Mizzou football will host LSU because of Hurricane Delta. Here are the game details
As Hurricane Delta inches closer to the Gulf Coast, the Southeastern Conference took action. No. 17-ranked LSU was scheduled to host the Missouri Tigers, but the Category 4 hurricane was forecast to hit Baton Rouge around the same time as the game.
Mizzou will now host LSU at 11 a.m. Saturday on Faurot Field in Columbia. The SEC officially announced the changes Wednesday to move the football game from Tiger Stadium to Memorial Stadium.
The all-Tiger matchup was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. The rescheduled 11 a.m. game will be broadcast on an to-be-announced ESPN platform.
“We have been working with the SEC and LSU since Monday when it became apparent that Hurricane Delta could disrupt this weekend’s game, and made it known that we would be glad to host the game if it would help out LSU and the Baton Rouge community,” Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk said in a statement. “While both Mizzou and LSU shared a common open date next month, getting the game played on its scheduled date was important because of the week to week uncertainty surrounding potential COVID-19 disruptions down the road. Our thoughts during this difficult time are with all of those in Louisiana and throughout the Gulf region as they prepare for Hurricane Delta in the upcoming days.”
Mizzou season ticket holders and donors will have the chance to purchase tickets for Saturday’s game. The tickets will be in the same spot as their relocated 2020 seats as the stadium capacity is limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s a fortunate twist for first-year Mizzou coach Eliah Drinkwitz. While it’s still officially an LSU home game, MU will now play six games in Columbia in 2020.
“Due to the pending impact of Hurricane Delta on Louisiana and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest for the safety of everyone involved to move the game to Columbia,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “It was critical to relocate the game to an SEC campus where SEC COVID-19 management protocols are in place and readily applied. I appreciate the cooperation of the schools who are working closely to make the appropriate operational adjustments in order to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes while accommodating this change in the schedule.”
It’s not the first time Drinkwitz has had a hurricane affect one of his games. When he was North Carolina State’s offensive coordinator, the Wolfpack played Notre Dame in hurricane-like conditions in 2016. The final score of that monsoon was 10-3. In 2018, NC State had to cancel its game against West Virginia, then reschedule a game against East Carolina near the end of the season.
Drinkwitz said he just started thinking about how the change will affect his football team as the official announcement came Wednesday morning. Mizzou will play at home in four of its next five games.
“As far as competitive advantage, Faurot Field is a great place and we’re going to be able to be at the home locker room,” Drinkwitz said. “Other than that, I understand that this was not a competitive advantage decision, this was about the health and safety of our players and everybody involved.”
LSU coach Ed Orgeron said his Tigers will look to keep the relatively same schedule throughout the week. All the logistics aren’t squared away yet as Orgeron said his team could leave for Columbia either Thursday or Friday.
Orgeron said it would’ve been difficult to play an 8 p.m. game and return home to Baton Rouge at 4 a.m. Sunday. By changing the game to 11 a.m. Saturday, LSU could be back home by that evening, giving the team and coaches more rest, he said.
Drinkwitz said he was glad they were able to move the game up for travel purposes. By playing it earlier, he added LSU can travel back home during daytime in case there were any power outrages or other issues because of the storm.
“The only thing that’s different is we’re going to practice in Missouri on Friday,” Orgeron said. “Have a little walkthrough. They have a little convention center that’s 60 yards. That’s the only thing that’s going to change.”
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 9:17 AM.