SEATTLE — Washington will have to wait an extra week to start its 2020 season.
A day after Cal announced that a player on its team had tested positive for COVID-19, Saturday night's game has been canceled and declared a no contest.
In a university release, Cal stated the decision was "due to the Golden Bears' inability to field a competitive roster following the results of one positive COVID-19 test and subsequent contact tracing."
The positive test was the program's first since the start of daily testing at the beginning of October. As of Thursday afternoon, the student who tested positive is asymptomatic.
Following a positive daily antigen test, the result was confirmed with a subsequent PCR test. Cal then followed contact tracing and quarantining protocols from University Health Services Infection Control and Berkeley Public Health, which eliminated too many players to field a competitive roster.
The Bears did complete a limited practice on Wednesday, though head coach Justin Wilcox conceded that night that "a significant number" of players were quarantining due to local health authority protocol and the development was "a real, real hurdle."
The Pac-12's minimum roster thresholds call for at least 53 scholarship players, seven scholarship offensive linemen, one scholarship quarterback and four scholarship defensive linemen to play a game.
"The Pac-12 has approved a request from Cal to cancel the Washington at Cal football game scheduled for November 7," a Pac-12 Conference statement read. "This decision was made under the Pac-12's football game cancellation policy due to Cal not having the minimum number of scholarship players available for the game as a result of a positive football student-athlete COVID-19 case and resulting isolation of additional football student-athletes under contact tracing protocols.
"Under Conference policy, the game will be declared a no contest. The health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 football programs will continue to be our number one priority."
Added UW athletics director Jen Cohen in a statement: "Our students, coaches and staff have put in incredible amount of hard work to get to this point and we are deeply disappointed they won't have the opportunity to compete Saturday in Berkeley. I'm also disappointed for Husky Nation, they have been so patient and supportive, and we know they couldn't wait to cheer on our Dawgs this weekend.
"With that said, the policies and protocols developed by the Pac-12, local and state officials placed the health and safety of students, coaches and staff at the forefront. We will now turn our attention to next week and start our preparations for Oregon State."
