Hurricane Irma is an enormous storm bearing down on Florida, with landfall expected late Saturday or Sunday. But the first mainland victim of the Category 5 hurricane came on Thursday – miles away from the eye and in New England.
Irma’s powerful winds blew a game off the University of Connecticut’s football schedule when it was decided to cancel Saturday’s American Athletic Conference game against South Florida. After moving kickoff from noon to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the AAC and the schools agreed to play it safe and not risk problems for the Bulls as they would try to return home to Tampa after the game.
With no common open date, the game could not be postponed.
“Obviously we are disappointed for our team and our fans at the cancellation of a home game,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said in statement released by the athletic department. “Our thoughts are with USF and all of the areas in the path of this storm. We wish them all the best as they deal with this terrible storm and are here ready to assist in any way that we can.”
“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 [Charlie] 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.”
Also on Thursday, the Florida-Northern Colorado game scheduled for Saturday in Gainesville was cancelled due to Hurricane irma.
UConn will provide details next week to all USF game ticket holders regarding future ticket options due to the cancellation.
The Huskies (1-0) in Edsall’s return season play at Virginia on Sept. 16. Kickoff in Charlottesville is scheduled for noon.
Speak Your Mind