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Utah, BYU game times pushed back after FAA ground stop delays flights

The Utes returned to their football facility after a nationwide FAA ground stop delayed their flight to Tucson.

(Francisco Kjolseth  |  The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, July 22, 2024.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City International Airport on Monday, July 22, 2024.

The No. 2 Utah Utes are set to take on No. 23 Arizona on Saturday in Tucson.

But Utah has to get there first.

Utah’s plane to Tucson was delayed when the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports.

The ground stop was lifted Friday evening, but not before creating travel headaches for the Utes and several other college football teams.

Utah State’s football team was delayed taking off from Logan for its game at San Diego State, while Baylor, which is scheduled to play at BYU on Saturday, couldn’t fly out of Waco, Texas.

The ground stop also caused delays for Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Kansas State, Washington and others.

The Utes returned to their football facility on campus to wait out the delay. A source told The Salt Lake Tribune the team planned to travel to Tucson on Saturday morning.

“Due to the national FAA ground stop impacting team travel, the Big 12 Conference is evaluating potential changes to Saturday’s football schedule,” the Big 12 said in a statement. “The Conference will continue to monitor the travel disruptions alongside its member institutions and provide updates for Saturday’s games.”

The update for Utah and BYU? Later start times.

The Cougars’ game against Baylor has been moved from 1:30 p.m. MST to 5 p.m. MST.

Utah’s matchup at Arizona will now kick off three hours later at 8:30 p.m. MST.

Both games will be broadcast on Fox.

During a press conference Friday evening, Sean Duffy, the United States transportation secretary, urged college football programs to coordinate directly with the FAA to ensure their teams can fly in time for Saturday’s games.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.

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