Wisconsin cancels Nebraska game

No. 9 Wisconsin has canceled its game at Nebraska on Oct. 31 and paused all team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst tested positive for COVID-19.

School officials said athletic director Barry Alvarez and chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. The game with Nebraska won’t be rescheduled.

“This morning I received the news that I had tested positive via a PCR test I took yesterday,” Chryst said in a statement. “I informed my staff and the team this morning and am currently isolating at home. I had not been experiencing any symptoms and feel good as of this morning.”

Wisconsin said six players and six staff members had tested positive over the last five days.

The announcement followed reports that starting quarterback Graham Mertz had tested positive twice – which would require him to sit out at least 21 days under Big Ten protocols – and that backup quarterback Chase Wolf had tested positive at least once.

Wisconsin already had lost 2019 starting quarterback Jack Coan to foot surgery that has left him out indefinitely. The Badgers’ only other scholarship quarterback is junior Danny Vanden Boom.

“I am disappointed for our players and coaching staff who put so much into preparing to play each week,” Chryst said. “But the safety of everyone in our program has to be our top priority and I support the decision made to pause our team activities.”

NFL

GARRETT SITS OUT PRACTICE » Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s sacks leader, is not practicing Wednesday because of an ankle injury.

Coach Kev in Stefanski gave few details about Garrett’s condition, but said the team is being cautious as it prepares for this week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Garrett had two sacks in Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Garrett has nine sacks this season and has been a disruptive force i n helping the Browns (5-2) to their best start since they opened 1994 at 6-1. He has a sack in six straight games and has four strip-sacks, three of which have been gameswinging plays.

Stefanski said he expects Garrett to practice later this week.

Auto racing

BUSCH WINS IN TEXAS » Kyle Busch won for the first time this season to extend a 16-year streak while his penalized teammate missed a chance to secure a spot in the championship in the NASCAR playoff race at Texas that finished Oct. 28, three days after it started.

Busch, the reigning Cup champion who is already out of contention for the title this year, finished 0.468 seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr., his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate who had to go to the back of the field when the race started Sunday because of an illegal spoiler.

Truex also was docked 20 points because of that spoiler, a crucial penalty for the driver who was already below the cutoff line for the top four before that.