Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan was banged up for part of this season.
According to Evan Flood and Jeff Potrykus, Coan played part of the season hurt, and offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph said Graham Mertz was preparing to start. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Ultimately, Coan played through whatever issues he was having, and Mertz never started a game.
Joe Rudolph said Jack Coan was banged up earlier this season and #Badgers were getting Graham Mertz to start just in case.
Rudolph praised Mertz’s preparation those weeks:
“I told him, ‘Dude, if you’ve gotta go, you’re ready.’ I could see it, I could see his development.”
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) December 27, 2019
Finally got #Badgers QB Jack Coan to acknowledge he was banged up and limited in a few games this season. Just didn’t want to make excuses. OC Joe Rudolph said they had Graham Mertz ready if needed but Coan played through it.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) December 27, 2019
That’s the kind of toughness that makes somebody a true Wisconsin man. You think being hurt with an unspecified injury was going to stop Coan from slinging it?
You’d be sorely mistaken. That guy just goes out there and makes plays. Is he a superstar? No, but he’s a grinder, and he is our quarterback.
I want a guy under center who pushes through the pain. That’s the kind of guy you can follow into battle.
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Now, would fans have gone wild if Graham Mertz had started a game for Coan this season? They would have lost their minds.
The non-existent roof on Camp Randall would have been blown off in a heartbeat if Mertz rushed out to take the first snap of the game.
People would have lost their minds.
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Mertz will get his shot. There’s no doubt about that. I’m just glad Coan is okay. Now, let’s go win the Rose Bowl against Oregon.
Go, Badgers, go!
Never forget who is the true King in the North when it comes to college football. pic.twitter.com/vtbKyAPdYe
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) August 10, 2019