MADISON - Wisconsin’s second game of the season came with a growing injury list, and it touched several spots on the field.
Wide receiver Malachi Coleman and linebacker Mason Posa both left the Badgers’ 36-9 win over Western Illinois with injuries. Posa, according to coach Luke Fickell, could have returned if the situation had required it, while Coleman could not.
Quarterback Colton Joseph was also dealing with some soreness after absorbing a heavy hit in the previous game. Fickell said Joseph was “a little dinged up from last weekend,” and added that running back Abu Sama III may have picked up “a little bit of a ding on the shoulder.”
Those issues come on top of first-team offensive lineman Emerson Mandell still being sidelined as he continues to recover from an injury suffered in fall camp.
Joseph, the Old Dominion transfer who has been Wisconsin’s expected starter since January, was not ready to practice on Tuesday, Fickell said. He took a significant shot in the Badgers’ 41-13 loss to then-No. 5 Notre Dame.
“Still a little bit sore from a shot he took for Wednesday,” Fickell said. “So we knew going out there tonight, he was going to have to take a little bit more time to get loosened up. … Throwing the ball down the field, during the week, we had kind of taken off of his plate.”
Even with that limitation, Joseph stayed in until the penultimate drive and finished 12 of 22 for 172 yards. Ryan Hopkins took over for the final possession and handled it on the ground, gaining 11 yards on three carries without attempting a pass.
Sama made the early damage count in a hurry. He broke loose for a 72-yard touchdown run and later ripped off a 31-yard carry, but after three carries in the first three minutes, he finished with only five more attempts over the remaining 57 minutes.
Coleman’s injury came in the second quarter while he was going up for a deep throw from Joseph. UW sports information said during the game that it was an upper-body injury.
Posa left in the third quarter and walked off under his own power after being checked by the training staff on the field.
“It’s a part of the game,” Fickell said. “I think that’s where you talk about guys like Carson Van Dinter.
You talk about guys like Liam [Danitz] and Nick Clayton. And Posa goes down, and Tommy Heiberger is ready to roll right back in there.”
Wisconsin held a comfortable lead for most of the second half, with Western Illinois’ closest push trimming the margin to 14 points before the Badgers answered with another touchdown about five minutes later.
“This is going to be a long year, and a part of this growth is how do we get these guys in a position that we don’t have to count on Cooper Catalano, Mason Posa to play all 60, 65, 70 snaps,” Fickell said.
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