The BYU Cougars have added the Southern Utah Thunderbirds to their 2016 football schedule, the school announced today.
BYU will host Southern Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah on November 12, 2016. The game will be the first ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
SUU is a member of the Big Sky Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Thunderbirds are 5-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play this season and have won five consecutive games.
“We needed a home game to finalize our 2016 schedule and SUU had an opening. It turned out to be a good fit for both schools,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “We look forward to hosting the Thunderbirds next year in Provo.”
BYU was previously scheduled to play at Cincinnati on Nov. 12, 2016. That game has been moved up one week and will now be played on Nov. 5, 2016 at Nippert Stadium.
The Cougars now have 12 games on their 2016 football schedule, but did not officially announce their entire slate. That announcement is usually reserved for the Spring preceding the season live on BYUtv.
BYU is scheduled to open the 2016 season against Arizona at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Three weeks later, the Cougars face West Virginia at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
Home opponents currently on BYU’s 2016 schedule include UCLA, Toledo, Mississippi State, SUU, UMass, and Utah State. The Cougars are slated to play at Utah, Michigan State, Boise State, and Cincinnati.