Coronavirus: Arizona Bowl canceled; Central Michigan replaces Miami in Sun Bowl
TUCSON, Ariz. – Another postseason college football game was canceled Monday after officials announced that the Arizona Bowl would not be played.
Boise State (7-5) was scheduled to play Central Michigan (8-4) on Friday in the game in Tucson, Arizona, but COVID-19 issues forced Boise State to withdraw, KTVB-TV reported.
“Due to a COVID spike within a participating athletic program, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl,” officials said in a tweet Monday night.
The cancellation means that Central Michigan was freed up to compete in the Sun Bowl, ESPN reported.
The Chippewas will replace the University of Miami for Friday’s game in El Paso, Texas. The Hurricanes withdrew from the Sun Bowl on Sunday, citing COVID-19 issues within the football program.
According to a statement from Boise State athletics, all team activities have been shut down in response to COVID-19 protocols, KTVB reported.
“We feel for the young men in our program who were very much looking forward to closing out their season, and for some, their football careers,” Boise State director of athletics Jeramiah Dickey said in a statement. “I would personally like to thank Kym Adair and her team at the Arizona Bowl for putting together a first-class student-athlete and fan experience that we are extremely disappointed to miss.”
The team had planned to fly to Tucson on Tuesday, KTVB reported. Central Michigan arrived in Arizona on Sunday night.
The Arizona Bowl became the fourth bowl game to be canceled for COVID-19 reasons, ESPN reported.
The Fenway Bowl, set for Wednesday in Boston, was canceled because the University of Virginia, scheduled to face SMU at Fenway Park, did not have enough healthy players to participate, ESPN reported.
>> Coronavirus: University of Miami backs out of Sun Bowl due to COVID-19
The Military Bowl, which had been scheduled for Monday in Annapolis, Maryland, had to be called off because Boston College also did not have enough healthy players on its roster, according to The Associated Press. The Eagles were set to face East Carolina at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Sun Bowl officials said Central Michigan was a logical choice to fill in at the Sun Bowl since the team was already in Arizona.
“Being a four-hour drive from El Paso, the Chippewas are set up logistically to make the trip and compete on Friday,” bowl officials said in a statement.
>> Coronavirus: Fenway, Military bowls canceled due to COVID-19 outbreaks
We are grateful for the diligent work of the Sun Bowl Association, the Pac-12 Conference, the Mid-American Conference and Central Michigan University to ensure the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl will be played,” Washington State athletics director Pat Chun said in a statement. “A special thank you to CMU’s director of athletics Amy Folan and head coach Jim McElwain for prioritizing the bowl experience for both teams, especially the seniors who will be playing their final college football game.”
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