Barry Alvarez knew coming into his final season that the NFL draft had taken his top four defensive linemen from a year ago. What the Badgers' head coach could not have predicted was losing his top two reserves from a year ago as well.
Sophomore defensive end Jamal Cooper will likely be lost for the year after tearing his ACL in Saturday's 14-5 victory over North Carolina, joining fellow sophomore defensive lineman Justin Ostrowski, who remains out indefinitely with a knee injury suffered in pre-season camp on the injured list.
\I'm very concerned,"" Alvarez said at his weekly press conference on Monday. ""That [defensive line] was the area that was hit most by graduation.""
""We all know the four that were drafted. Then you lose one in the summer with the broken leg, then you lose another for how long, I don't know,"" he said.
The lone bright side for the depleted defensive line was news that reserve end Kurt Ware, who was scratched from Saturday's line-up after battling a bout of chicken pox, is expected to be available this week as the Badgers take on Michigan (2-1), ranked No. 13 in the coaches' poll and No. 14 in the writers' poll.
""Kurt Ware is cleared today."" Alvarez said. ""He's been cleared for meetings and practice. We will have him back.""
Heading into the demanding Big Ten schedule, the Badgers (3-0) defensive coordinator Bret Bielema may inquire about the services of junior left tackle Joe Thomas, who played that position in the 2003 Music City Bowl as a freshman. The Badger coaching staff will have to evaluate if the risk of playing their potential All-American is necessary at this point in the season.
When presented with the idea, Alvarez would not reveal his thoughts this early in the week.
""There's no one on the waiver wire that we've pulled off yet,"" Alvarez said. ""We'll just have to go with the ones we have.""
While many Badger fans appear eager to see Thomas on the other side of the ball, junior quarterback John Stocco has second thoughts about his blind-side protection playing both ways against Michigan.
""I don't know if I'd like it, him going and playing defense a little bit,"" Stocco said, who completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards against UNC. ""But I think that just speaks volumes about him. He's just willing to do anything to help this team.""
Though the injury to Copper was a significant blow to the entire defensive unit, Alvarez applauded the play of his inexperienced players who stepped in and played well last week, namely sophomore Nick Hayden and true freshman Matthew Shaughnessy, who filled in for the injured Cooper.
""I'm very pleased with how our guys have responded,"" Alvarez said. ""Injuries are a part of football and you have to deal with it and try to get the point across that when someone goes down, the expectations don't lower.""
""You expect whoever fills in to hold up their end of the bargain, and that's what I saw last week. I was very impressed,"" he said.
Hayden, an All-American from Arrowhead High School, emphasized that the expectations of this season have not changed, even with the injuries that have plagued the line thus far.
""The [expectations] don't change."" Hayden said. ""You just got to play to your potential, and if you do that, play hard every snap, we'll be fine.\
