A mid-season break is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Badgers.
With many players still nursing injuries caused in the previous weeks’ games, Wisconsin is looking to use this weekend’s open date to get healthy before Michigan comes to town on Nov. 17.
“Like most teams this time of year, we’re beat up and can really use this open date to hopefully get some guys back on the field, or get some guys back to 100 percent,” UW head coach Barry Alvarez said.
Most notably UW needs to get healthy under center. Brooks Bollinger led Wisconsin to a victory over the Hawkeyes with 262 passing yards, but he did it while still nursing from a pulled groin he suffered against Illinois.
Following last Saturday’s game, Bollinger said that he couldn’t assess what percent he was playing at against Iowa, but that it definitely was not 100 percent. The junior also admitted that his goal was not to aggravate the injury further, as he could feel the muscles tightening up during the game.
Bollinger fought through the pain Saturday, in part to the fact this his backup, Jim Sorgi, was also out with an injury. Sorgi was still recovering from the concussion he suffered against Michigan State on Saturday. The sophomore quarterback also refrained from his place-holding duties against the Hawkeyes.
Another notable injured player on the offense is wide receiver Nick Davis. The senior left the field during the second quarter on Saturday and didn’t return to action for the remainder of the game. During his post-game comments Alvarez said that Davis sprained his ankle, but that it wasn’t expected to keep him out of the Michigan game in two weeks.
Punter R.J Morse also hobbled off the field Saturday. Alvarez said that the special teams player apparently pulled a muscle when he tangled up with the Hawkeyes’ players. Wisconsin’s head coach said that, like Davis, Morse’s injury was said to be nothing serious.
However, the injuries are serious on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive line has been hit hard all season, with different players going in and out of the lineup, and injuries to Darius Jones (hand) and Delante McGrew (knee) earlier in the season took them out of the lineup for the remainder of the season.
While the week off won’t mend the season-ending injuries to Jones and McGrew, it will help the other players.
“We want to get healthy,” Alvarez said. “We [will] try to use this week to give our guys a few days off, get some extra treatments.”
Spartan’s Dortch still ailing: Over two weeks after Michigan State’s Tyrell Dortch broke his leg in the Badgers’ endzone while trying to prevent Lee Evans’ touchdown, the Spartan still remains in Madison.
With his expended visit due to the serious injury, Wisconsin players and coaches have taken several trips to the hospital to visit with MSU’s cornerback. The visits were initiated by Anthony Davis, who knew Dortch from high school.
“I didn’t realize that [Dortch] and Anthony Davis competed against each other in high school and they were good friends,” Alvarez said. “Anthony got a group of guys together and they went over (to the hospital the day following the injury) and spent some time with him. I know some of our other players have gone over since.”
Alvarez also said that he and some other members of the football staff have made visits to Dortch, as well as with his mother.
“He’s a fine young man and I think that’s the least we can do,” Alvarez said.
