3Cs: No. 19 Penn State vs. No. 12 Wisconsin

BadgerBlitz.com's weekly feature, "The 3Cs," returns for the 2021 season. The staff takes a look at one thing we're curious, confident and concerned about heading into Wisconsin's season-opening showdown against No. 19 Penn State

Senior writers Jake Kocorowski and Benjamin Worgull, and staff writer Raul Vazquez each give their thoughts on the aforementioned topics for this week's contest.

Kocorowski: I’m curious about the Wisconsin pass rush and what it can do against the Penn State offensive line. New year, new team, but the Nittany Lions gave up 28 sacks in 2020 and lost a couple of NFL-bound linemen. The Badgers only registered 11 sacks last season, but they applied pressure prominently during the fall camp practices open to reporters. All three levels of the defense have the ability to get in the backfield, and I’m most curious to see how the line -- particularly Keeanu Benton and Matt Henningsen -- could make their presence known starting on Saturday.

Worgull: One of the biggest problems in 2020 was the offense, or lack thereof, during the critical late November stretch that ultimately doomed their championship hopes. After getting past the JV defenses of Illinois and Michigan, Wisconsin’s injury-depleted offense was held to 6.7 points per game against Northwestern, Indiana and Iowa. With no games against overmatched non-conference teams, the Badgers’ 25.1 points per game was their lowest since 2004.

That number came from a combination of senior receivers being out of the lineup, a lack of a running game and a young quarterback forcing throws. UW has the same quarterback in sophomore Graham Mertz and those veteran receivers are back, so will the passing game flourish? In seven games, Wisconsin had only six offense plays that went over 30 yards. Igniting that attack against a Penn State defense that returns its top three linebackers and three starters in the secondary doesn’t appear to be an easy task.

Vazquez: With the biggest news from the first depth chart of the season coming at running back, I am interested to see how the snaps and carries are distributed. As noteworthy as it was to see Chez Mellusi listed as the starter, it was surprising to see the lack of an "OR" designation for Jalen Berger and Mellusi. It shouldn’t matter too much with Berger still destined to play a large role in the offense but what will the carries look like for the pair come Saturday. Looking a little further, what kind of a changeup can Isaac Guerendo provide and how often do we see him on the field?

Kocorowski: OK, back to Benton, I am confident in his abilities this season. I wrote about what players said about him during fall camp, but he could be a game-changer in the middle of the defense. Not only can he stuff the middle of the line of scrimmage for the linebackers to make plays, but he demonstrated he could penetrate the backfield himself this fall camp. Just how much disruption will be registered in the stat book remains to be seen. That said, I feel confident saying his presence should be felt on Saturday.

Worgull: Jim Leonhard has turned Wisconsin, a school known for running backs and offensive linemen, into a program known for dominant defense. Wisconsin allowed just 299.9 yards per game (fifth nationally) and 17.4 points per game (ninth), and UW’s defensive coordinator will have a unit that returns eight starters and 23 letter winners. The Badgers have a dynamite tandem at inside linebacker in Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal, an NFL-quality outside linebacker in Nick Herbig and five secondary players with starting experience.

A sneaky good hire could turn out to be adding cornerback coach Hank Poteat to the coaching staff this offseason. Not only is he a 10-year NFL veteran, Poteat’s presence will take some responsibilities off Leonhard’s plate, giving him more time to develop game plans and made in-game adjustments. Penn State has a veteran quarterback in Sean Clifford (60.6 completion percentage, 1,883 yards, 16 touchdowns, 9 interceptions) and eight other starters back on offense, but it’s become hard to bet against the Badgers defense with Leonhard at the helm, especially with advance preparation time.

Vazquez: With Jake looking at the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, I think Wisconsin’s experienced offensive line can have its way up front. The group has some moving pieces with redshirt sophomore Joe Tippmann winning the starting job at center in fall camp and redshirt freshman Jack Nelson taking over at right guard but the talented pair join an experienced group. The Nittany Lions lost a pair of their top defensive ends in Shaka Toney and Odafe Oweh to the NFL, leaving their front four in question.

Kocorowski: I’ll look at the Wisconsin secondary taking on the Penn State receiving tandem of Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington. I don’t call this a concern but more a key area of the game for Wisconsin. Dotson and Washington combined for 88 receptions and 14 touchdown catches in 2020. UW’s defensive backfield is led by four seniors at the very least with cornerbacks Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams and safeties Scott Nelson and Collin Wilder. However, if the front seven pressure cannot get home to Clifford, it will be worth watching just how the Badgers contain the duo.

Worgull: It’s rare for Wisconsin to enter the season with so many unknowns at tailback, but a normal position of strength was anything but in 2020. The Badgers averaged just 164.6 rushing yards per game last season and had only one 100-yard rusher in seven games, a lack of potency on the ground that handcuffed the offense in critical games. This spring was a huge opportunity to improve that unit under first year coach Gary Brown, but scholarship backs Jalen Berger, Julius Davis and Isaac Guerendo were banged up for most of the 15 practices, losing out on valuable reps.

The addition of Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi is a big move. Mellusi averaged 6.0 yards per carry in his two years with the Tigers. He will enter the season as a starter, but the Badgers like to rely on multiple backs throughout the season. Does Wisconsin have enough depth and talent to do that considering the lack of Big Ten carries and experience from the group? Is anyone in the group also confident catching passes out of the backfield, a huge aspect to Wisconsin’s offense over the past few seasons?

Vazquez: Wisconsin looks primed for another solid season under Paul Chryst with a veteran group returning but if there is one concern, it definitely comes at kicker. UW listed Jack Van Dyke as limited with a right leg injury for a fall camp practice, and Jake did not see him kick field goals for other open sessions thereafter, according to his notes. Senior Collin Larsh is slated to handle field goals once again as the No. 1 placekicker on the depth chart, but his struggles from long range are well documented. From 30 yards or more, Larsh is just 7-of-15 and that mark falls to just 2-of-7 when the kick is from 40 yards out or more. Opening the season with a ranked opponent from in the conference, could make for a close contest to kick off the year and leaves the offense with little room for error.