With No. 13 Wisconsin set to face Michigan inside "The Big House" on Saturday evening, offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph spoke with reporters Wednesday morning about a variety of topics.

From the status of the quarterbacks, his assessment of the run game against Illinois and what's ahead with the Michigan Wolverines, here are some takeaways from the 10-plus minute chat:

Though the athletic department has not confirmed Graham Mertz's positive diagnosis, two coaches this week have provided insight.

Earlier in the week, head coach Paul Chryst mentioned that the redshirt freshman went through the tests and believed Mertz would receive some practice time. The leader of the football program also noted that they will see if he receives enough of it.

Wednesday, Rudolph was asked about the quarterback position group.

"He's in the protocol, and we'll kind of see how this week progresses with him. Does he get through it? Does he get to practice? Where would he be at that point?" Rudolph said. "In the meantime, we've had good practices and feel good about the guys that are rolling. A little bit of uncertainty there, but the guys that have practiced are, I think, ready to go."

Rudolph further clarified that the depth chart, if healthy, would be Mertz as QB1, Chase Wolf No. 2 and Danny Vanden Boom No. 3. The big question the coordinator mentioned later in the chat with reporters was if Mertz gets "to the point where he's practicing, will he have enough in that you feel confident with him?"

"That's still in the air. I wish I could be more definitive for you guys," Rudolph said. "I'm not defined yet in my own mindset, so we just got to keep working through the week and see where we're at, listen to our training staff and kind of keep working through it."

If Mertz, and Wolf -- who, according to first the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and later the Wisconsin State Journal, reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 -- cannot go, that would leave Vanden Boom to play against Michigan. The redshirt junior from Kimberly, Wis., has only played in three games in his career (all during the 2018 season). His lone throw was a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Taj Mustapha against New Mexico that year.

Despite the lack of game time experience, Rudolph complimented Vanden Boom, stating his quarterback has "been very consistent."

"He's smart. He's been able to perform well, even with limited reps," Rudolph said. "That doesn't describe everyone. There's a lot of guys out there that don't make improvements or they walk in and they don't show an understanding without the reps behind him. Danny does.

"He's sharp, and he kinda is confident with who he is. I just see someone that's gotten more reps and got the opportunity to show you that a little bit more often. The group has confidence in him, without question. They know he knows it. They know he's smart. He communicates well. He exudes confidence in the huddle. If we were rolling with Danny, this group would be all behind him and feel good about it."

Earlier this week, Chryst mentioned he believes they have players who are working in the depth chart "that haven't played snaps or a lot snaps," stating how he believes there are a couple of athletes who have previously played on special teams but are now receiving time with the first couple of groups on offense or defense.

"I don't know how it's gonna play out ... but I think we got some guys that -- because of the situation, both what they're doing and kind of how they're progressing and obviously where the whole roster is -- that we'll have some guys probably get some snaps that three weeks ago weren't probably in that position," Chryst said.

Rudolph was asked how close he expected the offense to be "to full strength" against Michigan, and if the unit is not, what the biggest challenges are going into the conference clash.

"I think the way things are right now, I think you don't really know," Rudolph said. "Every day, every morning, you kind of don't know so it keeps you on your toes. It keeps your coaching hard. You got to get twos and threes ready, as well as the ones. You always got to have a plan for personnel, but I anticipate a group that without question has the ability to go get it done, and that's what you focus on and that's what you're excited about."

Whomever trots out onto the field and into the huddle this weekend for Wisconsin, they will face a Michigan defense that gives up over 287 yards per game through the air and nearly 30 points per contest during its 1-2 start. That includes giving up over 300 passing yards in consecutive games -- both losses -- to a pair quarterbacks in Michigan State's Rocky Lombardi and Indiana's Michael Penix Jr.

Rudolph was asked about the Wolverines' ability to play a lot of press-man coverage and what are some of the keys for Badgers' wide receivers to not let it influence their route running or timing of UW's plays.

"It's been kind of funny. They've actually done a nice job of really mixing coverages a little bit more this year, and towards the end of last year," Rudolph said. "It's not the old, 'OK, here's what you're gonna get. You're gonna have to beat this.' So I think they're gonna have to be ready for both, and when you do get press-man, I think [Wisconsin wide receivers coach Alvis] Whitted has done a great job of really giving those guys confidence in releases. I liked the way he's worked with the guys. I like their confidence when they're faced with those situations."

According to Rudolph, he believes that group has a "toolbox at hand" and equated it to the offensive line.

"What are you going to use in the situation? How are you going to borrow from what we've worked on to win?" Rudolph said. "I see that in his teaching. That's where I'd lean to confidence on."

*On balancing between getting the Badgers ready for competition but coming off two weeks where there has not been physical contact or games:

"It's a good question because it's tough, right? There was a lot of emphasis on to separate and to really create an opportunity to kind of make sure we didn't continue to help the spread [of COVID-19]. So getting back Friday and Saturday ended up turning into days of individual practice. I think in retrospect that helped us.

"I don't know how well we'd have jumped right back into just a regular practice, and those two days of individual work, even though we were kind of distanced during that, and we weren't all out there together. I thought it really helped the guys to kind of just get back to the movements and body positions, and just some of the basic drill work that helped a little bit leading into this week."

*On the rushing game against Illinois in Week 1, including what worked well and areas of improvement:

"Yeah, I saw a little of both. Last year, we didn't run the ball extremely well against them. They did a nice job against us, so I knew there would be challenges coming into the game. I thought we actually did some things better than we did last year, which I felt good about. But then I see some opportunities, both through a lot of different spots -- whether it was a block here, or a finish of a run there -- where we could kind of be a little bit better and maximize opportunities better. So I'm excited for us to keep taking steps there."