photo by: Mike Yoder

Kansas running back Pooka Williams Jr. runs through Texas Tech defenders in the first half of Saturday’s game at David Booth Memorial Stadium.

Gone are the days of 11 a.m. college football kickoffs in Lawrence — at least for this year’s season opener.

The Kansas football team will have to wait all day on Sept. 12 for the Jayhawks’ nonconference matchup with Coastal Carolina, set to begin at 9 p.m., the Big 12 and KU announced Tuesday.

The abnormally late start time allows the Jayhawks’ 2020 debut under head coach Les Miles to air nationally on FOX Sports 1.

“While we are not able to have fans in attendance for this game due to the pandemic, the next highest priority was getting our (players) on national television,” KU Athletic Director Jeff Long stated in a KU release. “We have players from all across the country on our football team and playing on FS1 in the 9 p.m. time slot will provide their families and KU football fans the opportunity to watch. While it may be a later kickoff than we are accustomed to, Coach Miles and the team are excited to play in front of a national audience to start the season.”

No other kickoff times for the KU schedule have been determined as of yet, with the second game not being played until Sept. 26 at Baylor.

Five of KU’s 12 games in 2019 kicked off at 11 a.m. The latest game on the schedule last season was a 6:30 p.m. Central kickoff for the Jayhawks’ Friday, Sept. 13 game at Boston College.

KU played host to Coastal Carolina in Week 2 of Miles’ first season, an evening game at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (6 p.m.) that the Jayhawks lost, 12-7.

KU football’s 2020 schedule

Sept. 12 — Coastal Carolina, 9 p.m., FOX Sports 1

Sept. 19 — open

Sept. 26 — at Baylor

Oct. 3 — Oklahoma State

Oct. 10 — open

Oct. 17 — at West Virginia

Oct. 24 — at Kansas State

Oct. 31 — Iowa State

Nov. 7 — at Oklahoma

Nov. 14 — open

Nov. 21 — Texas

Nov. 28 — TCU

Dec. 5 — at Texas Tech