Wisconsin ended its season on a winning note with a 24-17 over Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Bowl on Dec. 27. After a brief break, UW will kick up winter conditioning as it begins its early preparation for the 2023 campaign.

Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will review each position before turning the page from the 2022 season. Today we'll examine the outside linebackers.

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How would Nick Herbig follow up a performance against Iowa in 2021 where he tallied 2.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble? Well, the junior outside linebacker tried to will Wisconsin to a win on the road over the Hawkeyes with 3.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble this fall.

Herbig took advantage of some miscues along the Iowa offensive line to burst through for his first two sacks. His first take down of Spencer Petras set UW at midfield and led to an early advantage for the Badgers. He would dominate from there on out.

Consistently getting better with each passing year in Madison, Herbig put together an all-conference season with 11.0 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss this year. That production earned Herbig, who is preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft, first-team all-Big Ten honors.

The play of redshirt freshman Darryl Peterson leaves something to be excited about heading into this spring. With Herbig missing the first half against Minnesota and opting out of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Peterson shined in an elevated role with a sack in each of the final three games of the season.

Senior C.J. Goetz went under the radar but provided solid play at the position throughout the season. Although the fifth-year player didn't display the pass rush hoped for opposite Herbig, he finished third on the defense with 61.0 tackles and was fourth with nine tackles for loss.

Dealing with a nagging knee injury, Herbig was in uniform against Purdue but was available only in case of emergency. With Wisconsin getting off to a scorching hot start against the Boilermakers, the Badgers proved to be OK without their star pass rusher.

A touchdown on its opening drive, pick six and yet another score off a missed field goal opened up a 21-point edge in the first quarter. From there, the Badgers were never threatened. But without its top pass rusher, the group failed to muster any consistent pressure on Aidan O'Connell.

In all, the group of outside linebackers - T.J. Bollers, Goetz, Peterson and Kaden Johnson - tallied just three pressures on the day and just one quarterback hit. The defense recorded just two sacks and four tackles for the loss against the Boilermakers.

The collective group would go on to bounce back with a strong performance in the bowl game against Oklahoma State. The defense registered just the one sack but finished with 16 pressures and six tackles for loss without Herbig.

There is no shortage of talent at the position following the departure of Herbig. The question becomes whether the highly-touted group can produce consistently in 2023. With no announcement yet from Goetz regarding whether or not he'll be taking of an extra year of eligibility, the room could very well have to replace its top two players.

Alongside the talent of Peterson, Johnson and Bollers is the addition of former Michigan State outside linebacker Jeff Pietrowski through the transfer portal. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound junior appeared in just three games this season before he injured his left leg and missed the rest of the season. In those three games, Pietrowski tallied seven pressures in 93 snaps. Playing all 13 contests in 2021, he was second on the team with 5.5 sacks, recorded 33 tackles and forced three fumbles.

Peterson was praised by a few players for becoming more of a leader on the team during bowl prep. Johnson saw the fourth most snaps of the group with 177 on the season. In the bowl game, he tallied a pair of pressures.

Behind those three, the new staff will hope it can tap the potential of Bollers, a former four-star recruit in the class of 2021 who saw just 28 total snaps this season. Aaron Witt, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound junior, has been out since the 2020 Duke's Mayo Bowl. He could add an intriguing option, if healthy.

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