MADISON – Emerson Mandell and Kevin Heywood finished one practice between the two of them during the first 2 ½ weeks of fall camp.
But the door isn’t shut on one or both Wisconsin offensive linemen playing in the season opener against No. 5 Notre Dame Sept. 6 at Lambeau Field.
“There’s some things we’ve got to figure out probably in the next five days to see which route we go as far as for Game 1,“ Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said Aug. 23 after the team’s 15th fall camp practice. “I don’t think we know that now. I’m not sure we’ll know that tomorrow or within the next three or four days, but it’s one of those things in the next week that we’ll have to make some decisions on.”
The redshirt sophomores are UW’s projected starters at right tackle (Heywood) and right guard (Mandell). Mandell has been recovering from foot surgery he had in the spring. Heywood suffered a lower body injury during the second day of camp (Aug. 7) that caused him to wear a walking boot during practice for almost two weeks.
Each player appears to be making progress. Heywood hasn’t worn the boot for the past few days. He and Mandell have been doing individual work during practice and after practice Aug. 23 were running sprints.
Tackle Lucas Simmons-Johansson and guard Stylz Blackmon are on track to replace Heywood and Mandell in the starting lineup. Blackmon has been working with the unit since midway through spring practice; Simmons-Johansson, the No. 2 left tackle during spring practice, shifted to the right side after Heywood’s injury.
Simmons-Johansson and Blackmon had had good camps, but Heywood and Mandell were running with the first team for a reason. Their absence and the subsequent shuffling that followed has slowed the development of the unit, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said Aug. 22.
A return for one or both players would provide a boost as the team opens the season against the highest-ranked team on its schedule.
But giving Mandell and Heywood added recovery time could allow for the opportunity to ease them back into play the following weeks. The Badgers play Western Illinois on Sept. 12 and Eastern Michigan on Sept. 19 before beginning Big Ten play at Penn State on Sept. 26.
Fickell said one aspect of their recovery that must considered is their desire to get back on the field.
“Sometimes you’ve got to save them from themselves,” Fickell said. “If you gave them an opportunity to go out here today and go live, I can guarantee you that both those guys would have said, ‘I’m going’.
“And so knowing that, we know we’ve got to be smart with what we’re doing, too. You love the guys that you’ve got to protect from themselves, but we’ve also got to be smart about that, too.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: When will Wisconsin know if Emerson Mandell, Kevin Heywood are ready to play?
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
