Troy-South Alabama Game Postponed Due to COVID-19 Concerns

Saturday's Troy-South Alabama game at Hancock Whitney Stadium has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Jaguars' program.

South Alabama announced the postponement is "due to precautionary measures concerning the availability of student athletes." The Jaguars will also pause workouts on a temporary basis.

A make-up date for the "Battle of the Belt" has not been set, and both schools with work with the Sun Belt Conference to reschedule.

"This postponement is unfortunate, however, it's prudent and wise. Our most significant concern is the well-being of our student-athletes," South Alabama director of athletics Joel Erdmann said in a statement. "We are looking forward to hosting Troy at Hancock Whitney Stadium at a date to be determined. We appreciate the collaboration and understanding of Troy and the leadership of the Sun Belt Conference office in working through this situation."

This marks the second time Troy has been forced to reschedule a game this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic. The school's season opener against Louisiana-Monroe was moved from Sept. 5 to Dec. 5 due to an outbreak within the Warhawks' program.

South Alabama previously paused offseason workouts in mid-July. The Jaguars and Trojans do not have a common open date on their calendars until Dec. 12, creating a tight window for rescheduling. The Sun Belt's championship game will happen no later than Dec. 19.

Troy is set to next play Texas State on Oct. 10, while South Alabama has a week off before also facing the Bobcats on Oct. 17.

Later in the week, Appalachian State postponed its Oct. 7 game against Louisiana due to COVID-19 positive tests and contact tracing. The school added, "all active cases are recovering in isolation."

The game will be rescheduled for either Dec. 4 or 5 in Boone, N.C.