Benedictine Announces 2012 Football Schedule
LISLE, Ill. - Benedictine University has announced the 2012 football schedule which features three night games and five in front of the home crowd with a majority coming towards the end of the season.
The Eagles, who have won back-to-back Northern Athletics Conference titles, sharing the 2011 crown with Concordia Chicago, and have reached the NCAA Playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in school and conference history, will open the 2012 season on a Thursday night at perennial power Wheaton College. The Thunder, who finished third in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin last year with an overall record of 8-2, welcome Benedictine to McCully Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on August 30, the lone game in either conference that day.
North Park University, another CCIW school who has bested BenU the past two seasons, awaits on September 8. The game will also be played under the lights at 7:00 p.m. at North Park's Holmgren Athletic Complex.
The home portion of the schedule begins on September 15 as Benedictine welcomes the champions of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Albion College in the first ever MIAA/NAC Challenge Series Game. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at the Sports Complex. Albion finished 6-5 last year, falling to UW-Whitewater in the NCAA Playoffs.
Following a bye week, Northern Athletics Conference play begins on September 29 when Concordia Wisconsin comes calling at 1:00 p.m. Benedictine had a 16-game conference win streak halted in last season's finale, and will look to begin a new streak against the Falcons.
The first road conference game is at rival Aurora University on October 6 at 1:00 p.m. Aurora will have a new Head Coach on the sidelines this year.
Homecoming will be on October 13 at 1:00 p.m. when Rockford College visits the Sports Complex. Benedictine will have an opportunity to avenge its lone conference loss from 2011 on October 20 in Wisconsin at 1:00 p.m. with a road game at Wisconsin Lutheran. Concordia Chicago, who shared the 2011 title with Benedictine, is the opponent on October 27 at the Sports Complex in a 1:00 p.m. affair.
The final home game of the regular season will be on November 3 against Maranatha at 1:00 p.m. The regular season finale takes place the following week, November 10, at Lakeland in a 12:00 p.m. contest.
Benedictine sported a 7-4 record during the 2011 season, falling to NCAA Runner-up Mount Union in the opening round of the NCAA Playoffs.
