Louisville Football Opener Moved to September 2nd

Mark BlankenbakerJune 22, 2020

Louisville Football’s opener vs. NC State has been moved to WEDNESDAY September 2nd to avoid any conflicts with the Kentucky Derby weekend as reported by Brett McMurphy.

The rumored move makes sense considering that Thurby, Oaks and the Kentucky Derby use the parking facilities at Cardinal Stadium to accommodate Churchill Downs. Now folks waiting for LIVE sports will have plenty to pick from on the menu with Football moving its opener to Wednesday and the entire week of racing at Churchill Downs that begins Tuesday with Champions Day at the track.

From UofL:

University of Louisville’s football season opener at home against NC State will be played Sept. 2, moving from the previously scheduled Sept. 3 date, UofL Vice-President/Director of Athletics Vince Tyra announced on Monday.

Because of the nationwide pandemic, the 146th Kentucky Derby Weekend, originally set for April 30 through May 2 in Louisville, was pushed back to Sept. 3-5 and coincided with Louisville’s opener. Thursday of Derby week has become known as “Thurby,” a highly attended event with a crowd of over 48,000 in 2019.

Due to the logistical efforts associated with the Kentucky Derby and a UofL home football game, both schools mutually agreed to move the game up one day to avoid any conflicts for traffic, parking and logistics. Cardinal Stadium and Churchill Downs are neighbors, with the facilities located a few blocks from each other and many attendees park at the football stadium

“We appreciate the NCAA, ACC, and NC State honoring our request for a date change for the opening game,” Tyra said. “We are trying to be thoughtful about the shared city resources needed to host a football game and Thurby at the same time.”

The Cardinals are facing the Wolfpack the 11th time in school history, but will open ACC play against each other for the first time. UofL holds a 7-3 series advantage after a 34-20 win last season in Raleigh, N.C. It will be the first time the Cardinals have played a regular season game on a Wednesday since defeating Kansas State 38-29 on Sept. 17, 2008. Another big event was in town around that time as well as The Ryder Cup in Louisville was played Sept. 19 through Sept. 21, 2008.

Kickoff time and network designation for the matchup will be available at a later date. ESPN’s early-season college football schedule will be announced in the coming weeks as conferences and television networks continue to prepare for the college football season.

From NC State:

NC State Football’s season opener at Louisville will be played Wednesday, Sept. 2, moving from the previously scheduled Sept. 3 date.

Because of the nationwide pandemic, the 146th Kentucky Derby Weekend, originally set for April 30 through May 2 in Louisville, was pushed back to Sept. 3-5 and coincided with Louisville’s home opener. Thursday of Derby week has become known as “Thurby,” a traditionally highly attended event.

Due to the logistical efforts associated with the Kentucky Derby and a Louisville home football game, both schools mutually agreed to move the game up one day to avoid any conflicts for traffic and logistics. Cardinal Stadium and Churchill Downs are neighbors, with the facilities located in close proximity to one another and many attendees park at the football stadium.

Kickoff time and network designation for the matchup will be available at a later date. ESPN’s early-season college football schedule will be announced in the coming weeks as conferences and television networks continue to prepare for the college football season.