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Just when Wisconsin finally got all of its linebackers back healthy, the Badgers suffered another brutal blow.
The team announced on Monday that linebacker Jack Cichy will miss the remainder of the 2016 season with a torn pectoral.
Tough news today: #Badgers ILB Jack Cichy will miss the rest of the season (torn pectoral). UW's leading tackler this season with 60.
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 24, 2016
Cichy suffered the injury during Saturday’s game against Iowa while tracking down quarterback C.J. Beathard.
That’s a tough setback for the former walk-on, who was on his way to having an All-American season for the surprise Badgers. Cichy leads the team with 60 tackles and has seven tackles for loss along with two forced fumbles.
In his first full season as a starter, Cichy stepped up in a major way to lead Wisconsin to an impressive 5-2 start with arguably the nation’s toughest schedule. He was a week removed from being the first player on a losing team to earn B1G Defensive Player of the Week honors for his effort against Ohio State.
A redshirt junior, Cichy will have one more season left in Madison. He’s well past the 30 percent threshold for a medical redshirt.
The Cichy news came two days after captain Vince Biegel returned from a foot injury that sidelined him for two games. Without Cichy, the Badgers will likely turn to Garret Dooley, who played the best game of his career in a win at Iowa.
The Badgers will have other injuries to deal with on defense:
Other #Badgers injury news: Jamerson, Baun, Maxwell and Tindal questionable. Sagapolu out.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) October 24, 2016
The No. 11 Badgers are set to host No. 7 Nebraska on Saturday night.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.