As the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers take in their second open weekend of the 2019 season on Saturday, two members of the BadgerBlitz.com staff -- editor/recruiting analyst Jon McNamara and senior writer Jake Kocorowski -- look at the team on both sides of the ball.
On Saturday, we break down our thoughts on Wisconsin's offense.
2019 team stats through eight games
*Scoring offense: 35.6 points per game (29th in the FBS)
*Total offense: 412.1 yards per game (62nd in the FBS)
*Rush offense: 216.4 yards per game (24th in the FBS)
*Passing offense: 195.8 yards per game (104th in the FBS)
*Third down conversions: 49.6% (10th in the FBS)
Stats as of Saturday AM, Nov. 2
Who or what in your opinion has been the biggest positive seen out of the offense?
McNamara: This has to be Jack Coan, who took a big step forward this off-season and solidified the quarterback position this fall. Through eight games, the junior has thrown just two interceptions and has displayed a solid grasp of the offense. In comparison, Alex Hornibrook, who is now at Florida State, had eight picks in his first eight contests in 2018. That’s a significant difference and a big reason why Coan is my pick for this category.
Kocorowski: Like Jon, I’m going to talk about the quarterback position and Coan. A lot of questions coming into the season about who would emerge under center, and the junior from Sayville, N.Y. has proceeded to complete 74.5 percent of his throws -- which as of Saturday, Nov. 2, ranks third in the nation -- with 10 touchdowns to just two picks.
Coan has shown on the field during games what reporters saw during fall camp -- throwing accurate passes with great timing, allowing his receivers to make plays, all while continuing to protect the ball with a low number of turnovers (with the exception of Ohio State defensive end Chase Young breathing down his neck a week ago with two strip sacks, I mind you).
What has been the biggest surprise out of the unit through eight games (either good or bad)?
McNamara: The offensive line, which had to replace four starters from the 2018 season, has taken a lot of heat so far -- some deserved and some not so much. Joe Rudolph’s unit has shuffled some guys on the interior in hopes of finding the best combination, and the group really struggled in last week’s loss to Ohio State. Left tackle Cole Van Lanen (73.8) and center Tyler Biadasz (69.8) haven’t graded out as well as many predicted before the start of the season, according to Pro Football Focus, and there is certainly room for improvement across the board.
Kocorowski: Despite being clogged up the past two games, Jonathan Taylor still leads the nation in total touchdowns heading into this weekend’s college football season. Obviously it’s not surprising that he’s found the end zone, but perhaps it’s just how much he has early on this season. Western Michigan’s Levante Bellamy is second with 17, but he’s also played one more game. Oklahoma State’s Chubba Hubbard and SMU’s Xavier Jones each have scored 16 through eight contests. Maybe the rushing attack has slowed a bit recently, but putting the ball in Taylor’s hands has still been successful.
A little different from the second question, but what appears to be the biggest area of improvement needed?
McNamara: I’ll go with the play calling in relation to the wide receivers. With Quintez Cephus, Danny Davis, A.J. Taylor and Kendric Pryor, this is Wisconsin’s most talented group in recent memory. That said, it’s a bit surprising they haven’t been “schemed” more into the offense, specifically in the last two games. Taking more vertical chances makes sense moving forward, especially with an accurate quarterback at the helm. That, of course, would open things open a bit more for Jonathan Taylor and UW’s running attack.
Kocorowski: I’ll look on the other side of the offense and the recent run game for Wisconsin. I’ve called it out in other articles recently, but the Badgers have not been as dominant in this area in conference play since the Northwestern win. Any team will initially look to contain Taylor and his abilities, especially since the ground attack is the bread and butter that normally rolls the offense. However, at least against Illinois and Ohio State, the line of scrimmage has not been won at the level it needed to win those games. It won't be any easier after the second bye week. Iowa will be a tall task as it ranks seventh in the nation in rush defense entering this weekend (87.8 yards allowed per contest).
Through eight games, who gets your MVP vote?
McNamara: The default answer is Jonathan Taylor, but I’ll go with Coan because of his consistency. There is still a pocket of fans clamoring for freshman Graham Mertz, but Coan has solidified the position. I wanted to see more from Taylor against better competition, but some of that also falls on the offensive line.
Kocorowski: I’ll go with both Taylor and Coan co-holding the award. The former is already over 1,000 yards rushing with those 19 total touchdowns, and him adding that pass catching element has paid dividends (four receiving scores) with another option defenses have to scheme against. I’ve already praise the latter, so I’ll refrain from repeated on-the-field achievements. I will say Coan’s poise and leadership has stood out.
Who is the player to watch in your eyes for the final four games of the season?
McNamara: I think tight end Jake Ferguson is someone to watch down the stretch. The redshirt sophomore has been relatively quiet in the passing game (21 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns) through eight games, but he’s played 492 out of the 561 total offensive snaps so far. That’s a huge workload Ferguson has taken on due to a lack of depth at the position.
Kocorowski: Outside of the Ohio State game, Ferguson emerged against Michigan State and Illinois in the two games previously. However, I’ll go with redshirt junior wide receiver Kendric Pryor, as he just seems to make big plays when his name is called. Many focus on what Cephus has done this season, with good reason after returning to the team, but Pryor ran for a 66-yard touchdown against the Spartans and also has caught passes of 33 and 35 yards this season. He may only have 10 receptions through eight games, but he’s averaging over 16 yards per catch. Can they work him in more, and could that lead to more success?
