In welcome news for Badger fans, after what will be a three-week layoff Paul Chryst and the 1-0 Wisconsin Badgers are set to take the field on Saturday against Jim Harbaugh and the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines.
It’s been a tough couple of weeks in Badger land, as the team opened the season with a dominant 45-7 victory Illinois, experienced a COVID-19 outbreak within the program, saw two of their games canceled and had to wait until just recently to return to the field for normal preparation.
“They’ve been rough,” junior inside linebacker Jack Sanborn said when meeting with the media today. “To start it up this week, we’re all really excited about the opportunity we have at hand.”
Wide receiver Kendric Pryor shared Sanborn’s sentiment, saying the excitement is real and “the energy has been great. Everybody came out there today and yesterday with great energy and focused because two games got taken away just like that.”
When Sanborn, Pryor and the Badgers do end up taking the field on Saturday, it’s likely they’ll do so without some of the players we saw start for the team in Week 1.
Related: Can Graham Mertz play this Saturday?
While who will or how many players will miss the game is unknown, Pryor and Sanborn both shared three words about the current situation: “Next man up.”
Pryor, up first in the presser, said they will go into Ann Arbor with the guys they have, and both he and his team are confident they can come away with a victory.
When asked about whether redshirt freshman Graham Mertz will play, or what it would be like without him on the field, Pryor responded by saying “I feel confident. I’m obviously not sure about Mertz’s situation, but I’m confident in whoever goes out there.”
Sanborn practically mirrored Pryor’s sentiment surrounding the current situation, noting that no matter who misses the game, whoever plays is there for a reason.
The team’s attitude? “Next man up.”
Related: 3 things to watch for against Michigan this weekend
The depth chart aside, preparing for Saturday’s game has been unlike anything the players have experienced to date. During a normal season, even with bye weeks, they are able to meet in-person, practice and have normal workout routines.
Now, given they’ve been back in quarantine and unable to practice together, Sanborn praised the team’s attitude and mindset over the last few weeks and entering the week of practice.
“From what I’ve seen our team has approached it really well,” Sanborn said. “Each week it’s ‘on to the next week, who’s our opponent.’ I think we’ve had a good mindset and approach to it.”
Pryor noted that this is just another form of adversity that usually comes with a football season, just obviously this adversity is team-wide and not specific to a single player.
He finished by saying it isn’t about what you go through, as nobody will feel sorry for them going into quarantine and missing two games. “It’s about how you battle back from it,” Pryor said.
The Badgers will take the field in Ann Arbor this Saturday at 6:30 central. Whether they do so without key pieces is yet to be seen, but the team is confident about their preparation and who will play, and is excited about the opportunity to return (again) to playing football.
Stay tuned to BadgersWire all week as we preview the Michigan contest and follow the news of who will be able to put pads on and take the field.