A number of college football teams have already had to deal with a rare sight: a double bye.
Asked when he would feel confident that the 49ers will have a football game on Saturday, Charlotte defensive back Ben DeLuca’s response was: when they kick the ball off.
Two weeks ago, DeLuca and his teammates learned just three days before kickoff that their game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill would be canceled due to COVID-19 contact tracing, forcing nine Charlotte players to quarantine. The following week, the team’s home opener was also postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases among its opponent, Georgia State.
Charlotte is not the only team encountering consecutive byes in the wake of positive COVID-19 cases. Notre Dame is now sitting and waiting to get out on the field after its Sept. 26 game vs. Wake Forest was postponed, followed by a scheduled bye week this weekend. The Irish announced Monday that 18 players tested positive, and 25 total players are now in isolation with another 14 quarantining due to contact tracing.
“I don’t think it’s a year where you’re going to get into any rhythm,” says Charlotte coach Will Healy. “Nothing’s promised but when we get the opportunity, we better be willing and ready to take advantage of it.”
BYU coach Kalani Sitake echoed Healy’s optimism and eagerness to get on the field after having to postpone a game against Army on Sept. 19 and, as a result, having a double bye.
“This is a moving target, and things have changed day-to-day and week-to-week,” says Sitake. “The momentum is the guys just wanting to get out there and these guys are excited to practice today… These guys are consistent and don’t take things for granted.”
In an attempt to keep morale up as teams deal with this immense unpredictability, some coaches are taking an unconventional approach. Healy, for example, organized a wiffleball game last weekend as well as a 7-on-7 coaches flag football game, where he earned MVP standing that he boasted about in a press conference Monday morning.
Unlike Charlotte, BYU and Notre Dame, Marshall has had time to prepare as it also faces multiple weeks off before taking on an opponent again. The Herd broke into the Top 25 last week after their win over No. 23 Appalachian State, only to watch and wait until their Oct. 10 date with Western Kentucky. The team initially had a game scheduled for Oct. 3 against Rice, but the Owls delayed their season due to COVID-19 concerns and the need for faster, more reliable testing.
Marshall coach Doc Holliday emphasized that he saw the unexpected downtime as an opportunity to prepare his team for future adversities that he expects to encounter due to COVID-19.
“We take advantage of that time and with the COVID-19 situation, you have to get a lot more players prepared to play than you normally would,” Holliday says. “People are trying to get three full groups ready because you never know when someone's going to be needed and called upon in a game.”
While Holliday has intended to prepare his first-, second- and third-string players for gameplay as much as possible, he still noted the difficulties in staying bonded due to the enforcement of social distancing. He pointed toward not being able to have his players over for dinner or for weekend football watch parties and expressed concern about participating in an outdoor activity like wiffleball.
Holliday and Healy may disagree in terms of wiffleball safety, but they both reiterated the lack of a blueprint for this football season. With the potential for a heavy amount of downtime among teams, coaches are embracing the 2020 season with more preparation and flexibility than ever.
“At the end of the day, it's all about preparation and having your team prepared to just go play,” says Holliday.
And with that, just like DeLuca, Holliday added that he will not feel confident a game is happening until the whistle blows and the foot hits the ball.
“It’s kind of like what 2020 has really taught us,” DeLuca says. “You really don’t have too much control over the next moment so take everything moment by moment, day by day, and put yourself in the best position to move forward.”
Charlotte wide receiver Victor Tucker echoed his teammate’s perspective as he emphasized his gratitude in even having a season amid the pandemic.
“It just shows how resilient we have to be,” Tucker says. “There is no game that’s promised so every game we just have to make the most of it like it’s our last.”