After suffering a scary head injury last week that left him completely dazed on the field of play against the Alabama Crimson Tide last week, Wisconsin Badgers senior captain Michael Caputo has cleared concussion protocol and will likely play Saturday.
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The news broke after Thursday’s practice when head coach Paul Chryst announced Caputo would suit up and play Saturday when the Miami (OH) Redhawks come to town.
Chryst says senior safety Michael Caputo (head) has been cleared for Saturday #Badgers
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) September 10, 2015
Caputo, the unquestioned leader of this Badgers defense, was missed in a big way against Alabama as the Tide crushed the Badgers up the middle. Caputo is one of the best tacklers on the team, and the Badgers could definitely have used him to shore up the middle of the defense.
Wisconsin Badgers
He will be back this Saturday as Wisconsin looks to rebound from the loss to Alabama and work out the kinks on both offense and defense against Miami.
Clearly, Miami isn’t on the same level as Alabama, so Michael Caputo doesn’t necessarily need to be out on the field every play. That will give some of the younger guys more opportunities to get on the field, and will likely open the door for Tanner McEvoy to play a few more snaps on defense, as it has been reported he’s preparing to play both sides of the ball on Saturday.
Even though Caputo has cleared concussion protocol, it’s probably wise for the Badgers to keep a close eye on him to prevent further injury. Knowing the type of competitor Caputo is, however, it wouldn’t surprise me if he wants to be out there every play of the game.
The Badgers defense will be better Saturday after playing pretty well against Alabama, and Michael Caputo will be a major reason for that.
Next: Michael Caputo the Most Irreplaceable Member of Wisconsin's Defense
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