Game vs. Missouri on hold due to outbreak
GAINESVILLE — The Florida Gators’ football game against Missouri has been postponed until Oct. 31 due to a COVID-19 outbreak at UF.
The Gators were scheduled to host the Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Swamp, but the schools and league office adjusted the schedule to allow the UF program time to manage virus spread among players and coaches.
The Halloween matchup in the Swamp will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and air on the SEC Network alternate channel, a secondary channel for the network available via select cable, satellite and streaming services.
Florida shut down all football activities Tuesday because at least 21 players and two assistant coaches had tested positive for the virus. The number of infected grew as daily tests were performed to determine the scope of the problem. School officials said all were asymptomatic or reported mild symptoms.
The outbreak prompted the SEC to move Florida-LSU from Saturday to Dec. 12. UF would have had fewer than 50 scholarship players available to face the Tigers.
The back-to-back postponements will force UF coach Dan Mullen’s team to play seven straight weeks without a break — eight if Florida (2-1) wins the SEC East to reach the conference-title game Dec. 19 in Atlanta.
UF athletics director Scott Stricklin said Wednesday the Gators have strong COVID-19 safety protocols despite the outbreak and the Gators’ setback is a stark reminder of the need to remain vigilant and report symptoms associated with the highly transmissible virus.
“There’s a sense of frustration, but we understand this virus can sneak up on you and you can have it spread in … the bat of an eyelash,” Stricklin said Wednesday. “That’s what we’re seeing right now.”
UF’s medical staff has not pinpointed the exact origin of the Gators’ outbreak but surmised it began with a couple of players — one experiencing congestion and another a headache late last week. Suspecting an allergy or seasonal cold, neither reported the symptoms before the team traveled during the weekend to Texas A&M for the game.
The SEC is fining schools if they fail to follow coronavirus safety protocols, including requiring coaches to wear masks on sidelines during games.
UF’s outbreak and issues elsewhere forced alterations to other SEC teams’ schedules.
Missouri’s Oct. 31 home date with Kentucky has been rescheduled for Oct. 24 while Kentucky’s game against Georgia scheduled for Oct. 24 will move to Halloween.
The SEC in August shifted to a 10-game conference-only schedule with two open weeks to provide scheduling flexibility for schools in the event of COVID-19 outbreaks. The league moved the conference-title game to Dec. 19 and left open Dec. 12 as a gap in the calendar to make up postponed games.