Jazz Peavy taking “some time away;” Chikwe Obasih questionable vs. Illinois

MADISON — The No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers released their preliminary injury report to reporters on Monday morning.

Wide receiver Jazz Peavy is listed as out for the game, as he had been also denoted for Saturday’s win against Maryland.

“He’s working through his ankle injury and also is going to take some time away to work through some personal things,” head coach Paul Chryst said on Monday during his weekly press conference.

Peavy has played in five games this season (three starts), recording only five catches for 55 yards. The 6’0, 189-pound Kenosha, Wis., native has missed the past two games against Purdue and Maryland.

Remaining questionable this week for Illinois are wide receiver Danny Davis (left leg), running back Chris James (left leg), and kicker P.J. Rosowski (right leg). Defensive end Chikwe Obasih (left leg) was bumped up from being designated as out last week.

“We’re excited that Chikwe is going to practice, so I don’t know how the practices will go for him,” Chryst said. “The more you do, you just want to see how things respond. Not just myself but I know the players are excited.”

Obasih’s status should be intriguing to watch as Wisconsin listed redshirt freshman defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk (left leg) as out for Saturday’s contest. Both wide receiver George Rushing (left leg) and tight end Luke Benzschawel (right leg) also will not play.

Deal, Johnson out for remainder of season

Two Badgers are now out for the rest of the 2017 season in safety Patrick Johnson and running back Taiwan Deal.

Deal had a solid start to fall camp before suffering the injury. The redshirt junior has only played in 16 games and recorded 667 rushing yards in his UW career.

“As he was off and then kind of rehabbing back, was starting to feel better and better,” Chryst said. “Then once he pushed himself, and he had about two days where he was going hard, and that’s when he had a bit of a setback, or a big setback. So then you go see the specialists and the doctors, and this is the way that we got to handle it, and so he had surgery.”

“I think they don’t know, and you don’t want just to all of a sudden have surgery. And so can we rest it, can we come back, and he’s coming back. Then, it was fine when you’re going 70 percent, when you’re going 75 [percent]. Something still wasn’t right for him. He pushed it to a point of where, ‘Alright, we’re going to take a look at it again.”

Redshirt freshman Eric Burrell is again listed as the No. 2 free safety behind Natrell Jamerson in place of Johnson.

Here’s the full injury report:

Questionable

• Wide receiver Danny Davis (left leg)
• Running back Chris James (left leg)
• Defensive end Chikwe Obasih (left leg)
• Kicker P.J. Rosowski (right leg)

Out

• Tight end Luke Benzschawel (right leg)
• Defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk (left leg)
• Wide receiver Jazz Peavy (right leg)
• Wide receiver George Rushing (left leg)

Out for season

• Outside linebacker Zack Baun (left foot)
• Running back Sam Brodner (left knee)
• Inside linebacker Jack Cichy (right knee)
• Running back Taiwan Deal (right leg)
• Safety Patrick Johnson (right arm)
• Inside linebacker Mason Stokke (right leg)