Arizona State Reaches Orlando After 17-Hour Travel Delay

Arizona State’s charter landed at Orlando International Airport at 12:47 p.m. Eastern time on November 14, after a 17-hour delay caused by a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stoppage. The team had been scheduled to depart Friday afternoon but took off at 7:25 a.m. Saturday. The flight lasted three hours and 22 minutes.

The Sun Devils were due to play UCF later that day. Officials pushed the kickoff back two hours, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, giving Arizona State more time before the game at UCF’s Bounce House stadium. The team planned to pause at lodging to eat and meet before traveling to the venue.

Coach Kenny Dillingham said he was trying to keep the disruption from becoming a major issue for players. He compared the situation to long bus rides he had experienced coaching high school games, and said the team would have to adapt.

Seven college football games had new kickoff times by Saturday morning, including Arizona State-UCF, Washington-Michigan State, and Baylor-BYU. Nineteen teams were listed as affected by the ground stoppage. Other Big 12 teams among them included Baylor, Kansas State and Utah; Utah was scheduled to play Arizona.