KU football moving week two game to Friday night

LAWRENCE (KSNT) - KU football has a slight schedule change for 2023.

The Jayhawks will play Illinois on Friday, Sept. 8. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, Sept. 9.

The move gives KU the opportunity to play in prime time on national television. KU and Illinois will now kickoff at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 for the week two matchup.

“This is an incredible opportunity for Kansas Football to be featured on primetime,” KU Director of Athletics Travis Goff said in a statement from KU Athletics. “We look forward to showcasing a program on an unrivaled trajectory to a national audience against a high-quality opponent. This is a testament to a new era of KU Football and a group of young men and coaching staff who have worked tirelessly to restore pride and belief in this program. We expect this will be a highly viewed early season game and an outstanding sell-out environment at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.”

The Jayhawks return 17 of 22 starters from last season.

“We are excited to play a home game in primetime on a night where our players will be seen by a national audience,” head football coach Lance Leipold said in a statement from KU Athletics.