Paul Bunyan’s Axe was a worthy prize for the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend, though Saturday’s 42-13 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers was a costly one.
Junior center Peter Konz suffered a dislocated ankle early in the fourth quarter after running back Montee Ball was tackled backward into Konz’s left leg. Konz has started every game this season for No. 17 Wisconsin and was widely expected to be a top candidate for the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s top center.
After the game Saturday, head coach Bret Bielema said Konz’s ankle had been re-set and the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Neenah, Wis., native is expected to miss two-to-four weeks. At his weekly Monday press conference, Bielema confirmed that timetable.
“It’s two-to-four weeks,” Bielema said, adding that after the ankle was set, doctors determined there was no structural damage. “He basically came out of it as good as you could possibly hope. His spirits are always upbeat, and my guess is Peter will be back sooner than most people think.”
Redshirt sophomore Ryan Groy will start in Konz’s place. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Groy has filled in on spot duty for UW’s offensive line before, appearing in nine games last year and starting one. In his freshman year in 2010, Groy appeared in all 13 games and started two. However, losing Konz for any period of time figures to be costly for Wisconsin, which now can reach the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game later this month after Ohio State and Penn State lost Saturday.
“I’m extremely excited for Ryan,” Bielema said. “He’s been just a very unselfish player, just has done anything for the team. He really backs up at both guards and the center position. He does a great job as a [blocker] for us on [special teams]. Just a good kid that really wants the challenge. I think he’ll step into this role and really won’t change much of what we’re doing.”
Bielema also offered updates on other injured players, including wide receiver Jared Abbrederis, who appeared to injure his shoulder against Minnesota but will return to practice later this week and should be ready to play Saturday at Illinois. Abbrederis is second on the team with 40 receptions for 641 yards and five touchdowns, and he has also emerged as one of the Big Ten’s top returners, leading the conference with 16.9 yards per punt return and ranking sixth with 23 yards per kickoff return.
The Badgers will, however, be without wide receiver Manasseh Garner, who aggravated a groin injury he initially suffered earlier this season. Garner, a sophomore, was widely expected to compete for the No. 3 receiver spot, though he has been limited to just two games this season.
Defensive end David Gilbert, who suffered a broken bone in his foot prior to the Oct. 1 Big Ten opener against Nebraska, is still not healthy enough to play. Bielema said a medical redshirt is an option for the junior, though a decision will have to be made by the end of this week.
“He just doesn’t have the ability in certain movements with that foot to be pain-free,” Bielema said. “I definitely don’t want to put a kid out there that has a risk of trying to aggravate it again.”
Wilson, Ball sharing Heisman Hype
Though he doesn’t have any university-supported campaign, Ball has begun garnering Heisman Trophy hype due to his consistently remarkable numbers rushing the football.
Ball leads the Big Ten with 1,242 rushing yards on 185 carries (6.7 yards per, also the highest in the conference). The junior running back also has scored 27 touchdowns, the last of which came Saturday against the Gophers and broke the Big Ten single-season record.
Wilson, meanwhile, has had the “RussellManiaXVI” social media campaign powering his Heisman candidacy for most of the season, though it lost significant steam after Wisconsin’s back-to-back losses at Michigan State and Ohio State. The senior quarterback leads the nation in pass efficiency (201.6), yards per attempt (11.1) and ranks second in touchdown-interception ratio (8.3). Against Minnesota, Wilson completed 16 of 17 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns, boosting his completion percentage to 73.4, fourth in the nation.
Bielema, not surprisingly, did not play favorites when asked for his Heisman choice.
“I think they both deserve equal consideration,” Bielema said. “Obviously, it kind of gravitated to Russell first. I think quarterbacks, naturally, when they’re playing well, get the attention, or maybe a little bit quicker.
“Montee, I think everybody kind of came into the season and they thought maybe it was going to be more of a split role between him and James [White]. … Montee isn’t a real vocal kid; he’s not a guy that’s going to grab the headlines for anything other than his play, and that’s exactly what he wants.”
