Cyclones To Open On Thursday Night

AMES, Iowa ? The Gene Chizik era will begin under the lights at Jack Trice Stadium when the 2007 Iowa State football team hosts Kent State on Thursday, Aug. 30. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

This will be the second year in a row that the Cyclones will open the season with a Thursday night contest and the success of last year's triple overtime victory provided much of the impetus for a repeat.

"Our students were really energized last year and their enthusiasm for the pre-holiday weekday game convinced us to explore doing it again this fall," Iowa State University Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. "Our conversations with students showed their strong desire for the football game to be played before the Labor Day weekend."

Pollard anticipates another great environment for the Kent State game.

"There will be a great anticipation for the Kent State game for several reasons, including it being the season opener, one of the college football season's first games and Coach Chizik's debut," Pollard said.

Pollard acknowledged that weekday games do present some challenges for the campus, community and fans that travel great distances, and the department appreciates the willingness of many individuals to work together in working through the challenges.

"The strong, cooperative spirit among faculty, staff, students, the Ames community and our fans helped last year's Thursday evening game be very successful," Pollard said. "Playing a game on a weekday causes challenges, but a collaborative and cooperative effort, mixed in with good patience and Cyclone spirit, can make this type of game very special to a campus community."

Iowa State University Athletics

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