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Temple football’s season opener against Rutgers postponed to Saturday because of flooding caused by Hurricane Ida

The game was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday in front of a sold-out crowd at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.

Temple coach Rod Carey must wait two more days to begin the season.
Temple coach Rod Carey must wait two more days to begin the season.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer
    by Isabella DiAmore and Sam Cohn, For the Inquirer
    Published 

Temple football’s season opener against Rutgers has been postponed because of flooding connected to Hurricane Ida.

Thursday’s game, which was originally set for 6:30 p.m. in front of a sold-out crowd in Piscataway, N.J., has been rescheduled to noon Saturday at SHI Stadium.

“I said all summer that we went through a lot last year, and that has prepared us for anything,” Temple coach Rod Carey said. “My thoughts are with those families who have lost their homes due to this storm. Delaying our football game for 48 hours is not as devastating as their situations.”

» READ MORE: Hot seat? Nope, just a pivotal season for Temple football and third-year coach Rod Carey.

Before the game’s cancellation, Piscataway Township officials released a statement Thursday morning calling for Rutgers to keep fans away from SHI Stadium.

The Owls traveled to Rutgers on Wednesday evening and avoided the brunt of the storm during their trip, but the area was still hard hit. The Rutgers Police Department issued a Thursday alert that Route 18, the main roadway to the SHI Stadium, was closed to traffic in both directions. The Raritan River also crested to flood levels because of the storm and caused the closures of several roads leading to the stadium.

Rutgers’ campus was not alone. Major flooding and a tornado dropped through the Middlesex County area on Wednesday night and about 6.5 inches of rain fell in New Brunswick from the storm.