The Nebraska State Fair Board has decided to offer Husker football fans free admission to the fair after Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech.

People leaving the football game will be let in at State Fair Park simply on the basis of showing their football ticket stub.

Some fair board members gathered for a special Friday meeting were uncertain what to expect from offering free entry to such a large potential audience. But Sallie Atkins of Halsey and Van Neidig of Battle Creek were not among them.

Atkins called not reaching out to the football crowd “a missed opportunity” and Neidig put the point even more strongly.

“I think the single best thing that could happen is if we are overwhelmed by 80,000 people,” he said.