BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
For the first time in program history, the Yotes will take the field under the lights.
The first two home football games this fall — vs. Lincoln (Calif.) on Aug. 24 and Simpson (Calif.) on Aug. 31 will be played at night, with kickoffs set for 7 p.m. The Lincoln game is the season opener.
Lights were installed at Simplot Stadium in 2020 with the goal of using the field at night for practices and games. The Yotes soccer and lacrosse teams have been playing night games since they were installed.
The football team has seldomly played at night. This past season, they played Arizona Christian on the road with a 7 p.m. local time kickoff. Before that, you have to go back to 2018 for their last late kickoff, a 6 p.m. game on the road against Eastern Oregon.
The primetime atmosphere brings a new energy to the stadium in what figures to be a strong season from the reigning national semifinalists. Lincoln visited Caldwell last season in the Yotes’ first ever meeting with the Oaks. The College of Idaho won 37-7.
The matchup with Simpson this fall will be the first meeting between the schools.
The Yotes will have a bye week following the first two games, returning to the field Sept. 14 for a Frontier Conference game at Montana Western. The College of Idaho defeated the Bulldogs in the first round of the NAIA playoffs last season.
A non-conference matchup at Southern Oregon follows on Sept. 21 before returning home to face Montana Tech Sept. 28, the first of seven-straight conference games.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
Watch more Sports:
See KTVB sports coverage in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
