Sports, Friday, May 8th

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

NFL Schedule Released, Chiefs, Texans on Opening Night:

The National Football League has released their 2020 football schedule and things will start with a bang as the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will welcome in the Houston Texans.

This will be a playoff rematch of this year’s AFC Divisional Round and will be played September 10th at 7:20 p.m. on NBC.

The Dallas Cowboys will take on the Los Angeles Rams on the first Sunday Night Football of the season.

The first Monday Night Football of the year is a doubleheader featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants and Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos on Monday, September 14th.

Chicago will open up at Detroit in Week One, while Minnesota will host Green Bay — both games on Sunday, September 13th.

The full schedule can be found here.

Pass Interference No Longer Reviewable?

Sticking in the National Football League, pass interference replay review will not be returning to the league in 2020.

The much maligned rule was the subject of constant scrutiny last year and Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said that there has been “little” support for bringing it back this year.

The rule stemmed from the 2019 NFC Championship Game where the Los Angeles Rams benefitted from a pass interference no-call.

Replay challenges on pass interference were seldom overturned, last year.

Cyclone T&F with 31 Academic Big-12 Honorees:

The Iowa State track and field team saw 31 of its student-athletes named to the 2020 Academic All-Big 12 Track & Field Team, the conference announced Wednesday.

The Cyclone women saw 16 named to the squad, while the ISU men had 15 honorees.

First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters.

Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide and the cancelation of the remainder of the track and field season, participation requirements were waived for the 2020 Academic All-Big 12 Track & Field Team.

Drake Seeking Fan Advisory Members:

The Drake athletic department is currently soliciting new members of the Bulldogs’ Fan Advisory Council for the 2020-21 season.

The Fan Advisory Council is in its third year and creates a forum for dialogue with supporters and department staff to enhance the fan experience and engage the Des Moines community.

Members of the Fan Advisory Council offer insights on various departmental and game day operations including fan experience, concessions, customer service, communications, ticketing and other athletic initiatives.

The Fan Advisory Council consists of 15 members who serve two-year terms on the council. Drake athletics is accepting new applications for the Fan Advisory Council May 7-31 with those selected to be notified by the end of June.