After missing last Saturday’s epic beatdown of Indiana due to injury, it doesn’t appear Wisconsin is overly optimistic John Clay will be available this weekend either.
Clay suffered a sprained MCL against Purdue Nov. 6 and sat out the 83-21 win over the Hoosiers. While head coach Bret Bielema said he expects the running back to see some limited action in practice this week, he said it’s
“still yet to be determined” whether Clay sees the field against Michigan.
“I don’t know if we’ll have that three-headed thing this week because John I think won’t be at full strength. But when that situation does pop up, whether it’s the next game or in the bowl game opportunity, it’s something you’ve got to be smart about when and how you use them,” Bielema said. “I think it’s hard to get three guys in rhythm all the way through, but you can definitely go a strong two and the third one comes in when he’s needed.”
Of course, based on the way two of the heads of the three-headed running thing Bielema referred to performed three days ago, it may not matter whether Clay plays or not. In Clay’s absence, James White and Montee Ball combined to rush for 311 yards and five touchdowns. The former was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week for his performance.
Then you add in the fact that the Wolverines are 75th in the country in stopping the run, and there’s really no rush to get Clay back onto the field until he’s 100-percent healthy.
