Arkansas football moves season opener start time due to weather
The Arkansas football season will start earlier than originally planned.
In a Monday press release, the Razorbacks announced their season-opener at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock against Western Carolina is being moved to noon CT Saturday. The game was previously scheduled for 3 p.m.
According to the University of Arkansas, moving the kickoff will provide safer playing conditions with the weather forecast calling for temperatures in the mid-90s and high humidity on Saturday afternoon.
Head coach Sam Pittman dressed the change Monday, saying the Razorbacks had the choice between moving the game to noon, or pushing the start time back and giving Little Rock a night game.
"We don't have a break until after Week 8, and obviously, you guys know we have a four-game spread there on the road. It just made no sense to me to move it back and get our kids back here at 1:30, 2, 2:30 in the morning for a game where we could move it up," Pittman said.
The flexibility to move game time came with the game being broadcast on SEC Network+/ESPN+. As part of the Southeastern Conference’s new deal with ESPN, schools are allowed to dictate kick time for games streamed on SECN+/ESPN+.
Saturday will mark Arkansas' first game in Little Rock since Oct. 23, 2021, which was a 45-3 win over the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football moves season opener start time due to weather
