GAINESVILLE, Florida — After a close game against the University of Florida Saturday night, the Utah Utes' flight back to Salt Lake City was delayed for hours.
According to a spokesperson for the university's athletics department, the team's charter flight had mechanical issues, delaying their return home.
Mark Harlan, the U of U's athletic director, tweeted Sunday at around 11:40 a.m. that they expect to be on a charter flight back to SLC "later today." He also thanked the Florida athletics department for their help, which he said included providing a hotel partner, buses and meals.
Players waited in the plane on the runway for four hours between Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky. Around 3 a.m. MDT, they were able to leave the plane and wait in the airport for the issues to be resolved.
The team announced via Twitter around 7:20 p.m. that they had landed back ins Salt Lake City.
We are finally home and we are ready for a new week. #GoUtes, always. pic.twitter.com/0uUweLVc7L
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 5, 2022
