One of Wisconsin football’s major storylines during and after Week 1’s 16-10 loss to Penn State was the playing time, or lack thereof, of sophomore running back Jalen Berger.
Berger figured to enter the season as one of the main contributors in the backfield, alongside Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo. Well, he ended up not playing a single snap during the contest while Mellusi carried the ball 31 times and Guerendo 13.
After the game, Chryst said it was more of what Mellusi and Guerendo were doing than what Berger wasn’t.
“Jalen’s had a good approach — we also like what Chez and Isaac have done,” Chryst said. “The way the game played out, we weren’t thinking we needed to go with three (tailbacks) at the time…Just because he didn’t play doesn’t mean he’s doing something wrong. It’s also (we) liked what Chez did and Isaac did.”
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The answer was typical Chryst coach-speak and didn’t provide much clarity about the situation.
Well, today the Badger head coach spoke more clearly about the sophomore running back, saying there “isn’t a sideshow going on” with him in the backfield.
“With Jalen, he’s had a good week of practice,” Chryst said. “He was doing some good things before…A part of it is we had a lot of snaps last game. But I don’t know how many times we really felt like we were in a great rhythm. I think that always helps when you can get guys in and guys in a rhythm…But I’ve liked the way that Jalen has practiced this week. There is not a sideshow going on. He’s a guy that has had success before and was young last year, a true freshman. As long as he continues to approach it the right way and work, which he’s been doing, had a good week of practice. His opportunities will come.”
Related: Everything you need to know about the 2021 Eastern Michigan Eagles
If Berger comes on and carries the ball a lot against Eastern Michigan it will mirror his 2020 campaign in a lot of ways, as Berger didn’t see the field in the team’s opener against Illinois yet came on and was a key piece of the offense during their next contest.
Only time will tell whether Berger figures to be a big piece of the backfield this season. From what Chryst said today, it seems like he’s still very much in the rotation to receive snaps moving forward.
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