MADISON - In the midst of the 52-21 defeat to Ohio State this past Saturday, junior tight end Clay Cundiff went down with yet another devastating injury.
A little less than one year after being taken off the field in an ambulance against Iowa on Oct. 30, 2021, Cundiff was carted off the field in an eerily similar fashion. The Kansas native made the return all the way back from a dislocated ankle, broken fibula and necessary deltoid ligament reconstruction.
The void left by the team's top tight end was felt on the sideline immediately.
"It’s going to be tough without him," tight end Hayden Rucci, who lives with Cundiff, said. "Even for the rest of the game it was me, Esch (Jack Eschenbach), Jay (Jaylan Franklin) and Cole (Dakovich) there, and we were all like, 'man it feels different without Clay there.'"
Two days after the injury, Rucci was still processing seeing one of his good friends go down with what looked like another serious leg injury. Cundiff now has an unfortunately familiar road in front of him to get back on the field.
"It’s still tough trying to find the right words to put context to that situation because I watched him come back last year. Just that journey he had to go on from the Iowa game all the way to winter, spring ball and then finally getting back during the summer," Rucci said. "I still don’t have the words. It’s really tough. He worked his ass off to get back. He knows the journey he has to get back. He knows what he has to do, so we’re all just behind him right now."
The injury derails what had been a triumphant return to the field. Through three and a half weeks, Cundiff tallied nine receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He had quickly become a consistent, reliable target for quarterback Graham Mertz after the program lost three-year starter Jake Ferguson.
Paul Chryst left no clear update of what he's dealing with, but the door is open for his return this season.
"He's doing alright. You hate to see that happen," Mertz, who also lives with Cundiff, said. "He’s going to fight and he’s going to be better than ever. I’ve got no doubt in that and I’ll be with him every step of the way. One thing about that dude is he’s resilient... All you can really do is be there for him. His room is three steps away from mine, so going to see him every day just check in with him. You really just got to be there for your boys. That’s all you can really do."
The blow to the offense leaves the tight end room to rely on a mix of Rucci, Jack Eschenbach, Cole Dakovich and Jaylan Franklin.
"He (Cundiff) was making plays all year," Mertz said. "The big thing with that group now is they all have to step up and they all have to do their job just a little bit better. Yeah it’s different, but we’ll work with it."
Rucci, who registered his first career receptions this season - four catches for 47 yards - will be asked to step up as a receiving option. Of the 148 snaps he's played this season, 109 have come on run plays, according to Pro Football Focus.
Eschenbach has two catches for 33 yards on the year. Behind him, the duo of Franklin and Dakovich have seen a combined 36 snaps.
In personnel groupings that included two tight ends, Rucci and Cundiff shared the field. After the injury, Eschenbach assumed the role in the formation as a second tight end and took the most snaps he's seen all season (24). Upon Cundiff's return to the sideline after the injury, he offered an extra set of eyes to let Eschenbach know what the defense was showing and offered coaching points.
"Unfortunate for Clay," offensive coordinator Bobby Engram said. "Thought we was playing really well for us, but Hayden has been a physical blocker all year and we want to continue to do that with him. Esch been working really hard and he’s been in games. He has experience so we like Esch. Whatever the game plan calls for, we’ll put him in position to go out there and be successful."
"I think everyone is going to have to step up," Rucci added. "I know Esch kind of took over a little bit in the second half there, so that’s who we’re going to be rolling with throughout the rest of the season, but even Jay (Franklin) and Cole are also going to be having bigger roles now, too. I’ve said it before but everyone in that room is in a spot to step up and contribute."
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