In a bid to boost student attendance for a crucial matchup, Rice University is offering free beer to students of legal age attending their game against No. 22 North Texas on Saturday night. This matchup marks Rice’s second occasion facing an AP Top 25 team this season, and it also has bowl eligibility implications.

Rice’s undergraduate population numbers around 5,000, and campus officials are hopeful that the free beer promotion will entice students to stay for the game, especially considering many will be heading home for Thanksgiving soon after. Alongside the free beer, the school is providing the first 500 students with free t-shirts, a $15 food truck voucher, and ice cream.

Kevin Dwan, Rice’s deputy athletic director for external affairs and revenue, emphasized the significance of the game being broadcast on national television and the importance of encouraging students to attend. The beer will not be sold at concession stands but distributed from a kiosk behind the student section, with strict monitoring to ensure responsible consumption. Students can retrieve one beer per visit to the kiosk without a time limit, provided they do not show visible signs of intoxication.

Although the initial promotion was shared on social media with a straightforward “Free Beer” message, it was later removed for lacking necessary context. Dwan noted that while Rice has held similar promotions in the past, it had been at least two seasons since the last instance.

Rice’s home attendance has fluctuated throughout the season, with its highest drawing 30,116 fans during their opener against Houston, while subsequent games averaged around 22,000 attendees. Recently, attendance dipped to their lowest of the season with just over 20,000 fans present for a game against No. 25 Memphis, which adds to the urgency for initiatives like the free beer promotion in promoting a more vibrant game-day atmosphere.