In addition to somehow pulling out consecutive top-10 wins, injuries have been another major Badger storyline thus far as UW tries to find a way to stay in contention for the Big Ten title.
The Badgers seem to add more names to the injury report each week, but despite this, the Badgers still own an impressive record. From the beginning of the 2016 campaign, few pundits believed in the Wisconsin Badgers’ chances this season, and with the injury bug striking, their doubt has only continued to manifest itself. Still, head coach Paul Chryst’s team continues to succeed against the odds.
First, news broke that junior kicker Rafael Gaglianone would miss the rest of the season due to back surgery. Days later, reports came in that Vince Biegel would miss 2-4 weeks with a foot fracture.
As for the kicker position, senior Andrew Endicott has taken over field goal duties. The more opportunities he receives, the more confident the coaches and the senior will be going forward into big-game situations.
As for Biegel’s injury, the Badgers will have to utilize some combination of Garret Dooley and Zack Baun to fill Biegel’s void. Be on the lookout for the coaches to shuffle players in-and-out during the upcoming weeks in order to find the best combination of linebackers in Beigel's absence.
Running back Corey Clement has also not been 100 percent since obtaining an ankle injury against Georgia State. Potentially losing Clement’s playmaking ability and leadership would be detrimental as the season begins its stretch run.
As the season moves forward, it is important to not forget that the Badgers have a recent history with injury-filled seasons. Since last year alone, UW players such as George Panos, Arthur Goldberg, Dan Voltz and Walker Williams have had their college football careers cut short due to various injuries.
As the Badgers move forward, it is up to the medical staff and coaches to prevent more veteran players from spending time on the sidelines next to Gaglianone,
