COVID blitzes Las Vegas
UNLV vs. Boise will be ruled no-contest
UNLV’S football game against Boise State that was scheduled to be played Friday at Allegiant Stadium was canceled Wednesday because of COVID-19 issues.
“Both medical teams have been in communication in order to understand the full picture of COVID issues in our region,” both athletic departments and the Mountain West said in a joint statement explaining the cancellation.
The game will be ruled a no-contest and will not be rescheduled. The decision leaves the Rebels with one game left on their schedule, a Dec. 12 road trip to Hawaii. Hawaii is one of two Mountain West teams, along with UNR, that has not had a
cancellation this season.
UNLV and Boise State have had problems with the virus in the past few weeks. The Rebels had their game against Colorado State canceled two weeks ago. Boise State’s game last weekend against San Jose State was also nixed.
UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo said the Rebels were down to as few as 49 available players after four positive tests and the resulting contact tracing the week of the Colorado State game. But enough players were back for the Rebels to play against Wyoming on Friday, a 45-14 loss at Allegiant Stadium.
Boise State had five players test positive last week, and those results and contact tracing left it too thin
in key positions group to safely play San Jose State under Mountain West protocols.
“We had a game scheduled for Friday and we were prepared to play it, but as we’ve said from the beginning, the health and safety of our players remains first and foremost on our priority list,” Arroyo said in a statement. “It’s clear-cut — we accept and follow the recommendations of our doctors.”