COVID-19 strikes yet again: Owls’ game gets postponed
Southern Miss is 6th change of the season
The FAU Owls have had another football game postponed — and it’s due to the COVID-19 pandemic, once again.
The Owls’ game against Southern Miss won’t be played as scheduled Saturday in Hattiesburg, Miss., after FAU determined Thursday night it didn’t have enough available players to play the Golden Eagles because of COVID-19. Therewere non-COVID-19 related concerns about the matchup being played throughout theweek due to Hurricane Delta expected to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday. Hattiesburg, Miss., is around 75 miles away from the Gulf Coast. But FAU once again had its game postponed due to the virus.
It wasn’t clear how many members of the program would’ve missed Saturday’s game due to testing positive for COVID-19 or having to quarantine because of contact tracing.
The Owls have had six games — including their first four on the schedule — canceled or delayed this season because of reasons related to the novel coronavirus.
“We understand this COVID-related decision made by Florida Atlantic to not play our game this weekend and appreciate the consistent communication with our athletic department during the week,” Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy-McClain said in a news release. “We are disappointed for our student-athletes who will not get a chance to participate. However, we will work with Florida Atlantic and Conference USA to reschedule this game for later in the season.”
FAU entered the season with its original season opener at Minnesota scheduled for Sept. 3 and original home opener versus Stony Brook on Sept. 12 canceled by COVID-19 schedule changes at the other schools.
The Owls’ Sept. 19 matchup against Georgia Southern was postponed and rescheduled for Dec. 5 after FAU had a COVID-19 outbreak in the week preceding the matchup.
Their game versus USF on Sept. 26 was postponed after itwas announced the Bulls’ previous opponent, Notre Dame, had seven players test positive for the novel coronavirus.
In the schedule ahead, FAU’s Nov. 21 matchup against Old Dominion was canceled after the Monarchs nixed their fall sports season.
The Owls opened the season with a 21-17 victory versus Charlotte on Oct. 4 at FAU Stadium. They’ll enter a bye week after the weekend, with their next scheduled game against Marshall on Oct. 24 in Huntington, W.Va.
“The health and safety of our student-will always be our highest priority as we deal with this pandemic,” FAU athletic director Brian White said in a news release. “We’ll continue to work diligently with Conference USA and Southern Miss to reschedule this game.”