Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats will open their 2012 home season under the lights at Ryan Field on Sept. 8.Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats will open their 2012 home season under the lights at Ryan Field on Sept. 8.

Wildcats Announce Primetime Kickoff for 2012 Home-Opener

April 24, 2012

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern football's 2012 home-opener against SEC foe Vanderbilt will kick off at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 8, the Big Ten announced Tuesday as part of its primetime schedule release. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network.

The Wildcats and Commodores also played under the lights to open the 2010 season, an exciting 23-21 Northwestern victory in Nashville.

Northwestern, which last season played in a bowl game for a school-record fourth consecutive year, played three games in primetime a year ago, including two at Ryan Field.

Season tickets for Northwestern's seven-game home slate, which also features matchups with Boston College (Sept. 15), Nebraska (Oct. 20), Iowa (Oct. 27) and Illinois (Nov. 24), are available now by calling the Northwestern Athletics ticket office at 888-GO-PURPLE or on NUsports.com.

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