With left tackle Jack Nelson out due to illness, Wisconsin's offensive line has to adjust again
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – At the start of the season, the jelling of Wisconsin’s offensive line was going to be a key point of development for the team.
Four weeks into the season, however, the unit has experienced setback after setback.
Saturday it was redshirt sophomore left tackle Jack Nelson, who didn’t play in the 52-21 loss to Ohio State at Ohio Stadium due an unspecified illness.
The loss meant that Wisconsin played third-ranked Ohio State without its top two tackles. Redshirt freshman Riley Mahlman missed his third straight game due to a left leg injury.
UW spent most of this week knowing Nelson’s status was uncertain.
"Thursday night we kind of got an idea we wouldn’t have him,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said.
Wisconsin’s lost Nelson for a game it hoped to test its revamped unit. Guard Tanor Bortolini and tackle Trey Wedig made their first starts of the season on the right side of the line after a promising showing against New Mexico State last week.
Fourth-year junior Logan Brown, who started the last two games at right tackle, replaced Nelson at left tackle.
The results were far from spectacular but that could be said of the entire team, which suffered a 31-point loss in a game played in front of a national TV audience.
Wisconsin finished with 296 total yards which included 192 yards in the ground. Seventy-five of those yards, however, came on a meaningless touchdown run by Braelon Allen in the fourth quarter. Takeaway that carry and the ground game produced 3.4 yards per carry.
Chryst withheld in judgment on how the unit fared without Nelson.
"I’ve certainly got to watch the film (on) how Trey and Logan did, so I don’t want to comment too quickly on how they did," he said. "I felt they seemed composed. I don’t feel anything jumped out that way.
As for Nelson, he appears poised to return to action against Illinois Saturday.
"I think we’ve got a chance to get him back next week and that will be good for us,” Chryst said.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: With Jack Nelson out due to illness, Wisconsin line adjusts again
