The latest on Hurricane Florence’s impact on sports (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
The NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes will start training camp a day early in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.
General manager Don Waddell says the NHL is allowing the team to hold its first practice Thursday. The Hurricanes were scheduled to begin camp Friday while taking the added step of closing practice to the public to keep fans off the roads during what are expected to be dangerous travel conditions.
Either that practice or the one scheduled for Saturday will be canceled, depending on when the worst of the storm reaches Raleigh, for the safety of players and staff.
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7:10 p.m.
Howard and Savannah State have postponed their football game scheduled for Saturday in Washington due to the threat of Hurricane Florence. A make-up date has not been determined.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner Dennis Thomas said in a statement that the health and safety of the players, staffs and fans come first.
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5:20 p.m.
Kilton Anderson threw three first-half touchdown passes to help Coastal Carolina beat Campbell 58-21 in a game played early and moved to Buies Creek, North Carolina, because of Hurricane Florence.
Originally set for Saturday at Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina, the game was the first time an FBS program visited an FCS school in a true road game since Army at Yale in 2014. Admission was free at Barker-Lane Stadium.
With its campus evacuated, the Chanticleers (2-1) headed to St. Augustine, Florida, after the game to wait out the storm.
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4:50 p.m.
South Carolina has canceled its football game against Marshall due to the path of Hurricane Florence.
The storm’s latest trek has it making more of an impact on the Palmetto State than officials thought it would have earlier in the week.
Gamecocks athletic director Ray Tanner says canceling Saturday night’s game was “the right thing to do.”
It is the third time in four years severe tropical weather has altered South Carolina’s season. Fatal floods in 2015 force officials to move the Gamecocks home game against LSU to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Two years ago, Hurricane Matthew delayed a home game with Georgia from Saturday to Sunday.
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4:30 p.m.
Clemson is moving up the start of its home game against Georgia Southern this weekend due to Hurricane Florence.
The school announced Wednesday that the game, originally scheduled to be played Saturday at 3:30 EST, will be played at noon with the storm still off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Officials at second-ranked Clemson say they would continue to work with state emergency management officials, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Georgia Southern as the hurricane approaches.
Also, Appalachian State’s home game against Southern Miss has been canceled. Officials at both schools say they are exploring options on rescheduling the game.
In South Carolina, the times of two FCS games have been changed due to the hurricane.
Furman’s home game with Colgate in Greenville has been canceled. Furman athletic director Mike Buddie said the game will not be made up, but his school will seek another opponent for its open date on Oct. 6.
Presbyterian’s home game against Stetson scheduled to be played in Clinton will now be played at Stetson in Deland, Florida.
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4 p.m.
East Carolina says it is relocating its football team to Florida by bus as Hurricane Florence approaches the Carolinas’ coastline.
The school said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that it began the move to Orlando that morning. It cited lodging availability, the storm’s projected path through the Carolinas and “lessons learned from past difficulties returning home to an area impacted by widespread flooding.”
ECU says the move also will make it easier to deal with logistics for the team’s game next week at South Florida in Tampa if flooding occurs back at the Greenville campus.
The school announced Tuesday that it wouldn’t travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, for Saturday’s scheduled game at No. 13 Virginia Tech. It cited safety concerns and potentially hazardous travel conditions before and after that game.
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3:30 p.m.
Second-ranked Clemson’s game against Georgia Southern on Saturday has been moved up several hours because of Hurricane Florence.
Clemson announced Wednesday that the game in Death Valley would start at noon instead of 3:30 p.m.
Like every other team in Florence’s possible path, the Tigers are preparing for the game until told otherwise.
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1:40 p.m.
Old Dominion’s football game at Charlotte (North Carolina) has been moved up to Thursday because of Hurricane Florence.
The schools made the announcement Wednesday. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday night, will be played at 4 p.m. at North Carolina.
The Monarchs traveled to Charlotte on Monday.
Also, VMI announced that its home game against East Tennessee State, also originally scheduled for Saturday, will now be played Friday at 2:30 p.m. The game was to be the centerpiece of alumni weekend, but the school announced that all reunion and parade events scheduled for the weekend have been cancelled.
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11:30 a.m.
Richmond has moved its scheduled home football game this week against St. Francis to the Red Flash’s field in Pennsylvania because of Hurricane Florence.
The game was scheduled to be played Saturday at Richmond but will now be played at 5 p.m. Thursday on St. Francis’ DeGol Field.
The schools made the announcement Wednesday, citing the forecast for deteriorating weather conditions and Virginia’s state of emergency declaration.
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