Tennessee State University football team and head coach Eddie George have announced that their spring game will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 at Hale Stadium. This will be Coach George’s second spring with the Tigers, as he enters his third year as the head coach. The Tigers return 67 players from last year’s 4-7 team and welcome in nine new signees for spring practice.
The 2023 schedule includes five home games with two against HBCU opponents. The conference slate includes six contests between the joint conferences of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and Big South.
Week 1 – Sept. 2 – TSU at Notre Dame, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana. TSU kicks off its 2023 schedule against Notre Dame. This is the first time in program history the Irish face an HBCU when the Tigers make their trip north for their 2023 home opener. TSU will become the first FCS school to play Notre Dame since the subdivision split. The game will be televised nationally on NBC, Time TBA.
Week 2 – Sept. 9 TSU vs. UAPB, Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tenn. The Tigers take on Arkansas Pine-Bluff in the 34th edition of the Southern Heritage Classic, for TSU’s first year not playing Jackson State in the SHC since 1993, when they took on Grambling State.
Week 3 – Sept. 16 TSU vs. Gardner-Webb, Stadium TBD (Hale or Nissan) Nashville, the John Merritt Classic. The Bulldogs are Big South Champions.
Week 4 – Sept. 23 Bye Week
Week 5 – Sept. 30 TSU at UT Martin Hardy M. Graham Stadium, Martin, Tenn. TSU’s first OVC game.
Week 6 – Oct. 7 TSU at Kennesaw State, Fifth Third Bank Stadium, Kennesaw, Georgia. The Owls went 5-6 last season as an FCS independent.
Week 7 – Oct. 14 Homecoming. TSU vs. Norfolk State, Stadium TBD (Hale or Nissan) Nashville. The Tigers host fellow HBCU foe Norfolk State. This is their first meeting in over 50 years, since 1972 when TSU won NFSU 56-6. The Spartans, who compete in the MEAC, went 2-9 last season.
Week 8 – Oct. 21 TSU vs. Lincoln (CA) Stadium TBD (Hale or Nissan) Nashville. The NCAA DII Oaklanders went 2-8 last season.
Week 9 – Oct. 28 TSU vs. Lindenwood Stadium TBD (Hale or Nissan) Nashville. Last season, the Lions’ went 7-3 (1-3 OVC.
Week 10 – Nov. 4 TSU at Charleston Southern, Buccaneer Field, Charleston, S.C. Their second Big South opponent; the Buccaneers went 2-8 last season.
Week 11 – Nov. 11 TSU at Eastern Illinois, O’Brien Field, Charleston, Ill. The final road game of the season. The Tigers took down the Panthers 37-17 in Nashville last season.
Week 12 – Nov. 18 TSU vs. Tennessee Tech, Stadium TBD (Hale or Nissan) Nashville. George and the Tigers close out the regular season. TSU took down TTU 30-14 on the road last season against a traditional OVC and in-state rival.
2023 Season Tickets are on sale now and single-game tickets will be available on Aug. 10.
