" game to honor the local Central-Texas area code in which Baylor presides.
In this article, we'll provide some information about what can be expected this Saturday night in Waco, as well as some recent player quotes from this week's player availability on the upcoming game.
What Does the "254" Game Mean to You?
Safety Reggie Bush: "They're super important to me. It's my fifth year in Waco. I love it here. I love the community. I go outside. There's smiles every day. Everyone I meet is super nice. I love being here. It means a lot to me to be able to compete and have the support of our community and show out for them."
Offensive Lineman Nate Kibble: "I want to show out for the community, man. Everything I've felt has been great from this community. From Meet the Bears to all that. Everything's been great. I heard that there's four hot dogs and four sodas for $19. That's something I would be into."
The speaker who asked Kibble the original question mentioned, "Pringles, too," to which Kibble responded, "Oh, yeah. See, I didn't even know that. A little bit more."
The reporter asked just one final question of Kibble, "How many hot dogs do you think the offensive line can take down?" to which Kibble responded, "Between all of us, we're definitely going probably around 125, 150. We can throw down. A hot dog is nothing, so trust me."
Though not explicitly asked about the 254 game, Hawkins Polley was posed the question, "Next three [games] at home, how excited are you to be over there and take advantage of being at home?"
Tight End Hawkins Polley: "I'm super excited. We get to play in front of our fellow students, the Waco community. We take pride in playing in McLane. We want to win in McLane, win in front of our students, our families, so more of them will come to the games. It's awesome whenever you get to play in McLane. It feels like home"
Fan-First Pricing
Doug McNamee, the first-year Baylor Vice President and Director of Athletics, has wasted no time in putting the fan first in his tenure leading the BU athletics program. Among the instances of McNamee aiming for improvement are the completely revamped and "fan first" pricing at the concession stands.
Baylor concessions now exist at prices lower than the rest of the Big XII and even among the lowest in the entire state of Texas, even introducing a "254 Classics Menu" consisting of popcorn and fountain drinks each costing $2 each, an order of nachos will run you $5, and hotdogs and pretzels set at $4 each.
What Nate Kibble mentioned during this week's player-media availability was the "1845 Bear Family Pack" which does indeed include four hotdogs, four sodas, as well as four Pringles for $18.45.
Return of the Bear Bell
A staple for the Baylor Bears from its inception in 1972 until fading out with the turn of the century for a few various reasons including but not limited to increased safety precautions and regulations for the use of a live animal mascot.
These days, you won't see a live bear being rolled onto a field to hit a large bell, but have no fear as Bruiser and Marigold (Baylor's mascots) will be return to ringing the bell this season after every touchdown the Bears score this year, as the Bear Bell will become a permanent fixture at McLane Stadium.
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Brad is a writer and contributes to the Baylor Bears on SI, with aspirations to share his own unique thoughts and perspectives with fans. Whether through the facts and figures of the past or the untold potential and triumphs of the future, sports have always been a large influence on Brad's storytelling and life overall. His inspiration to write began while watching sports when he first noticed the highs and lows of each game, each quarter, each play; there's a story in each of them worth telling, and he wanted to tell them.
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