Van Lanen feared serious injury
MADISON – Cole Van Lanen feared the worst.
Wisconsin’s redshirt sophomore offensive tackle had to be helped off the field at Northwestern, unable to put any weight on his throbbing left foot.
“Not being able to walk off the field,” Van Lanen said after practice Tuesday, “that’s not a good sign to begin with.”
A Northwestern defender had rolled up the back of Van Lanen’s legs, pinning his left foot to the ground.
As Van Lanen sat on a cart waiting to be taken for X-rays, he tried to block out any negative thoughts.
“At first I thought I snapped my left ankle,” he said. “That wasn’t the case. Thank God.”
Van Lanen, who suffered a scare and a severe sprain, was in a protective boot for most of last week.
Yet despite being initially declared out for the Rutgers game, Van Lanen practiced late in the week and again shared time at left tackle with Jon Dietzen in UW’s 31-17 victory.
“I tried really hard not thinking the worst,” he said. “But I was mentally prepared to be missing at least a couple of weeks.
“For me being able to play last week felt like a miracle.”
His teammates appreciated his grit. “He gives us exactly what we need, another left tackle who has gotten a lot of reps there,” senior left guard Michael Deiter said. “Whenever you see someone battle through something it means a lot.”
Van Lanen hasn’t needed the use of a boot this week and expects to split time again with Dietzen on Saturday at Penn State.
Coan prepares to start
Jack Coan and Danny Vanden Boom were the top two quarterbacks at practice Tuesday. Starter Alex Hornibrook remains in the concussion protocol.
UW clearly is preparing for Coan to make his second start of the season.
“He is questionable,” offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph said when asked about Hornibrook’s status. “That’s all I’ve got to say about it.”
Dixon blessed to be back
Senior safety D’Cota Dixon didn’t attempt to mask his glee after returning to the lineup against Rutgers.
Dixon had missed the three previous games after suffering a right-ankle injury late in UW’s victory over Nebraska. Dixon initially thought he had suffered a more serious injury.
“I thought it was my fibula because I felt most of the pain in my leg,” he said. “So I was a little nervous about that.
“I wanted to go against Northwestern but didn’t. Probably wasn’t’ ready yet.”
Dixon was able to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before the Rutgers game and returned to the starting lineup. He recorded three tackles and returned a blocked field goal 34 yards.
“I wasn’t’ sure how much I would play,” he said, “but I knew I had a shot.”
Recruiting update
Stephan Bracey, a 5-foot-9, 160pound wide receiver from East Kentwood High School in Michigan, announced he had committed to UW for the 2019 class.
Bracey had committed to Western Michigan. He is a teammate of Logan Brown, a touted offensive tackle who committed to UW in June.
He was joined late by Rodas Johnson, a 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle from Columbus, Ohio. Johnson chose UW over Penn State, Michigan State, Northwestern, Cincinnati, Texas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Colorado State and several other schools.