No. 24 Louisiana’s game this Saturday against Central Arkansas was one of several contests canceled or postponed Wednesday due to COVID-19 issues.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (7-1) were forced to cancel their final home game with a total of 33 student-athletes currently in the COVID-19 protocol, either through positive tests or contact tracing.
“We are disappointed we will be unable to play Central Arkansas on Saturday,” Louisiana athletic director Bryan Maggard said. “We knew this season was going to require a lot of patience and flexibility and disruptions were likely to occur. The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff is always the primary focus.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns next scheduled game is Nov. 28 at Sun Belt Conference opponent Louisiana Monroe.
Meanwhile in the American Athletic Conference, Houston’s game at SMU and Navy’s contest at South Florida this weekend were postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases in the Cougars’ and Bulls’ programs.
The postponement of Saturday’s tilt marks the fifth time that Houston (3-3, 3-2 AAC) has had a game canceled or moved due to COVID-19 issues. The previous four occasions dealt with concerns involving the Cougars’ opponents.
“The health and well-being of our student-athletes and staff remains our top priority,” Houston vice president for athletics Chris Pezman said. “Postponing a game is not an easy decision to make, but we appreciate the collaborative approach from SMU and the American Athletic Conference as we worked through this decision. We are also very appreciative of the continued care of our medical staff and athletic trainers, who have worked tirelessly throughout this season.”
As for SMU (7-2, 4-2), its game against TCU on Sept. 11 was canceled because of coronavirus issues.
Navy (3-4, 3-2) had its scheduled game against Temple on Sept. 26 altered due to COVID-19 issues. That game was played on Oct. 10, with the Midshipmen posting a 31-29 victory.
Navy’s games against Tulsa on Nov. 7 and Memphis on Nov. 14 were also postponed. No makeup dates for either game has been announced.
USF (1-7, 0-6) had its Sept. 26 game against Florida Atlantic postponed due to the virus. A makeup date for either game has yet to be announced.
In the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest (4-3, 3-3 ACC) and Duke (2-6, 1-6) won’t play Saturday because of COVID-19 issues with the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest said it would work with Duke and the conference to try to reschedule the game.
