The Latest: UMass-Marshall football game set for Nov. 7

Updated Oct. 19, 2020 4:06 p.m. ET
Associated Press

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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No. 22 Marshall has scheduled a Nov. 7 home football game against Massachusetts, athletic director Mike Hamrick said Monday.

Marshall (4-0, 2-0 Conference USA) had three other games called off this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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“With so much uncertainty this season, we’re just trying to give our fan base as many opportunities as possible to see the Thundering Herd,” Hamrick said.

UMass, an FBS independent, lost its season opener 41-0 Saturday at Georgia Southern.

The Minutemen announced the cancellation of their 2020 football season on Aug. 11 due to concerns surrounding the pandemic but later reversed course. On Sept. 21, the school said it would play a limited number of games to be announced as they are scheduled.

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The National Football Foundation’s annual awards dinner in New York on Dec. 8 has been postponed because of the coronavirus.

“The coronavirus has impacted every aspect of life in our country, creating an unprecedented level of uncertainty,” foundation chairman Archie Manning said.

He said the dinner in midtown Manhattan requires an “enormous amount of planning, which simply cannot be undertaken in the current environment.”

Plans for honoring the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be announced at a later date.

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A second event in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating — the Internationaux de France in Grenoble — has been canceled.

After the French government last week enacted a curfew in the area because of the pandemic, the French federation decided on Monday the event scheduled for Nov. 13-15 was no longer viable.

Skate Canada, scheduled next week in Ottawa, Ontario, also has been canceled. The Grand Prix Final in Beijing has been postponed.

The remaining Grand Prix events — Skate America in Las Vegas this weekend, plus China, Russia and Japan — have been restricted to domestic-only figure skaters.

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The Carolina Panthers have closed their facility for the next two days after receiving an “unconfirmed” positive coronavirus test Monday.

The team said in a statement that “out of abundance of caution, players, coaches and staff inside the red line areas will work virtually today and Tuesday. The training room remains open and we are still scheduled to operate on our regular itinerary on Wednesday.”

Panthers coach Matt Rhule said on a video conference call Monday that he received a phone call at 4:48 a.m. about the unconfirmed test, but wouldn’t say if it involved a player, coach or staff member.

Players normally have meetings on Mondays and are off Tuesday. Their first day of practice for the week begins on Wednesday, so the team shouldn’t miss any practice time.

Rhule says his staff will work from home the next two days in preparation for Sunday’s game at New Orleans.

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Toledo basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk has tested positive for the coronavirus, the school’s athletic department said Monday.

Kowalczyk tested positive on Sunday and will self-isolate for 10 days, he said in a statement. “I look forward to returning to coaching the team once all of our safety protocols have been met,” he said.

Associate head coach Jeff Massey will oversee the team during his absence, Kowalczyk said.

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Wasps rugby club could be forced to withdraw from the English Premiership final on Saturday at Twickenham after three more players and a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus.

Four players and three staff tested positive last week, and Wasps hasn't trained since last Wednesday for its first appearance in the final since 2017.

A decision on whether Wasps can play Exeter in the final will be made on Wednesday after more tests on Tuesday.

Bristol, which finished third in the Premiership and lost to Wasps in the semifinals, is on standby to replace Wasps.

Bristol could make its first appearance in the final, which could pit together the winners of Europe’s two biggest club trophies. Bristol beat Toulon last Friday for the second-tier Challenge Cup, while Exeter beat Racing 92 for the main Champions Cup on Sunday.

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Swiss champion Young Boys says it was surprised by the decision of local authorities to limit stadium capacity to 1,000 ahead of this week’s Europa League game against Roma.

The club had already begun selling 8,200 tickets last week to season ticket holders for Thursday’s game at the 32,000-capacity Stade de Suisse in Bern.

UEFA allows stadiums to be filled at 30% capacity for Champions League and Europa League games if local authorities allow amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Local authorities in Bern reacted to the rising number of COVID-19 cases by re-imposing the limit of 1,000 people at major events.

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