Coming into the season, everyone knew it was junior tailback Corey Clement’s time to shine.

He had shown flashes of potential within the offense through his first two seasons in a reserve role, averaging an astounding 8.2 yards per carry as the third-string back his freshman season and nearly totaled 1,000 rushing yards as a sophomore backup. Now, after waiting patiently behind the likes of James White and Melvin Gordon for two years, it was finally his turn to lead UW’s rushing attack.

But before the preseason Heisman trophy hopeful could even take his turn on the field, something stood in the way.

In the week of practice before the team’s first regular season game, Clement suffered what was thought to be a hamstring injury and as a result, the running back was limited to just eight carries for 16 yards in his debut as the lead back against Alabama.

But what was already bad news turned into horrible news when the team announced that Clement had a sports hernia and was expected to be out 4-6 weeks following surgery. At this point, the idea of Clement taking a medical redshirt to preserve his season became a real possibility in order to save the junior another year of eligibility.

“I was very close to [redshirting],” Clement said. “But coach and I had a great talk. He said, ‘I don’t want you to even think about redshirting. That’s only going to mess with your mind more.’ It was almost like finding an excuse to get out of the season.”

Just under four weeks after surgery, Clement returned in an exciting way, carrying the ball just 11 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns. And for the first time all season, Wisconsin’s offense looked truly dangerous with its best player back on the field.

Now, Clement says he is continuing to look forward and finish the final stretch of the season in a strong way.

“At this point, I need to think about the rest of the season and possibly next year,” Clement said. “You want to do what you can do this season and roll into next season. You need to see what you can do for the rest of these games.”

While a majority of Wisconsin’s players will tell you the same thing, there is no doubt that there is an overarching question of what could have been if Clement had stayed healthy for the entire season.

Perhaps the Badgers could have made their opener against Alabama a bit more competitive. Perhaps they could have taken care of business against Iowa at home and had a firm grasp on the Big Ten West title.

There is no question starting quarterback Joel Stave would not have had as much pressure to carry the offense on his shoulders, as the quarterback found himself throwing the ball more than 35 times for three straight games. Clement’s presence would have balanced the offensive attack, and no one understands that more the man under center.

“It’s just fun to have one of your better players out on the field again,” Stave said. “To be able to have him back, to see him making cuts we know he can make, breaking runs we know he can break, it’s fun to see.”

But, perhaps the hypothetical can be taken in another direction.

If Clement hadn’t been injured and was healthy and dominating the touches out of the backfield, tailbacks Taiwan Deal and Dare Ogunbowale wouldn’t have emerged like they have this season, which allowed Badger fans to rest easy in regard to the future of the position. Or maybe less passes from Stave would have hindered the progress of wide receivers Robert Wheelwright and Jazz Peavy who have seen more time on the field than ever before in their careers at UW.

Obviously, if coaches, players and fans had it their way, they would want all of their players, including Clement, to be healthy and productive all season — but that’s not how football works.

Guys go down and miss games, but the important thing is knowing that the next man up is ready to fill in and produce. No one has had to learn that lesson more than Clement and the Badgers did this season.

“I just think this transition kind of matured me,” Clement said. “Sometimes you won’t be able to play this game for very long because your body does get beat up throughout this process.”

That maturation has made this team stronger and allowed for guys to take advantage of unexpected opportunities. And now, with the end of the season in sight, these Badgers are optimistic that they can now finish the year strong.

But despite all the trials and tribulations this team has had to face this season, the question will always linger.

What if?