Miami Hurricanes, hit by COVID-19, still hope to play in Sun Bowl but are changing plans
The University of Miami football team, as of Wednesday up to double-digit figures of positive COVID-19 tests, still hopes to play in the Dec. 31 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Washington State.
The experience will just be much shorter.
The Hurricanes, originally scheduled to arrive in El Paso on Sunday for a full slate of bowl activities, are now planning to arrive as late as Dec. 30 — a day before the bowl, Sun Bowl football chairman John Folmer told the Miami Herald on Wednesday evening after the second conference call of the day with administrators from Miami, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the bowl.
The Herald learned Tuesday that several UM players had tested positive for COVID-19, and UM later announced the football program was “currently in COVID protocols and adhering to the outlined guidelines within the ACC Medical Advisory Group report.’’ Miami indicated it still hoped to play in the bowl, “while ensuring the continued health and safety” of players, coaches and staff.
A source said Wednesday that UM had additional COVID spread. Some, according to another source, were asymptomatic.
‘We want Miami’
“They wanted to know how we’d feel about them coming later,’’ Folmer said. “We told them our position has not changed. We’re not looking for anyone else to play but Miami. The people in El Paso are buying tickets because of Miami. People in El Paso follow Miami.
“We want Miami no matter what.
“If the game was tomorrow or the next day we wouldn’t have them. We told them we’d wait until whenever they could get here, and they responded by saying, ‘We’re going to do the best we can to make it happen, and we’ll arrive when we can, even if it’s one day before the game.’’’
On Monday, El Paso reported a “rolling seven-day average [COVID-19] positivity rate” of 14.88 percent.
The Hurricanes (7-5, 5-3 ACC) have had only two full practices for the bowl and have had walk-throughs the past two days, as well as virtual meetings. They were supposed to leave for Texas on a charter the day after Christmas.
Washington State (7-5, 6-3 Pac-12) is on schedule to arrive Sunday, Folmer said.
‘Best-case scenario’
“I’m always optimistic,’’ longtime UM broadcaster Joe Zagacki told WQAM radio on Wednesday afternoon. “So, I’m hopeful they’re going to play. I think the best-case scenario would be, looking at it myself, where they’re supposed to leave on Sunday, during Covid protocols you could probably turn this into — I know it’s a bowl game and bowl games you go a week before — but if they can play they could turn this into just like a regular-season game and go out there the day before the game.
“That would give them more time to get their roster together. Remember they haven’t played since the Duke game [Nov. 27]. So you have conditioning and you’ve got to be able to practice in order to play this game.’’
Added Zagacki: “If you were to list the team for the game I would say they’re questionable.’’
Texas A&M
Should the situation get worse, the Hurricanes wouldn’t be the first major college football program to pull out of a bowl game this season. No. 23 Texas A&M pulled out of the Dec. 31 Gator Bowl against Wake Forest because of COVID-19 issues and various injuries.
“It is unfortunate, but we just don’t have enough scholarship players available to field a team,’’ Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said in a release.
Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork told ESPN that the Aggies had only 38 available scholarship position players, of which 20 were offensive and defensive linemen. Bjork called it “heartbreaking” not to be able to compete in the bowl. “Postseason football is the pinnacle of the season and when the opportunity is lost, it hurts on many levels.
“As we have learned in the last 21 months of this health challenge, the well-being and safety of our student-athletes is paramount.’’
Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas reiterated to the Herald that the Hurricanes “are doing the most they can do to make sure they get to El Paso to play in this game.”
“You never know what will happen with this virus, but we’re all doing whatever we can to make sure this game is played.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 7:49 PM.
