ND-Wake Forest Postponed, Rescheduled for Dec. 12.
The absence of seven players in Notre Dame’s 52-0 blowout of South Florida raised concerns. And now the problem has become even more serious.
The Irish announced that their game Saturday at Wake Forest has been postponed due to the Coronavirus. The game now will be played on Dec. 12, the ACC announced Wednesday.
“A total of 94 COVID-19 tests were administered to Notre Dame Football student-athletes on Monday,’’ ND said in a statement. “Of those 94, there were seven positive tests,“ according to University Physician Dr. Matt Leiszler. “Those seven student-athletes are in isolation and their close contacts have been/are being identified.’’
ND has paused all football-related activities until further testing is completed. Combined with last week’s testing results, a total of 13 players are currently in isolation, with 10 in quarantine.
Initial hopes that the game could be rescheduled for Oct. 3, an open date for both teams, proved to be unworkable.. The number of Irish players in quarantine is expected to grow, Bryan Driskell, who covers Notre Dame for SI.com, reported.
“With student-athlete health and safety our primary focus, we will continue to follow our prevention protocols and ongoing testing procedures,” ND coach Brian Kelly said. “We managed an increase in positivity rates in August, and the players handled it wonderfully. “We knew COVID would present challenges throughout the season, and we'll always put student-athlete health and safety at the forefront of our decision making. We look forward to resuming team activities and getting back on the playing field.”