Wisconsin Football Injury Report vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

RB Bradrick Shaw

I feel like Shaw is just inches away from being on the field.  His progress on the injury report has to be a sign that we will see Shaw before the end of the year.  Jonathan Taylor, Taiwan Deal, and Garrett Groshek have run the ball well this year but is not a certainty that all three will make to the end of the season healthy.  Running back is a high injury prone position and exactly why teams need at least three players they can rely on to handle the ball.

Wisconsin’s backs are as durable as they come but you never know when an injury will pop up.  Having Shaw return to the lineup will give Wisconsin another reliable running back that can alleviate the damage as well as carry the ball with confidence.  I believe within the next two weeks we will see Shaw receiving hand-offs from Alex Hornibrook.

CB Faion Hicks

Hicks was dealing with a thumb injury the last two weeks and is now working through a leg injury he suffered last weekend.  Jim Leonhard has consistently put Hicks on the opposing team’s best receivers, exhibiting the level of trust Leonhard has in his redshirt freshman corner.  Hicks possesses the strength to be physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage as well as the speed to hold up in coverage.  He just needs to show those abilities on a more consistent basis.  When he does he could make some noise throughout the Big Ten for years to come.

If Hicks does not play I expect Rachad Wildgoose to receive plenty of opportunities.  Wildgoose held up in coverage quite well last week against Michigan’s talented wide receivers.  It was a bit of a surprise to see a true freshman play that well in such a hostile environment. A surprise the coaching staff loved to see.  The ability for the young corners to fill in when someone goes down has me excited for how great the Wisconsin secondary could be down the road.