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Hurricane Helene made landfall overnight in northwestern Florida and moved inland by Friday morning. According to the AP, more than 4 million homes and businesses were without power across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas as of 11 a.m. ET on Friday.
As a result of the storm, Saturday’s college football game between Appalachian State and Liberty has been canceled. The Mountaineers announced the decision Friday morning, citing “severe impacts” to App State, the town of Boone, North Carolina, where the school is located, and the surrounding areas.
The game will not be rescheduled.
App State is 2-2 on the season. Liberty is 4-0 and eyeing the College Football Playoff. With an otherwise pillowy-soft schedule strength, a win at App State would have served the Flames well in their quest to make the CFP. Without that game, the job becomes tougher.
But that’s obviously a secondary concern right now.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Wednesday. Heavy rain was expected, with the potential to cause destructive flooding and landslides throughout the Appalachian Mountains. Parts of Boone have already been hit particularly hard.
Holy cow, this is King Street in downtown Boone, I have never seen this before. #wncwx #ncwx #flood #Helene pic.twitter.com/IKVIsRUvBZ
— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) September 27, 2024
According to the AP, Helene — which has been downgraded to a tropical storm — is expected to stall over the Tennessee Valley through the weekend.
The App State-Liberty game is the first among FBS teams in Week 5 to be canceled because of the storm. Liberty’s next game will come against FIU on Oct. 8. App State’s next scheduled game is a road contest at Marshall on Oct. 5.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
