South Carolina-Georgia game postponed until Sunday because of hurricane
The game between South Carolina and Georgia, which was scheduled to be played in Columbia, South Carolina at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, has been moved to 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday because of the anticipated impact of Hurricane Matthew.
The contest was one of the remaining still up in the air because of Matthew’s path.
“Due to the potential impact of the hurricane on Columbia and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest of safety to play the game on Sunday rather than Saturday night,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement released by South Carolina. “I appreciate the cooperation of the schools who worked closely to make the appropriate operational adjustments in order to accommodate this change in the schedule.”
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp originally announced the game change during his radio show after receiving a call from athletic director Ray Tanner, but at the time he didn’t have many other details. The university in a statement at 9:15 p.m. announced the time change, ending a week of speculation about the fate of the game. Florida and LSU already had postponed their contest because of the storm.
“It’s all about the safety of our student-athletes and being very sensitive to a very catastrophic situation hitting our coast,” Muschamp said after his show. “We will adjust to playing on Sunday. I told our guys it’ll be a distraction if you let it be. It is what it is. I’ve been pleased with how our guys have approached it. Looking forward to playing the Dogs.”
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said earlier in the week that the state would not be able to provide any resources for the game. However, Richland County sheriff Leon Lott told The State his law enforcement would be able to staff the game.
South Carolina and Georgia have each lost their last two contests.
For more South Carolina news, visit GamecockCentral.com.
For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
