Virginia Tech-UVA Game Postponed

Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG – After consultation with Atlantic Coast Conference officials, our counterparts at the University of Virginia, campus leadership at Virginia Tech and Dr. Mark Rogers, Chief Medical Officer for Virginia Tech Athletics, the mutual decision has been made to move the football game between Virginia Tech and Virginia at Lane Stadium to a later date stemming from COVID-19 issues at Virginia Tech.
 
Virginia Tech will pause its football practices for four days. 
 
Virginia Tech is now scheduled to open the 2020 football season on Saturday, Sept. 26 against NC State at Lane Stadium. Updates will be provided should any further changes to the 2020 schedule be deemed necessary.
 
“The safety, as well as the physical and mental well-being of these young men and women entrusted to our care by their families remains our top priority,” said Director of Athletics, Whit Babcock. “While we share the disappointment of everyone who hoped to begin the football season against our in-state rival, we remain optimistic that a full ACC football schedule can be played thanks to the flexibility the present format permits. Despite this delay, our schedule still aligns closely with the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 football timelines.   
 
“We appreciate the continued support of President Sands for our student-athletes and Tech Athletics as we navigate these unprecedented times,” Babcock continued. “We are still optimistic about fall Olympic sports playing their schedules. We likewise support Dr. Sands and our campus officials as they remain committed to providing the best learning environment possible under the circumstances this semester.”
 
“My primary concern continues to be the well-being of the student-athletes on our football team,” said head coach Justin Fuente. “I hurt for them because I know how badly they want to compete. I also appreciate that these young men have been dealing with the same stress, uncertainty and anxiety as their fellow Virginia Tech students over the past few months as their spring semester was dramatically altered. Then they were forced to find a way to train on their own, and to their credit, they found a way to get it done.
 
“So many individuals worked so tirelessly to give us an opportunity to get back on campus to train and to get back on the practice field. To all of those individuals who continue to go the extra mile for our student-athletes, I’m extremely grateful. I appreciate how many people at Virginia Tech are so deeply invested in the success of our football team and our young men.” 

60 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. After the election, the skies will open up. It’ll be easy to roll eyes right now, but starting on the 4th, the power grip will losen.

  2. Agree with many here. We are being dictated to by fearful, ill-informed, me too administrators. Our country and way of life is being destroyed by our own hands. And yes, this applies to our football program as it is one of the worst examples.

  3. You can talk safety, science, yadda all day long. But this was all about who were scheduled to play. FU can’t afford to lose to UVA again and HE didn’t want to play with starters out.
    If we were opening with Liberty, the game would not have been postponed.

  4. Will / Chris, can we please ban/block/delete some of these posts that HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOTBALL??? (I’m looking at you Palmetto Hokie)

    As someone who literally is in the middle of working with HHS/ASPR and every single state department of health… I can assure the ignorant posters here that this IS REAL and not a “leftest” agenda. I come here to get away from the dumpster fire of my work (i.e. the pandemic), and the ignorance in America… can we please talk football?

    I’d hate to have to cancel this subscription because of a “facebook scienties”.

    1. Then tell us HokieInMilwaukee in 25 words or less how a virus where 80% of the people who get the virus suffer no ill effects, another 19% have mild symptoms, and less than 1% are hospitalized, and a very very small percentage die. Then explain how only about 6% of the deaths come directly from COVID-19 and not other complications. Also when people are reminded that during the SARS-1 pandemic in 68-69 there was a concert weekend in Woodstock PA where over 100,000 people gathered … no panic, no fear, no masks, and no social distancing. I am not an ignorant poster. But me thinks you simply want to shut people up.

  5. Pffft…so much nonsense. Sad that VTech is so ready to succumb to the fear-mongering political bullshit. Unfortunately, it fits the rest of the school’s leftist agenda

    1. Yes. Is the Montgomery County Hospital ICU teeming with VT athletes? Otherwise, this is a virus that will pass and has little effect on most people. Live or don’t. We treasure “safety” when it’s not even an issue.

