UW football: Leg injury likely will keep Shaughnessy out
As the University of Wisconsin football team's injury list grew this spring, senior defensive end Matt Shaughnessy said he never felt a sense of impending doom.
Shaughnessy continued to line up and practice hard, refusing to worry about whether he'd be the next player to get hurt.
"I remember when I was little, my grandpa told me that whenever you're worried about getting injured, that's when it's going to happen," Shaughnessy said April 10. "So he's like, 'Go full speed, and things will be fine.' "
A week after Shaughnessy spoke those words, he became the latest player injured during what has been a brutal spring for the Badgers in terms of health. Shaughnessy injured his right leg during Thursday night's practice and isn't expected to play in today's intrasquad scrimmage at Camp Randall Stadium.
A UW spokesman said Friday that coach Bret Bielema wouldn't address Shaughnessy's status until after today's game.
It's the second significant injury in Shaughnessy's UW career. He tore his ACL late in the 2006 season but was ready in time for the 2007 opener. He started all 13 games last season and was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection and the Badgers' most valuable player on defense.
The loss of Shaughnessy, who led the team and ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 18 tackles for loss last season, adds to UW's woes on a defensive line depleted by injury. The Badgers' unofficial injury count as of Thursday night was 26 when you combine players who had to leave or miss a practice because of injury and those who never practiced at all this spring because of offseason surgery.
Ten of those players were defensive linemen, including the four players expected to start for the Badgers in 2008: Shaughnessy and Kirk DeCremer at end, and Jason Chapman and Mike Newkirk at tackle.
Other defensive linemen on UW's injury list at one time or another this spring were ends Dan Moore, O'Brien Schofield and Ricky Garner; and tackles Patrick Butrym, Brandon Hoey and Dan Cascone.
Bielema said earlier this week that any additional injuries, especially on the defensive line, might force the coaching staff to resort to using the formation they employ for the team's half-line skeleton drills -- three offensive linemen and two defensive linemen -- instead of a full scrimmage today.
jpolzin@madison.com
File photo
Wisconsin defensive end Matt Shaughnessy was fourth in the Big Ten Conference last year with 18 tackles for a loss.
