CHADRON – The Chadron State College football team will open the 2013 season with a pair of road night games, including a stop at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the first two weeks of the 2013 season, head coach Jay Long said Thursday.
The Eagles, who qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs and ended the 2012 season as the No. 18th ranked team in the country, will play at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo., Thursday, Sept. 5.
Chadron State will then play West Texas A&M, the team who eliminated the Eagles in the playoffs in 2012, in a non-conference game at Cowboys Stadium Thursday, Sept. 12.
“We are extremely excited for our schedule,” Long said. “We start the season off with two teams who finished the season ranked in the top 25 and we get the opportunity to play in Cowboys Stadium. I really feel our non-conference schedule will prepare us for our RMAC games and the team is excited to have five important games at home.”
The Eagles’ game at Missouri S&T kicks off at 6:30, while the game against West Texas A&M begins at 7.
Missouri S&T went 10-1 in 2012 and ended the season ranked 24th in the country but did not qualify for the playoffs. West Texas A&M, which advanced to the national semifinals, compiled a 12-3 record and finished ranked fourth.
Following the two non-conference games, Chadron State will begin its nine game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule.
In all, the Eagles will host five home games, beginning with the Family Day game against Colorado Mesa scheduled for Sept. 21 and Homecoming Oct. 5th against Adams State.
The Eagles’ other home games are Colorado State University-Pueblo…the 2-time defending RMAC champion ranked 6th in last year’s final poll after being #1 much of the year…on Oct 12, New Mexico Highlands (Oct. 26) and Fort Lewis (Nov. 9).
Chadron State will play Western State, Black Hills State, Western New Mexico and Colorado School of Mines on the road.