KU Jayhawks football announces new opponent, starting date for 2020 season
Kansas football has a new season-opening opponent ... and also an altered Week 1 starting date.
The Jayhawks announced Saturday they will be facing FCS opponent Southern Illinois on Aug. 29 at KU’s Booth Memorial Stadium. This replaces the previously scheduled Sept. 5 home contest against New Hampshire, which was canceled last week when the Wildcats chose not to play football because of coronavirus concerns.
KU athletic director Jeff Long, in a news release, said KU was looking regionally for a rescheduled opponent after receiving recommendations from medical professionals. Southern Illinois, Long said, also agreed to follow COVID-19 testing protocols that will soon be set by the Big 12 conference.
“We are excited for the opportunity to start fall camp practices on July 31st and prepare to take on a good Southern Illinois football team,” KU coach Les Miles said in the release. “We feel that playing this game will prove beneficial for both programs for many reasons, especially due to SIU’s proximity to Lawrence.”
Southern Illinois, which went 7-5 last season, is ranked 19th in Athlon’s preseason FCS Top 25.
The new Aug. 29 date will be the earliest game for a KU football team since 1999. The Jayhawks will then have a week off before playing at Baylor on Sept. 12.
Game time and TV information for KU-Southern Illinois was not announced.
On Wednesday, KU football resumed voluntary workouts after they had been shut down for nearly three weeks because of a coronavirus outbreak.
Long said then that among 90 football athletes, staff and coaches that were tested for COVID-19 recently, four tests were positive, with those individuals following isolation protocols.
