We're 97 days away from the first ball being put in the air between Wisconsin and UMass on Aug. 31st and that means it's time for the next member of our jersey countdown to the start of the season.
The man that wears number 97 is a rare 6th year senior for Wisconsin and he is likely to play a very interesting role for Wisconsin in 2013 – of course we're talking about Brendan Kelly! That's right folks, it's Brendan Kelly to Badger football and with each day we here at MTB get more and more anxious, how's about you?
About Brendan Kelly:
– Injuries have been the buzzword for Kelly, who was granted a sixth year of eligiblity to play this season because of a history of them. In fact over his career he's only appeared in 36 games, starting just 14. Last season he started 5 games, while appearing in 11 of the 14 contests.
– This season is one of adjustment for Kelly, who will move to the hybrid DE/OLB position in Dave Aranda's new 3-4 defense – however he never saw action in the spring, so this fall camp will be important to him as he needs the physical reps.
– Despite just 11 games played last season Kelly proved to be a force – racking up 28 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and recording 5 sacks.
History of No. 97 at Wisconsin:
The number 97 hasn't been that famous at Wisconsin, in fact you could easily make a case that a kicker is the best known player to wear this number in Badger history. Of course we're talking about Mike Allen. However, you could also say it's a strange number to have because Allen even switched to a different number (99) for his final two seasons at the UW.
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