All the optimism earlier this week when it came to the availability of Chris Borland for Wisconsin’s game against Iowa was, as it turned out, for naught.
The Badgers announced shortly before kickoff Saturday morning that the linebacker will not be healthy enough to play this afternoon. The decision came after Borland briefly tested his injured hamstring a couple of hours ago, with the determination being made that he simply wasn’t close to being able to get back on the playing field.
Borland originally suffered the injury during the Oct. 19 win over Illinois.
The loss of Borland is huge for a Badger defense looking to shut down the Hawkeyes’ potent running attack as he is far and away UW’s leading tackler with 57; the next closest is Michael Caputo‘s 34. He’s also tied for second on the team in sacks (two) and third in tackles for loss (three).
Additionally, the Badgers will be without part-time starting defensive end Tyler Dippel. The redshirt senior did not make the trip to Iowa City due to personal family issues.
