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The Nebraska Athletic Department has announced that the Huskers’ 2005 football season opener with Maine on Saturday, Sept. 3 has been set for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers moved the 2004 season opener with Western Illinois to an evening kickoff and feedback from Nebraska fans was positive.
“The fans that have contacted me truly enjoyed the game-day atmosphere that we had for the season opener last year,” Pederson said. “With the excitement of the first game and the opening of football season, this gives our fans a chance to get into Lincoln early and enjoy all the things in and around the game.”
Head Coach Bill Callahan is also looking forward to another night home opener at Memorial Stadium.
“Every home game at Nebraska has a great atmosphere, but there is added electricity for a night game at Memorial Stadium,” Callahan said. “It will also allow us the opportunity to get prospects here from all parts of the country into Lincoln to see the best game-day atmosphere in college football.”
Maine is coming off a 5-6 record in 2004 that included a 9-7 victory at MississippiState in Maine’s only contest of the season against a Division I-A opponent. Jack Cosgrove has been the Black Bears’ head coach the past 12 seasons, and guided Maine to back-to-back Atlantic 10 championships in 2001 and 2002. Maine advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoffs in each of those seasons.
The evening opener will mark the third time in the past four years the Huskers’ home opener has been played at night. In addition to last year’s opener with Western Illinois, the Huskers’ 2002 season opener with ArizonaState was played at night.
This season will be only the fifth time in school history Nebraska has opened the season with a home night game. In addition to 2002 and 2004, NU also opened with a home night game in 1986 (FloridaState) and 1990 (Baylor).
The time for the Nebraska-Maine game could change if it is chosen by the Big 12 Conference and its TV partners as a televised game for that day. The remaining game times for Nebraska’s 2005 season are to be determined pending announcements from the Big 12’s television partners.