SAN ANTONIO, Texas – One day removed from adding 18 student-athletes on National Signing Day, Head Coach Larry Kennan and the University of the Incarnate Word football program officially released their 2017 schedule on Thursday afternoon.
 
The season is highlighted by five home contests, eight Southland Conference matchups and a pair of non-conference games at FBS power Fresno State and Sacramento State, as well as a season-finale battle against in-state opponent, Prairie View A&M.
 
"We'll play Fresno State and Sacramento State on the road," Kennan said. "Fresno will be a brutal game. They've got a new coach and he's highly thought of. We substitute playing HBU to pick up UCA instead, so we have an extremely tough schedule. Four of our first five games are on the road, but we get a bye week in there, and then we finish with five of our last eight games at home. We end the regular season with Prairie View A&M, which is an up-and-coming program."
 
The Cardinals' home opener is set for Sept. 30 against rival Abilene Christian. UIW will play two home contests in October, taking on Lamar (Oct. 14) and Nicholls (Oct. 28) in the Alamo City. The Cardinals host Central Arkansas (Nov. 11), before ending the season with a Thursday night matchup against Prairie View A&M (Nov. 16) at Benson Stadium.
 
UIW opens the year at Fresno State on Sept. 2 in California. The meeting will be the first in program history. The Cardinals make a return trip to the west coast on Sept. 9 to square off with Sacramento State for just the second time in school history. UIW faced the Hornets in 2014, during the Cardinals' second season of transition to NCAA Division I. Sacramento State came away with a 49-13 victory in San Antonio after UIW quarterback Trent Brittain suffered a season-ending injury in the first quarter.
 
The Cardinals' conference schedule starts on the road at Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 16. UIW will have two road games in October, playing at Southeastern La. (Oct. 7) and McNeese (Oct. 21). The final road contest comes at Sam Houston on Nov. 4.
 
"I think we did a really good job recruiting," Kennan said. "We got some junior college players that can really help us and make a difference. It's really our first year where we had a full complement of scholarships and the ability to play for a Southland Conference Championship, so it'll mean a lot more to us. Everyone wants to be able to play for a Division I university with the possibility of playoffs. I feel really good about our ability to line up and play against teams in the Southland Conference."
 
The Cardinals begin spring practice on Monday, March. 20. A date for the team's annual Spring Game has not been set.
 
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