BALTIMORE — The Maryland football program canceled Saturday's home game against Big Ten rival Michigan State, citing an increase in the number of players and staff members who have tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday.
The cancellation marks the second such development for the Terps, who were forced to pull out of a game against No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday at Maryland Stadium in College Park after the university revealed on Nov. 11 that eight players had tested positive for COVID-19. The game is the 15th at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level postponed or canceled this week.
On Thursday, the school announced that 15 more players and seven staff members had tested positive with every individual currently in designated isolation spaces. One of those staff members is head coach Mike Locksley, who said in a news release distributed by the university that he was experiencing "minor symptoms."
"I am gutted for our team and for our fans," Locksley said in the release. "This team is eager to play and compete and continue the growth we've seen this season. This virus is testing our players and coaches right now, but I have no doubt that we will emerge as a stronger unit for having gone through this together. 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."
Since that announcement, the school has suspended all football activities, and players and coaches were moved to an area hotel on Nov. 11 in an attempt to contain further infection. Players and coaches were permitted to vacate the hotel on Sunday morning, but have not been cleared medically to return to practice, which was canceled Thursday for the fourth consecutive day.
The Terps (2-1) had been scheduled to meet the Spartans (1-3) at Maryland Stadium at noon. Maryland sits in third place in the Big Ten's East Division, trailing No. 9 Indiana (4-0) and the Buckeyes (3-0).
Per league protocols, players who tested positive for the coronavirus must sit out at least 14 days from their original tests to get screened for any cardiac impact from the virus. Once they are cleared, they are required to wait another seven days so that they can practice and condition and re-acclimate their bodies to the rigors of the sport.
Also, the Terps cannot afford to lose another game from their initial eight-game schedule if they hope to qualify for the Big Ten championship game. But if the average number of conference games played by all teams were to slip below six, then teams that played within two games of the average number would be considered.
Maryland's position is not dissimilar from what happened at Wisconsin. The Badgers were forced to cancel games against Nebraska on Oct. 31 and Purdue on Nov. 7 after 30 members — 17 players and 13 staff — had tested positive since Oct. 21. But after a drastic reduction, the team was allowed to return to the field and defeated Michigan, 49-11, on Saturday.
