Injuries have been devastating
This issue is accredited more to bad luck than anything else. The nature of the beast that is tackle football means players will get injured. Every team in the country is experiencing bad injury luck to some extent. I find it hard to believe most teams have seen the kind of attrition Wisconsin has.
The Badgers have played significant snaps without key defenders at all three levels this year. The list of names includes both stars and their reserves. The defensive troubles that followed were inevitable. For a unit that already was looking at having a tough season, injuries made everything worse.
There is a silver lining to this, and that’s the experience being gained by the underclassmen on the defensive side of the ball. Guys like Rachad Wildgoose and Reggie Pearson Jr. have shown glimpses of what the future of the secondary will look like. And it’s bright.
As we come down the home stretch of the season the goal for these players is just to remain healthy. The season isn’t exactly lost, but it just feels like we can’t wait to get it over with. I would hate to see any other Badgers suffer injuries that will affect them beyond just this season.