Damage from Hurricane Ida forced the Sooners and Green Wave to move their season opener to OU’s home field.
The impact of Hurricane Ida on the city of New Orleans has forced the Oklahoma Sooners and Tulane Green Wave to move Saturday’s game to Norman.
Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen announced the change Monday. The game remains scheduled for an 11 AM CT kickoff and will be nationally televised on ABC.
We are headed to Oklahoma to open the 2021 season.
Check out the official statement from @Tulane_AD.
Full story: https://t.co/1VSd6CnpBB#RollWave pic.twitter.com/6KzL8MgsPs
— Tulane University Football (@GreenWaveFB) August 30, 2021
According to details provided by the OU athletic department, the Green Wave will be the designated home team for the game and will receive the net proceeds from ticket sales. OU is handling ticket sales, which are being sold separately from season ticket packages. OU is only opening seating in the lower bowl of Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium.
Tickets purchased through Tulane will not be honored. Dannen indicated fans who purchased tickets through Tulane will have an opportunity to donate the value of the tickets to hurricane relief in lieu of requesting refunds.
Indeed we will have something set up. Unfortunately with no cell or phone service in NOLA, we aren’t able to open communication with the ticket office just yet. We will get established in Birmingham over the next few days. @TulaneTicketGuy
— Troy Dannen (@Tulane_AD) August 30, 2021
The Tulane players and coaches left campus last week for Birmingham, Alabama, in advance of the storm, which hit Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday. They will remain based out of Birmingham “until it is safe to return to New Orleans,” Dannen said in a statement.
For Sooner fans who were looking forward to a road trip to New Orleans, OU said the schools are working on scheduling a future game between the teams at Tulane.
The change of venue means the Sooners will open the season with four straight home games before traveling to Kansas State on Oct. 2.