    2. Give you one thing-. You know a lot about bullshit because that is what you have mostly posted here. Quit!

  6. After hearing C Farley’s comments, I just believe the Univ, Fu & Company could have possibly done more. Clemson, UNC, Duke, ND weathered their ships fairly well…….why couldnt the one of the best TechEngineering school on the east coast show the world how it’s supposed to be done.

    1. Its also unconscionable ridiculous that Fuente & Whit are NOT providing public information involving a public health crisis…….how are people supposed to intelligently avoid, defend and protect themselves against a contagion without real truth, data, and communication if the facts are kept a mystery? Whit is hiding behind the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as reason NOT to reveal positive cases……really…….during an unprecedented Pandemic…… just ridiculous.

      JMU and UVA are sharing their truth. In fact UVA Athletics has had only 5 cases in all of their 27 sports AND ZERO CASES IN THEIR FOOTBALL PROGRAM since July.

      Per UVA Athletics news release reported by Bennett Conlin…..

      “It’s also worth noting that zero football players tested positive in the latest round of testing. Bronco Mendenhall’s program hasn’t reported a positive COVID-19 test result since July 24. “

      1. How many are they testing? I am not familiar with their protocol. Do they test every week? Do they test when an athlete shows symptoms? The SEC is testing every athlete every other week, regardless if they show symptoms or not.

      2. Take a look at the nums for Harrisonburg/Rockingham and Charlottesville/Albermarle. Then interpolate the nums for JMU and UVa and compare them to Montgomery County and VT. It’s all about how the U’s across the country report their nums. As for any of the private U’s… forget it.

        For the record, you can get VT’s nums from their COVID Dashboard. Try getting UVa’s and JMU’s.

        Have you ever read the HIPAA restrictions that go along with the testing authorizations? I agree 100% that it’s scary that the public doesn’t have access to the full story.

        BTW, Bronco doesn’t have a great history on sharing info.

      3. Students just arrived on campus at UVA recently. They will have the same problems. For the Tech team, its roommates and girlfriends causing the problems. Just an FYI

        1. +100000. UVA will have this outbreak very soon. As you say, students just arrived. All these spikes at schools are mini replications of what happened nationally. These spikes will happen at every school.

  7. Folks, this is a virus, what exactly is under control? I love these ambiguous comments. Do you even know what your talking about? It’s not going anywhere anytime soon. We either learn to live with that and let nature take its course or we are going to prolong this for the foreseeable future. Although good chance November 4th will fix everything. College is the best place to isolate outbreaks among healthy young individuals who have a very very small chance of a poor outcome. The lockdowns and trying to beat nature has led to just insane ideas that what we are doing is working. People have to be exposed, it’s immunology 101, what we are doing now is just stupid.

    1. Best response of any right there. I know so many people who believe they have already had it. They pressed on with life and never looked back. Their bodies have done what God built into us which is to develop antibodies and fight off disease. Rock on America

  8. My kid is in college now (elsewhere in VA, however), but this feels like the right move. And if things don’t change, follow the science and do the right thing. My two pennies.

    1. “Follow the science?” “Science” has been all over the map. I’m posting as someone who spent 8 days in isolation w/the virus. I have some understanding of this thing. There is a lot of misinformation floating around about it. Fact: the virus alone has claimed 10K lives. Eighty % of persons infected have 1 of 3 pre-existing conditions: CV issues (32%), Diabetes (30%, I’m Type 2) or Chronic Pulmonary issues (18%). In addition, I’m 71, was 25# overweight and have sleep apnea. Add it all up and I was vulnerable. 20-year old athletes in the prime of life are not. The virus opened me up to pneumonia. My vitals are all normal, I’m not yet 100%, I’m not contagious, I am immune and I lost 20#!

