Five home games at Brown Field highlight the 2013 Valparaiso University football schedule, as released today by head coach Dale Carlson.

Valpo opens the 2013 season with back-to-back road games.  The 2013 slate kicks off on Thursday, August 29 as the Crusaders travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to face off against North Dakota, out of the Big Sky Conference.  Valpo then makes the short trip to Rensselaer to take on Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) at noon on Saturday, September 7.

The home campaign starts the next Saturday, September 14, at Brown Field at 1 p.m. as the Crusaders welcome William Jewell to Valparaiso. 

“Our 2013 schedule is challenging,” said Carlson.  “We open up on the road at North Dakota in their dome. It is loud and a tough place to play. Week two puts us on the road again at St. Joe.  We had a tentative two-game series with Wagner [N.Y.] College that fell through, but I was relieved to find William Jewell had an opening for the next two years and they agreed to play at Valpo this fall.  That filled the hole in our schedule.”

Following a bye weekend, Valpo will open the previously-announced PFL schedule on Homecoming Saturday, September 28 at Brown Field versus Campbell.  The Crusaders will also host Morehead State (Oct. 19, Family Weekend), San Diego (Nov. 2) and Dayton (Nov. 16) in PFL play at home, while traveling to Marist (Oct. 5), Mercer (Oct. 12), Drake (Oct. 26) and Butler (Nov. 9).

The 2013 PFL race leads up to the league’s first automatic qualification into the NCAA FCS Championship, which begins November 30.

“We open the PFL season at home with Campbell,” said Carlson.  “It will be nice to play our first conference game at home.  I expect a very competitive PFL season this year.  All the teams have improved and the conference gets its first look at Stetson and Mercer.  This is a big year for the PFL as we have our first AQ into the FCS play-offs.”