Wisconsin football fell to depths previously unimaginable, dropping to 5-7 to cement its first losing season in 22 years. Barring a handout, the Badgers will also miss a bowl game for the first time in that time span as well.
BadgerBlitz.com has grades and game balls from Wisconsin's 24-7 loss to Minnesota.
OFFENSE: F
What can I say that hasn't already been said? The Badgers have played some horrendous offense this season, but that? Horrendous doesn't even begin to describe it. That first half, especially, was excruciatingly poor on every level: play-calling, execution, coaching, you name it.
Here's a series of increasingly damning statistics about this offense:
It went 3-of-13 on third down. It averaged three yards-per-play. Its quarterback completed under 50 percent of his passes. It punted on seven of its first eight possessions, with the only respite coming in the form of the first half kneel down. Its ground game collected 36 yards on 24 carries. At halftime, it had just 36 total yards. At the final whistle, it had 166.
After a solid performance on the road against Nebraska, quarterback Braedyn Locke was atrocious against Minnesota. He finished 15-of-32 for 130 yards and a touchdown. He had a handful of passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. He had a handful of throws nowhere near his intended receiver. He finally didn't throw an interception, but he certainly should've; the Gophers dropped several balls thrown right to their defensive backs. I don't know if I've ever seen a quarterback more emphatically demonstrate that he's not the answer moving forward.
But Wisconsin kept sending him back out there, failed drive after failed drive, air-mailed pass after air-mailed pass. The absence of true freshman Mabrey Mettauer needs to be addressed here. Regardless of the reason he didn't play, neither is particularly good for the Badgers: either the staff doesn't believe he could potentially be an upgrade over Locke (troubling), or the staff doesn't believe Locke's play warrants getting benched (extremely troubling).
The running game was putrid. 1.5 yards-per-carry and 36 total yards is a slap in the face to everything this program was built upon, especially in a rivalry game. Tawee Walker couldn't find any creases save for an 18-yard scamper. The offensive line was repeatedly mauled up front, with Gophers' defensive linemen shedding block after block. A unit that was once the heart and soul of this program has become unrecognizable with its poor play.
Wisconsin's receivers made some solid plays. Trech Kekahuna displayed his excellent hands, and wound up as the Badgers' leading receiver with six catches for 64 yards. Vinny Anthony ran a nice route on his 15-yard touchdown reception. But therein lines a major underlying issue: Wisconsin has relied on individual performances all season long, its offense operating as 11 separate entities rather than a cohesive unit.
This offense was uninventive, unproductive and unwatchable all season long. A complete overhaul, schematically and personnel-wise (save for a few key players) is badly needed.
