LSU-Alabama Football Game Officially Postponed Due to COVID-19 Protocols
LSU's game with Alabama will be put on pause for the time being. On Tuesday, multiple reports surfaced that the game would be postponed with a reschedule date to be determined.
In addition to the Tigers' game being postponed, the Mississippi State-Auburn game scheduled for Nov. 14 has also been postponed as well as, reportedly, Texas A&M vs Tennessee.
"While it is unfortunate to have multiple postponements in the same week, we began the season with the understanding interruptions to the schedule were possible and we have remained focused throughout the season on the health of everyone around our programs," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. "We must remain vigilant, within our programs and in our communities, to prevent the spread of the virus and to manage activities that contribute to these interruptions."
Athletic director Scott Woodward confirmed that the program would not have the requisite number of scholarship athletes available to compete against the Crimson Tide this weekend.
"We are disappointed there will be no football in Tiger Stadium this weekend, but we will always prioritize the health and wellness of our student-athletes," Woodward said. "We will continue to follow the league's protocols in order to safely and responsibly return to play."
The initial numbers reported Monday were never promising, as Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger reported both the quarterback and defensive back positions were heavily impacted. Additionally, Brody Miller of The Athletic reported that the program was with zero available tight ends.
Dellenger reported Tuesday afternoon that the Tigers fell below the 53-man scholarship limit that the athletic department sent the conference after another round of tests on Monday.
The next steps are critical as theoretically the conference could decide to push the Alabama game to Nov. 21 and reschedule LSU-Arkansas for Dec. 19, the date of the SEC championship. Alabama's game next weekend against Kentucky would also have to be rescheduled and as of now, both have the Dec. 12 open date available.
Commissioner Greg Sankey said on The Paul Finebaum Show that one of the options the conference was considering was scheduling makeup games between teams that wouldn't be playing in the championship game to finish the 10-game conference slate.
Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Missouri and LSU have all reported COVID-19 spikes within the programs this week, leaving multiple games hanging in the balance.
"We're dealing with COVID and contract tracing. Can't go into detail. It's a very fluid situation," coach Ed Orgeron said Monday. "I can tell you that we do have players that have COVID, and we do have some players that are quarantined. I can't tell you the numbers. I'm going to let the doctors take care of all of that."
