Provo • BYU’s college football game against LSU on Saturday “almost certainly” will be moved out of Houston due to historic flooding in South Texas created by Hurricane Harvey, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said Sunday night.
Alleva told The Advocate newspaper through an athletics department spokesman that the game scheduled to be televised nationally by ESPN could be moved from Houston’s NRG Stadium to LSU’s Tiger Stadum in Baton Rouge, La., or the Superdome in New Orleans.
Multiple sources said the decision will likely be made Monday morning.
LSU athletic department spokesman Bill Franques said during a weekly radio program that game officials are considering up to five different venues in which to move the game.
Also Sunday night, BYU issued a statement confirming earlier reports that its officials are talking to game, ESPN and LSU officials about relocating the first-ever matchup between the Cougars and Tigers.
“Many have inquired regarding the status of the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff between BYU and LSU, scheduled to be played this Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston,” the BYU statement read. “We are in discussions with all parties involved and continue to monitor the situation. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.
In the meantime, please join us in praying for the people in South Texas who need our love and support.”
Houston’s two major airports were closed Sunday and the area has received more than 2 feet of rain. As much as 25 more inches of rain is expected between now and Wednesday as the hurricane, downgraded to a tropical storm, hovers over the area.
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe tweeted that all parties are working on a solution.
“We will announce plans when final,” Holmoe noted.
Later, he urged “Cougar Nation” to “pray for the people of Houston who are suffering and scared. I trust you know we’ll study all the best options to work out the game.”
At least one Cougar, defensive end Sione Takitaki, would like to see the game played at Tiger Stadium, called “Death Valley” by some fans.
“I hope we just head on over to Death Valley … I wanna see what the Yellow Sea looks like,” Takitaki tweeted.
The Cougars have never played in Baton Rouge, but they have played in the Superdome, defeating Tulane 54-3 there in 2009. They defeated Houston 47-46 at NRG Stadium in 2013.
The Superdome has contacted NRG Stadium to let them know their venue is available Saturday, according to The Advocate. The New Orleans Saints have an NFL preseason game at the Superdome on Thursday, the same night NRG Stadium is scheduled to host a Cowboys-Texans game.
Moments after Saturday’s unsatisfying 20-6 win over Portland State, BYU players and coaches talked excitedly about the “challenge” and “difficult task” of facing LSU this week, although none mentioned the game might not take place in Houston.
The only option not on the table is playing the game on Sunday because BYU does not allow its athletic teams to practice or play games on Sundays.
BYU and LSU officials have both stressed that the game is being organized by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, which has an eight-year agreement with ESPN to have the game televised nationally.
LSU will receive $4 million from ESPN to play in the game, according to a contract obtained by The Advocate. The contract does not list how much BYU will make.
BYU has sold out its allotment of 9,400 tickets, while LSU received 25,000 tickets and had sold more than 23,000 as of the middle of last week.
Hurricane Harvey pounded the Texas coast on Friday night, and the storm is expected to remain in flood-prone Houston area for several more days. Roads near the stadium in the fourth-largest city in the country were flooded and impassable Sunday morning.
The final decision on where to relocate the game will be made by ESPN and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment.
