The KU football team will be back on the gridiron Friday evening to start the season, and military jets will fly over the stadium ahead of the game.
A group of four T-38 Talon jets will fly over David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium about 10 minutes before kickoff of the Jayhawks’ game against Missouri State, which is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1. There will be a practice run around 4 p.m. Thursday.
“Additionally, a group of F-16 fighter jets may fly over the Hill on Friday at approximately 4 p.m. as part of a cross-country training run,” according to a KU news release.
Kansas Athletics has also announced new game day enhancements coming up this season.
Starting three hours ahead of each game, there will be entertainment from local cover bands and DJs and food trucks at the bottom of the Campanile hill. There will be open-air and tented seating, TVs, tailgating games, light snacks and a cash bar, according to the announcement. There will also be an expanded family fun zone that includes inflatables, kids activities and more on the practice fields.
Parking lots will open to fans at 2 p.m. Friday ahead of the season opener.
“In addition, beginning mid-afternoon, some campus roads will become one-way thoroughfares to accommodate fan arrival to the game,” according to the announcement.
More information for fans, including info on parking and accessibility services and a map of concessions, is available at kuathletics.com/football-fan-guide.
Friday season opener: What to know
Lance Leipold is entering his third year as head coach of the Jayhawks. The team faces the Missouri State Bears under first-year head coach Ryan Beard.
The Jayhawks finished their season 6-7 last year, ending with a 55-53 triple-overtime thriller loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl. It was the team’s first bowl game appearance since 2008.
Missouri State, an FCS team, ended their 2022 season with a 5-6 record, 3-5 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. See more details about the teams in the media guide.
A reminder for folks coming in from out of town: Parts of Kansas Highway 10 and East 23rd Street are under construction and down to one lane. KU suggests planning ahead for delays.
Lawrence Transit is offering fare-free service for 2023.
The No. 11 Downtown/Football Service route will take fans to and from the stadium from stops in front of the Riverfront Parking Garage (near City Hall at 6 E. Sixth St.) and on the west side of Vermont Street near Eighth Street (in front of the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County at 745 Vermont St.), according to a news release from the City of Lawrence. The service will run two hours prior to kickoff and one hour after the game, or until no additional post-game passengers are present.
Parking in the lower level and ramp of the Riverfront Parking Garage and the Vermont Street Parking Garage will be free for weekend game days, according to the release. (Visit this link for a map of all downtown parking lots, meters and garages.)
Watching from home? The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, the online streaming service. Listen to the game at kuathletics.leanplayer.com, or on KLWN-1320 AM or KLZR-105.9 FM in Lawrence. Live stats will be available at this link.
The Jayhawks next face Illinois at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8 in Lawrence. They’ll head to Reno to face Nevada at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16.
See the football team’s full season schedule at this link.
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