Illinois starting quarterback Brandon Peters and tight end Griffin Moore tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Saturday’s game against Purdue, the school announced.
Peters and Moore tested positive on Thursday, and per Big Ten protocol, both will be sidelined until the Nov. 21 game at Nebraska.
The school said “several other players” also won’t play against Purdue or next week against Minnesota because they were identified through contact tracing as potentially being exposed to the virus.
The Illini opened the season on Oct. 23 with a 45-7 loss at Wisconsin. Peters, a senior in his second season as the starter, was 8-of-19 passing for 87 yards against the Badgers. He was the team’s leading rusher with seven carries for 75 yards.
Moore, a redshirt freshman, didn’t record a catch.
That game was a coming-out party for Wisconsin redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz, who completed 20 of 21 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns. Mertz since tested positive for the virus, one of 22 Wisconsin players and staff members to do so. The Badgers’ game against Nebraska, scheduled for Saturday, was canceled.