Badgers reveal depth chart for Week 4 vs. Penn State

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The Wisconsin Badgers kick off their Big Ten schedule on the road this weekend, as they face the Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley on Saturday evening. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. eastern on Peacock.

Ahead of the game, the Badgers released their depth chart for the week, accounting for the team’s injury situation from Week 3. Let’s take a look.

As usual, quarterback is no surprise, with Ryan Hopkins and Deuce Adams listed as co-backups to Colton Joseph. We did see Hopkins get the backup reps when the game was out of hand in Week 2.

At running back, with Abu Sama out in Week 3, he joins the injured column, and Darrion Dupree was elevated to the No. 1 role. Sama is expected to play in Week 4, he shared to reporters on Tuesday. At the backup spot is both Bryan Jackson and Nate Palmer. The latter got quite a few snaps in Week 3, and he’s definitely in consideration in the rotation.

But with Sama back, the reps could consolidate to just two or three backs again.

At wide receiver, with Malachi Coleman in the injury column, Shamar Rigby is now listed as the backup at all three receiver spots. Wisconsin ran with a four-man rotation last week with Rigby, Tyrell Henry, Chris Brooks, and Eugene Hilton. Coleman is listed as questionable for Saturday.

Emerson Mandell was back in the fold in Week 3, rotating with Stylz Blackmon. He’s also questionable for Week 4, and was listed as the backup to Blackmon on the two-deep this week. I wouldn’t read much into it, but we could see a rotation again if Mandell isn’t fully healthy.

On the defensive side, there aren’t any changes to the defensive line or outside linebacker groups. On a snap count note, though, Tyreese Fearbry continues to get a lot of reps opposite Sebastian Cheeks. He out-snapped Cheeks 43 to 33 in Week 3 (although the latter wasn’t needed as much with the game out of hand).

DeNigel Cooper also continues to work his way into more reps. He got 23 snaps on Saturday, the most of any defensive lineman (although game script factored in at the end again).

At linebacker, we saw much more of a rotation with Mason Posa working his way back from injury. It’s a toe issue, and Posa played 29 snaps in Week 3. He’s probable for Week 4.

At cornerback, with Cai Bates now out with a torn ACL, true freshman Donovan Dunmore is on the two-deep as the backup to Javan Robinson at the boundary spot. Wisconsin hasn’t rotated Robinson much at all, but Dunmore did get 11 snaps with the backups in Week 3.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos