Morning State Sports Briefs: UW's Gordon has surgery, out 3-4 weeks

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MADISON - University of Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon had surgery yesterday for a groin injury which kept him out of the last two games. The Kenosha product has only played in three games this season – and he’ll get a medical waiver if he’s prevented from returning this year.

But UW head coach Bret Bielema says Gordon is determined to play as soon as he gets healed. He’s expected to be out 3-to-4 weeks, but Bielema says Gordon wants to come back sooner. Gordon has 20 carries this year for 98 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Badgers’ defensive tackle Patrick Butrym had limited practice yesterday as he comes back from an ankle injury. He says he still expects to play tomorrow night when the fourth-ranked Badgers play at No. 15 Michigan State.

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The Big Ten suspended Michigan State defensive end William Gholston for Saturday night’s game against the Wisconsin Badgers in East Lansing. Gholston was called for a pair of personal fouls last Saturday against Michigan. Video showed that he twisted the helmet of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson after a tackle – and he swung at a lineman on another play, hitting him in the face-or-neck. In a statement issued by Michigan State, Gholston said he regretted losing his composure. He said he was provoked, but his responses were still not appropriate. The 15th-ranked Spartans will certainly miss Gholston’s presence when they go against the beefy offensive line of the Number-four Badgers. Gholston is second on the team with seven tackles for losses this season.

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The University of Wisconsin is 14th, and Marquette University is 21st in the men’s basketball pre-season coaches’ poll issued today by ESPN and USA Today. Both teams made the NCAA Sweet-16 a year ago. North Carolina opened at No. 1. They’ll play the Badgers on November 30th at the Chapel Hill as part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

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The Texas Rangers have tied the World Series at a game apiece. They got by the Cardinals in Saint Louis, 2-1 in Game-Two. Josh Hamilton and Michael Young hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to drive in the winning runs. That was after Allen Craig broke a scoreless tie with an RBI-single in the seventh – his second as a pinch-hitter in the Series. Former Brewers’ reliever Mike Adams got the win. Ex-Milwaukee prospect Nelson Cruz went 0-for-3 with a strikeout for Texas. Game-Three of the best-of-seven series is tomorrow night in Arlington, Texas.

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UW-Milwaukee clinched the Horizon League regular season title in women’s soccer, as the Panthers shut out Loyola 3-0 last night. Sarah Hagen had one goal and one assist for UWM, which went to 7-0 in the Horizon League and 15-1 overall. Keara Thompson and Kelsey Holbert also scored for No. 10 ranked Milwaukee.

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Wisconsin native Phil Kessel is the early scoring leader in the National Hockey League. Kessel, center for the Toronto Maple Leafs, has seven goals and 12 points in his first half-dozen games – and he leads the NHL in both categories. Kessel had one goal and two assists last night in the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The 24-year-old right winger is from Verona, just a few miles from Madison – where he passed up the Badgers to play one season at Minnesota when he was the WCHA’s rookie-of-the-year. He turned pro in 2006 with Boston. Kessel’s sister Amanda also bypassed Wisconsin. She’s a sophomore on the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team.

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