The game scheduled for Saturday between No. 3 Ohio State and Maryland has been canceled following eight Maryland players testing positive for COVID-19, the Maryland athletic department announced on Wednesday. The Big Ten game will not be rescheduled and is just the latest cancellation or postponement in a Week 11 slate filled with COVID-19 issues across college football.
"There is nothing more important than the health and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and staff," Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in the statement. "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."
The cancellation reduces the total number of scheduled games for both teams this season to eight. That is particularly consequential for Ohio State as the Buckeyes are jockeying for a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff against teams from leagues such as the ACC and SEC that are scheduled to play more games in the 2020 season. Ohio State's next scheduled game is against No. 10 Indiana on Saturday, Nov. 21.
"The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes is our main concern," Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said in a statement released by the school. "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's statement said Evans and university president Darryll Pines reached the decision following a recommendation from school health officials and in consultation with the Big Ten.
"We're obviously extremely disappointed that we'll be unable to host Ohio State this Saturday," Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. "It was an opportunity that our team was preparing for and excited about. However, we have and always will keep our players, coaches and staffs 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."
