After six quarters of coping with a number of injuries to the front seven, the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers will hit the field Saturday against Minnesota with defensive ends Erasmus James and Jonathan Welsh back on the starting roster.

Before the premier threats in the Badger pass rush succumbed to injury against the Boilermakers Oct. 16, Wisconsin allowed an average of just 1.5 points per quarter. In the final half against Purdue and in the subsequent matchup with Northwestern Oct. 23, they surrendered just over 4.8 with much of the opposing offensive productivity arriving in the critical closing moments of the game.

Now Wisconsin looks to reestablish its defensive dominance against the Golden Gophers, sporting a healthy, and once again formidable, front four.

“I think that we’ll be full force by Saturday,” defensive coordinator Bret Bielema said. “They’re out there practicing doing what they need to do and I think the off week couldn’t have come at a better time for us.”

Another factor contributing to the timeliness of the team’s midseason break involves Minnesota’s infamous backfield duo, sophomore Lawrence Maroney and Junior Marion Barber III. In addition to the blistering speed both backs bring to the field, the consistent presence of a potential playmaker on every snap creates a need for a healthy run defense.

“They’re always able to do some things just because they always have those fresh legs, they’re always a step above everybody else,” Bielema said. “They don’t have the normal [backfield] wear and tear in the football game that other teams go through. So, it’s kind of a situation where you just gotta be up to the speed of the game on every snap.”

Though the return of James and Welsh greatly bolsters the integrity of the Badger run defense, a degree of concern remains that the pair will be unable to re-establish their speed so soon after returning from injury. The ability of the Wisconsin line to pursue opponents out of the backfield will undergo an arduous inquiry, conducted by the fleet-footed Gopher tandem.

After rest, rehab and a little reservation heading into practice this week, coaches and defensive captains are gaining confidence in the ability of James and Welsh to deliver at a level on par with their performance prior to sitting out.

“They’re getting to where they need to be,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “Obviously when you get back from an injury like that you’re going to be a little hesitant. These last couple weeks, [the coaches are] just trying to get those guys back into the flow and get them back to game speed so they can hit this weekend running.”

On another note, middle linebacker Reggie Cribbs is also showing signs of a return to action Saturday. According to coaches, Cribbs remains questionable to start but has displayed notable improvement and appears likely to contribute in some capacity against Minnesota.

“He’s definitely going to be in the mix,” Bielema said. “It depends what he looks like in the next two days of practice to determine what he’s going to do on Saturday.”

For much of the season, Cribbs led the Badger defense in tackles. After missing back-to-back games, he now sits seventh on the team leaders board with 32. While the desire to get back on the field and contribute to the Badgers’ defensive success drives the young linebacker, Cribbs has another reason for relishing his return to action.

“Me and ‘Tez (weak side linebacker Dontez Sanders), we’ve been battling about [tackle totals] all year,” Cribbs said. “He says I’m not going to catch up but I guarantee I’m going to catch up by the time the season is over.”

But is the gap insurmountable? With 53 tackles on the year, Sanders now holds a comfortable lead of 21 tackles over the sophomore middle linebacker.

“Yeah, I know. I can make that up,” Cribbs remarked with a smile.

With the return of starters to the Wisconsin defense, stand-in ends Joe Monty and Jamal Cooper will once more occupy their roles as reserves. While it’s extremely difficult to compensate for the loss of the Badgers’ starting ends, the play of the backup lineman has been instrumental in Wisconsin weathering two potent offensive attacks.

True freshman Andy Crooks, who filled in for Cribbs against Northwestern and Purdue, also performed with poise from the ‘mike’ linebacker slot. In his two starts, Crooks registered 11 tackles and performed well in protecting the passing lanes against two of the best aerial attacks in the Big Ten.

“I think going into that Northwestern game everybody was making a big deal because ‘Raz (James) was out, but there were three people out in that ballgame,” Bielema said. “[Our guys] have been challenged during the course of the season to step up. They basically did what they needed to do in that Northwestern game to get the job done.”

While the three-week rest afforded James, Welsh and Cribbs an opportunity to get healthy, the bye week is not exclusively beneficial to those midseason casualties. Many other players, showing signs of wear after several weeks of gritty Big Ten battles, equally relished the opportunity to rest in preparation for the home stretch.

“A lot of guys on the field are banged up,” cornerback Brett Bell said before the bye week. “Anttaj (Hawthorne) is banged up, I’m banged up, Scott (Starks) is banged up, Jimmy (Leonhard) is banged up — a lot of guys are hurt.”

“We’ve had eight weeks, plus camp, of grueling football,” Cribbs said. “The week off came at a perfect time; people are not only fresh mentally, but physically for us as well.”

With the Wisconsin defense resembling its former self, the unbeaten Badgers head into the home stretch looking to dodge an upset at the hands of their final three Big Ten opponents. Barring further injury, this past week marked the final rest stop for the defensive starters until the close of their conference schedule Nov. 20.