ACC teams, players, fans take a big hit from Irma
By The Associated Press
The Atlantic Coast Conference has been tossed into a state of flux by Hurricane Irma.
Games have been postponed, practices suspended and players throughout the conference have been left wondering about their families’ welfare as news reports of flooding and power outages dominate the news.
The storm came north through Florida over the weekend and into several Southern states, including Georgia and South Carolina. The much-anticipated Florida State — Miami Top 25 matchup was pushed back.
The league postponed that game, and several others, because of the storm. The No. 11 Seminoles and No. 17 Hurricanes will now play Oct. 7, while Georgia Tech’s game at Central Florida was canceled.
South Carolina didn’t escape Irma, as four colleges in the state near the coast remain closed and Utilities South Carolina reported more than 63,000 customers were without service Wednesday morning.
Clemson was pelted with wind and rain, but did not feel the brunt of the storm. Campus was closed Monday and Tuesday, but Irma didn’t impact the football team’s practice plans for the third-ranked Tigers’ scheduled showdown at No. 14 Louisville on Saturday.
Louisville quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson is one of 16 Cardinals players from Florida. “My mom said she was fine, my family was all right,” the Pompano Beach, Florida, native said after the Cardinals 47-35 victory against North Carolina last Saturday. “They just wanted me to go into the game focused.”
That hasn’t been easy to do.
“It’s a very tough thing to juggle,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “You just communicate with them and communicate with their families. This is a football game. That’s life and death, and very critical.
“It can be disturbing, but I think our guys have handled it well.”
Central Florida
UCF athletics director Danny White understands some Knights fans are frustrated over the cancellation of two home football games due to Hurricane Irma, but he wants them to know that the school is doing everything in its power to get things back on track. That includes seeking a replacement for one of the games during the team’s bye week on Oct. 28. “We’re still looking at options for potentially playing an 11th game,” said White, who doesn’t believe it will be possible for UCF to play 12 games this season.
UCLA
The Bruins will be without linebacker Josh Woods for the first half against Memphis on Saturday because of a targeting penalty against Hawaii, while linebacker Kenny Young’s status is not clear after suffering a head injury in the 56-23 win against the Rainbow Warriors. Young was hurt on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Hawaii tight end Metuisela ‘Unga in the first quarter.