Clement to be out 4-6 weeks
Not only is Wisconsin running back Corey Clement coming back this Saturday, he’s not returning for another month.
The team announced on Thursday that the starting tailback will be out 4-6 weeks after sports hernia surgery.
“Corey has been dealing with some health issues since before the Alabama game,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said in a release. “He has been undergoing treatment since that time and has been 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.
“I feel bad for Corey that this is impacting his season because I know how hard he works and how important football is to him. We are very confident 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.”
Clement only got eight carries in the opener against Alabama, and was sidelined for most of the second half with the injury. He had been day-to-day after that, but was limited in practices and held out of the Badgers’ two home games.
The junior nearly rushed for 1,000 yards last season, despite the fact that he backed up the nation’s leading rusher, Melvin Gordon. Clement had hopes of eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark in his first season as a starter, but not will be sidelined until late October at the earliest.
In his place, Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal both picked up the slack after a slow start. They’ve combined for 339 yards on 39 carries in Clement’s absence.
The Badgers will look to continue on without their feature back when Hawaii comes to Madison on Saturday.