{
  "id": 1348847,
  "title": "Could Missouri State football allow a fan to call plays on the field?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/could-missouri-state-football-allow-a-fan-to-call-plays-on-the-field",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-16T20:55:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/could-missouri-state-football-allow-205543513.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Springfield — Missouri State football coach Casey Woods has been championing fan engagement since his arrival at the university. While Woods cherishes the passionate Missouri State fanbase, he has ruled out a similar scheme to Akron State, which has announced a fan will pen the opening offensive play for their home opener against Robert Morris. To participate, the fan must be a season ticket holder. Akron's season ticket sales soared after the promotion came to light, with 40% of the tickets sold in the wake of the announcement. Woods dismissed the possibility of a comparable initiative at Missouri State, jokingly assigning offensive coordinator Mark Cala to call the first drive. \"I'm letting Mark Cala call the first drive, man. I'm calling all of the touchdowns and he's calling the incomplete passes,\" Woods quipped after the team's scrimmage on Aug. 15. Despite Woods' stance, Missouri State football boasts more season ticket holders than ever before this season, a trend fueled by a recent bowl bid and Woods' commitment to community engagement. \"I'm working hard in the community right now to get fans to come out to the games,\" Woods said. \"Akron has their method, and there's plenty of ways to make the world go round, as I once heard.\" Liam Keating, a writer for The Springfield News-Leader, reported on this story.",
  "summary": "Akron football is letting a season-ticket holder draw up the opening offensive plays of the season. Will Casey Woods and Missouri State follow suit?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}