Madison - Wisconsin football is riding high coming off a dominant performance against Illinois State on opening night. In week two, the Badgers will get their first taste of Power Five action with Washington State.

As Wisconsin gears up for the Cougars, what questions loom large as the Badgers look to continue their hot start to the season?

For how tough the Badgers defense was on Saturday, they were doing some major shuffling in the secondary throughout the game. When Hunter Wohler went down with an injury, Preston Zachman and Kamo'i Latu became the de-facto co-starting free safeties. Even Titus Toler found his way into the rotation against Illinois State.

"It's gonna be a little bit by committee," defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. "I love to play guys, I love to get guys on the field and have a role within the game plan."

Leonhard's philosophy, in the absence of Wohler, will be to put different combinations of players around starting strong safety John Torchio depending on the situation. This should be on a game-by-game basis and strategically within games, as well. We know we'll see some combination of Zachman, Latu and Toler in Wohler's spot. Could we see some of the younger guys as well, like the freshman coaches and players can't stop raving about, Austin Brown? The answer is unclear, and the makeup at safety will be a collage until the room is finally healthy.

There's also questions at corner. Primarily, the health-related ones — will Alexander Smith and Justin Clark be good to go for Saturday? On Tuesday, Leonhard said it was too early in the week to tell. Head coach Paul Chryst indicated to reporters that he'd like to see at least two good days of work from the aforementioned corners before he feels comfortable about playing them.

And if they're healthy, how does the rotation change? Will Smith slide right into the starting spot opposite Jay Shaw? How much work will Clark see in the slot over last weeks starting slot corner Cedrick Dort Jr.? Will we continue to see guys further down the depth chart, like Semar Melvin and Max Lofy, play against an increased competition level?

The Badgers' secondary is flooded with game-ready talent. But injuries are clouding the corner and safety positions, forcing coaches to experiment.

Badgers fans who experienced the tenure of Nakia Watson will remember a promising back who never got his chance to own the spotlight. A supporting actor during the last year of Jonathan Taylor's reign, and an alternative option to Jalen Berger the year after, Watson decided it was time for a change of scenery and headed to Pullman, Wa.

Now, Watson has his chance. He'll try to fill the massive hole left by prolific Cougars running back Max Borghi, and he got off to a good start in week one. Against Idaho, Watson carried the rock 18 times for 117 yards, while also catching two passes for 17 yards. It's safe to say he's cemented himself as the focal point of the Cougars rushing attack.

“It means a lot to me,” Watson told local media about returning to Madison. “It will be nice seeing my old coaches, my old teammates. I’ve got probably 8-10 boys still on the team that I talk to on a regular basis. It will be nice.”

Last week, Illinois State's starting running back and most dangerous player on offense, Cole Mueller, was hurt in the first quarter. Wisconsin's run defense was hardly tested. It'll be a different story when the Cougars roll into town. Washington State still lives and dies by the passing game, and the Badgers can't afford to also have to worry about Watson on the ground.

How the passing attack looks will be a burning question as long as Graham Mertz is at the helm of this offense. Throwing the ball is by far and away the missing offensive element that has held the Badgers back over the past few seasons. It looked good in the opener against an FCS team; will that momentum hold up for week two?

Mertz was dialed in on Saturday, never putting the ball in harm's way and throwing just two incompletions, one of which was an obvious drop by receiver Markus Allen. Even against much tougher competition, it's reasonable to presume the pass game will continue to improve as players become more comfortable with new offensive coordinator Bobby Engram's system.

Washington State's cornerbacks had an up-and-down game against Idaho, allowing eight catches on a total of fourteen targets. Sophomore cornerback Chau Smith-Wade is stepping into a more prominent role this season, and should be one of the Cougars top options all year. Last season, he allowed just nine catches on 141 coverage snaps. He should be covering the Badgers 'X' receiver more often than not.

The Cougars pass defense is solid but not elite. Wisconsin should be able to move the ball on this unit as a whole with the same balanced approach they used in the opener. Another extremely efficient performance from Mertz against a legitimate opponent may signal that he truly has taken a step forward.

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