Football Returns To College Park, Terps To Play Shortened Season

Jacob Baumgart
Updated ·3 min read

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The University of Maryland will have a football season after all. The Terrapin's conference, the Big Ten, originally postponed its season, hoping to slow the spread of coronavirus. The Big Ten reversed course on Wednesday, however, announcing an abbreviated schedule.

The season will begin on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, the conference announced Wednesday. Teams usually play about 12 games-per-year, but this season's modified schedule is reduced to eight contests. A conference championship game will be played Dec. 19.

"I’m so happy for our players," Head Coach Michael Locksley tweeted. "They’ve been through a lot and stayed laser focused and committed on doing things the right way to earn the chance to compete on Saturday’s this fall."

The Big Ten will require players, coaches and trainers to undergo daily antigen tests, which are faster but less reliable than traditional coronavirus tests. Results must be completed and recorded before every practice or game. Athletes who test positive for coronavirus will need to take a traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm their diagnosis.

Positivity rates for each team will be used to determine whether or not games and practices should continue. Daily testing must start by Sept. 30 for all teams.

The Big Ten will also establish a cardiac registry to study the effects of coronavirus on athletes' hearts. Any coronavirus-positive athlete will receive comprehensive heart testing including echocardiograms and cardiac MRIs. A cardiologist will then have to sign off on the athlete's return to play.

"From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and the safety of our students," said Morton Schapiro, chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors. "The new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force were pivotal in the decision to move forward with sports in the conference."

The decision to start the season is a reversal for the conference. In mid-August, the Big Ten announced it would postpone its 2020-2021 football season, drawing a mix of relief and pushback from critics. At that point, the conference hoped to return to the gridiron in the spring.

Big Ten officials said they weighed the risks of coronavirus while debating moving forward with fall sports. Initially, the dangers posed to athletes, coaches, staff and fans were too much to move forward with the season, the conference said.

The PAC-12 conferenced following the Big Ten's lead and delayed its fall sports. Other Power Five conferences decided to push forward with the season. Notre Dame temporarily joined the ACC and games began this month.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is excited to see the Terps back in action. He offered his support on Twitter.

Patch Field Editor Chris Mosby contributed reporting to this article.

This is a developing story. Check back frequently for more updates.

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This article originally appeared on the Bowie Patch