Pitt will have its annual Blue-Gold scrimmage at 6 p.m. today at Heinz Field, and Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt and athletic department officials are hoping to make the event an enjoyable one for the fans.

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At a glance

• What: Pitt Blue-Gold spring game.
• When: 6 p.m. today, Heinz Field.
• Admission: Free. Parking in Gold Lots 1 and 2 is $5.
• TV, Radio: NFL Network and WPCW; WBGG-AM (970).
• Fan Fest: The Fan Fest event will begin with an autograph session at 4 p.m.
• Players to watch: Tight end Dorin Dickerson, defensive end Jabaal Sheard, tailback Shariff Harris, quarterback Greg Cross, wide receivers Aaron Smith and Aundre Wright, linebacker Greg Williams and safety Elijah Fields.

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That's why the game is being played later in the day. It also will be preceded by a Fan Fest at 4 p.m. which will include autograph sessions, music by Nomad and the Flow Band, a pep rally, face-painting, games and other activities.

It also is why Wannstedt will not be coaching the team but instead will be the color commentator for the live telecasts on the NFL Network and WPCW.

"We'll have some fun with it and try to be informative for the listeners," Wannstedt said. "We have some former players, NFL guys like Charles Spencer, Ruben Brown, Darrelle Revis. They'll be coming through for the autograph session, so we'll try to get them on some during the broadcast. We just want to make it a fun evening.

"I think it will be exciting and I give a lot of credit to [athletic director] Steve Pederson. He has done a great job of marketing the spring game, and we have a lot going on that night. I know our fans and our alumni are excited about it -- it should be a great night."

Pederson is hoping there is a good crowd at Heinz Field tonight, but he also is hoping that the spring game will continue the momentum the athletic department has had selling season-ticket plans. Yesterday, he said that the Panthers already have sold close to 30,000 season-ticket packages, which is more packages than they sold all of last year.

"We're very happy with where we are at with season-ticket sales," Pederson said. "Here we sit on April 17 and we've already sold more than we did all of last year. We know we certainly have a lot of work to do, we are not where we ultimately want to be -- sold out -- but the momentum is good and we feel like we are on our way. Now we just have to keep pushing and don't let up, but, again, the signs are good because we are on the same pace we were in 2003 -- the year we sold out the entire season."

The format for the game will be offense vs. defense, as opposed to splitting the players into two teams. The first team will face the first team, the second team will face the second team and so on. There will be two 12-minute quarters in the first half, and officials will call the game as if it were a real one. There won't be live kicking, and there will be a complex scoring system for the defense.

Because the game is televised, it will have to fit in the allotted two-hour window and that means the second-half clock likely will run unabated and the length of the third and fourth quarters will be determined by time constraints. Wannstedt said he'd like the game to end at the same time the broadcast is over.

Wannstedt said the television exposure is excellent for the program and might provide a recruiting boost.

"Anytime you have a chance to get some exposure, it is a good thing," Wannstedt said. "I mean, I didn't get a chance to watch any of the Texas or the Florida spring games, but we had them on in the locker rooms after practice and our guys were able to look up there and see them. And I think being on national television says something about the program.

"And also, the prospective recruits who can't get to the game, the non-local kids, the kids in New Jersey, Florida and Maryland, they will be watching."

• What: The Pitt Blue-Gold game.

• When: 4 p.m. Fan Fest, 6 p.m. kickoff.

• Where: Heinz Field.

• Admission: Free.