‘Wildcats’ vs. ‘Big Red: Linfield Football will travel to Ohio to play Denison in opening game of 2023 season
Kickoff 7pm Eastern time (4pm Pacific time) in Granville, Ohio, on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023
“Granville is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,646 at the 2010 census. The village is located in a rural area of rolling hills in central Ohio. It is 35 miles east of Columbus, the state capital, and 7 miles west of Newark, the county seat.” - Wikipedia
(Story below from Linfield Sports Info 4/17/2023)
The Linfield football program has added Denison University to its 2023 and 2024 football schedules. The Wildcats have agreed to play the Big Red Sept. 9, 2023, in Granville, Ohio. In return, Denison will visit McMinnville next fall for Linfield's season-opening game Sept. 7, 2024.
The late addition of Denison to the upcoming schedules became necessary when Simon Fraser University announced recently it is dropping its football program, effective immediately. Simon Fraser had been scheduled to host Linfield on Sept. 2.
The loss of Simon Fraser, located 360 miles north in Burnaby, Canada, left Linfield with just eight games on its 2023 and 2024 schedules.
Locating a suitable and willing opponent on short notice was a difficult chore for Linfield coach Joseph Smith, who said several other regional schools situated within a day's drive turned down the Wildcats' invitation for a home-and-home series.
"Going (to Ohio) and playing a strong
opponent will be a stiff challenge for us. Losing the game versus Simon Fraser
this late in the year was a difficult blow. But it was not nearly as difficult
as it was for the players and coaches at Simon Fraser. Our hearts go out to
their program, as no one with a heart can help but feel for their loss,"
said Smith.
"I am grateful to Coach Hatem and Denison for being willing to help us out
of the very difficult situation we found ourselves in. We were seriously facing
the possibility of an eight-game schedule. I am grateful to our administration
for allowing us to schedule this home-and-home agreement. I know it will be
expensive, but I also know the experience our student-athletes will receive
will be something that impacts them for years to come. I know it will be the
same when the student-athletes of Denison are able to travel out to Oregon next
year."
Denison, a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference, has enjoyed regular success in football in recent years. The Big Red has recorded 10 consecutive winning seasons on the gridiron, including an 8-2 mark last season. Denison's most recent NCAA Division III playoff appearance came in 2018.
Smith sees an obvious benefit from playing a fellow Division III affiliate,
rather than a Division II or NAIA program.
"Playing Division III opponents is greatly desired by selection
committees. I see this helping both programs as it did last year with our game
versus Huntington. This fall, the Linfield football team will get to see a part
of Ohio that almost no one in our program has ever seen or stepped foot in.
Furthermore, we will get the opportunity to meet a team that we know nothing
about and stand before them on their home field and be measured."
The matchup will mark the first head-to-head meeting between the two schools in any sport.
"We are looking forward to the amazing opportunity to go play a
high-quality opponent in a new part of the country," said Smith.
"Denison is known to be well-coached, very physical and difficult to
play."
Denison Sports Info story:
