June 16, 2005

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern and the Big Ten Conference, along with its television partner ESPN, announced today the television schedule for its nonconference games.

The Wildcats' first two games -- both to be played at Ryan Field -- will be televised by an ESPN affiliate. Northwestern's home opener on Saturday, Sept. 3 vs. Ohio will kick off at 11 a.m. CDT and be televised by ESPN's newest outlet, ESPNU. The game will be the first for new Ohio coach Frank Solich, who previously coached at Nebraska.

The following week, Northwestern entertains Northern Illinois in a game that figures to attract a great deal of attention in the Chicagoland area. That contest begins at 3 p.m. CDT and will be televised live by ESPN Classic.

"In recent years, the television coverage for our program has increased, just as our program has elevated its level of play," says head coach Randy Walker. "We appreciate ESPN recognizing the quality of our program and we enjoy the relationship we have with them."

Last year, 11 of Northwestern's 12 games were televised by either an ESPN affiliate or ABC. This year, Northwestern expects all but one of its 11 games to be aired by either ESPN or ABC. The Northwestern-Arizona State game in Tempe will be played at 7 p.m. local time (9 p.m. CDT) and the kickoff will not be changed for television because of the excessive daytime heat that normally exists at that time of year.