Missouri State announced the start time for its 2012 football home opener against Murray State on Sept. 15 has been moved to 7 p.m. The Bears and Racers last met Oct. 9, 2010 when the squads combined to break an NCAA Division I FCS record with 1,423 combined yards in a 72-59 win by Murray State.

MSU Director of Athletics Kyle Moats says the change in start time for the Sept. 15 game will allow students and fans a rare opportunity to see the Bears play a night game at Plaster Field. MSU last played a home night game on Sept. 4, 2008. The Bears were scheduled to play their 2010 home opener on a Thursday night, but the game was postponed until the next afternoon due to lightning and tornado warnings in the area at the time.

The Bears will begin the 2012 campaign on Sept. 1 at Kansas State and will have five home games on slate this fall.