For junior running back Corey Clement, there are still plenty of question marks surrounding his availability for Saturday’s matchup against Hawaii as the tailback continues to nurse a groin injury he suffered in the week of practice before Alabama.

But despite managing a total of just eight carries through the first three games of the 2015 season, there is no question surrounding Clement’s attitude as he remains sidelined.

He’s staying positive, his teammates said.

“He’s excited to get back onto the field,” redshirt junior running back Dare Ogunbowale said. “I’d say he’s still the same Corey — still positive and excited for mine and Taiwan [Deal’s] success that we’ve been having, and I can’t wait to get him back on the field too.”

UW did not make Clement available to the media this week.

But the question of whether or not Clement will play this Saturday is still an important one, despite the success of his backups.

As of Tuesday, running backs coach John Settle is still unaware of Clement’s status for Saturday, but he said the junior is starting to run on land and do some cutting as they remain cautious on the back’s progress.

The coaches and trainers plan to have a good idea Thursday of whether the running back will be ready to go this weekend or not.

“We don’t want to make any hasty decisions that prolongs this thing,” Settle said. “If [Clement] feels like he’s ready to go, then we’ll push him and see what it looks like. But as of today, the plan is to see where he is on Thursday.”

Thursday being Clement’s official day of evaluation, he will have just two days of practice to prepare for Saturday’s contest.

Settle said a lot of running backs lose a bit of the timing with the blockers and ball handling after being absent for awhile, so whether two days of practice will be enough preparation for Clement is still a question Settle is considering.

The most important thing in preparing Clement for gameplay, according to Settle, is to make sure he is physically seasoned.

“He really hasn’t been hit,” Settle said. “I know he got a few reps in the Alabama game, but how he will be over the course of time, once he gets a few reps under his belt, is something to look for.”

Should Clement be declared active for Saturday’s game, he will start, but will likely be on a pitch count. The plan would be to get him a few reps, get him knocked around a bit and then let Ogunbowale and Deal finish the game, said Settle.

But if Clement remains inactive this week, there is little concern about him remaining out for the start of the Big Ten season.

“At this point, we are hoping to have him back for sure for [Iowa],” Settle said. “I think the trainers are promising us that.”

And whenever that day is that Clement returns, the team will be more than happy to welcome him back into the lineup.

“We’d like to have him back,” Settle said. “I know offensively, with the offensive line, they would love to block for him, but we are going to take our time and make sure he’s ready.”