USC vs. Cal postponed to Dec. 4


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USC huddles together during its game against Stanford Sep. 11.
USC huddles together during its game against Stanford Sep. 11. (Julia Hur | Daily Trojan)

The Pac-12 has postponed USC’s matchup against UC Berkeley to Dec. 4, the universities respective athletic departments announced in a joint statement Tuesday. Initially scheduled for Saturday, it’s the first FBS game postponed this season because of coronavirus issues. Game time will be announced at a later date, according to the statement. 

Last weekend, positive coronavirus cases led to Cal playing without seven starters, five coaches and 24 scholarship athletes. Following the loss against Arizona, additional players tested for the virus and placed more players out of practice. 

“Due to additional impact on specific position groups, we have decided to postpone Saturday’s game. We have had multiple COVID-19 positives within our program, and we are taking every step we can to mitigate the spread and protect the greater community,” said Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton in a statement. 

On Twitter, Cal players spoke against the university’s health services, and said they were forced to take coronavirus tests despite the university not requiring tests for the general student population. Golden Bears redshirt senior quarterback Chase Garbers took to Twitter to voice his frustration with the testing.

“We have worked too hard to have someone take this all away from us, it is wrong. We deserve answers and transparent communication,” Garbers wrote. 

USC’s next matchup will be against UCLA at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Nov. 20.