Geez, Friday sure took a long time to get here. Here are your Badger Bits for Friday, September 17th!
After learning that the team will be two wide receivers short on Saturday, the team received some positive news: linebacker Chris Borland will return to the starting lineup for this weekend's game against Arizona State. Borland's return after aggravating his shoulder against UNLV will mark the first time this season that both Borland and fellow sophomore linebacker Mike Taylor will see the field together. Taylor's ACL injury last year paved the way for Borland to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but because of various injuries they have not played together.
With Borland's return, either Blake Sorenson or Culmer St. Jean will lose a bit of playing time. The decision was made harder for head coach Bret Bielema last week, however, when Sorenson posted a solid performance with seven tackles and an interception. It appears for the time being that St. Jean might lose the most time, according to Bielema:
"We'd really like to be able to get Culmer maybe subbed out a little bit," Bielema said, "and especially in this type of game when you're talking 80 to 100 snaps. We definitely have to make sure our personnel is fresh on defense."
Either way, Wisconsin will be boasting their full linebacking corps for the first time this season.
More Badger Bits after the jump!
In non-football news (believe it or not, there are other sports this time of year), Penn State will soon announce that they are adding both Men's and Women's Division-1 hockey in the next couple of years. The addition of PSU means that six Big Ten schools will have D-1 hockey, which is enough teams to form a new conference. According to Andy Baggot of Madison.com, this means that the Badger's time in the WCHA my be running out.
Speaking of Badger Hockey, the men's team will be at the Badger Bash this Saturday before the football game. They'll be at the Engineering Mall from 1-2, so if you're in the area go see them!
You can get Bret Bielema's take on the upcoming game at UWBadgers.com or just by clicking here. Up to you.
UWBadgers.com has everything you'll need to know (and much more) about Saturdays game on their Gameweek Guide.
And here's some very exciting news: ESPN's Sportsnation with Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle will be in Madison next Monday, the 20th, for their first stop of their Big Ten road trip! John Clay and Bret Bielema will be interviewed, and so will the raddest, baddest badger in the land: Bucky! The show will be broadcasted live from 3-4 PM on the Memorial Union terrace, and students and fans are encouraged to show up. I know I'll be there!
That's it for me today- Kickoff is tomorrow at 2:30, and you can watch from home on ABC. Check back to B5Q for gamethreads and post game reaction!