KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two adjustments were made Thursday to the 2022 schedule for the University of Missouri football team.
MU and the Southeastern Conference announced that the season opener was being moved to Thursday night, while the annual Battle Line Rivalry game against Arkansas has been moved to its now-traditional spot on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
The Tigers open the 2022 season against Louisiana Tech, a game that has been moved from the first Saturday in September to Thursday, Sept. 1.
The Louisiana Tech at Mizzou game will begin at 7 p.m. and be broadcast nationally on ESPNU from Memorial Stadium in Columbia.
“What an exciting way to start the season and the Labor Day weekend,” MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement from the athletic department. “We can’t wait to see a strong fan and student turnout for a national TV game under the lights of Faurot Field.”
The game also will serve as the Tiger Stripe game with fans encouraged to dress in black or gold depending on which section their tickets are located to give the seating bowl a striped appearance.
The Thursday game will be the first weeknight game at Memorial Stadium since a rain-soaked loss Nov. 5, 2015, against Mississippi State, which was the final game before the team announced a boycott demanding former President Tim Wolfe’s resignation,
“Opening up 2022 in front of a primetime national television audience on ESPNU is a tremendous way to kick off the football season,” Mizzou Athletic Director Desireé Reed-Francois said in a statement. “Fans can visit Columbia on Thursday night and join us in creating yet another memorable experience for our student-athletes before enjoying the extended Labor Day weekend.”
Reed-Francois noted that the earlier starting date will allow the Tigers to begin camp a few days earlier and provide a few extra practice days ahead of the Sept. 10 road opener at Kansas State.
CBS also has decided to move the Arkansas at Mizzou game to Friday, Nov. 25. It marks the sixth time in seven seasons the game will be played on the Friday after Thanksgiving, with the lone exception being the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season.
Kickoff for the Tigers-Razorbacks will be at 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
