Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon expected to play Saturday vs. Western Illinois
By Mike Marteny
Wisconsin’s opening week loss to LSU was especially painful for running back Melvin Gordon. He also suffered a hip flexor injury in the second half of that game.
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One could argue that his injury played a key role in the LSU comeback. Gordon had just three carries in the second half, one of those being a 63 yard romp on the opening play of the half. He had just two carries for -2 yards over the course of the rest of the game. Meaning that when the Badgers needed to control the clock the most, Gordon was not able to help. We all know what happened after that. LSU scored 15 unanswered points for the win.
ESPN has reported that Melvin Gordon will play in the Badgers’ home opener on September 6th against Western Illinois. The 21 year old junior was a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker award last year, and was expected to play an even larger role in the offense this year.
Although he only had three second half carries against the Tigers, he still finished the game with 16 carries for 140 yards against one of the better defenses in the SEC.
Defensive lineman Konrad Zagzebski is also expected to play for the Badgers in their home opener. The senior left the LSU game in the first quarter after taking a hit to the head and neck. He was taken to the hospital for observation, but luckily did not suffer a major injury.
Expect sophomore running back Corey Clement to still get some work in against Western Illinois. While Gordon will play, hip flexors can be serious injuries, so the Badgers won’t want to overwork him.