By Joshua Casazza
The Maryland football team will miss their second consecutive game of the season as their matchup with the Michigan State Spartans has been canceled.
The Terps were forced to call off last weekend’s game against the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes after Maryland identified eight positive cases of COVID-19. The university announced on Thursday an additional 15 athletes and seven staff members tested positive for the virus.
The Terps’ head coach, Mike Locksley, is one of the staff members who tested positive for COVID-19. When asked about his condition, he said, “As for me personally, I am feeling strong, with only minor symptoms. I will continue to lead this program virtually and our game preparations for Indiana will begin immediately.”
The Terps are riding a two-game winning streak with their most recent upset against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Nov. 7. However, Maryland has not been able to see the field since.
According to the Big Ten website, “If either team’s positivity rate is greater than 5% and its population — including coaches and on-field staff — is greater than 7.5%, the game will be canceled and considered a no contest. In that case, neither team would get the win or loss.”
The Big Ten requires student-athletes to sit out from all football activity for 14 days following their original positive test. Once the 14 days pass, athletes must wait an additional seven days so they can prepare for competition and pass cardiac tests.
The Wisconsin Badgers were one of the first teams in the Big Ten to experience an outbreak. The Badgers ended up having a 21-day break between their first two games of the season.
All of the Maryland football players and staff members who tested positive will quarantine and hope the team does not have any more positive tests. Maryland’s next matchup against Indiana is scheduled to take place on Nov. 28.
Maryland’s record will remain 2-1, and both the Ohio State and Michigan State games will not be rescheduled.
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