Illinois Football Moves Season Opener From Saturday To Friday Night
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has moved its season-opening football game against Kent State from Saturday to Friday night.
The Sept. 4 game will be the team's first non-Saturday home game since the 2001 Thanksgiving Day game against Northwestern.
Athletic director Mike Thomas said moving the game to Friday night should be a good start to Labor Day weekend for Illini fans.
"We are always exploring new ideas on improving our in-game atmosphere and trying to make the games as enjoyable as possible," Thomas said in a statement.
"We are introducing an exciting new tailgating area on the west side of Memorial Stadium this season, and an early-season night game is a terrific way to allow our fans to experience that area. We think this is a great way to kick off the Labor Day weekend."
The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network. The start time hasn't been set.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.