Mizzou finds itself at epicenter of SEC’s COVID issues — through no fault of its own
The Missouri Tigers have been in the middle of the Southeastern Conference’s whirlwind of changes and postponements in the past couple of weeks — through no fault of their own.
Mizzou was scheduled to play Vanderbilt Saturday, but that game’s been postponed because the Commodores are dealing with COVID-19 issues and injuries. Vandy played with just 56 available scholarship players last weekend, and that number has subsequently dipped below the 53-player mark the SEC mandated before the season. That game is tentatively rescheduled for Dec. 12.
While MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s Tigers don’t play next until Oct. 24 at Florida, that game, too, is in doubt. This weekend’s Florida-LSU game has been pushed back to Dec. 12, as well, marking the SEC’s second postponement this week. Twenty-one Gators players have tested positive for COVID-19, Florida athletic director Scott Striklin said Wednesday.
The Tigers’ game against Florida is still nine days away, but it’s uncertain whether it will be played as scheduled in Gainesville, Florida. Strickland said it’s hard to speculate about the Mizzou game at this point.
“That’s kind of what COVID, 2020, has taught, is that every day, there’s a new challenge,” Drinkwitz said on the SEC’s weekly teleconference Wednesday. “The only thing you can control is your mental toughness and how you’re going to respond to that challenge. We have no control of what’s happening down in Florida and wish them the best.”
Strickland said UF officials suspect travel was partly to blame for the outbreak on the team after the Gators visited Texas A&M last weekend.
A couple of Florida players who made the trip, Strickland said, exhibited symptoms such as a runny nose or a headache. After they tested positive for the virus, Strickland said, they notified officials they had symptoms. But they didn’t report them before the trip because they thought they were just experiencing allergies.
“The travel situation is going to get a really close review,” Strickland said. “I think there’s been some NFL teams that have had issues with that very thing. There’s no secret that that’s the one part of playing sports that’s a little more complicated.”
Mizzou has also endured some twists and turns this season that haven’t involved COVID-19. The Tigers were set to travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to play LSU until Hurricane Delta forced relocation of the game to Columbia.
But Drinkwitz’s squad has also battled its own coronavirus-related issues. The Tigers were down seven players against LSU due to one COVID-19 positive and subsequent contact tracing and quarantine. With an unexpected off-week, the Tigers will look to get healthy in terms of both the virus and injuries.
On Wednesday, Alabama announced that coach Nick Saban had tested positive for COVID-19. Saban, 68, said he’s been asymptomatic and coached the Crimson Tide’s most recent practice from home. NCAA rules wouldn’t allow him to coach remotely on game day via Zoom, however.
Elsewhere, Mississippi has also had some COVID “issues,” coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday. Ole Miss’ game Saturday against Arkansas remains scheduled, but the program’s next round of testing could affect the number of players Kiffin will have available against the Razorbacks.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 12:19 PM.