Postponed Game Against BYU Leads Army AD To Social Media Seeking Replacement
Sep 13, 2020, 1:51 PM | Updated: 1:54 pm
WEST POINT, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: A general view of the empty stands before the start of the Army Black Knights game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Michie Stadium on September 5, 2020 in West Point, New York. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – COVID-19 has taken away the much-anticipated matchup between BYU and Army. BYU announced on Saturday that the game against the Black Knights is postponed due to a “small number of positive COVID-19 test results and the resulting tracing exposures within the BYU football program.”
What makes the postponement tougher to swallow for Cougar fans is that both BYU and Army cracked into the Top 25 this week with impressive starts to their respective seasons.
Army AD seeking a replacement for postponed BYU game
BYU stated both programs would attempt to reschedule for a later date in the season. Army’s athletic director, Mike Buddie, isn’t waiting around. He wants another game added to his program’s schedule to replace BYU this Saturday.
Undefeated, COVID negative college football team from NY looking for like minded, disciplined team for a date next Saturday… must also be COVID negative!
Twitter, do your thing!— Mike Buddie (@Buddie52) September 13, 2020
Buddie wrote on his Twitter account, “Undefeated, COVID negative college football team from NY looking for like minded, disciplined team for a date next Saturday … must also be COVID negative! Twitter, do your thing!”
Former BYU and NFL cornerback Tim McTyer quote tweeted Buddie’s remarks by adding, “Army straight clowning with the BYU COVID shade. #smh”
🤦🏾♂️ Army straight clowning with the BYU covid shade. #smh https://t.co/ZLDPE8rJch
— Tim McTyer 🏁 (@timmctyer) September 13, 2020
Whether Buddie’s comments were passive-aggressive towards BYU or not, it shows that it might not be a lock to see the two programs reschedule one another this season. During a season amid a global pandemic, all options have to be on the table.
Both BYU and Army have an open date during the Thanksgiving weekend on Saturday, November 28th.
The Black Knights have already played two games this season. With the postponement of BYU, nine games remain on Army’s 2020 schedule for a total of 11 games.
Adding one more game that doesn’t include BYU would give Army a full 12-game schedule, leaving the Cougars with a total of seven games on their 2020 slate.
BYU and Army agreed to a two-game series last month after the two Independent programs were hit hard by all of the scheduling changes and postponements in the off-season. The first game was to be played at West Point on September 19th, with Army making a return trip to Provo in 2032.
BYU will return to action on September 26th when they host the Troy Trojans from the Sun Belt Conference in Provo.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from Noon-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
