Hurricane Helene forces FSU Football to change travel plans for SMU game
With Hurricane Helene expected to make landfall in the Big Bend on Thursday evening, the Florida State football team is moving up its trip to Dallas for the SMU game.
The Seminoles were originally scheduled to fly to Dallas on Friday morning, but they now are planning to leave on Thursday, a team spokesman confirmed to Warchant on Wednesday evening. The plan is to bus the team to Jacksonville, and then fly by charter to Dallas.
Florida State and SMU are scheduled to play Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it makes landfall, and Tallahassee is within the projected path, according to the National Hurricane Center. That means a direct hit is possible.
Earlier on Wednesday, Florida State coach Mike Norvell said the Seminoles were considering several options if it looked like the storm was going to affect their travel plans.
He also said his thoughts were with everyone who would be impacted by the storm.
“It’s life,” Norvell said. “We get the opportunity and the blessing to play this game, to be able to be at this great place. We have so much focus on the game. But there are going to be lives that are absolutely impacted for a lifetime. Praying that everything goes as smooth and as easy as possible for all that will be affected.”
Florida State’s Marching Chiefs were originally scheduled to send two busloads of musicians to the game in Dallas as a pep band. But they announced Wednesday that the trip has been canceled due to concerns about the storm.
FSU’s campus is closed through Sunday.
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