Saturday’s Oklahoma–Tulane college football game has been moved from New Orleans to Oklahoma because of the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, both schools announced on Monday.
Tulane was set to host No. 2 Oklahoma on campus at Yulman Stadium. A shelter-in-place order for Tulane’s campus remained Monday morning as the university’s damage assessment and recovery team began its preliminary assessment.
The Green Wave football team has relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, where it will practice throughout the week before traveling to Oklahoma. Saturday’s game is slated for noon ET.
“In this extraordinarily difficult moment for the people of Louisiana, we want to do our small part by assisting Tulane with the game this weekend,” said Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr in a statement. “While we regret that it’s necessary for us to host it, we will welcome the Tulane family this Saturday with open arms and heavy hearts. We hope this act is one small way that we can help alleviate some of the stress the university is currently enduring.
“Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with all those impacted and those helping with the relief and recovery in the coming weeks and months.”
Tulane will determine the plan for the rest of its immediate schedule at a later date. The Green Wave is slated to host Morgan State on Sept. 11.
Saturday’s game is the second of a three-game series between the programs, which played in 2017 at Oklahoma and are set to play again in Norman in 2024. The two schools have agreed to work together on identifying a date in a future season to make up losing a game in New Orleans, according to Monday’s release.
Due to the short notice of the move and the inability to assemble a full staff for the game, only the lower bowl of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will be used for fan seating. Tulane will remain the home team and receive proceeds from ticket sales.