NC State's season opener against Virginia Tech is moving from Sept. 12 to Sept. 26 because of a recent increase in COVID-19 cases that caused the Wolfpack to pause all athletic activities, the ACC announced Wednesday.
NC State on Monday imposed the stoppage after announcing 27 positive cases within the athletic department. The school said not all cases involve athletes but didn't specify how many involve the football program.
The ACC's 11-game fall schedule includes two open dates per team to provide flexibility for rescheduled games. NC State and Virginia Tech both had an open date Sept. 26. NC State is now set to open its season Sept. 19 against Wake Forest; Virginia Tech will also open that day, against rival Virginia.
"We appreciate the ACC and Virginia Tech working together in partnership to move this game to a mutual open weekend," NC State director of athletics Boo Corrigan said in a statement. "There's no blueprint for what we're all trying to navigate and we are grateful for everyone's collaboration to make this work."
"There are going to be times teams must adjust based on what is best for the health and safety of the players and staffs involved," NC state coach Dave Doeren also said in a statement. "This move provides our team and staff the time needed to prepare and reacclimate after pausing our practices."
On Monday, all NC State in-person classes switched to online instruction for the remainder of the fall semester. The school on Monday reported three new COVID-19 clusters, including one in the athletic department, bringing its total to 14. The North Carolina Division of Public Health defines a cluster as a minimum of five cases that are deemed close in proximity or location.
NC State reported 45 new positive tests among students Tuesday, bringing its student total to 501 since March.
