WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross Director of Athletics
Marcus Blossom has announced that the Crusader football team has added three games to its future schedules. Holy Cross will play at Northern Illinois on Aug. 30, 2025, and will face Rhode Island in a pair of games (in Kingston on Aug. 31, 2024 and in Worcester on Sept. 27, 2025).
Northern Illinois is a member of the football bowl subdivision Mid-American Conference. This will be the first meeting between the Crusaders and the Huskies on the gridiron.Â
"We're really excited to add Northern Illinois to our future schedule," said Blossom. "This game will be very beneficial to our admissions and recruiting efforts in the Chicago area as well as provide a great opportunity for our many loyal alumni in the region to see their Crusaders compete against a really good FBS opponent."
Holy Cross owns a 9-1 all-time mark against Rhode Island, which currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Crusaders and the Rams last played in 1988, with Holy Cross winning 49-7 at Fitton Field.
"It's hard to believe we haven't played URI since 1988," said Blossom. "We are looking forward to reengaging what could develop into a good rivalry game – one that the student-athletes and supporters of both institutions will enjoy."
In addition to the Northern Illinois game, other FBS contests on Holy Cross' future schedules include meetings with Boston College (Oct. 31, 2020; Sept. 9, 2023), Connecticut (Sept. 2, 2021) and Buffalo (Sept. 10, 2022).
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