AAC cancels Temple football’s final game

The Owls were scheduled to play undefeated Cincinnati at home on Nov. 28, but the game will be ruled a no-contest instead.

Graduate wide receiver Branden Mack holds the ball during the Owls’ game against East Carolina University at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 21. | JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS

The American Athletic Conference canceled Temple University football’s game against Cincinnati on Saturday due to “positive COVID-19 cases and the ensuing contact tracing of student-athletes at both institutions,” according to a press release today. 

“I have held firm that the health and safety of our student-athletes is the most important thing to me,” head coach Rod Carey wrote in the release. “We were on the borderline of shutting down for the past few weeks but with an increase in COVID protocol cases in the past few days, the decision was made to shut it down.”

Both teams have an open schedule on Dec. 5 but will not reschedule the game and it will be declared a no-contest, according to the release. 

This was Temple’s last scheduled game of the season, meaning Temple will finish the season with a 1-6 overall and conference record. 

“I think it will be good to step away from football for a moment and let the players finish up the school semester strong,” Carey wrote. “We all look forward to decompressing, learning from this experience, and coming back stronger in 2021.”

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