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Hubbard injury hurts Badgers
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Also by Mike Ackerstein:
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by Mike Ackerstein
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
After leaving the game with an apparent leg injury against UNLV, Paul Hubbard’s status was confirmed on Monday and the prognosis is not what the Badgers had hoped for.
"We were fortunate that there was no ACL tear. He sprained his knee, and we're looking at anywhere from a six- to eight-week recovery for him," head coach Brett Bielema said in his Monday press conference.
Hubbard, UW’s second-leading receiver a season ago, will leave a hole in the lineup that the Badgers will struggle to fill.
"[I]f you just look at the depth chart, it's going to be Kyle Jefferson and Marcus Randle El, but Xavier (Harris) spent time over at the Z position during fall camp," Bielema said. "We kind of jockeyed it ourselves so we could get certain things out of each guy, but I think it'll be by committee. But in addition to that, you hope that some guys will take advantage of this opportunity and don't let go of it.
"It'll be an opportunity for someone over an extended period of time to step into that role."
Shaughnessy goes home to be with ailing brother
Junior defensive end Matt Shaughnessy will leave the team this week to go home where his younger brother is seriously ill. Shaughnessy, who left the sideline early during the UNLV game, will have the cost of his plane ticket picked up by the university. Bielema was careful to mention that the athletic department did not violate any NCAA rules in doing so.
"Matt told us about [the illness] after last Saturday's game and how much it affects him," Bielema said. "If you knew Matt and his family, they're very, very close. And so what we tried to do is I basically got clearance from the NCAA to find out what the situation is. His brother was heavily sedated, and every time he came out, he'd ask for Matt. So you wanted to do anything you could to make that situation right.
"I talked to his dad every day last week, and his brother, towards the latter part of the week, Thursday and Friday, had really improved, so with that, we give him our thoughts and prayers with him and his family."
Too early to grade return game
Despite being two games into the season, it’s still too early to pass judgment on the Badgers' punt return game, a weakness from last season. Much of the reason for this stems from the unorthodox punt formations favored by Washington State and UNLV.
"We faced two very unusual punt formations in the first two games," Bielema said, "so punt return has been a little difficult because they, as you saw on Saturday, [UNLV] jump around. Every look that they give you is different. They have eligible receivers on the backside of formations who are lining up at guards and tackles, so it's a little bit difficult.
"The main thing we were trying to do was possess the football and not get a fake. Every one of those looks has a fake attached to it, so it's a little bit unique preparation. No one in our conference runs that formation"
Saturday’s game against The Citadel should provide some insight into how the punt return unit looks.
"This week, what we've seen on film on Citadel will give us a better chance to have a picture that we're used to seeing," Bielema said.
Bielema urges fans to dress in red
After unveiling Wisconsin’s new red-on-red home uniforms in the home opener, Bielema is encouraging Badger fans to help turn the entire stadium red for Saturday’s game against The Citadel.
"One of the things that we'll be is all red on Camp Randall's field, and I'd love to see that, any way we could get that out to the general fans," Bielema said.
"I love the red and white, but if we could leave the white caps, the white T-shirts, the gray T-shirts behind, I'd love to walk into Camp Randall and see a sea of red for everybody in the stands."
An environment packed with fans wearing the same color could provide the team with an added mental advantage.
"I think one of the things I began to see and experience in college football is if you can walk into an environment like that with everybody in one color, it's kind of an overwhelming thing for everybody to be a part of," Bielema said.
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