Add another game to the increasingly long list affected by Hurricane Irma.
South Florida and UConn both announced on Thursday afternoon that the Bulls trip to Storrs on Saturday has been cancelled ahead of the storm and the game will not be played as scheduled.
?As I noted in my comments yesterday, the safety and well-being of our students, staff and coaches is our paramount concern,? USF athletic director Mark Harlan said in a release. ?Several large areas of the state are under evacuation orders, including portions of the Tampa Bay area. After consultation with university leadership and outside agencies, I believe it is not appropriate for our team to travel at this time.?
The contest was originally moved up to 10:30 am ET on Saturday in order to allow the Bulls to return home to Tampa before the front was expected to hit the area. Campus is already closed through at least Sunday but it appears that new tracks for Irma caused plans to change even further.
?I know both our team and USF were excited about a chance to play this weekend,? said UConn head coach Randy Edsall. ?We certainly are disappointed, but clearly understand that this is something totally out of everyone?s control. I hope that Coach Strong, his team and the entire community impacted by this storm remain safe and know that we are thinking about them as they deal with this.?
What makes this game slightly different from other cancellations like the Miami-Arkansas State game is that this is a conference contest. An AAC official told NBC Sports that it is unlikely the game can be rescheduled as the two teams do not share a common bye week but it is ?too soon to project what happens the rest of the way.? That indicates some wiggle room for the league and the programs down the road but is certainly a decision that will be made down the road after things calm down in the state of Florida.
South Florida and UConn both announced on Thursday afternoon that the Bulls trip to Storrs on Saturday has been cancelled ahead of the storm and the game will not be played as scheduled.
?As I noted in my comments yesterday, the safety and well-being of our students, staff and coaches is our paramount concern,? USF athletic director Mark Harlan said in a release. ?Several large areas of the state are under evacuation orders, including portions of the Tampa Bay area. After consultation with university leadership and outside agencies, I believe it is not appropriate for our team to travel at this time.?
The contest was originally moved up to 10:30 am ET on Saturday in order to allow the Bulls to return home to Tampa before the front was expected to hit the area. Campus is already closed through at least Sunday but it appears that new tracks for Irma caused plans to change even further.
?I know both our team and USF were excited about a chance to play this weekend,? said UConn head coach Randy Edsall. ?We certainly are disappointed, but clearly understand that this is something totally out of everyone?s control. I hope that Coach Strong, his team and the entire community impacted by this storm remain safe and know that we are thinking about them as they deal with this.?
What makes this game slightly different from other cancellations like the Miami-Arkansas State game is that this is a conference contest. An AAC official told NBC Sports that it is unlikely the game can be rescheduled as the two teams do not share a common bye week but it is ?too soon to project what happens the rest of the way.? That indicates some wiggle room for the league and the programs down the road but is certainly a decision that will be made down the road after things calm down in the state of Florida.
