Terps still preparing to face Michigan
Coach Mike Locksley said the Maryland football team is continuing to prepare for Saturday’s game even though its next opponent, Michigan, suspended in-person activities because of coronavirus issues for the second consecutive day.
Locksley, whose program endured its own bout with COVID-19 that canceled two games and infected 23 players and seven staff members, including himself, said the idea of a contingency plan if the Wolverines pull out of Saturday’s game was “above the pay grade of the head coach at Maryland.”
“Everything that we’re doing today is all about Michigan,” he said Tuesday during his weekly media session. “That’s where our attention is. Until we hear anything differently, we’re not even going there.”
The Wolverines played Saturday, falling 27-17 to Penn State, their fourth loss in the past five games. On
Monday, coach Jim Harbaugh, the younger brother of Ravens coach John Harbaugh, told reporters that the programwould shift to online meetings and coaching.
About two hours after Locksley spoke, Michigan announced a second straight pause on in-person activities.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we will again hold all team activities in a virtual format today,” the school said in a written statement. “We will continue to follow the prevention protocols and recommendations of our medical professionals and the health department, and do everything to keep our focus on protecting the health, safety and welfare of our student-athletes and staff.”
If Saturday’s game is called off, the Terps will lose their third game in their original eight-game schedule, falling below the six-game requirement to be eligible for the Big Ten championship game Dec. 19.
If the game continues as planned, Maryland might welcome back some of the players who tested positive for COVID-19. Four starters on offense and two more on defense were absent from Saturday’s 27-11 loss at No. 10 Indiana.
“We always have those expectations,” Locksley said of anticipating some players’ return. “We have a COVID list that we obviously operate off of. When the medical people tell me that these guys are available, we implement them back into our preparation. … We’ll play with the guys that are deemed medically able to play, and we’ve made adjustments with how we practice and how we prepare, and we’ve got a next-man-up mentality.”
Locksley did express his empathy for what the Wolverines are currently experiencing.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Michigan, having gone through what they may be going through,” he said. “The health and safety of their players and staff are at the forefront of our thought process. If we get the opportunity to compete against them this weekend, we’re excited about that opportunity.”