The Florida-LSU football game scheduled for Saturday in Gainesville has officially been postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, it was announced Thursday -- following several missed decision deadlines. The universities and the SEC Office said they will work to reschedule the game later in the 2016 season, if possible.
Shortly before 4 p.m. the Southeastern Conference Office in Birmington, Ala. released the following statement:
"'We had a very productive phone call today with a great spirit of cooperation between the universities' presidents and athletics directors and it became clear that the University of Florida could neither host nor travel to a game this weekend considering the circumstances,'" said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. "'The developments of the hurricane in the last 24 hours, the projected magnitude of its impact and the unknown aftermath of this storm have resulted in this decision to seek another date to play the LSU-Florida game. We have to be sensitive to the possible imminent disruption to the state of Florida and in particular the Gainesville and surrounding area.'
"At this time the schools do not have a common open date on which to reschedule the game, so the schools and SEC Office will make every effort to find a scheduling solution with the possible movement of other games on the schools' schedules.
"Before deciding to postpone the game, the schools and SEC explored other date and location options, and LSU offered to either travel or host the game over the course of the weekend. Ultimately, it was determined that the likelihood of damage from the storm, lack of available emergency personnel and the uncertainty of the impact of the storm on people, facilities and travel necessitated a postponement.
"'The timing of this storm on a Friday and the uncertainty of its aftermath in the ensuing days make it particularly difficult to project the conditions for the remainder of the weekend as well as the opportunity for travel of teams and fans to or from Gainesville and other cities in Florida,'" Sankey said. "'I am appreciative of the cooperation of our universities on this matter.'"
"'We have worked all week with local, state, campus and conference officials," said UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. "I know there will be a lot of opinions about how we came to this conclusion and when we came to the conclusion, but this is the right decision. I fully support the Southeastern Conference's decision to postpone the game.'"
"For the latest updates from the Florida Division of Emergency Management, visit their official site or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
"Once the fate of the game has been determined by the SEC Office, ticket information will be communicated to those who have purchased tickets to the game."
Hurricane Matthew’s looming impact on Florida and the rest of the East Coast put other football, basketball, hockey teams and even a major golf match on edge during the last 24 hours.
Here's a rundown of other major contests in the hurricane's projected path affecting Florida teams -- what's still on, what's been postponed and what's been canceled as of Thursday noon:
Miami-FSU
At least for now, Hurricane Matthew is not having an impact on one of the biggest games in Week 6.
Unbeaten and 10th-ranked Miami is set to host in-state rival Florida State Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The game will mark the first time since 2002 that the Hurricanes have entered with a better record than the Seminoles, and is a pivotal matchup for both sides.
In a press release, the university noted that the hurricane is “expected to sideswipe Thursday and into Friday,” meaning the significant weather event should have cleared the area by kickoff 8:18 ET Saturday night. As it stands now, no decision has been made to cancel or postpone the contest, although what if any damage the storm causes on its way through the area will determine whether or not the game goes on as scheduled.
“We are monitoring Hurricane Matthew, and are in constant contact with stadium personnel,” a statement from athletic director Blake James began. “We are hopeful that the impact of Hurricane Matthew will be minimal and the game between the Hurricanes and Seminoles will be played as planned.”
Fortunately for all involved, not just the football games, the hurricane appears to be heading on a more easterly path. However, that could certainly change over the next 24-48 hours as those in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and even New Jersey pay particular attention to Matthew’s path.
The dates for two games involving FBS teams have already been changed because of the storm.
UCF-Tulane
Further up the Florida peninsula, the University of Central Florida announced its scheduled weekend game against Tulane would be postponed to Nov. 5.
“Taking into account all the latest projections for Hurricane Matthew, we have to keep the safety of everyone involved in these events at the forefront of our decision-making,” UCF athletic director Dr. Daniel J. White said. “We appreciate our friends at Tulane and Houston understanding and working with us through this situation.”
FAU-UNC Charlotte
Florida Atlantic University has postponed its 3:30 p.m. Saturday home football game this weekend against Conference USA member Charlotte. The Owls, who are 1-0 all-time against the 49ers, say the earliest makeup day is Sunday, Oct. 9. Keep watching social media for alerts.
South Carolina State-Bethune-Cookman
Due to impending severe weather, the Bethune-Cookman football game against South Carolina State Saturday at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg, S.C. has been postponed. It will be rescheduled at a later date.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are still scheduled to host Tennessee Sunday afternoon, but the teams are monitoring conditions.
“We’re watching the weather with the hurricane that’s going on down there,” said Titans coach Mike Mularkey on his radio show Thursday morning. “There may be some weather issues. There’s a very slight chance that game could be moved up here. There’s been some discussion because of it.”
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat will use the Houston Rockets’ training facility during the weekend. The Heat are scheduled to play the Minnesota Timberwolves in Kansas City on Saturday. The Rockets’ training facility is available to the Heat because the Rockets will be in China for two preseason games.
Web.com Tour Championship
The Web.com Tour Championship, a golf tournament scheduled to be played near Jacksonville, was canceled.
The Web.com tournament was the last chance for some golfers to secure their PGA Tour cards for the coming season. It had to be called off after a mandatory evacuation order was posted for Jacksonville beach areas, and there’s no opportunity for it to be made up.
“I know the players who came here needing a good finish to get their cards are very disappointed,” Web.com Tour president Bill Calfee said.
Florida Panthers-Tampa Bay Lightning
With Broward County under a hurricane warning, the Florida Panthers canceled tonight's preseason game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at BB&T Center.
The last time the Panthers were forced to move a game because of a storm came in 2005 following damage to the arena and surrounding areas from Hurricane Wilma.
Florida’s training facility in Coral Springs was also badly damaged and had to be rebuilt after that storm swept through Broward.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
