The Wildcat football team will travel to West Point, New York, Oct. 3 to face Army for the first time in program history.

The game also will be just the team’s second time against a military academy. The Wildcats lost to Air Force 37-21 in the 2016 season-opener.

The Wildcats also added two additional games Friday against UTEP Sept. 19 and the first scheduled home game against West Texas A&M Oct. 17.

Allen Ward, director of athletics, emphasized excitement and optimism with the first scheduled games of the 2020 season. The Southland conference postponed all fall conference competition Aug. 13 with the intent on playing in the spring.

“It was definitely a step in the right direction,” Ward said in an email Thursday. “We’re making good progress on other games as well.”

The Department of Athletics expressed interest in playing several games in the fall, along with a conference spring schedule. They’re hopeful to add an additional two games for the fall.

“It still depends on finalizing our plans for the spring,” Ward said, “but I’m hopeful we can have multiple games this fall.”

Army finished last season with a 5-8 record, losing its only matching to a ranked opponent in double-overtime, 24-21, against No. 7 Michigan. Meanwhile, ACU finished the year 5-7, losing its last three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, West Texas A&M competes at the Div. II level in the Lone Star conference and finished 8-3 in 2019. UTEP finished 2019 with a 1-11 record, it’s only win coming from Houston Baptist 36-34 in the season-opener.

The Department of Athletics is still actively searching for opponents, but it is unclear when there will be an announcement.

“I would love to give a definite time-line, but it all depends on when an agreement is reached and working with the other party on a release date,” Ward said. “There are a lot of moving parts to pull together, hopefully soon.”