Warhawks Open 2017 With Pair of National TV Night Contests

MONROE, La. – The ULM football team will open the 2017 campaign with a pair of prime time national television games, as kickoff times and broadcast information for the opening two weeks of the season were announced on Wednesday afternoon.

 

The Warhawks begin 2017 on August 31 at Memphis in one of 13 games that will be played on Thursday night. ULM and Memphis will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. CST from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on CBS Sports Network. The following week, the Warhawks make the trek to Tallahassee to take on Florida State in a 6:00 p.m. CST kickoff on the ACC Network from Doak Campbell Stadium.

 

Fans can also stream both games on their computers or mobile devices via CBSSports.com and WatchESPN, respectively.

 

“It will be a great opportunity for our program to play at such prominent venues with night games on television. It is a really good opportunity for ULM and we certainly know the challenges that lie ahead,” head coach Matt Viator stated. “These are opportunity games and an opportunity for our players to play on the biggest stage. Most players want to play on the biggest possible stage and our guys are no different.”

 

“I am excited about the Memphis game on Thursday night. There’s a limited number of teams playing, so you get that exposure. I’ve done it once before in my career and enjoyed it and we are looking forward to opening the season. The second week gives our players an opportunity to play against a highly ranked preseason team (in Florida State) at their place on national television. We are excited.”

 

Since 2010, ULM has played on Thursday nights five times, including opening the 2014 season at home inside JPS Field at Malone Stadium with a 17-10 victory over ACC opponent Wake Forest on August 28, 2014. The Warhawks have also played four Sun Belt Thursday night contests since 2010, holding a 2-2 record over that span with three road games and one home matchup.

 

Viator has coached on Thursday night once before as he enters his 12^th season as a head coach, when he led FCS McNeese State to a 27-21 road victory over FBS opponent Middle Tennessee on August 30, 2012 to open that season.