SEC Officially Announces LSU-Missouri Will Be Moved to Faurot Field
On Wednesday, the SEC officially announced that LSU's Week 3 matchup with Missouri will be moved to Faurot Field as a result of Hurricane Delta. Kickoff will also be moved from 8 p.m. to 11 a.m. and an ESPN broadcast will be announced at a later time.
"Due to the pending impact of Hurricane Delta on Louisiana and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest for the safety of everyone involved to move the game to Columbia," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "It was critical to relocate the game to an SEC campus where SEC COVID-19 management protocols are in place and readily applied. I appreciate the cooperation of the schools who are working closely to make the appropriate operational adjustments in order to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes while accommodating this change in the schedule."
LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said while it was disappointing LSU would not be able to play in Tigers Stadium this weekend, the threat of the storm made it "an absolute necessity."
“While we are disappointed to not play in Tiger Stadium this weekend, Hurricane Delta’s current path and the need to play in a venue with SEC COVID-19 protocols in place made this change an absolute necessity," Woodward said. "I want to thank Missouri Athletic Director Jim Sterk for accommodating this on such short notice and Commissioner Sankey for his continued leadership of our conference. I also want to thank those in other cities and venues who reached out to assist, including Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins and his staff. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those in the path of this dangerous storm. Be safe.”
As Hurricane Delta continues to take form in the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening to a Category 4 hurricane, moving the game became the most likely option. There was also the option of moving the game to Nov. 7 as both teams had a bye week at that time.
This hasn't been the first time an LSU game has been moved for weather related events. LSU games have been postponed or moved in recent years including the BYU game in 2017 due to Hurricane Harvey, Florida in 2016 for Hurricane Matthew and South Carolina in 2015 for Hurricane Joaquin.
LSU released a statement on Tuesday morning that the school was monitoring the weather and that it was too early to make a decision.
"We are closely monitoring Hurricane Delta and are in close communication with SEC and University of Missouri Athletics officials on contingency plans should they become necessary," the school said in a statement. "At this time, it is too early to make a determination on any impact the storm may have on Saturday’s football game against Missouri. The game remains scheduled for 8pm CT on Saturday in Tiger Stadium. We will continue to update our fans throughout the week as more information becomes available."
LSU has played Missouri twice in its history but never at Faurot Field. The last time the two teams squared up was in 2016, a 42-7 win for the Tigers in coach Ed Orgeron's first week as interim coach. Safety JaCoby Stevens was asked about the possibility of moving locations on Tuesday.
"That's not anything we're focused on pertaining to the gameplan," Stevens said. "We're worried about our families and making sure everything's ok outside of football but when it comes to the game and where we're gonna play, that's not something we're not gonna worry about. I don't think that's gonna affect how we prepare for this game."
