Illini football opener pushed to Saturday afternoon

Posted September 04, 2015 1:00 am

Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN - Kent State and Illinois postponed their season-opening game until Saturday after a lightning delay of almost three hours on Friday night.

The school's athletic directors decided to push the game back to a 1 p.m. Saturday kickoff. Illinois sports information director Kent Brown said it will not be televised.

Brown said tickets to Friday's game will be honored Saturday.

The lightning rolled into the Champaign area around 7:30 p.m. Kickoff was scheduled for just after 8 p.m.

Many fans waited in the concourses of Memorial Stadium through the delay.

Kent State sports information director Aaron Chimenti said the Golden Flashes were looking late Friday for hotel rooms for a party of about 145 people. He estimated the cost of the extra night at about $8,000, not including meals.

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