TEMPE -- The Arizona State University football team will open the 2011 season at home against UC Davis on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Sun Devil Stadium. The game was moved to Thursday from the original date of Saturday, Sept. 3.
The move was made to accommodate fans leading up to Labor Day weekend. When ASU has moved Labor Day weekend games to Thursday in the past, it has helped increase attendance, especially among students.
The last three season openers at Sun Devil Stadium on the Thursday prior to Labor Day weekend drew over 50,000 fans (53,540 for NAU in 2006, 50,049 for Temple in 2005 and 57,528 for UTEP in 2004).
The football team also will benefit from the extra days to prepare for the Missouri game the following week on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The UC Davis game will kick off at 7 p.m.
