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Wisconsin Football: Individual Players to Watch vs. Northwestern

By Noah Seligman

EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 05: The offense for the Wisconsin Badgers prepares to take on the defense of the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 5, 2016 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 05: The offense for the Wisconsin Badgers prepares to take on the defense of the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 5, 2016 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Bradrick Shaw, RB Wisconsin

Bradrick Shaw entered the 2017 season as the expected starting RB for Badger football.  Wisconsin football said goodbye to seniors Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale.  There were carries and catches to be had.

But Shaw as the alpha or lead dog or bell cow or (whatever) did not last through the season opener.  True freshman Jonathan Taylor had an impressive debut in his first college game against Utah State.

Related Story: Wisconsin Football Breakout Candidate Bradrick Shaw

Taylor has continued his purple patch and is currently the leading rusher in the Big Ten.  Well depending on how you measure it.  Two running backs have more than Taylor’s 438 rushing yards.  However, those two backs (Barkley and J.K. Dobbins from The Ohio State) have played in four games.

Taylor’s 438 yards on 53 carries averages out to a healthy 8.3 yards per rush.  His rushing average of 146 yards per game is the highest in the conference.

But it isn’t just Taylor’s emergence that’s thwarted Shaw’s rise.  Shaw picked up a leg injury in training that has limited his usage.  For the season, Shaw has just 109 rushing yards on 22 attempts and a single touchdown.

The good news is Shaw appears fully healthy after the bye week.  They’ll need him and Chris James to help keep Taylor fresh and healthy all year long.

After all, the Badgers biggest home game is in November against Michigan.  A few weeks later they of course hope to be in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game.  You need contributions from down the depth chart to ensure the true freshman star isn’t exhausted the conference grind.

Hopefully Wisconsin fans will see some flashes from Shaw on Saturday.