Fifty years ago, the rock band AC/DC wrote: “Broke another promise and I broke another heart. … Try to get back to the start.”
The lyric from the ballad “Ride On” has a connection to Army football in more ways than one way this week.
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The Black Knights (1-1) are looking for a re-start to the season when they play Temple in an American Conference game on Friday afternoon. The players are seeking to put a crushing late loss to South Florida on Sept. 12 behind them, hoping to return to the good-time feel of opening week when Army routed Bryant.
The other connection is to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field: Army is playing a rare Friday afternoon game at “The Linc” because AC/DC has a Tuesday concert at the stadium, and organizers needed the extra Saturday date for set-up. So with apologies to the Australian rockers, the Black Knights and Owls will look to shock “All (Afternoon) Long” during an exclusive ESPN window.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play on TV, to be the only game on TV at that point,” Army head coach Jeff Monken said during his Tuesday press conference. “Playing an afternoon game on a Friday is uncommon, but there’s college football fans everywhere, and they like watching college football. I just think it’s a great opportunity for our program, certainly for theirs to be on this stage.”
Temple is coming off a 49-48 overtime loss at Toledo last Saturday afternoon, while Army had the week off. Temple head coach K.C. Keeler wasn’t initially on board with the idea of losing one day of preparation, especially facing an option offense like Army, but he warmed to the opportunity.
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“The (Philadelphia) Eagles have been great to us,” Keeler said during his Monday press conference, “and when we originally heard we’re going to be playing Army in a short week and they have a bye, it’s like, that’s not ideal. But again, I always see every obstacle as an opportunity, and I saw this as an opportunity because we talked about this as soon as we found out with our players. Like, listen, this is what we’re gonna have to do.”
With noted exceptions, Saturdays have been the prime dates for college football, following high school Friday nights and ahead of Sunday NFL action. But as television networks sought to fill weeknight schedules, the NFL jumped on Thursdays, while college football started to claim more Friday night spots. Most of the top college inventory remains in the four Saturday time windows (noon ET, 3:30 p.m., 7 or 7:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m.), and the Power 4 conferences have mostly held firm to Saturdays to appease alumni and ticket buyers.
A noted exception is a growing slate of “Black Friday” afternoon and evening games scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving — only recently did the NFL start utilizing that date while college has had a long foothold.
The “next tier,” or Group of 6 conferences (American included) are often shut out of Saturday prime slots on the major networks, so those leagues have turned to Thursdays and Fridays to maximize their exposure (the Mid-American also places games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays once Major League Baseball is out of the way).
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More: ESPN+ to air Army football at Louisiana Tech on October 3
For the 2026 schedule, the American has placed eight games on Thursday nights and 10 on Friday nights. Still, the 4 p.m. Friday start is rather unique and will give the Black Knights and Owls an exclusive window, ahead of five evening contests; in fact, the American will feature a doubleheader with Navy playing at Alabama Birmingham in the second ESPN game at 7 p.m.
More: College football TV, radio, web schedules for 2026
Army is no stranger to Thursday or Friday regular-season action during the Jeff Monken era, but the games have been played in the evening. In 2025, the Black Knights hosted Tarleton State on Friday, Aug. 29, and played at East Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 25. In 2024, Army hosted Lehigh on Friday, Aug. 30; played at Temple on Thursday, Sept. 26; and hosted Tulane in the American title game on Friday, Dec. 6. In 2023, Army played at Texas San Antonio on Friday, Sept. 15. In 2019, Army hosted Rice on Friday, Aug. 30. In 2018, Army played at Duke on Friday, Aug. 31. In 2017, Army hosted Fordham on Sept. 1. In 2016, Army played at Temple on Sept. 2. In 2015, Army hosted Fordham on Sept. 4.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
X / Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army football, Temple have Friday afternoon TV audience to themselves
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
