Holiday Bowl releases update on game following UCLA dropping out

The Holiday Bowl is not ready to call it quits, despite UCLA dropping out and leaving NC State without an opponent, and despite the fact that the game was supposed to kickoff today.

Hours before a Tuesday night matinee, UCLA was forced to drop out of the holiday bowl due to positive COVID-19 test results within the Bruins’ program. As a result, many presumed NC State would turn around and head home from San Diego. However, the Holiday Bowl said on Twitter Tuesday that it is looking to resolve the issue.

“UPDATE: We do not want to cancel the game officially until we have exhausted every opportunity to find a replacement team, and we are currently working closely with Boo Corrigan and his great staff at (NC State) to do so,” the Holiday Bowl said on Twitter.

Given that its scheduled kickoff and television time has already passed, the game would have to be pushed back to a later date. The Holiday Bowl did not clarify when a proposed make-up bowl game would take place, nor is it clear what the television broadcasting ramifications might be.

“We are disappointed and heartbroken the SDCCU Holiday Bowl won’t be played tonight,” the Holiday Bowl first tweeted after UCLA dropped out, leaving NC State without a game. “Absolutely heartbroken.”

UCLA drops out of bowl with NC State, team-wide vote rumor debunked

Chip Kelly’s UCLA Bruins were forced to drop out of Tuesday night’s Holiday Bowl matchup with the NC State Wolfpack after a slew of positive COVID-19 test results, and shortly thereafter, rumors circulated on Twitter that the Bruins voted against playing the game.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported that UCLA’s defensive line room was “decimated,” and subsequent rumors claimed that the Bruins, when polled about whether they want to play NC State shorthanded, had a majority vote saying no. Unsurprisingly, that rumor had no validity to it, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.

“No truth to the rumor that there was a players vote at UCLA about whether they played in the Holiday Bowl tonight or not,” Feldman reported Tuesday. “There was never a vote, and the school wouldn’t do that on a medical player safety decision, per source.”