Badgers' game Saturday at Nebraska is canceled because of high COVID test rate; coach Paul Chryst among those positive

Jeff Potrykus
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON – Wisconsin’s Big Ten football game set for Saturday at Nebraska has been canceled because of positive COVID-19 tests among players and staff, including head coach Paul Chryst, UW officials announced Wednesday. 

UW’s test positivity rate approached but did not reach the threshold set by the league that requires teams to stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and then reassess the situation.

A source told the Journal Sentinel Tuesday the game was in danger of being canceled.  

UW officials disclosed the team had 12 positive tests – six players and six staff members – in the last five days. Additional tests are pending.

All team-related activities must be paused for seven days and players will be separated from one another, with some provided hotel rooms, in an attempt to slow the spread.

"In talking to our medical people as well as our chancellor we just felt like with those numbers we had to get our arm around this," UW athletic director Barry Alvarez, who is waiting to learn whether he has contracted the virus, explained during a Zoom session. "We didn’t feel comfortable. … So we just felt it was necessary to control it now.

"We just felt it was important, if we wanted to continue to play for the year, to make this move right now and control the virus at this point."

Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst congratulates his team after a touchdown against Illinois on Oct. 23.

According to Big Ten protocols, the game will be declared no contest and will be neither a victory nor a loss for either team.

Chryst, who was seen during the opening game against Illinois with his face covering pulled down below his nose, is the second Big Ten coach known to have contracted coronavirus.

Purdue coach Jeff Brohm was the first and he was forced to miss his team’s opener, a 24-20 victory over Iowa.

According to Chryst, his daily antigen test Tuesday morning came back negative but he learned Wednesday morning that a follow-up PCR test came back positive.

"Physically feel good," said Chryst, who said he still has faith in the testing process. "Certainly, disappointed for what’s happened."

UW's next scheduled game is Nov. 7 against visiting Purdue, but it is too early to know whether the Badgers will be able to play.

Any coach who tests positive must be out for 10 days, according to league protocols. That means Chryst and any other assistant who tests positive likely will not be able to return until Nov. 7.

And with UW having to pause activities for seven days, it appears the earliest the team could resume practice would be Nov. 4. That would leave only three days to prepare for Purdue.

"We’ll have to see where we are as far as testing before we make that decision," Alvarez said. "That’s something we’ll determine as we move forward."

It is too early to know how this will affect UW’s chances to participate in the Big Ten title game.

According to the league, a team must play at least six games to be considered for participation in the championship game. However, if the average number of conference games played by all teams falls below six, with the average rounded up/down at 0.50 (6.50 or greater would round up to 7.0 and 6.49 or less would round down to 6.0), then teams must play no less than two fewer conference games than the average number of conference games played by all teams.

The Badgers, No. 11 in the Amway coaches poll, opened the season with a 45-7 victory over Illinois.

"We were very excited about the fact that we could play," Alvarez said. "Personally, I think we are a very good football team. I thought we performed very well.

"As I’ve been watching college football for the last several weeks, that first game there were so many mistakes by so many people. … And we played such a clean game.

"And to turn around and to not be able to play, continue to practice right now, is very disappointing and frustrating.

"But our No. 1 concern is the health and safety of our athletes."