Storm cancels football game
Utah State’s first home opener since 2002, and just the second since 1998, will not be played because of the effects of Hurricane Katrina to Nicholls State and the surrounding community.
The game will not be made up because the bye weeks in the schedule for the two teams don’t line up and the schools decided not to hold a game on December 3.
The Aggie opener will instead be against the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 10 at 6:05 p.m.
“First and foremost our prayers are with the families and victims of the hurricane,” USU Director of Athletics Randy Spetman said. “We need to do all we can to support them.”
Nicholls State is located 66 miles southwest of New Orleans and evacuated campus last Tuesday.
“I am definitely disappointed about not playing,” linebacker Matt Wiser said. “But looking at the situation and understanding what is happening down there right now, you have to feel for them and hope for the best. You hope their families are safe and everything like that.”
Even though game planning had been in preparation for Nicholls State, the coaching staff immediately switched talk to the U of U game in practices on Tuesday afternoon.
“We are disappointed to not be playing this Saturday,” he said. “There is a lot of excitement in the community and we would have liked to have had a great game. We will focus on Utah and then open the home season against UNLV on Sept. 24.”
During Guy’s press conference on Monday, he offered condolences to the players, coaches and families of all those at the university and wished them the best.
Aggie fans with tickets to Saturday’s game will be able to exchange tickets to any other home game this season, excluding the Boise State game on October 22.
The last Utah State game that was postponed occurred against Fresno State because of the 9/11 attacks. The game was played in December 2001.
The last game to be canceled was in 1970 when a Wichita State plane crashed in Colorado en route to Logan.
-krn@cc.usu.edu