SALISBURY, N.C. – Livingstone College’s football team, which had its first winning season in many years under Head Coach Daryl Williams last season, will open play Sept. 3 in Columbia, S.C., against Benedict College in the 15th Annual Palmetto Capital City Classic.

In their season opener, the Blue Bears defeated the Tigers 49-6 last year in the Palmetto Capital City Classic.

Livingstone finishes its 2016 gridiron season on Nov. 5 in Charlotte by playing archrival Johnson C. Smith University.  The Blue Bears defeated JCSU, 35-12, last year in Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury. It was the first time the Blue Bears had won the contest against Smith. Dubbed as The Commemorative Classic, Livingstone and JCSU became the first two black college football teams to play an organized game when they met on Livingstone’s front lawn on Dec. 27, 1892.

Livingstone will host four games in the upcoming season, and one of the Blue Bears’ away games will be against The Davidson Wildcats, an NCAA Division I FCS opponent. Livingstone has never played Davidson, which competes in the Pioneer League and had an overall record of 2-9 last year. The matchup takes place on Sept. 15.

Livingstone, which went 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association last year, will host Edwards Waters College on Sept. 10 in the West End Classic. The Blue Bears will host Chowan University on Sept. 24, Saint Augustine’s University on Oct. 8 and Shaw University on Oct. 15 for Homecoming. Last year the Blue Bears defeated Fayetteville State University 42-35 to capture its first Homecoming win in 16 years.

The Blue Bears will be on the road against Virginia State on Oct. 1 and will travel to Winston-Salem State University to compete against the Rams on Oct. 22. The following week on Oct. 29, Livingstone will play at Fayetteville State University.

On Nov. 12, the CIAA Southern and Northern division winners will compete for the league title. The time and location for the game will be determined by conference officials.