Wisconsin’s defensive line was dealt a tough blow this week as it has been announced starting nose tackle Olive Sagapolu will miss the remainder of the 2018 season with an arm injury that requires surgery.
Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst announced the injury news on Thursday as his team is preparing for a road trip to Penn State in which starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook also remains questionable due to a head injury.
“He’s been great how he’s handling it, but you feel bad for him,” Chryst told reporters, according to Madison.com. “He was playing really good, and he’s done that for a long time.”
Sagapolu was injured in Wisconsin’s loss to Northwestern two weeks ago and he missed last week’s home game against Rutgers. Unfortunately, the time off did not yield the results Wisconsin trainers had hoped and the decision was made it would be best for the senior lineman to undergo surgery to get his arm taken care of before he attempts moving to the next level.
Bryson Williams will continue to fill in for the injured starter. Williams made his first career start last week against Rutgers and will plug the hole at nose tackle for the remainder of Wisconsin’s schedule as the Badgers look to remain in contention for the Big Ten West Division.
Sagapolu appeared in eight games this season and recorded 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks.