Montgomery – The North Alabama Lions and Southeast Missouri State Redhawks will meet in the 10th annual FCS Kickoff at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday, Aug. 24 to kick off the 2024 college football season. The game time, ESPN platform designation and ticket information will be announced at a later date.
“The FCS Kickoff has become an opening weekend tradition in the City of Montgomery,” Johnny Williams, Executive Director of the FCS Kickoff and Camellia Bowl, said. “This is the 10th year of the FCS Kickoff and the seventh time we have hosted at the Cramton Bowl. We are excited about this year’s matchup between UNA and Southeast Missouri.”
North Alabama will be playing the FCS Kickoff for the second straight year. The Lions fell to the Mercer Bears 17-7 in last year’s game.
“The Lions are thrilled to return to ESPN’s Week 0 programming and open the 2024 college football season in the FCS Kickoff Game,” said UNA Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney. “This is a showcase opportunity for the University of North Alabama in our home state and throughout the country. The City of Montgomery produces a first-class event and I know that our fans, student-athletes, and alumni will enjoy the premier hospitality that surrounds this game.”
Southeast Missouri State will be making its first appearance in the FCS Kickoff.
“We are thrilled to help kick off FCS Football as we showcase Southeast Missouri Football and our institution to a national television audience,” said SEMO Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Brady Barke. “This game has historically featured tradition-rich programs and we’re excited for our program to be a part of it this year.”
Owned and operated by ESPN Events, the FCS Kickoff made its debut on Aug. 23, 2014 when No. 1 Eastern Washington defeated No. 17 Sam Houston State 56-35 in Cheney, Washington. The 2023 FCS Kickoff will be the sixth played at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. Jacksonville State, which defeated Chattanooga 27-13 in the first game on Aug. 26, 2017, earned a 42-10 win over Stephen F. Austin in 2022, which marked the JSU head coaching debut for Rich Rodriguez.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premier regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube
FCS KICKOFF ALL-TIME RESULTS:
Date Result
Aug. 23, 2014 Eastern Washington 56, Sam Houston State 35 (Cheney, Washington)
Aug, 29, 2015 Montana State 38, North Dakota State 35 (Missoula, Montana)
Aug. 27, 2016 North Dakota State 24, Charleston Southern 17 (Fargo, ND)
Aug, 26, 2017 Jacksonville State 27, Chattanooga 13 (Montgomery)
Aug. 25, 2018 North Carolina A&T 20, Jacksonville State 17 (Montgomery)
Aug. 26, 2019 Youngstown State 45, Samford 20 (Montgomery)
Aug. 29, 2020 Central Arkansas 24, Austin Peay 17 (Montgomery)
Aug. 27, 2022 Jacksonville State 42, Stephen F. Austin 10 (Montgomery)Aug. 26, 2023 Mercer 17, North Alabama 7 (Montgomery)
* The 2021 FCS Kickoff was cancelled due to COVID
