Wisconsin cancels weekend game due to virus outbreak
The pandemic hit Big Ten football just two weeks into its season Wednesday as No. 9 Wisconsin canceled its game at Nebraska and paused team activities for at least a week after a dozen people in the program — including coach Paul Chryst — tested positive for COVID-19.
Athletic director Barry Alvarez and Chancellor Rebecca Blank made the decision in consultation with Big Ten officials. Alvarez said the team had only one positive test two days before Friday’s season- opening 45-7 victory over Illinois and 12 positive tests afterward.
“With the number of positives in that short a timeline, the chancellor and I felt we have an issue, that we have to make this decision and get our arms around this and control the COVID and virus now before it got out of hand,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said Wisconsin had reached the “orange/ red” levels in the Big Ten protocols based on its rate of positive tests. The Big
Ten says teams in that area must proceed with caution; among the steps is considering the viability of play-ing hryst said he underwent a polymerase chain reaction test Tuesday and learned Wednesday morning he was positive. “Physically I feel good,” Chryst said. “Certainly disappointed for what’s happened.” School officials said six players and six staff members had tested positive over the last five days. Additional test results were pending. Wisconsin becomes the first Big Ten school to cancel a game since the league
started its pandemic- delayed season five days ago. It was the 37th game involving Football Bowl Subdivision teams to be postponed or canceled since Aug. 6.
The announcement followed reports that 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.
Last year’s star ting quarterback, Jack Coan, is already out indefinitely
following foot surgery. The Badgers’ only other scholarship quarterback is junior Danny Vanden Boom.
Rescheduling the Nebraska game would have been problematic because the Big Ten’s nine- game schedule doesn’t g ive teams any off weeks.
Nebraska had no immediate comment on the cancellation. Alvarez said he contacted Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos. THREE MISSISSIPPI STATE
PLAYERS DEPART, RB HILL POSSIBLY NEXT >> Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said that receiver Tyrell Shavers and defensive ends Tre Lawson and Jamari Stewart are no longer with the program that he has also heard that senior back Kylin Hill plans to opt out for the rest of the season to prepare for the NFL draft.
Hill’s status has been unclear in recent weeks. He was preseason All-SEC first team selection after rushing for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Hill has caught 23 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown in the coach’s passoriented Air Raid scheme but did not play in a 28-14 home loss to Texas A& M nearly two weeks ago.