Wisconsin Football: 5 Questions Following the Bye Week
By Jim Oxley
Robert Wheelwright checks with the referee against Hawaii. Jim Oxley photo
Will we see Austin Traylor or Robert Wheelwright before the bowl season?
The Badgers have been missing two of their more important offensive weapons this season. the biggest shame is, both Austin Traylor and Robert Wheelwright were off to impressive starts this year, and were truly breakout players after each contributed very little to the passing game a season ago.
Wisconsin Badgers
Last year, Traylor caught three passes for 34 total yards. The year before? No catches.
This year, Traylor dedicated himself to improving his pass-catching abilities in the off season, and the results payed off. Over the first five games of the year, Traylor caught 10 passes and made himself known in the red zone, grabbing three touchdowns. At the time, he led the team in that category.
He suffered an injury in the Iowa game, and has yet to return. He did begin practicing over the bye week, and looks like he could be back against Northwestern.
Wheelwright also was out to a breakout start before getting injured. Last year, Wheelwright caught one pass for 17 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota. He caught two passes for nine yards the year prior.
This season, Wheelwright has 28 catches for 369 yards and a team-high four touchdowns. That’s while missing the Hawaii game and getting injured against Illinois, which led to his missing the past two games. He’s still second on the team in terms of yardage, behind only Alex Erickson, and third on the team in total receptions, behind Erickson and Dare Ogunbowale.
At his press conference this week, Paul Chryst said Traylor was working hard to get back on the field this week, while Wheelwright will not play against Northwestern. If the Badgers can get both back for the post-season, their chances of winning a bowl game will be that much higher.
Next: Will Corey Clement ever get fully healthy?