Arkansas announces new kickoff time for Saturday’s season opener in Little Rock

Arkansas is starting its 2023 season a bit earlier. The program announced on Monday that Saturday’s game against Western Carolina in Little Rock at War Memorial Stadium has been moved up to a noon CT/1 p.m. ET kickoff.

The game had been scheduled for a 3 p.m. local kick. The team announcement cites the current weather forecast calling for temperatures in the mid-90s and high humidity on Saturday afternoon as the reason for moving the kickoff time earlier. Arkansas athletics notes that under the SEC’s media deal with ESPN, schools are now allowed to dictate kick time for streaming-only games on SEC Network+/ESPN+.

The Razorbacks enter 2023 coming off a 7-6 season in 2022. Entering Year 4 under Sam Pittman, Arkansas is looking to play in a bowl game for the third consecutive season. (The 2020 team accepted a bid to the Texas Bowl, which was canceled due to COVID-19 issues.)

The Hogs are starting the season outside the AP Top 25. Arkansas was fifth among unranked teams that received votes in the poll.

The Razorbacks will play their first Fayetteville home game of the season in Week 2 against Kent State. That game is set for 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET, airing on the SEC Network.