ANDERSON, S.C. – Entering their third season of competition under head coach Bobby Lamb, the Anderson University Football team has announced their toughest schedule to date, featuring a NCAA Division I opponent as well as one of the best teams in the NAIA.
The Trojans will hit the ground running in the 2026 campaign as they will make the short trip up I-85 to Lamb's former stomping ground as they travel to take on the Paladins of Furman University on August 29 to kick off the season. Coach Lamb was inducted into the Furman Hall of Fame in 1995 and served as the head coach of the program for nine years from 2002-2010.
Anderson then turns their sights on some of the best the NAIA has to offer as they take on national runners-up from 2025 in Keiser University in their home opener on September 5. The Seahawks finished their 2025 campaign with a 12-1 record, with their lone loss coming in the NAIA National Championship game where they lost to No. 1 Grand View in a 22-16 decision.
UVA Wise will kick off the Trojans South Atlantic Conference schedule for the season as they make the trip to Virginia on September 12 to take on the Cavaliers. The series has been kind to the Trojans over their first two seasons, with the Trojans holding a 2-0 record over the Cavs, including marking their first conference victory ever over them in the 2024 season.
The Trojans continue their road trip the next week in conference action as they travel to Greeneville, Tenn. to take on the Pioneers of Tusculum University on September 19. The Trojans posted their best ever defensive effort against the Pioneers as they held their offense to just 88 total yards, stymieing what was the nation's fourth-best rushing attack at the time.
Returning home for a two-week stop, the Trojans will host the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne on September 26. The matchup between the two teams has been the most contested over the two years of the program's existence, as the Trojans pushed the Bears to the brink in 2024, forcing them to win on a last-second field goal before taking them down by a score of 35-28 in the 2025 campaign.
The second week of their homestand will see the Wasps of Emory & Henry come to the Bank for the second time in program history on October 3. Emory & Henry holds the 2-0 lead in the series record, picking up a win in Anderson in 2024 and a win in Virigina in 2025.
A trip to Jefferson City, Tenn. meets the Trojans next on October 10 as they take on the Eagles of Carson-Newman University. Like the Wasps, the Eagles hold a 2-0 lead in the all-time series, with nearly identical scorelines coming in the two games between the two teams.
Catawba comes to Anderson for the first time in the series on October 17. What will prove to be a tough stretch of opponents for the Trojans, the Catawba Indians likewise have a 2-0 record all-time against the Trojans, scoring 44 points in each of the two contests. The Trojans did push Catawba into overtime in their first ever meeting back in 2024.
After a week off the Black and Gold will make the trip to the Old North State to take on the Bulldogs of Wingate University in a Halloween matchup on October 31. The two teams met for the first time last season with the Bulldogs taking home the win.
A home game against the Lions of Mars Hill will bring the Trojans home slate to a close on November 7. In the two matchups against the Lions all-time, the Black and Gold have found themselves on the unfavorable side of a close scoreline, with both contests ending in one-score games.
The regular season for the Trojans comes to a close on November 14 as they make the trek to Newberry, S.C. to take on the Wolves of Newberry College. The two teams met for the first time in 2025 at Spero Financial Field with the Trojans pushing the then No. 25 Wolves to the brink, with the Wolves taking the win on a field goal with just 23 seconds left in the contest.
Game times and themes for all games will be announced in the early summer.
