Buffalo college football game against Akron postponed due to snowstorm

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The Mid-American Conference announced Saturday that the University of Akron's football against the University at Buffalo was postponed indefinitely due to a massive snowstorm in New York.

"Despite the best efforts of all involved, it is not feasible to play the football game between Akron and Buffalo on Sunday," MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement. "The game has been postponed indefinitely. The safety of the student-athletes and fans is paramount. We want to be respectful of the efforts of the emergency service personnel in the Buffalo area who are working to assist those in need."

The MAC said a decision on rescheduling the Akron-UB game would be made in the next week, and UB vice president and director of athletics Mark Alnutt told the Buffalo News that the possibility of the game being rescheduled hinges upon whether the Bulls win the MAC East Division.

A state of emergency in Buffalo and surrounding areas remained in effect Saturday as the city dug out from a historic lake-effect snowstorm.

The National Weather Service reports 66 inches of snowfall in Orchard Park, N.Y., and 65 inches in southern Blasdell, N.Y., two Erie County cities near Buffalo.

As of 6 a.m. Saturday, a travel ban that had been imposed on certain parts of Buffalo was extended throughout the entire city.

The historic storm also forced the NFL to relocate Sunday's game between the Bills and the Cleveland Browns to Detroit.