Expected to fill the shoes of All-American Heisman finalist Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin’s Corey Clement has been barely able to get out of bed thus far this season.
In the opener against Alabama last weekend, Clements aggravated a groin injury and was limited to 12 yards on six carries in the Badgers’ loss to the Tide. A week later, the running back won’t even get the opportunity to match that production as he will not dress for this afternoon’s game against Miami (Ohio), the school confirmed Saturday morning.
Clements originally suffered the injury during practice leading into Week 1. Earlier this week, Clements intimated that he and the medical staff may err on the side of caution when it comes to Week 2.
“I have to come in and be smart, mature and not only think about myself but for the [best interests] of the team,” Clement said. “You don’t want to put the team under any more stress of when I’m going to come back. ... I want them to feel comfortable and be able to rely on me that I’m going to make the best decision for myself.”
Given the schedule, erring on the side of caution would be doable moving forward if they so desire. Following today’s game, UW will play host to Troy and Hawaii before opening Big Ten play in Madison Oct. 3 against Iowa.
With Clements sidelined, Dare Ogunbowale, a former defensive back, and redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal will carry the bulk of the Badgers’ running game load. Ogunbowale ran for 193 yards as the No. 3 option last season, while Deal ran for 14 yards last week in the first action of his career. Ogunbowale was limited to nine yards on three carries against the Tide as the Badgers managed just 40 yards rushing as a team and averaged less than two yards per carry.