MADISON - Offensive coordinator Bobby Engram spoke to the media Tuesday as the Badgers come off their bye week and prepare for Maryland. He touched on a number of topics, including how he's been able to improve the offense, recruiting during the bye week, and more.

Below, BadgerBlitz.com outlines the key takeaways.

Wisconsin has had more success attacking the deep and intermediate parts of the field this season than it has in the entire Graham Mertz era. Engram's offense has mostly stayed true to the Badgers' identity of power running, but his personal wrinkles have led to more explosive plays.

"Really it's the personnel," Engram said. "I think it's just being personnel-driven and (trust in) Graham. He feels comfortable with the things we've repped a lot, he trusts the guys. Really it's about the players. As coaches, we wanna study situations and put them in the best possible position to do their job and make their plays, but ultimately it comes down to those guys actually making a play."

Another area Wisconsin's offense has improved on is third downs. Especially for the Badgers, it's critical their offense stays on the field so that the running game and ensuing play-action has time to develop.

"I always wanna do more, I always wanna do better (on third down). I think in particular third-and-long, we gotta get a little better there. Third and extra long we've actually been pretty good, guys have made some plays. So I gotta look critically at what I'm calling and how we're executing it. Third and short you wanna be dominant there, we've been really good but you wanna be dominant in those situations as much as you can. We just continue to chase what we do well and what gives the opponents problems. It's a constant balance when you're game-planning."

A big part of Wisconsin's increase in splash plays offensively is the play of the wide receivers. Last season, Danny Davis and Kendrick Pryor each had 32 catches, and they combined for five receiving touchdowns. With four games left to play, top wide out Chimere Dike already has 32 grabs and six touchdowns. Skyler Bell, with 22 catches and four scores, is on pace to pass both Davis and Pryor, statistically, as well.

"I like all of those guys," Engram asserted. "First off, gotta get K-Lew (Keontez Lewis) going a little more. Dean (Engram) has been playing well, gotta keep finding ways to utilize everybody, but Chim and Skyler have taken the lead. Part of that is how I'm calling it, part is they've earned it."

Dike and Bell have been just about as consistent as Engram could've hoped for. In such a run-heavy offense, Mertz doesn't exactly spray the ball around to a bevy of eligibles. But Dike and Bell are staples of the passing game, and they're doing the right things on and off the field.

"Those guys are workers, man. They study, they know the game plan in and out, and you can trust them to be consistent in their approach and what they're doing. Even if they don't make every play, as a coach I know I can trust them to go out and do what we're asking them to do. Therefore, the quarterback can trust them. But I think the whole group brings that, and we just gotta keep growing and bringing those guys along. I'm excited about that group and the playmaking ability that's there."

Ever since Chez Mellusi went down in the Northwestern game, Braelon Allen and Isaac Guerendo have been the only backs to record a carry. Two weeks ago, with the Boilermakers all but vanquished, Allen continued to get carries late in the fourth quarter. Does Engram feel comfortable digging deeper into his bag of running backs in a close game?

"I do, I like our guys. Every game is a little different, but (Brady) Schipp(er) has played a lot of games. We trust Schipp, Julius (Davis) has been working hard. He's a talented runner when he gets the ball in his hands, but Braelon is one of the best backs in the country, if not the best back. Isaac is a talented guy who's shown some explosiveness — you saw that run he had this past game. It's hard when you only have one football, that many good players, and we're not even counting the guys on the perimeter, not even talking about the tight ends that have been banged up. So we're just trying to do out job to put the guys that put this team in the best position to win. And those guys understand; they stay working and stay ready. But I feel comfortable."

It makes all the sense in the world to feed Allen and Guerendo. But in the fourth quarter, with the game already won, there's no reason guys like Julius Davis shouldn't be getting carries. The 'three-headed monster' is already down a head; no need to risk losing another.

The "bye week" isn't really a bye week for football coaches, especially college coaches that are immersed in recruiting. But with just a few days 'off',' what can really be accomplished on the recruiting trail over the bye week?

"You can accomplish a lot, but it's what's your intention when you go out on the road," Engram said. "Our clear intention was to see our top guys, and see the guys that've committed. Let them know...what the state of the Badgers are right now, what we anticipate moving forward, and just assure the guys we really like that this place is still Wisconsin football. All the education, the people, the crowd, the Jump Around, the tradition of football. There's still a lot of things that they signed up (for)...and the guys that are committed, just let them know we're moving forward and we intend on doing great things."

Being in the midst of a coaching change might be one of the biggest handicaps on recruiting. In a situation like this, the Badgers coaches must reassure their top targets that Wisconsin is still Wisconsin, Madison is still Madison.

With time winding down on the 2023 class and no quarterback signed, the signal-caller position looks a little thin for Wisconsin. With the transfer of Deacon Hill, Wisconsin is down to two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. As the Badgers try to find their next quarterback, what is Engram looking for in a gunslinger?

"There's certain measurables that you wanna see, there's a certain skillset that you wanna see. But when you watch the tape, you have to take each guy individually. One guy that's tall is gonna have a different skillset than a guy that's a little shorter. There's certain non-negotiables...but you gotta watch games with a quarterback. You gotta get a feel for how he manages the game, how he responds when he's down, what happens after he throws the interception. All of those things kinda factor into, 'man, we really like this guy, we wanna offer him.'"

Wisconsin is running out of time to be picky about quarterback prospects. Asked further about if he prefers a mobile quarterback, Engram broke out the dry humor.

"We'd love to have a guy that's 6'4'' with a cannon, rocket arm that can run a 4.3 and is extremely mobile, that can change directions at the drop of a hat. That's the guy we want."

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