
Tennessee-UCLA moved to Labor DayPosted: Tuesday April 1, 2008 4:55PM; Updated: Tuesday April 1, 2008 7:06PM KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee and UCLA have agreed to play Sept. 1 in a Monday night Labor Day game to be televised nationally on ESPN. Both universities announced Tuesday that the game will take place five days before the teams' previously scheduled Sept. 6 game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Kickoff is now scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific time. The schedule change will affect both teams' Aug. 30 games. Tennessee will move its matchup with UAB to its Sept. 13 open date, while UCLA will shift its game against Fresno State to Sept. 27. The Labor Day game will mark the debuts of UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel and Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson. The programs have met 13 other times, with Tennessee leading the series 7-4-2. "We are excited to be facing Tennessee in our opener," Neuheisel said in a statement. "I couldn't think of a better way to begin my coaching career at UCLA than by playing one of the top programs in the nation on Labor Day evening." Tennessee opened its season last year on the West Coast in a 45-31 loss to California -- a game that was also nationally televised. The Labor Day game comes before the first NFL "Monday Night Football" game on Sept. 8. "The opportunity to play unopposed on national television against such a quality opponent as UCLA was something we couldn't pass up," Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton said. "It's a great time slot for a national game of interest like this one." Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | |||