The Urbana University Department of Athletics announced Monday the upcoming 2017 football schedule. The Blue Knights will play 11 regular-season games, including five contests at UU Stadium. Next fall will mark head coach Tyler Haines’ third year leading the UU football program.

UU, which comes off a 3-8 season, kicks off the fifth year as a member of the Mountain East Conference on Thursday, Aug. 31 at West Liberty. The Blue Knights and Hilltoppers are one of three league games scheduled for opening night.

In Week 2, the Blue Knights will host Fairmont State in the home opener on Saturday, Sept. 9 – all five home games feature 1 p.m. kickoff times – as the Fighting Falcons build off a playoff year after going 10-2 overall last season. The home opener will be the first game played on UU’s upgraded synthetic turf.

Then, UU will compete in back-to-back road games for the first time since 2015 in Weeks 3 and 4.

On Saturday, Sept. 16, the Blue Knights will travel to Painesville, Ohio, for the only non-conference game of the season against Lake Erie. UU claimed a 33-30 road victory over the Storm in their last meeting (2015), which was also played in Painesville.

UU returns to league play when it travels to West Virginia Wesleyan the following week on Saturday, Sept. 23. The Blue Knights will have revenge on their minds after the Bobcats squeaked out a 21-20 victory on a last-second touchdown in last year’s meeting.

UU will continue its schedule with a game every Saturday from Sept. 30 through Nov. 11. The rest of the home games include: Charleston (Sept. 30), Notre Dame College (Oct. 14), Glenville State (Oct. 28 – Homecoming) and Concord (Nov. 11 – Senior Day).

Away games will be played at UVa-Wise (Oct. 7), Shepherd (Oct. 21) and West Virginia State (Nov. 4).