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Leo Chenal discusses how Wisconsin approached, overcame adversity in returning to action

Mark Schipper

By Mark Schipper

Published:

The Wisconsin Badgers have a good football team that’s enduring a bizarre season. 

One of the league’s most promising potential playoff squads, the Badgers saw their 2020 team forced to sit home two consecutive weeks as the Covid-19 virus found a purchase and pipeline through its roster and coaching staff.

While no one was reported seriously sick from the virus, the protocols in place forced the team to cancel critical games against Nebraska and Purdue in a shortened eight-game regular season. 

Keeping a squad focused on its goals as it walks the razor’s edge of playoff eligibility—if the Badgers are forced to cancel one more game they will not be eligible for the conference championship—is a difficult charge under any conditions. 

Badger’s sophomore linbacker Leo Chenal offered insight into how the team is handling the unusual conditions and staying ready to play. It is a formula that appears to be working as Wisconsin dealt out one of the worst beatings in the 141-year history of Michigan football Saturday night in Ann Arbor during a 49-11 victory. 

The key, according to Chenal, is keeping the preparation day to day.

“These last few weeks have been some adversity, but I think there’s always adversity in life,” said Chenal in a video posted to the Badger’s official Twitter account.

“This time it happened to be a virus that got into our team, but I really think that we really came prepared tonight. Each week, we’ve said, ‘Okay, we got this team, and let’s prepare, full in, all in’ to each team we thought we were going to play each week. And I really just think that our focus was really there just being able to play week by week, day by day, and being able to get ready that way.”

The 2-0 and tenth-ranked Badgers are traveling to Evanston next week to play the 4-0 and nineteenth-ranked Northwestern Wildcats for supremacy in the Big Ten West. Barring any further setbacks, which would be devastating to the Badgers, the game is set to kickoff 3:30 pm ET at Ryan Field along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. 

Mark Schipper

Mark Schipper is a reporter, sportswriter, and aspiring novelist living in Chicago, Illinois.