Minnesota has been forced to rearrange its travel plans for Saturday's matchup against Penn State following a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop disrupted the team's scheduled departure on Friday.
The Golden Gophers were originally expected to leave Minneapolis for State College, Pennsylvania, Friday afternoon aboard a chartered Sun Country flight. Their departure was scheduled for 2:40 p.m. CT, with the journey expected to take approximately one hour and 45 minutes. However, the aircraft was grounded shortly before takeoff because of a nationwide suspension of departures triggered by a temporary telecommunications outage.
The traveling party remained aboard the plane for around an hour before being transported back to the terminal by bus. The team subsequently returned to campus while awaiting further instructions.
With the FAA lifting its nationwide grounding order at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday after approximately four hours, Minnesota has reorganized its travel plans. The Golden Gophers are now expected to depart for Pennsylvania around 8:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Randy Johnson of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Article Continues BelowMinnesota also consulted with the Big Ten and the Nittany Lions regarding the situation. In spite of the unexpected travel disruption, the game remains scheduled for Saturday evening at Beaver Stadium, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) on FS1.
Both programs enter Week 11 with identical 5-4 overall records. The Golden Gophers hold a 3-3 mark in Big Ten play, while Penn State sits at 2-4.