Oklahoma AD Roger Denny blasts SEC after Ole Miss game pushed to Sunday under threat of forfeit

Oklahoma’s efforts to prevent the SEC from rescheduling its home game against Ole Miss for Sunday ended in defeat after a nationwide airline stop and a dispute Friday night with conference officials.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey moved the Sooners’ home game against No. 19 Ole Miss in Norman, Oklahoma, from Saturday afternoon to Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT), a decision that Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said came “over our strong objection.” When OU tried to keep the game going on Saturday, Sankey told the school that failure to play at the designated time would result in a forfeit.

“Simply put, this decision is not fair to our athletes, our institution or to Sooner Nation,” Denny said in a statement released Saturday morning. “But we had no other choice. We are obliged to play the game when asked, but we remain firmly convinced that the wrong result was achieved tonight.”

Ole Miss administrators were unable to secure a charter flight from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Oklahoma City after the ground stop, and they were able to book another flight no earlier than Saturday at 4:20 p.m., a team spokesperson told CBS Sports.

The unrest began Friday afternoon, when air travel across the country was halted. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide shutdown for all U.S. airports shortly before 3 p.m. PT after communications problems struck several air traffic control centers, the facilities that handle high-altitude traffic between airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed switches and routers that were overloaded and shutting down after they started producing inconsistent data. Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled before the FAA lifted the order at 7:15 p.m. CT, more than four hours after it began. It was only the third complete shutdown in the country’s history.

Most college football teams don’t travel to game sites until the day before games, leaving many people scrambling after the order to stop on the ground. All FBS games managed to stay on Friday and Saturday, with the exception of Ole Miss’ trip to Oklahoma. Kickoff times across the country have been changed slightly, including No. 2 Utah’s game against No. 23 Arizona, which is now scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday after the Utes were unable to leave Salt Lake City on Friday.

Ole Miss and Auburn were among four SEC teams grounded for several hours. Auburn’s game at Mississippi State was moved to 3:15 p.m. CT Saturday as the Tigers left an airport and booked buses for a four-hour road trip to Starkville. No. 6 Texas was delayed until 10 p.m. Pacific Time until it boarded a flight to play No. 21 LSU on Saturday.

Every other SEC traveling team found a way, including Tennessee, which managed to reschedule a flight after the ground stop for its longest road trip of the season at Texas A&M.

Ole Miss players were sent home Friday afternoon and were asked to return to the football facility that evening for updates. Ole Miss takes off from Tupelo, Mississippi, a 55-minute drive from Oxford, and flies about 90 minutes to Oklahoma City.

“We continue to review our options and coordinate with the appropriate groups regarding both travel and the game,” an Ole Miss spokesperson told CBS Sports earlier Friday.

Ole Miss wanted to play Sunday and Oklahoma wanted to keep the game Saturday, CBS Sports reported Friday night. The league sided with the Rebels.

“We were told Ole Miss explored every avenue to get to Norman and play Saturday as scheduled,” Denny said. “But unlike all the other teams who will participate in tomorrow’s competition, they failed to find a solution.”

The game was scheduled for Saturday at 3:15 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. Television schedules for Sunday have not been announced.

“The postponement of the game has a significant impact, particularly on our fans,” Denny said. “Those who have arranged their travel, accommodations and personal plans in anticipation of a Saturday game now face unnecessary disruption and difficulty. Their time, commitment and investment deserve greater consideration than they were given in tonight’s conference decision.”

Oklahoma (5-4, 4-4 SEC) is coming off a 23-7 victory at Florida in Jason Witten’s first game as interim offensive coordinator. The Sooners need one more win to reach bowl eligibility.

Ole Miss (6-3) fell to 19th in the College Football Playoff rankings after a 42-7 home loss to the current No. 1 seed. 1 Georgia.

“We will continue to fight in the best interest of OU Athletics and always on behalf of our student-athletes and fans,” Denny said.