First three non-conference games now have kickoff times for Texas football

Texas’ season opener against Louisiana will start at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 4, the Big 12 and Fox announced on Thursday. Sunscreen is advisable. 

The day should be quite a spectacle. First, it will be a difficult challenge for the Longhorns. The Ragin Cajuns were 10-1 last season, won the First Responder Bowl and finished 15th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. It will also be the debut of first-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.

Texas officials have also announced that this fall marks a return to 100% capacity at Royal-Memorial Stadium. The new south end zone expansion is expected to be completed, too. Total capacity is expected to remain just above 100,000.

The school is also expected to bring back Bevo Boulevard and the pre-game concerts on the LBJ Lawn. All pre-game events were canceled last season because of the pandemic.

More:No masks, all football: Texas' Steve Sarkisian returns to normalcy with Houston fan event

The SEC had already announced that UT’s second game at Arkansas would start at 6 p.m. on Sept. 11. 

The Longhorns’ first night game of the season will come on Sept. 18. Texas will host Rice at 7 p.m. in a game featured on Longhorn Network.

Also Thursday, the Big 12 announced the Kansas State-Texas game on Nov. 26 will start at 11 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving.

Typically, the Big 12 does not announce the kickoff times for weekly conference game until two weeks prior. The annual Texas-Oklahoma game will start in either the 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. TV windows. 

Contact Brian Davis by phone or text at 512-445-3957. Email bdavis@statesman.com or @BDavisAAS.