Because of Hurricane Irma, Florida Atlantic was forced to remain in Madison following its Week 2 loss to Wisconsin. Because of Irma’s aftermath, FAU was forced to remain on the campus as UW provided the team lodging and food as well as gave them unfettered access to practice areas, weight rooms and meeting facilities.
That generosity was not lost on the Owls’ head coach.
“They’re gone above and beyond,” Lane Kiffin said. “It hasn’t just been food. It hasn’t just been facilities. To let us use their meeting rooms, that’s kind of sacred sometimes for people. It’s been really neat.”
At some point Wednesday afternoon, following one final practice, the Owls will fly from Madison back to Boca Raton. FAU has a Week 3 game scheduled against FCS Bethune-Cookman, and the hope is that contest will go off as planned.
“A university spokesperson said Irma did not cause any damage to FAU Stadium that would affect the game, though some of the scoreboard signage was lifted during the storm,” the Sun-Sentinel wrote.
Bethune-Cookman, an HBCU located in Daytona Beach, had been stranded in Louisiana due to the superstorm that blew through the state before flying back home Tuesday. As of now, the Wildcats are planning on driving to Boca Raton for the Week 3 game, unless told otherwise.
“We have [not] received any word that it’s going to be tough to drive,” Bethune-Cookman head coach Terry Sims told the newspaper. “We don’t know. But I’m not anticipating anything right now. We’re just going to continue to prepare and see what happens. Once we get to that point on Friday, if they tell us it’s a go, then we’re going.”