Rutgers will open its season on schedule despite the damage caused by Hurricane Isaac in New Orleans leading up to kickoff against Tulane.
Decided Thursday morning, Rutgers and Tulane will play their originally scheduled game at 8 p.m. Saturday night from the Superdome. There was no damage done to the Superdome during the storm and, although power remains out in many parts of the region, both teams are expected to reach the stadium without issues and open the 2012 season.
Rutgers made an official announcement Thursday afternoon and remains set to fly to New Orleans International Airport out of Newark tomorrow afternoon. If the airport does not reopen before the scheduled departure, the team will fly to a nearby airport and bus to the team hotels, sources said. The airport, however, is scheduled to open this evening according to its website.
Hurricane Isaac hit New Orleans Tuesday night and has since moved north. Scattered storms are expected through the weekend, but the damage is minimal.
“It’s sort of typical TV stuff, Al Roker getting blown away on a corner, but that’s indicative of everything that’s going on in the city there,” said Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti yesterday. “According to [Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson], the rain systems they put in place after [Hurricane] Katrina held up pretty well and they’re working closely with everybody, including the energy company. Because I think the power is the biggest issue, but not necessarily an issue at the dome right now, which is good news.”