As they look to defend their Big Ten West title, the Wisconsin Badgers could be without starting running back Corey Clement for a majority of their conference schedule.
UW-Madison officials announced Thursday that Clement will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia and is expected to be sidelined for the next four to six weeks.
Clement, a junior, entered the season as the Badgers’ clear starter at running back. But a left-groin injury suffered in practice kept him limited to just eight carries in the team’s season opener against Alabama, and he’s been out for the past two games.
“Corey has been dealing with some issues since before the Alabama game,” Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst said in a statement. “He has been undergoing treatment since that time and has seen some progress but not to the point where our medical staff is satisfied. So after consultation with our medical staff, Corey has decided to have surgery for a sports hernia.”
In his absence, redshirt junior Dare Ogunbowale and redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal have split carries out of the backfield and are expected to continue to do so as long as Clement is on the sidelines. Behind those two on the depth chart will be freshman Alec Ingold, who made the move from inside linebacker to running back just last week.
Through three games, Ogunbowale has rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries, while Deal has added 143 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. They’ll both continue to see significant playing time for the foreseeable future, hoping to find a similar level of success as Clement did backing up Melvin Gordon last season.
Clement rushed for 949 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry in 2014, making him the clear successor to Gordon after he left for the NFL.
Though Clement’s groin injury left him largely ineffective against the Crimson Tide, the coaching staff was originally optimistic that he might be able to return in time for Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener against Iowa Oct. 3. Instead, the Badgers could be without their starting running back until November.
“I feel bad for Corey that this is impacting his season because I know how hard he works and how important this football team is to him,” Chryst said. “We are very confident that he will make a full recovery after the surgery and I know he will attack his rehab so he can get back on the field as soon as he can.”
