M
ichigan has confirmed a report
from TheWolverine.com that
U‑M will not play host to a night
football game this season. The Maize
and Blue are scheduled to play three
away night games: at Utah, at Mary‑
land and at Minnesota.
The Oct. 3 Maryland game will
start at 8 p.m. local time and can be
seen on the Big Ten Network while a
Halloween visit to Minneapolis will
kick off at 7 p.m. local time and will
air on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. A TV
network has not been announced for
the season opener against the Utes
Sept. 3, but it being the opening night
of college football, it will likely ap‑
pear on an ESPN outlet.
Michigan athletics director Jim
Hackett had hinted previously that it
may not be in the cards for the Wol‑
verines to host a night game this year,
as the schedule presented only one
highly desirable opponent — Michi‑
gan State — and there was resistance
from the Ann Arbor and university
community to entertain the Spartans
under the lights.
Michigan Stadium made its eve‑
ning debut with a 35‑31 comeback
victory over Notre Dame in 2011.
The Wolverines and Irish met again
under the lights in the 2013 game
at The Big House, with U‑M edging
ND 41‑30. In 2014, Michigan hosted
Penn State in the program's first‑ever
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL
Turning The Lights Off:
No Home Night Game In 2015
U‑M will not play any primetime games at home this fall, but it is very likely that a pair of
contests will be played under the lights in 2016.
PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN