COLUMBUS — Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger decided to postpone Saturday's football game with San Diego State because of attacks on New York and Washington earlier in the day.

        “This is one of those things where you can't do the right thing,” Geiger said earlier in the day. “You can do what you think is the best thing to do. Whether it's right or wrong is for others to debate I guess.”

        The No.21-ranked Buckeyes said the game will be played Oct.20, an open date for both schools.

        Geiger had said the Big Ten's ADs would have a conference call this morning to discuss the possible post ponement of Saturday's other games.

        Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said his players, like most Americans, were having a difficult time comprehending the attacks on New York and Washington earlier in the day.

        “Kids are interesting,” an emotional Tressel said, his voice breaking. “They are much more worldly in what they know. They've seen the world news forever.”

        But that was little preparation for the shock.

        “They seem to be really taken aback, as you see their posture, their nervousness and their reaction,” he said. “Kids were crying in the locker room.”

        The mother of one Ohio State football player — Tres sel wouldn't say who it was — was reportedly at the World Trade Center on Tuesday. Two hijacked airliners were crashed into the twin towers.

        “We're trying to find out if she was there,” Tressel said.

        PONDERING POSTPONEMENTS: The commissioners from all the I-A conferences, including the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern, discussed their options for staging this weekend's games in a conference call hours after the attacks.

        “We're going to monitor and carefully evaluate everything and definitely make a decision tomorrow (Wednesday) on our weekend football games,” Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said, speaking only for his own league.

        In Division I, there are 116 games scheduled Thursday through Saturday.

        Included are three major matchups in the state of Florida — No.13 Washington at No.1 Miami, No.8 Tennessee at No.2 Florida, and No.10 Georgia Tech at No.6 Florida State.

Attack on America coverage

Sports Stories

SULLIVAN: Sports ought to put games on the shelf Sports ponder when to resume Ohio State postpones football game

Bengals' Kitna calm, cool and in charge
Bengals Q&A with Mark Curnutte
Esiason, staff spared Trade Center tragedy
Tragic day leaves Reds in state of disbelief
Prep Football Page
Oak Hills leaps in Enquirer poll
NewCath new No. 1 in N.Ky.
Ohio AP football poll