About an hour prior to kickoff on Saturday, No. 3 Ohio State found out it would have to play then-No. 18 Penn State without one of its linebackers.
According to Lettermen Row, sixth-year linebacker Justin Hilliard received a false-positive COVID-19 test prior to the game and wouldn't play, but was allowed on the sideline.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day provided further clarification about what happened with Hilliard on Tuesday, and said Hilliard received a false-positive and then took a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that confirmed he was negative.
"The way the Big Ten protocol is that he was still not allowed to play, which is about as heart-wrenching as you could imagine," Day said.
While the Sept. 30 announcement from the Big Ten Conference about its "Return to Competition" testing doesn't describe protocols for false positive results in-depth, perhaps it touched on it by stating "Decisions to alter or postpone practice or competition will be based on tests...of each institution's teams."
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Day said the current policy in place is a subject of conversation for the decision-makers within the conference.
"I know it’s something that’s being discussed and continually discussed to figure out ways to make it better," Day said.
Hilliard was marked as a 'game-time decision' but ultimately didn't play in the season-opener on Oct. 24, and he's yet to play a snap following the false positive forcing him to sit out.
Hilliard has faced an incredible number of challenges in his time at Ohio State, from a torn Achilles tendon to biceps injuries to having to navigate a pandemic. He seemed to finally get a shot at a healthy season in 2020, but so far it's proven to be another test.
"We’re not really sure why that happened to him, but maybe that was some sort of intervention," Day said.
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No challenge or injury has proven too much for the Cincinnati, Ohio, native, however. The sixth-year linebacker said back in August the team has come together time and again as each hurdle and obstacle has been thrown at them.
The Buckeyes' comradery was evident on Saturday against Penn State, as Day said his coaching staff and the Buckeyes roster kept Hilliard in their thoughts.
"We talked about it before the game as a team that we were going to keep Justin in the back of our minds.
"We felt awful for Justin."