MADISON, WIS. -- Former Wisconsin wide receiver Luke Swan once coined the Badgers' walk-on tradition as a "glue," something that holds the program together. The examples since the Barry Alvarez era unfold like a large papyrus scroll, with some players not just filling in to keep the structure sound but a special few developing into a critical part of the foundation.
Mike Maskalunas provides yet another example of a walk-on (or former walk-on) stepping in, as he did for fellow inside linebacker Leo Chenal in Saturday's 16-10 loss to No. 19 Penn State.
Chenal announced on Saturday morning via Instagram that he tested positive for COVID-19 and would miss the next two games. Head coach Paul Chryst confirmed after the defeat that news of the positive test came on Friday, a day before the cross-divisional clash with the Nittany Lions.
"My reaction was just excitement," Maskalunas said on Saturday. "Getting a chance to be in a bigger role in defense and help the team was really cool."
Maskalunas notched his first career start on defense alongside inside linebacker Jack Sanborn on Saturday. He finished the contest with two tackles, one for loss during the contest.
PFF reported that the Illinois native participated in 54 snaps -- the same as Sanborn (official game stats say Penn State ran 51 total plays). The service graded him with a 60.2. Maskalunas admitted after the game that he "felt very comfortable, for the most part,' in his own words, but he also provided some self-criticism after his performance.
"I wasn't very nervous or anything like that," Maskalunas said. "Just small things I got to clean up. Everyone's got something they got to work on. For me today, I had a missed tackle. And then there was a couple opportunities where I was activated and tried to get some pressure on the quarterback and could have taken advantage of that better.
"So just really gonna go back to the film room and look at it all and see how I can get better so I can be even more confident for the rest of the game."
Maskalunas faced a tall task of replacing Chenal, who appears ready for a breakout campaign in 2021. The 6-foot-2, 261-pound 'backer produced an impressive fall camp with an ability to get into the backfield.
Last season, Chenal ranked second on the team in tackles (46) behind Sanborn but led the team in sacks (three) and quarterback hurries (seven). He also tied for the lead in tackles for loss with outside linebacker Nick Herbig with six each.
Sanborn noted how Maskalunas only received one practice to prepare and fill in for a top-20 showdown to start the season. Though not able to see the film right after the game, he felt his teammate performed well.
"Credit to him. I mean, that's a heck of an effort," Sanborn said. "Just from that alone, I think he did a hell of a job, and the communication was clean between us in the front seven. You know, I love Mikey and I'm super proud that we have this moment. Obviously, I'm very excited because he's someone that I've been with for now going into our fourth year, and it was fun to be out there with him."
Maskalunas's path to the present started by walking on to the program as a member of the 2016 class. He has seen other inside linebackers go before him like Jack Cichy, T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly and Chris Orr -- with Cichy and Connelly following that similar path of heading to UW initially without a scholarship. Coming into 2021, the Illinois native played 41 games and recorded 36 tackles with two forced fumbles and two pass breakups each.
Last October, assistant coach Bob Bostad complemented Maskalunas -- declaring the then fifth-year Badger a "priceless piece" to the room and calling out his versatility to play both inside linebacker positions along with his work as a key special teams player.
Now playing in his sixth year thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maskalunas appears set to contribute further.
UW listed Chenal as not available on its pregame status report, and according to the linebacker's Instagram story, he stated he will miss two games. If that is the case, Maskalunas's presence will likely once again be needed against Eastern Michigan on Saturday (6 p.m. CT, FS1).
"My journey has been amazing. It's been everything I could have hoped and more coming to this place. I am on scholarship now. Coming in as a walk-on, I think it was tough at first. You know, just feeling like you're just as good as all the scholarship guys, but honestly, looking back, I wouldn't have traded it for anything else because I think it just really brought out the best in me.
"Come in every day like it's a tryout, like you got something to prove, and you hear about all the walk-ons ahead of you and the tradition here and you just want to build off that. And then just carry that chip on your shoulder for the rest of your life in everything you do, so I'm really grateful for my journey here, and it's been awesome."
