After long delay, ASU-Memphis game postponed
BY MATTHEW V. ROBERSON
SUN STAFF WRITER
JONESBORO ? It never fails. Something weird had to happen.
No matter what the situation, no matter where the venue, no matter when it?s scheduled or how it evolves, something adds a dash of spice when Arkansas State meets Memphis.
This time, it was an ominous cloud front that brought a downpour approximately 15 minutes before kickoff, covering Indian Stadium with a eerie gray look, and then let loose for nearly three hours with driving rain, winds and lightning.
Players, coaches, and fans scattered for shelter as the heavens opened and rains poured down on Northeast Arkansas unlike any weather in several months Saturday evening. Many fans took cover underneath the stands while some headed for their automobiles. ASU?s A-Team hopped into the Teepee in the south end zone for some relief while several cheerleaders decided to play football in the rain before being removed from the field.
Nearly three hours later, Arkansas State and Memphis were informed there wouldn?t be a 54th meeting between the two schools ? not on this night.
Needless to say, disappointment consumed most involved but each agreed that the correct decision not to play was made.
?It?s very anti-climactic to the anticipation of today and playing this game tonight,? a disappointed ASU coach Steve Roberts said. ?We had a great crowd and you could definitely feel the energy all over town and Northeast Arkansas for this ballgame. ... The second thing is all the things you?ve read and all the things you guys have printed. I guess the unknown always happens in this ballgame. You know it?s always something out of the ordinary, the Hail Mary or late comebacks with two minutes to go. I guess this sort of takes the cake as far as not knowing how the game is going to come out.?
The outcome will be decided ? just not for a couple more weeks.
Arkansas State and Memphis rescheduled the game for Thursday, Sept. 27, at Indian Stadium with kickoff set for 6 p.m. The game falls on an off-week for both schools but the Tigers (0-1) will have to face Marshall five days later while Arkansas State (0-1) will have played Tennessee just five days earlier.
Arkansas State athletic director Dean Lee said the two schools discussed playing the game today or on Dec. 1. But difficulties with Memphis returning to Jonesboro just a day later and the Conference USA Championship being set for Dec. 1 created conflicts that were unfair to the Tigers for those dates.
The decision was to compromise.
Memphis coach Tommy West was just as upset as the Arkansas State contingent that the weather, not the players, determined Saturday night?s outcome.
?I think we are all disappointed,? West said. ?We had a great crowd here and two teams that were ready to play each other, so I think everybody is disappointed. But, I think in the end, it was a good decision that was made. When you are looking at starting a game at 9:30 or a quarter until 10, it?s not when you start, it?s when you would have ended the game. I think for the safety of the players it was the best decision.?
That didn?t keep Arkansas State players from expressing their disappointment.
Shortly before the scheduled kickoff of 6 p.m., the Indians took the field, went through warm-ups and then went into their locker room. They had just heard their pre-game talk and were ready to take the field when officials gave word there was a weather delay.
First they watched TV for a while, taking the opportunity to catch some other college football games. When they were ready to go out again, they were informed again to stay indoors. Then came the craving for food.
?For about the first hour and a half, we were just sitting around watching other games on TV,? ASU quarterback Corey Leonard said. ?Then a mass hunger hit the locker room, so everybody was trying to get food anyway they could. We were all kind of scavenging around trying to find crackers or anything we could eat because we were starving.?
Roberts said he gave his team some Snickers bars and fruit, and the wait continued.
Finally, at 8:48 p.m., word came that game had been postponed. It was a word many of the Arkansas State faithful, who hung around for nearly three hours, were not happy to hear.
A couple of public address announcements were made during the delay, but few fans could hear them because they were underneath the stands, away from the loudspeakers.
?I was disappointed with the way it was handled because we (the fans) weren?t privy to what was going on,? ASU fan Fred Hargett said. ?Letting people know what was going on would have helped. I guess they did what they thought was best at the time. I was disappointed for the players and coaches because you know they wanted to play. The good news is we still get to play, and we?ll pick up more money for parking, concessions and T-shirts and that should do the local economy some good.?
ASU safety Evan Van Dolah, who was expected to play a majority of the night as a fifth defensive back against Memphis? high-octane passing attack, was beside himself with the postponement.
Van Dolah played much of last Saturday?s 21-13 loss at then No. 4-ranked Texas, which also passes the ball the majority of the time, and figured he?d be on the field for plenty more action.
Not this night, though.
?It stinks but I guess that?s just how the cookie crumbles,? Van Dolah said. ?Overall, as a team, we?re pretty disappointed that we couldn?t play tonight, but it?s rescheduled for the 27th and we?ve got SMU next week and that?s who we?re looking forward to now.?
Arkansas State?s plan is to honor all tickets purchased for the game by allowing fans with their partial stubs to return for the make-up game Sept. 27. Tickets will also remain on sale for any fans still wishing to attend.
?We will honor all the tickets that were printed and distributed for this game,? Lee said. ?If they have already been stubbed, then we will continue to honor those, so fans need to keep those tickets and bring them in on Sept. 27th. We will make this as another event in our ticket system and continue to sell additional tickets for that game as well.?
After beating Memphis last year with a Hail Mary pass on the last play of the game, Arkansas State expected the Tigers to come in with revenge on their mind.
In a near-opposite outcome, ASU lost to Memphis in 2004 when it gave up three TDs inside the final three minutes to lose 47-35. The Indians were hoping to protect their turf this time around.
But all of that was washed away when a reported 2.5 to 3 inches of rain drenched Northeast Arkansas, and sent home two teams who will have to wait a little longer to settle their differences. Arkansas State hosts Southern Methodist this Saturday in what has now become the new home opener.
?We were all looking forward to it, we were all ready to play and Mother Nature decided differently,? Leonard said. ?We?ll just wait. We?ve got SMU and Tennessee these next two games, so we?ll get our shot at Memphis, but now we?ve got to focus on SMU.?
