Behind Enemy Lines: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

BadgerBlitz.com brings back it's Behind Enemy Lines series, where we get an opposing beat writer's take on the upcoming matchup.

For Week 12, we spoke to Steve Marik of InsideNebraska.com and touched on the direction of Nebraska's program, quarterback Casey Thompson, and more.

Marik: Mickey Joseph was exactly what the doctor ordered for the situation Nebraska found itself in. The Huskers were 1-2 at the beginning of the year and coming off a loss at home to Georgia Southern, which gained 642 total yards in a 45-42 win in Memorial Stadium. That was the nail in the coffin for Scott Frost, and he was fired by athletic director Trev Alberts the next morning.

Joseph was already a well-liked assistant because of his excellent work on the recruiting trail and because he’s known as one of the best receiver coaches in the country. No one expected much in his first game against Oklahoma, but he led the team to back-to-back wins over Indiana and Rutgers. Without a doubt, Joseph provided a spark and a new energy that had been lacking with Frost.

But Joseph was always in a tough position, and I don’t think many expected him to do better than the 2-5 record he currently owns. The way I’ll explain it: Joseph was dealt a bad hand at the card table while other interim head coaches, like Jim Leonhard, were given better ones.

Joseph has had to deal with an injury to his starting quarterback, Casey Thompson, that kept him out the past 2 ½ games. The backup quarterbacks have looked completely lost, and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has struggled to adjust without Thompson. The offensive line has been a liability for much of the season — Thompson has taken brutal hits, and it was only a matter of time before he wasn’t able to get up from one, and it happened against Illinois — though to its credit, the unit has been playing better recently, but is still nowhere fans want it to be.

Defensively, interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch has done well holding that unit together, and it has improved. His way of simplifying things has helped, and the Huskers have actually played admirably on that side of the ball against the rushing attacks of Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan, although the stats won’t seem like it.

Long story short, many of the issues Nebraska has aren’t Joseph’s fault. He was given an almost impossible job. He’s well-liked within the fan base, and many want him on the next head coach’s staff in some capacity. He’d be a valuable assistant to have because of how well he connects with young people and recruits.

Rohrer's Reaction: While Joseph has performed admirably in a really tough situation in Lincoln, there seems to be little thought about handing him the head coaching job. Whereas in Madison, where the job is currently Jim Leonhard's to lose, Nebraska seems to want to head in a different direction.