MADISON, Wis. — Luke Fickell acknowledged there were “a lot of unknowns” regarding his answers on the health of some key University of Wisconsin football players.
It was the first question asked during Fickell’s weekly availability Monday, just to get that one out of the way. Safety Preston Zachman and center Jake Renfro were listed as out on Wisconsin’s availability report before their home loss to Maryland. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. trotted out for two offensive series against his former program before departing in the first quarter, while running back Dilin Jones left later in the game.
“Zachman’s going to be out,” Fickell said. “He’s not a guy that will get back just yet. The other guys, we don’t know. We’ll go out there today and see where those guys are. Most of those guys did not do much last week. Dilin did a little bit. I think he ran pretty well, not in contact situations.
“But I hope and we hope to get all those guys back, but I think that obviously early in this week, we’ll have to be smart. But the preparation for saying, ‘Hey, hopefully we have those guys’ is where we are right now.”
Here’s what Fickell discussed during his weekly press conference before Wisconsin (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) goes on the road to face No. 20 Michigan (3-1, 1-0) for a 11 a.m. CT kickoff Saturday (FOX):
If there were any lessons learned from playing Edwards versus Maryland, and how Fickell said Edwards “probably wasn’t in a position where he was ready to play.”
How does Fickell fix the program’s issues
If there will be more changes on the offensive line
Wisconsin’s pass protection problems
Michigan’s rushing attack, which will be Wisconsin’s toughest challenge yet on the ground
Freshman linebacker Mason Posa
Where cornerback Ricardo Hallman needs to improve
Wisconsin’s run defense and facing freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood
The team’s culture and a tough October stretch ahead
The balance in Wisconsin’s offense of when to be creative and when not to be
If the Alabama road trip experience helps with going to “The Big House” in Ann Arbor
How they approach talking with the redshirt freshmen offensive linemen to keep confidence despite rough outings.
