Hip injury kept Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon out in second half vs. LSU

It was perplexing to see Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon carry the ball only three times in the second half of Saturday night’s game against LSU.

After he ran for 71 yards in the first half, Gordon took off for a 63-yard scamper on the Badgers’ first play of the second half. From that point on, we saw very little of Gordon as Wisconsin allowed LSU to come back from a 17-7 half time deficit and win 28-24.

After the game, head coach Gary Andersen said the standout junior was fine, but Gordon told reporters Monday that, apparently unbeknownst to Andersen, he injured his hip on his last run of the first half.

Melvin Gordon: My hip injury happened on my last run before halftime. I was ready to go, but they were looking out for what's best for me.

— Badger Football (@BadgerFootball) September 1, 2014

Gordon when asked if the hip injury is why he was caught on long run, "Hahaha, yeah I'm gonna use that."

— Badger Football (@BadgerFootball) September 1, 2014

Contradicting his postgame statement from Saturday, Andersen also said Monday that Gordon had a hip flexor injury, so he was held out for most of the second half.

GA on Gordon: "Melvin had a bit of a hip flexor. We were trying to be smart with him as the rest of the game went on" #Badgers

— Badger Football (@BadgerFootball) September 1, 2014

The Badgers face FCS opponent Western Illinois on Saturday. Gordon said he will be “ready to roll” on Saturday, though it doesn’t make much sense for the Badgers to jeopardize its top offensive threat in what will surely be a blowout.

Gordon finished Saturday night’s game with 140 yards on just 16 carries. In 2013, he ran for 1,609 yards and 12 scores at a whopping 7.8 yards per carry.

For more Wisconsin news, visit BadgerBlitz.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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