The American Athletic Conference postponed the Tulsa at Navy game scheduled for Saturday due to positive COVID-19 cases and contact tracing at Navy.
The schools and conference made the announcement in a news release Thursday. It’s the sixth FBS game this week and the 43rd since Aug. 26 to be postponed or canceled.
A makeup date has not been announced. Tulsa and Navy do not share a common open date the rest of the season, so the conference will “consider a number of options with regard to the playing of the contest.”
This is the fourth time that a Tulsa game has been postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 cases. Tulsa’s game against Oklahoma State was pushed back a week to Sept. 19 because Tulsa had COVID-19 issues. The Golden Hurricane were supposed to play Arkansas State on Sept. 26, but the Red Wolves couldn’t put a two-deep lineup together. That game has not been rescheduled.
Tulsa was set to play Cincinnati last month, but the Bearcats said they couldn’t play, and the game was moved to Dec. 5.
“We knew that this season would be different in the face of the pandemic, and unfortunately has forced another weekend without football for our team,” Tulsa athletic director Rick Dickson said. “I’m disappointed for our football student-athletes and coaches who continue to work and practice diligently, but it reinforces the challenge facing all programs.”
Navy halted all football activities after positive COVID-19 cases among players and players being placed in quarantine after contact tracing determined they had high-risk contact with an infected person. Navy did not specify the number of players impacted.
“We are disappointed not to face Tulsa this weekend, however protocols and guidelines are very comprehensive both at the Naval Academy and within the American Athletic Conference,” Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said. “An administrative decision has been made that clearly reflects the safety and welfare of all involved with both institutions.
”The service academy game between Air Force and Army scheduled for Saturday in West Point, New York, was also postponed Thursday due to an increase in COVID-19 cases at the academy along with the surrounding community. The schools are working to reschedule the game.
The Falcons are in line to win the annual Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy should they beat Army. Air Force began the round-robin competition between the service academies with a 40-7 win over Navy on Oct. 3. The winning academy goes to the White House to receive the coveted trophy from the president.
“We are disappointed to postpone this game, but the health and safety of our cadets, staff and the community continues to be our No. 1 priority at the academy,” Air Force director of athletics Nathan Pine said.
The season opener scheduled for Saturday between California and Washington was canceled following a request from the Golden Bears due to a positive coronavirus test for one of their players. The cancellation was a big blow for the Pac-12 as the conference prepares to kick off a seven-game football slate after league programs had watched other teams around the country playing for weeks.
California doesn’t have the minimum number of scholarship players available for the game as a result of the positive test and the need for other players to isolate under contact tracing protocols, the Pac-12 said in a statement Thursday.
Pac-12 guidelines require at least 53 scholarship players to be available for a game to be played. The conference said the game would be declared a no-contest.
Louisville paused all football activities Wednesday and its Saturday game against Virginia has been postponed at least a week due to a spike in virus cases.
Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra told reporters Wednesday night the program has 10 players who have tested positive for COVID-19 and five players who were in quarantine because of contact tracing. Five support staff members also tested positive and two others are in quarantine.
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