Wisconsin football: Badgers hoping to get healthy during bye week

A look at how the Wisconsin Badgers plan to use their bye week to prepare for the final four weeks of the regular season.

The Wisconsin Badgers head into their bye week with some momentum after beating Purdue on Saturday. The game featured better play in all three phases of the game and the Badgers are now back to .500 on the season with a chance to secure bowl eligibility by winning at least two of their final four remaining games. 

This season, the bye week comes at an ideal time for Wisconsin, as the team has several key players dealing with injuries.

So while the Badgers will undoubtedly begin preparation for November 5 versus Maryland, the overwhelming consensus from Jim Leonhard and the players was that the bye week will be crucial for getting healthy for the final stretch of the season. That makes sense considering Wisconsin was without 11 players against Purdue on Saturday (18 including players out for the season).

Wisconsin interim head coach Jim Leonhard has made subtle changes to practice to help keep players fresh over the past two weeks.  :: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

For some players that will mean extra time to rehab. For example, the next two weeks will be important for regular contributors such as running back Chez Mellusi (wrist), tight end Hayden Rucci (right leg), and defensive end Isaiah Mullens (right leg) to make progress toward a potential return. All three have missed the past couple of weeks and would instantly help if healthy. 

For others, such as right tackle Riley Mahlman, the bye week will afford him extra practice reps. The 6-foot-9 offensive lineman hurt his knee against Illinois State in the home opener and finally made a return this past Saturday against Purdue as a jumbo-tight end. 

The initial starter at right tackle this season, Mahlman told media members after the Purdue game that "it feels like I've been waiting forever, and just to finally see the football field again, it's awesome." Still knocking off some rust after missing six-straight games, Mahlman told All Badgers, "I feel pretty good. I'd say dang near 100% healthy, but you know there's still football shape and you've got to get back to playing. So I'd say I'm definitely not completely back, but I think this bye week is going to be huge for me to get a lot of snaps this week and be back at 100%."

Mahlman is not alone. Head coach Jim Leonhard has stated that starting safety Hunter Wohler is close to returning as well. The sophomore has missed the better part of the season with a leg injury, but Wohler is expected to use the bye week to work his way back into shape and earn some practice reps. 

Starting safety Hunter Wohler (No. 24) is getting closer to a return for the Wisconsin Badgers.  :: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

At this point of the season, most players are a little banged up. However, the bye week should help players get back closer to 100%, even if they have been able to play through some pain. 

Along the offensive line, Tyler Beach was limited to playing tight end for two games due to injury. He was able to gut it out against Purdue, but both he and Tanor Bortolini have been playing through some pain this season. 

Running back Braelon Allen left the game on Saturday briefly for an X-ray on his shoulder. While he did return and make a 39-yard reception later in the game, the bye week should allow him to heal and stay fresh. Allen has had to carry the ball a bit more during the past few games with Chez Mellusi out, and had this to say about the bye week after the Purdue game:

"I think it came at the perfect time. A lot of guys are having a little bit of, not really injuries, but are definitely beat up a little bit. Some things that aren't too serious that the bye week will help with. Just having time to get your legs back underneath you and just take a break, and you know come back in two weeks."

Defensively, the safety Kamo'i Latu has been playing with a club on one of his hands and he came out of the Purdue game at one point. Nose tackle Keeanu Benton has also come in and out of games at times recently due to injury, and he told reporters on Saturday night that the bye week will allow the team to "just to get our bodies back under us, get our mind right, and come back ready to play." 

The inside linebacker position has had some injuries pop up too. Sophomore linebacker Jake Chaney noted that it has been hard to practice at times recently with the number of injuries, saying, "it's definitely tough. We have our inside run periods and they're so limited now because everybody's banged up."

At outside linebacker, Nick Herbig was held out of the game versus Purdue with an injury. The junior star is expected to be back for the Maryland game, but it is just another example of the bye week coming at a good time for the Badgers. 

So while the Wisconsin coaching staff plans to hit the recruiting trail hard and have some big-picture conversations with players this week. The main focus is everyone getting healthy with four key conference games upcoming in November. 

Wisconsin HC Jim Leonhard on the decision to rest Nick Herbig vs. Purdue and the play of Darryl Peterson/Kaden Johnson at OLB pic.twitter.com/zcwQuq4IDr

— Matt Belz (@savedbythebelz) October 23, 2022

Related links:

• Recruiting visitors on campus for Wisconsin vs. Purdue
• Wisconsin versus Purdue game recap
• Game notes and top plays from Wisconsin vs. Purdue

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