Wisconsin’s offensive line is once again heading into a Saturday with more questions than answers, and the latest injury report only sharpens the uncertainty before the Badgers meet Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.
The biggest surprise came on Wednesday night: fifth-year senior Barrett Nelson was listed as doubtful. Nelson started at right guard in Wisconsin’s Week 8 win over No.
16 USC, but now he joins running back Nate Palmer as the only Badgers carrying a doubtful tag ahead of the Week 9 showdown. Palmer has not played since Week 5 against Michigan State.
Nelson’s first appearance of the season came at exactly the kind of moment Wisconsin has spent all year chasing-when the staff is still searching for the best five to keep quarterback Colton Joseph upright and help the run game get rolling. Against USC, the Badgers did a decent job creating movement on the ground, but Joseph was under fire often, taking nine pressures on 18 drop-backs.
His spot effectively came at the expense of PJ Wilkins, who had been tried at three different positions this fall: left tackle, right tackle and right guard. He was pulled from the starting lineup Saturday night in Madison.
If Nelson can’t go, though, Wilkins may be back in the mix. Wisconsin clearly hasn’t wanted to put backup center Ryan Cory in a starting role there, even though Cory stepped in for injured starter Austin Kawecki in the second half against Michigan State and performed well. The Badgers would rather slide Stylz Blackmon over to center than hand Cory the job from the opening snap.
That leaves Wisconsin with a couple of likely paths along the line if Nelson is unavailable. One setup would have, from left to right, Kevin Heywood, Colin Cubberly, Blackmon, Wilkins and Emerson Mandell. Another would keep the same left side and right side but insert Cory at center: Heywood, Cubberly, Cory, Blackmon, Mandell.
There is also Blake Cherry, the Arkansas transfer, though that looks like a longer shot. Cherry last logged snaps in Week 2, with 38 at right guard against Notre Dame and 19 more at right guard against Western Illinois, and he has not seen the field since.
However Wisconsin sorts it out, the challenge is obvious. This is not the week for instability up front. The Badgers need to run the ball to have a real shot, and Iowa enters ranked fifth nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 82.9 yards per game.
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For Wisconsin, the concern is as much about depth and lineup continuity as it is about any one name on the sheet. Recent playing time and injury updates suggest both teams are juggling personnel at important spots, but the Badgers attention will be on whether they can get enough stability in the backfield and along the line before facing an Iowa defense that is dealing with its own availability questions. [Read more 🡒]