      1. Hang in there, Hokie Brother, hope all is well. Keep battling, and keep us informed, of the correct information…Go Hokies

      2. Young people have died from the virus too. I think a football player from Pennsylvania died last week from it. Kids got to quite socializing during a pandemic. They should close all frat and sorority houses down for the interim. 40 positives were traced to one frat party here in B’burg last week. They can’t be spreading it throughout the community.

          1. I didn’t say close everything down….but definitely any events, off campus and frat house parties. How the hell are we going to resume watching football with an outbreak going on?? You probably one of those dumbass non-believers and anti-maskers.

            1. Any event….funerals, weddings, barmitzvahs?
              Please give me a complete list of things I’m allowed to do in your world. PS don’t tell anyone but I have already begun to watch football.

        1. The football player that died had other conditions. As an operations director for a health system in Pittsburgh we shut down elective surgeries in March. July we had the spike and guess what we didn’t shut down any surgery. We have not been overwhelmed in the ICUs and the ER is actually down 27%. This virus has mutated from all the information I receive from top level infectious disease physicians and this current strain is not as fatal. The fact is the media is doing its best to scare the general public. We have had lest than 10% of our healthcare workers contract it and most of the deaths in PA were initial and from nursing home. If you are vulnerable stay home but the country needs to go one living.

  9. Definitely a Bummer, Dang. I was hopin We whup UVA’s Ass like usual, get back the Commonwealth Cup, play 1 or 2 more Games, and then Boom. It may not get that far.

    1. While I’m all about safety, these kids are NOT seniors. How many college students nationwide are in the Hospital, ICU or heavens forbid DEAD! Answer: NONE.

      1. Not true. There was a Virginia Tech student in the ICU. And a number of them hospitalized. We will never know if we over-reacted, only if we under-reacted.

        1. How many on suicide watch or have attempted or accomplished? You will never know that either.

          This charade has his health stakes for young folks and it’s not from Covid.

          This will be a way of life for Americans if we allow usurpations by the Technocratic and political class. It’s time for a revolt.

          1. Well said. Basing decisions on the positive rates is absurd. The death rate in Virginia is over 50% from long term care facilities, and the death rate for ages 20-29 is close to ZERO. Time to open our country up for heaven’s sake!

        2. Since when? There was no increase in Montgomery Co hospitalizations due to Covid based on the VDH and VHHA sites

        3. You are such a fool – and continue to be fooled by the media! 1 in 35k ( if even true) same as H1N1.

          1. Just 9000 deaths in US…and almost all of those are elderly. The hysteria and fear-mongering has caused much more of a crisis than the “pandemic”

    2. Screening rates show 30-50% of random campus population has been positive in the last week, up quite a bit from around ~0.2% a month ago.

      As much as I wanted football, there is no way we can play. Would you go into a restaurant or other place of gathering knowing half the people there contagious, or force others to?

      And what will change? The infection rate will die out eventually, and many will have immunity for at least the next few months, decreasing the likelihood of needing further postponements.

  10. Very disappointing but definitely the right move. And don’t be overly surprised if the NC State game is also postponed and possibly the whole season cancelled. What is really going to change between now and 9/26? I totally agree with what Walkin’ Willie and HtownHokie have stated.

  11. Correct move. Since college athletes cannot be kept in a bubble like paid professional athletes, the season should be cancelled since COVID-19 is out of control. This is not a chicken or the egg scenario – i.e. get COVID-19 under control, implement a comprehensive testing, contact tracing and specific quarantining program THEN open things up slowly. This is the second time we have tried to “open the economy” and it sure didn’t go well the first time – need to learn our lessons.

    1. Opening the economy, & young frisky students not adhering to safety protocols, are in my opinion, like apples & oranges.

      1. Yeah, these 200,000 families who’ve lost loved ones are such fake news.
        Come outta your Breitbart basement and breathe some fresh air.

  12. “when in doubt, leave it out”

    though disappointed,
    wisdom prevails and we will reclaim the Cup a soon forthcoming Saturday!

    Go Hokies!

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