MANSFIELD, Pa. — It could be lights out soon for the football program at Mansfield University, which hosted the first night outdoor football game more than a century ago.

Citing budget constraints, university administrators said Thursday that they were considering ending the football program.

"The university must make serious financial adjustments to its 2007-8 fiscal year budget," the school said Thursday in a brief statement. "No final decision about the program has been made at this time."

Sports information director Steve McCloskey said he was unaware of any timetable for a decision by the school's administrators and Council of Trustees.

Mansfield has played football since 1891, with the exception of three years (1943-45) during World War II. The Division II school was 2-27 over the last three seasons and is 0-8 so far this year. Mansfield's next game is Saturday at PSAC rival West Chester.

The Mountaineers were 8-3 in 2003, but that was a rare exception for program that has seen more losses than wins.

The College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., recognizes Mansfield as having hosted the first outdoor football game played at night, a scoreless tie in 1892 between Wyoming (Pa.) Seminary and what was then known as the Mansfield State Normal School.

Mansfield might be best known for its annual celebration and reenactment of that game.

Several Mansfield graduates went on to be Walter Camp All-Americans at larger schools in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Mansfield alumnus George Woodruff had a 124-15-2 coaching record at Penn.