EAST LANSING - Graham Mertz stood in front of a crowd of a dozen or so reporters Saturday evening. As he’s done all season, Wisconsin's starting quarterback answered every question the media posed to him.

Mertz's message after each of the four losses has been some form of a reminder that there is a lot of football to be played. After a double-overtime defeat against Michigan State, the tone was no different from the signal caller.

“There’s a lot of ball left to be played and I know this team will be ready,” Mertz said. “I know these leaders are ready to lead. Coaches are ready to coach and we’re hungry. No matter what anybody, says we’re hungry.”

Mertz has always said the right things. At some point, though, it’s tough to put any stock in a rebound when the same product is played on the field each Saturday.

One week after an emotionally-driven stretch for the program resulted in an offensive explosion and complete game from the defense against Northwestern, Wisconsin reverted back to the same issues that led to a 2-3 start. Rough turnovers, mounting penalties, blown coverages, discombobulated offensive play and missed tackles all contributed to a demoralizing loss to Michigan State.

“That’s been a struggle and that’s why we are where we are,” interim head coach Jim Leonhard said when asked about the team not having an identity. “Offensively, inconsistent running and throwing the ball. We’ve done some great things at times but not consistently enough. And defensively I think it’s been very similar."

After finding the end zone twice in the first three drives against the Spartans, the unit sputtered and punted six consecutive times. The flow of the game almost necessitated a forced turnover or score from the defense. Instead, the defense surrendered 97- and 65-yard drives with missed tackles and blown coverages part of the recipe.

Think back to the 2019 slugfest against Northwestern. With the offense stymied, Noah Burks came down with a pick and Matt Henningsen fell on a forced fumble in the end zone, leading to a Wisconsin win. The Badgers haven’t been able to make those plays this season.

“When we’ve needed to show up big, we haven’t gotten it done and we have to find ways as coaches to help them out. And players when their number is called, they need to execute,” Leonhard added. “I would say it’s still up in the air on what the true identity of this team is, and that’s why we haven’t had the success that we all anticipated.”

In team’s loss to Washington State in the second game of the season, captain Keeanu Benton blasted the effort and felt the team gave up in the second half. The effort level isn’t in question at this point in the season.

“One thing I like and that I’m going to cherish for a long time is the effort and the fight we had,” inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta said. “We had some previous losses where we gave up before it was time. There was no quit today.”

“I know this team has their heart in the right place and every guy is busting their ass.” senior offensive lineman Tyler Beach said.

Past the halfway point of the season, things have yet to click for Wisconsin consistently. Mertz asserted the team is better than its record.

“Oh, 1,000 percent,” Mertz said when asked if the team is more talented than its record. “I think that’s the most frustrating thing for a lot of the guys. We know the talent we have. We just have to put it together and we haven’t, yet.”

In a similar vein, one is left to wonder if the inconsistent play is just who this year's team is.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” wide receiver Skyler Bell said. “Guys in this locker room know what we’re capable of. We know how good we are. Just today, they scored seven more points than us. Can’t really dwell on it. You have to come back ready to work because next week, we got another game and another Big Ten matchup.”

The talent on paper projected to be much better than a 3-4 mark with victories against an FCS opponent in Illinois State and two programs that have combined to win two games. In any case, Wisconsin looks primed to miss out on the Big Ten championship for the third consecutive season in a year where the Big Ten West is wide open.

“I hope it’s not too late,” Leonhard said. “If it’s too late, we’re in trouble because we have a lot of football left, so we’ll emphasize it.”

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