Badgers' Gordon had 'misunderstanding' with coaches regarding injury
MADISON, Wis. -- The first mini-controversy of Wisconsin's regular season needed just one game to take shape. And at the center of debate -- which continued Monday -- was star running back Melvin Gordon's health and his lack of second-half playing time against LSU.
Was he injured? If so, just how injured was he? And why didn't Gordon seem to know?
These questions were among the many that percolated for two days in the wake of Wisconsin's 28-24 loss to LSU in Houston on Saturday night. And they were sparked for two reasons: Badgers coach Gary Andersen said during his post-game remarks that he didn't know why Gordon carried the ball just four times after halftime. Gordon, meanwhile, insisted he wasn't injured.
So, what gives?
Andersen tried to provide some clarity during his weekly Monday news conference, saying Gordon sustained a hip flexor during the second quarter of Saturday's game. But Gordon, who also was made available to the media, only seemed to fuel questions by downplaying the injury almost entirely.
How much did Gordon feel hampered during the game?
"Not much at all," he said Monday. "I still broke the big run with it. I was still good, I felt."
Gordon did acknowledge to being hit by an LSU defender, and he said the hit caused some pain on subsequent runs, though he also noted he had "played through way worse." The injury took place, Gordon said, during his last carry of the second quarter, when he reversed field around the left side on first-and-10 from Wisconsin's own 29-yard-line. Gordon gained seven yards on the play.
"He kind of blindsided me and hit me," Gordon said. "That's the play where I kind of started feeling it a little bit."
Gordon rushed 12 times for 76 yards in the first half with a touchdown. On his first carry of the third quarter, he burst through the middle for a 63-yard gain, which helped set up teammate Corey Clement's 2-yard touchdown that gave Wisconsin a 24-7 lead. Gordon carried the ball just three times after that play and gained a total of one yard.
Andersen said he consulted with a team trainer at halftime and noted it was obvious Gordon "pulled up" at the end of his long third-quarter run. The rationale for not using him much after that, Andersen added, was because he was trying to be smart with Gordon as the game moved along. But the explanation left something to be desired because Gordon still spent time on the field and earned three more carries.
Andersen became his most animated Monday following a question about Gordon not saying he was injured Saturday night, which, in turn, created plenty of outside conflict among media members and fans over the next two days.
"That's the problem," Andersen said. "Melvin's going to say he's absolutely fine. This is where I get into a real problem. Everyone wants to get into kids' personal business, and it's hard for me to be able to deal with. If I'm off base, I'm off base. All I can do is go by what a trainer tells me. He's the professional.
"So if I put a kid in harm's way because I don't listen to a trainer, then I've got a major issue on my hands. I don't think I am the person who I say I am. So I'm going to listen to people and I'm going to do what they ask me. He gave me the information. He gave (running back) coach (Thomas) Brown the information, and I don't quite frankly think it's anybody's business to pass that on to somebody after the game, but apparently it is because that's what I was told to do."
Compounding the problem was that Gordon, apparently, was never told why he wasn't being put back into the game as Wisconsin's 17-point lead turned into a four-point deficit. Gordon said he received a text message after the game from Brown, his position coach, which indicated the hip flexor was what kept him from carrying the ball more.
"It kind of made sense," Gordon said. "But I was ready to go. It was just a misunderstanding. They were just trying to look out for what was best for me."
Gordon, a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, is taking on a new role this season as a more vocal team leader. And he acknowledged he should have been more assertive with the coaching staff when it became clear he wasn't being used. Gordon also is working with Brown for the first season after having Thomas Hammock as his position coach for his first three seasons in the program.
"I put it on me," Gordon said. "Maybe I should have really let them know, let coach A know and stepped up and told them, 'Look, I need to be in there.' I kind of just sat back, and I put that on myself. I wasn't really forceful with it. I really wasn't demanding with it, and I probably should have been. ...
"Last year, I was kind of just quiet, especially when I was feeling it and I wanted to go in, I kind of just sat back and just let the coaches handle it. I really didn't speak up. That's kind of what I did now. Now I've got to realize I'm in this position where I feel like I need to go in, I've got to be assertive. I've got to let them know, 'Put me in the game,' and they will."
Gordon finished Saturday's game with 16 carries for 140 yards and one touchdown -- an average of 8.8 yards per carry -- but said he was not happy with how he played.
Gordon has openly admitted to following other running backs and using their performances as motivation. He noted Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah rushed for 227 yards over the weekend, Indiana running back Tevin Coleman gained 247 yards and Georgia running back Todd Gurley went for 198 yards with three touchdowns and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
"So," he said, "I've got to get working."
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