MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Badgers are gearing up for their final non-conference game of the season this weekend against South Florida, and head coach Gary Andersen met with the media after Thursday's practice. I've included the highlights of the group interview below.

Losing Dixon hurts Wisconsin's depth in the short-term, but the Badgers can still preserve his eligibility in the long run. Dixon's injury seems to fit the requirements for a medical hardship waiver, because he won't have played in more than 30 percent of Wisconsin's games and his injury occurred before the midpoint of the season. Andersen said he thinks Dixon will be ready to go for the start of spring practice next year, and that he's excited to see what he can do for the team in the future.

"His shoulder got to the point where [surgery] was best," Andersen said. "He's a very tough young man. He would have kept going as long as you allowed him to go."

"He has a bright future. He's going to be a very talented player for us for a long time, and we want to get him ready for his second season."

Inside linebacker is not foreign territory to Jacobs. The Badgers have moved Jacobs between outside and inside linebacker several times during his two season on campus, which could make him a more versatile player in the long run. We'll see which position Jacobs eventually sticks at, but for right now the Badgers will need him to be a utility player of sorts on the second team.

An early October return date for Herring was always on the optimistic side of things. He was originally expected to miss four to six weeks, so a return during the middle of the Big Ten season seems much more likely for Herring now.

"They've been forced in to action, which concerns you, but it's also a great thing because of the development," Andersen said. "I think Chikwe and Alec have become much more consistent … and there's nothing like playing games. You can practice all you want and talk about it all you want in the meeting room but actually playing is so very important."