Yale Harvard football 2015 night game

However, unlike Harvard, which will kick off at 2:30 p.m., this one will be on the road. In addition to it being Yale’s first ever Ivy League night contest, it will also be the only time the Bulldogs will play an Ivy game on other than a Saturday or Sunday.

Yale and Penn under the lights

Franklin Field in Philadelphia will be the site when Yale plays Penn on October 23rd. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

In its entire football history, Yale has played only four official night games, a relatively small number compared to most college teams. The Bulldogs have had none after dark since visiting the University of San Diego in 1999. The first time was in 1980 at Boston College, followed by a 1987 trip to the University of Hawaii. The time difference for that one resulted in a kickoff in the wee hours of the morning in New Haven.

The only other game under the arcs for Yale was in 1997 at Soldier Field in Chicago against Valparaiso.

Hardly ever on Friday

Yale has played just two games on a Friday, Virginia Tech and the Valparaiso contest. The Virginia Tech game was played in the Yale Bowl in 1916, just two years after it opened.

Road warriors

Despite the storied history of the Bowl, the historic landmark will swing open for only four games this year (Cornell, Columbia, Brown and Harvard), and will sit idle during six away dates, including a stretch of four in a row. The last time Yale had six games on the road was during a 16-game schedule in the 19th century, well before there was such a thing as the Yale Bowl, which opened in 1914.

Last season the Bulldogs played six at home and four on the road, just the opposite of what is coming up.

Only Ivy teams need apply

Another significant, surprising and unusual first for the Yale Bowl is that no non-Ivy team will come here in 2015.

Beginning on Sept. 19th and continuing on consecutive Saturdays, Yale will play Colgate (away), Cornell, Lehigh (away), Dartmouth (away), Maine (away), Penn (away, night), Columbia, Brown, Princeton (away) and Harvard.