That whole post a couple of posts down regarding Wisconsin being hopeful about getting Corey Clement back for the Big 10 opener two Saturdays from now? Forget about it. Pretend it never happened.
In a press release, Wisconsin announced that Clement will be forced to undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia. Clement was thought to have originally suffered the injury in the season-opening loss to Alabama; however, it was bothering him even before then.
As a result of the surgery, the running back will be sidelined for a period of 4-6 weeks.
“Corey has been dealing with some issues since before the Alabama game,” head coach Paul Chryst said in a statement. “He has been undergoing treatment since that time and has seen some progress but not to the point where our medical staff is satisfied. So after consultation with our medical staff, Corey has decided to have surgery for a sports hernia.
“I feel bad for Corey that this is impacting his season because I know how hard he works and how important this football team is to him. We are very confident that he will make a full recovery after the surgery and I know he will attack his rehab so he can get back on the field as soon as he can.”
If Clement can return in four weeks, he’d miss games against Hawaii, Iowa, Nebraska and Purdue, possibly returning for the Oct. 24 game against Illinois. The six-week timeline would have him missing those five games plus the Oct. 31 game against Rutgers, returning for the Maryland game Nov. 7. He’d already missed the last two games because of the issue.
Clement is a true junior, meaning he could technically take a redshirt this season, then return in 2016 with two years of eligibility remaining. However, there’s also the chance that this injury scare will push him into foregoing his remaining eligibility and making himself available for the NFL draft next year.
With Clement sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Badgers’ running game hopes will fall on the shoulders of Dare Ogunbowale, a converted defensive back, and redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal. The former has rushed for a team-leading 196 yards in three games, while the latter is next at 143.