Both LSU and McNeese State will be forced to open the 2015 season a week later than expected -- and against a different opponent than previously scheduled.
Following a delay of nearly four hours, it was announced that the LSU-McNeese State game has been cancelled. Because of the cancellation, the game will not be played at a later point in the season, meaning each team will only play 11 games this regular season.
Ross Dellenger of the Baton Rouge Advocate writes that "[i]t’s believed to be LSU’s first cancellation of a game since 1918, when World War I wiped out the season.”
The game actually kicked off on time shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET, but, because of lightning strikes in the area, was halted after each team had one offensive possession. None of the stats accumulated in the brief amount of playing time will count.
Due to prolonged inclement weather, the LSU game has been canceled. It will not be rescheduled.
— Chuck Dunlap 🏈 (@SEC_Chuck) September 6, 2015
The game has been cancelled. At this time the game will not be made up.
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 6, 2015
McNeese State was set to make $500,000 for the game; it’s unclear what the financials will look like in the wake of the cancellation. Perhaps the worst part for LSU is they won’t have a game under their belt when they open SEC play next weekend against Mississippi State.
This marks the second game in Week 1 to be cancelled because of weather. Thursday night’s Stony Brook-Toledo tilt was wiped out because of lightning.
Last year’s Idaho-Florida game was also cancelled because of weather.