Texas Tech-UTEP Agree To Cancellation
September 21, 2001 | Football
Sept. 21, 2001
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech Director of Athletics Gerald Myers announced this afternoon that the Red Raiders and University of Texas at El Paso would not meet on the field this season due to conflicting dates surrounding the rescheduling of the game.
The tragedies at the World Trade Center in New York City and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., prompted the postponement of the entire Division I-A football schedule last week. Schools that postponed games began rescheduling earlier this week, but Texas Tech and UTEP were unable to find a date to fit their respective schedules.
"UTEP wanted to schedule the game for Dec. 1, but that is the date of the Big XII championship game,'' Myers said. "UTEP gave us the option of canceling the game should we play in the Big XII Championship game. We felt we could not schedule a game on Dec. 1 at this time. By scheduling a game on that date, it would look like we were saying we don't have a chance to go to the Big XII championship game. We enter every season with the goal of reaching that game"
Myers added that Texas Tech made attempts to work with UTEP to clear Nov. 24 on UTEP's schedule, but UTEP could not move their scheduled match-up to make the date available. UTEP also proposed playing on Dec. 8, but that date falls during final exams at Texas Tech. University administrators and coaches decline to schedule any road games during that period because it would take student-athletes away from studies.
With UTEP off of the schedule, Myers said he has been in contact with other teams interested in coming to Lubbock on Nov. 24, but is not prepared to announce who a possible replacement might be.
"Our preference was to play UTEP but we couldn't work out a mutual date,'' Myers said. "We will fill the date at some point during the next week".