Southeastern Conference officials have postponed Saturday’s college football game between the University of Florida and Louisiana State University, due to the impending threat of Hurricane Matthew.
The University of Florida initially opted to host the game despite the storm, a decision that didn’t sit well with one of the senators who represents the rival school.
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., wanted Gov. Rick Scott to pressure the University of Florida into changing course. “I can assure you that moving a football game to another location to ensure the safety and well-being of several thousand people will be the easiest decision you will make today,” Vitter wrote to the Florida Republican. The Florida game against Louisiana State University was scheduled for noon Saturday.
Hurricane Matthew was upgraded to Category Four on Thursday as the storm approached Florida’s East Coast,and Scott issued increasingly dire warnings. “This will kill you,” Scott said. “We don’t know exactly where this storm’s going… Don’t trust this track.”
The University of Florida insisted on Wednesday that the matchup, a potentially critical Southeastern Conference showdown against LSU, “will not be moved out of Gainesville,” but then announced that classes would be canceled early Thursday afternoon and campus will be closed Friday. “Information on Saturday’s football game against LSU and campus operations that day will be announced later today,” a school bulletin said.
Vitter maintained that the school ws asking for trouble. “There are numerous options at UF’s disposal to safely conduct this game, including rescheduling for a later date, and I implore you to discuss these with UF’s Athletic Department,” he wrote. “Again, unless you and the UF Athletic staff want to end up on a segment of ESPN’s ‘C’mon Man,’ I urge you to work with the Athletic Department at UF to reconsider hosting this weekend’s game in Gainesville.”
