LSU’s game against Alabama, which was scheduled for Saturday in Baton Rouge, will be postponed due to COVID-19, the school and SEC announced Tuesday.
“Based on the number of student-athletes unavailable due to positive tests, contact tracing, and non-COVID injuries, we will not have the minimum number of scholarship players necessary to play on Saturday,” LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward said. “We are disappointed there will be no football in Tiger Stadium this weekend, but we will always prioritize the health and wellness of our student-athletes. We will continue to follow the league’s protocols in order to safely and responsibly return to play.”
LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said Monday that some players tested positive for COVID-19 and that several others are quarantined due to contact tracing. He said Monday that starters were affected by the quarantine but declined to say how many.
The SEC requires teams to have 53 scholarship players available on game day and LSU will not meet that requirement due to the COVID-19 numbers.
The matchup with Alabama is the second contest for the Tigers to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. LSU’s game against Florida, which was originally scheduled for Oct. 17, was postponed and rescheduled for December 12 due to positive COVID-19 tests within Florida’s program.
LSU's matchup with Alabama "will need to be evaluated" as the Tigers have already had their off date.
According to a news release from LSU "the rescheduling of games on the remaining SEC football schedule may include December 19 as a playing date."