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Luke Fickell, in Dallas, leads Cincinnati against Alabama: ‘We’re not letting anything stand in our way’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati Bearcats arrived in Dallas on Sunday as they get set to play Alabama on Friday in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Since the Hawaii, Military and Fenway bowls have been called off because of virus issues, the Sun Bowl is reportedly in jeopardy as of Sunday evening, and the Gator Bowl swapped Texas A&M for Rutgers, Fickell was asked about the Bearcats’ status.
“We’ve all been impacted,” he said, per AL.com. “We know it’s out there. That’s about all I worry about.”
Fickell did not specifically reveal if there had been any positive tests among his players or coaches, or if any availability was affected ahead of Friday’s game. Alabama, for its part, does not have issues among its players, but offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Doug Marrone are in isolation this week after positive tests.
“We all have things we’ve got to overcome,” Fickell said of his team. “We have a lot of other colds and flus and things we’ve missed throughout the season. So we know we got to be smart about what it is we’re doing. But we’re not going to dwell upon those things because sometimes I think those things hold us up more than anything. They take our energy, they get us into a different frame of mind.”
Fickell did not specifically react to the CFP’s policy around forfeits of games if a team cannot field a roster with enough players.
“Everything’s important,” he said. “Guys get hurt. We’re going to go out and practice tomorrow. And we’re not going to not hit each other or not touch each other because we don’t want a guy to hurt his ankle or knee. So I think we all understand the magnitude of the issues that surround us, the magnitude of the opportunities we have. And I can promise that we’re not letting anything stand in our way.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
