“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes is our main concern,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said in a statement. "Obviously, we are disappointed at not being able to compete this week, but I am incredibly proud of our team and the way they have handled themselves throughout this entire pandemic.
“We wish Maryland, their student-athletes and programs well as they battle through this issue.”
Maryland coach Mike Locksley also expressed being “extremely disappointed" the 2-1 Terrapins will not get a chance to take on the Buckeyes, who are one of only two teams left (along with Indiana) without a loss in the Big Ten East after three weeks.
“It was an opportunity that our team was preparing for and excited about," Locksley said. "However, we have and always will keep our players, coaches and staff safety at the forefront of our decision-making process. We’ll continue to operate as much as we can virtually as we monitor the situation in hopes of returning to play when it’s deemed safe.”
The Buckeyes and Terrapins were to play at 3:30 Saturday afternoon in College Park, Md.
In a news release, Maryland attributed the decision to cancel the game jointly to school president Darryll Pines and athletic director Damon Evans “following a recommendation from university health officials and in consultation with the Big Ten.”
The school said eight football players have tested positive in the past seven days.
"There is nothing more important than the health and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” Evans said in the release. “We realize that this news is disappointing to all of the Maryland fans out there who were looking forward to the Terps taking on an outstanding Ohio State team, but the responsible thing for us to do is pause football activities, given the number of positive cases currently in our program.”
Including rapid-result antigen tests, Maryland reported having conducted 5,333 coronavirus tests between Sept. 30 and Nov. 10 with 120 positives.
That includes 10 athletes testing positive via 1,510 PCR tests that take longer to process but are considered more accurate.
Athletes who test positive via antigen tests are to be re-tested via PCR method to confirm the result. If the positive test is confirmed, a player is barred from competition for at least 21 days and must undergo extensive testing for heart damage.
Marcus Musings: State of the Buckeyes, Ohio State’s unexpected challengers and Michigan’s descent https://t.co/eJS4R88Lwa
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) November 10, 2020
While some Big Ten schools, including also Michigan and Penn State, have regularly reported testing results, Ohio State has refused to do so, citing privacy laws.
The Big Ten postponed the fall sports season in August but reinstated it in September, citing the ability to conduct daily tests not widely available when the original decision was made and further research on the potential for COVID-19 to cause heart issues in athletes.
While other leagues began play in September and included multiple open weeks to reschedule games that had to be postponed, the Big Ten planned to have teams play nine games in nine weeks ahead of the selection of the College Football Playoff field on Dec. 20.
The CFP semifinals are scheduled for Jan. 1 at the Rose and Sugar Bowls.
Ohio State’s next scheduled game is next Saturday at home against Indiana, the co-leader of the Big Ten East.
About the Author
