ESPN announced on Monday that next fall’s Big 12 North Division showdown between Nebraska and Missouri will take place on Thursday, Oct. 8 in Columbia. The Big 12 opener for both schools will be televised nationally by ESPN with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Central Time.

The contest had been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, however through a mutual agreement between ESPN, the Big 12 Conference, the University of Missouri and the University of Nebraska the game was moved to the network’s Thursday night package.

“We are looking forward with great anticipation to returning to Columbia for our first Thursday night telecast since 1992,” said Dave Brown, ESPN Vice President of Programming. “We greatly appreciate all of the assistance we received from Nebraska, the Big 12 Conference and especially from Mike Alden and the University of Missouri in making this happen. Nebraska at Missouri is a terrific addition to our 2009 Thursday night schedule.”

The appearance on ESPN’s Thursday night package will mark the first for Nebraska since a 2003 victory at Southern Miss.  It is Nebraska’s fifth overall appearance in ESPN Thursday night contests, with the Huskers also picking up wins at Oklahoma State in 1993 and 1995, and at Texas Tech in 1994.

The 2009 season will also mark the third consecutive season the Nebraska-Missouri contest has been televised on ESPN. Each of the last two meetings have been Saturday night national telecasts on the network.

The move of the Missouri game to Thursday night gives Nebraska open Saturdays on Oct. 3 and Oct. 10. The Huskers open their 2009 season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Florida Atlantic in Lincoln. Additional television information regarding the 2009 season will be available at a later date.