Howard University and South Carolina State were slated to meet two times during the abbreviated Spring 2021 college football season.
It turns out they won’t be facing each other at all this spring. Howard and South Carolina State have canceled both meetings, including Saturday’s scheduled matchup, citing the District of Columbia’s travel restrictions to South Carolina.
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SC State has filled Saturday’s vacancy with a contest at Alabama A&M, as previously reported by HBCU Gameday. That game will take place in Orangeburg at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium at 1:30 PM. Alabama A&M was originally scheduled to play SWAC East rival Mississippi Valley on Saturday, but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.
Howard University opened the season with a 17-10 loss at Delaware State University on Feb. 27. It will complete its home-and-home with DSU on March 17, according to its statement released on Tuesday.
The release stated that HU canceled the two meetings with South Carolina based on travel requirements that went into play on Nov. 9, 2020 for those coming in from high-risk states. High-risk has been determined to be 10 COVID-19 cases per 100,000. South Carolina has 30.2 new cases per 100,000. That’s 10 more than the national average, according to Greenville.com.
Those restrictions state that DC residents returning to the District after traveling to any place other than Maryland, Virginia or a low-risk state or country must limit daily activities and self-monitor for 14 days upon their return OR limit daily activities until they get tested for COVID-19 (approximately 72 hours after their return) and receive a negative result.
South Carolina State, Howard and Delaware State are the only three MEAC football programs playing football this spring. The other six football institutions (Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University and North Carolina Central) all opted out of the spring 2021 football seaosn.