BUFFALO – The start of the University at Albany’s football game at the University at Buffalo was delayed by bad weather for more than 2 ½ hours on Thursday night.
The nonleague contest between the Great Danes of the Coastal Athletic Association and Bulls of the Mid-American Conference kicked off at 9:44 pm, instead of the scheduled 7:02 pm, because of lightning and heavy rain that soaked the field at Broadview Stadium.
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UAlbany athletic director Mark Benson and Buffalo athletic director Mark Alnutt met with referee Billy Williams and his officiating crew, UAlbany head coach Tom Perkovich and Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo. They walked the field to examine it.
The grounds crew poured turf pellets on particularly wet, soft areas on the sideline near the 45-yard line and in one end zone. The field, which was covered in puddles, drained well by kickoff.
“The summary really was, obviously, you can see the field looks a lot different,” said CAA commissioner Joe D’Antonio, who was also on the field. “We just wanted to make sure everyone had the opportunity to understand the field was safe to play. Once we determined the field was safe to play, we were going to play.”
MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher was also on hand.
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UAlbany gave its players Uncrustables to eat in the locker room during the delay.
It was the second time in as many seasons UAlbany ran into a long weather delay. Last season, the Great Danes’ loss at Delaware State took seven hours to complete because of a pair of in-game delays.
NCAA rules require a half-hour delay after every lightning strike within eight miles of the venue.
The Great Danes, who belong to the Football Championship Subdivision, receive a $315,000 guarantee from Buffalo of the Football Bowl Subdivision for playing the game.
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This article originally published at UAlbany football’s kickoff at Buffalo delayed 2 1/2 hours by weather.
