Mizzou football moves Week 1 kickoff to Thursday night

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KCTV) - The University of Missouri’s opening game for the 2023 season has a new date and time, the school announced Thursday morning.

Originally scheduled to play South Dakota on Saturday, Sept. 2, the Tigers will now take on the Coyotes on Thursday, Aug. 31, at Faurot Field. The opening night kickoff will air on the SEC Network at 7 p.m. CT.

“We are grateful to have another tremendous opportunity to start the Labor Day weekend off with a primetime football game on the SEC Network,” Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois said. “We listened to our fans after last year’s season opener and wanted to create another memorable experience to open the 2023 season.”

Last year, Missouri opened the season against Louisiana Tech on a Thursday night. The Tigers won that game 52-24.

In November, head coach Eli Drinkwitz signed a two-year contract extension with the Tigers.