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Arizona State Sun Devils HC Herm Edwards tests positive for COVID-19, program has massive outbreak

Arizona State Sun Devils
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona State Sun Devils have canceled Saturday’s upcoming game against the California Golden Bears, following a massive COVID-19 outbreak that swept across the entire football program.

Arizona State was forced to cancel the game after it failed to have the minimum number of scholarship players available to play. Among those who tested positive in the outbreak, head coach Herm Edwards.

Latest news on Arizona State Sun Devils’ COVID-19 outbreak

In just the latest coronavirus outbreak during the 2020 college football season, Arizona State might be suffering one of the worst yet. While specifics haven’t been released, the scope of the problems is alarming for the Sun Devils.

According to ESPN’s Matt Barrie, the outbreak at Arizona State is reportedly dire. Not only is the team’s football facility closed, but the virus has sidelined a majority of the roster and coaching staff. As of Friday night, six coaches and an entire side of the ball were sidelined with COVID-19.

“In the past few days our test results included a number of positive cases, including multiple student-athletes and coaching staff members, one of which is Head Coach Herm Edwards,” Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson said, via statement. “This put our team below the Pac-12’s minimum threshold of 53 available scholarship student-athletes under the league’s game cancellation policy.”

Cal came into the week with its own COVID-19 concerns, with its entire defensive line in jeopardy of missing Saturday’s game due to close contact tracing following a single positive test.

Following the cancellation of Saturday’s game, Cal is scheduled to play UCLA on Sunday afternoon at the Rose Bowl. The schedule change only happened because the Utah Utes failed to meet the Pac-12’s minimum requirement for scholarship players available.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a massive toll on the 2020 college football season, wiping out an unprecedented number of games. With flu season arriving and cases of the coronavirus spiking across the United States, problems will only get worse for NCAA programs.

What college football games are canceled for Week 11?

The decisions to cancel two games on Friday, with one makeup game, are just the latest in a troubling trend for the sport. It’s gotten progressively worse as the season has gone on, with 14 games on the Week 11 schedule already canceled.

  • Pittsburgh @ Georgia Tech
  • Memphis @ Navy
  • No. 3 Ohio State @ Maryland
  • Rice @ Louisiana Tech
  • Gardner Webb @ Charlotte
  • North Texas @ UAB
  • Air Force @ Wyoming
  • California @ Arizona State
  • Utah @ UCLA
  • No. 1 Alabama @ LSU
  • No. 5 Texas A&M @ Tennessee
  • No. 12 Georgia @ Missouri
  • No. 24 Auburn @ Mississippi State
  • UL Monroe @ Arkansas State

For the Big Ten and Pac-12, no makeups are currently scheduled. Both Power 5 conferences were operating on a tight schedule due to their late start this year, with a rush to finish the season before the College Football Playoff field is decided.

Arizona State Sun Devils football schedule

The Sun Devils lost 28-27 to the USC Trojans in their season opener on Nov. 7. With Saturday’s matchup against the Golden Bears wiped off the schedule, Arizona State now has just four games remaining.

  • Nov. 21: @ Colorado
  • Nov. 28: vs. Utah
  • Dec. 5: vs. UCLA
  • Dec. 11: @ Arizona
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