ACC Sports Postponed For 3 Days

North Carolina's 1:30 p.m. Saturday football game against Southern Methodist has been rescheduled for Dec. 1. "That game is going to get played, absolutely," UNC-Chapel Hill Director of Athletic ck Baddour said.

The conference's nine athletic directors and Commissioner John Swofford struggled to make the decision to postpone the games, Baddour said. They had multiple conference calls t scuss their options.

Saturday's football game would have been John Bunting's first at Kenan Stadium as UNC-CH's coach.

"It's a decision that the ACC has made," Bunting said. "I'm kind of new to some of this stuff. I'm a little surprised the NCAA didn't mandate it, but the ACC has decided to do it and whatever they think is best is best."

The NCAA left the decision to the conferences -- the Big East is the only other league to postpone all of its games this weekend.

Swofford announced the decision at 5:30 p.m. after seven of the nine football teams' games had been postponed.

UNC-CH coaches and players had a myriad of reactions to the decision.

"I'm kind of a little disappointed, but I respect it," UNC-CH cornerback Errol Hood said of the decision. "We just had a tragedy in the world and to play a football game, that'd just be saying that we have no respect for that tragedy."

Several players have friends and family in both areas and two of Bunting's best friends live in New York City. Cornerback Ronald Brewer led the team in prayer and a counselor spoke before practice.

Tuesday's tragedies affected practices for UNC-CH's busy sports weekend -- every fall sport had a game or meet scheduled Friday or Saturday. Women's soccer was supposed to fly to Texas, but UNC will not allow the team to fly to Texas.

"We think trying to make this happen is not a good situation," Baddour said.

Women's soccer could still play but each ACC school has the choice to play Sunday, and UNC-CH coach Anson Dorrance wants to play Clemson because the Tar Heels' Wednesday match against the Tigers was postponed.

Field hockey coach Karen Shelton is trying to move up a game against Wake Forest to replace Sunday's scheduled game against Virginia, a team that has decided not to play.

Volleyball and men's soccer's opponents are not making the trip for the scheduled tournaments. Men's soccer will play UNC-Greensboro at 2 p.m.

"The other day I had a horrible practice and was upset about it," said women's soccer player Danielle Borgman. "After something like this, I realized that I will have so many other practices. One practice means nothing."

"There were people that were going to work, and they'll never be able to go to work or see their families again ... It definitely puts everything in perspective."

Jamie Agin, Brad Broders, James Giza, Ian Gordan and Kelly Lusk contributed to this article.

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.