Carson-Newman reschedules Homecoming 2022 for Nov. 5

Growth in the South Atlantic Conference prompts C-N leadership to slide its homecoming festivities back one week. The annual event moves from its Oct. 29 slot to the next Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022.

“Though having to reschedule homecoming this year is not ideal, it is necessary as the South Atlantic Conference expands,” said University President Charles A. Fowler. “After many conversations and reassessment, we’ve decided to push our homecoming to November. Planning is already underway as we look forward to welcoming our alumni family back to Mossy Creek.” 

The SAC welcomed Barton College and Erskine College in 2021 and Emory & Henry in 2022 for football competition. The additional teams presented the SAC with its own scheduling challenge to get in the required number of conference games and provide each program with a fair number of homefield matchups.  After an internal evaluation of available options, only one date stood out to allow the University to welcome alumni “back home.”

Two currently scheduled home games in October conflict with other events. The first date would clash with an annual festival in Jefferson City. The city and University have an agreement in place to avoid overlap of major events.

The second available date would be the weekend leading into fall break, which would have led to an adjustment of the academic calendar. Coincidentally, it’s the same Saturday that Tennessee plays Alabama in Knoxville.

“We cannot always avoid all conflicts,” said Kevin Triplett, vice president for University Relations. “But the purpose of homecoming is to try to provide a situation for as many people as possible to return to campus and choosing October 15 would knowingly put us in a position of not doing that.”

C-N leadership also evaluated 22 years of weather data which revealed the average high temperature for the first week of November is 65 degrees. The average low is 42.

Though a new date is scheduled, the University is looking forward to the yearly tradition. 

“We are confident that we can provide the same fun and exciting homecoming experience to our C-N family on this new date that we have all grown accustomed to enjoying,” Fowler said. “While the date is different, the homecoming experience will not be.”