OU’s matchup against Mississippi has been moved to noon Sunday. The television network is currently to be announced.
The game was originally set to kick off at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, but after a nationwide ground stop on flights, the start time ultimately changed. The nationwide ground stop was lifted around 7:30 p.m. Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. However, the Mississippi football team is still not able to depart Oxford until after 4 p.m. Saturday due to charter/pilot issues and time expirations, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
OU athletic director Roger Denny said that OU strongly objected the decision to move the game to Sunday.
“After multiple conversations with the league office, Commissioner Sankey informed us of his decision to move our game to Sunday, over our strong objection,” Denny wrote in a statement. “After continued discussions, he informed us that our failure to play on Sunday at the directed time would result in a forfeit.”
Many other programs faced travel issues but are still set to play on Saturday. Fellow SEC member Tennessee dealt with the ground stoppage before flying out Friday evening. Tennessee’s matchup with Texas A&M is still planned to kick off at its originally scheduled time of 2 p.m. Saturday. Auburn opted to bus to Mississippi after dealing with flight troubles. Auburn will kick off against Mississippi State at 3:15 p.m. Saturday, the original time of the OU-Mississippi game.
No other game in college football this weekend is currently set to be played on Sunday.
“We were told that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned,” Denny wrote. “But, unlike every other team traveling for competition tomorrow, they were unable to find a solution.”
Denny added that he recognizes the impact on fans.
“Rescheduling the game has a significant impact, particularly on our fans,” Denny wrote. “Those who have made travel arrangements, accommodations, and personal plans around a Saturday game now face unnecessary disruption and hardship. … We will continue to fight in the best interests of OU Athletics and always on behalf of our student-athletes and fans. On Saturday, we will share more on game logistics and fan appreciation measures.”
Denny further emphasized OU’s frustration with the decision.
“I understand that difficult decisions sometimes must be made under extraordinary circumstances,” Denny wrote. “But those decisions must also consider the impact on everyone involved. Put simply, this decision isn’t fair to our athletes, our institution, or to Sooner Nation. … We remain steadfast in our belief that the wrong outcome was reached this evening.”
OU football is 0-2 against Mississippi, falling 34-26 in last year’s game at home. The Sooners will look to rewrite their matchup history on Sunday.
Sophie Hemker and Larkin Bock copy edited this story.
Source: www.oudaily.com
