Sep 8, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights running back Bentavious Thompson (24) runs between South Carolina State Bulldogs defensive lineman Roderick Perry (91) and linebacker Cornelius Walker (46) during the second half at Spectrum Stadium. Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Two matchups involving Top 25 teams were canceled because of the looming threat of Hurricane Florence approaching the Eastern Seaboard.
Saturday’s games featuring No. 14 West Virginia at North Carolina State and No. 18 Central Florida against North Carolina were canceled on Tuesday.
Wake Forest also announced its Thursday night home game against Boston College has been moved up to 5:30 p.m. ET because of the impending hurricane. It will still air on ESPN.
An expected 1 million people were ordered to leave the coast in preparation for Florence, which reportedly could be one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to hit the region in decades.
The National Hurricane Center said at 11 a.m. Tuesday that Florence remained a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph. The hurricane is expected to intensify to near Category 5 status prior to expected landfall late Thursday or early Friday.
–Stanford running back Bryce Love, the runner-up in last season’s Heisman Trophy voting, will not suit up for the ninth-ranked Cardinal in Saturday’s game against UC Davis, head coach David Shaw said.
Shaw said Love is injured, but Shaw did not disclose the nature of the injury.
Love rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown last weekend in a 17-3 win over USC but did not play in the final minutes of the game because of an apparent injury.
After the game, Shaw told ESPN’s Edward Aschoff that if Stanford had needed Love, he would have been able to finish the game.
The Cardinal’s game this weekend is against an FCS team (UC Davis), but the Cardinal face Oregon in a critical Pac-12 North battle the following week.
–Minnesota, winning its first two games with quality play from true freshman quarterback Zack Annexstad, has been an early surprise team in the Big Ten West.
But the Gophers were dealt a major blow when senior running back Rodney Smith was declared out for the season with a left knee injury suffered in their 21-14 win over Fresno State.
Smith might file for a medical redshirt waiver for a sixth year of eligibility. Smith was named the Gophers’ MVP in each of the last two seasons. He has rushed for 2,962 career rushing yards and 451 receiving yards.
