TAMPA -- Despite a weather delay with the skies initially looking ominous, the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers came into the Sunshine State and dominated the South Florida Bulls during a 49-0 win Friday night inside Raymond James Stadium.
BadgerBlitz.com breaks down five things we learned in the road win.
1. Jonathan Taylor did Jonathan Taylor things, but with a new twist
Friday evening, Jonathan Taylor carried the football 16 times for 135 yards with two touchdowns. Pretty standard for the junior back tailback.
In the passing game, however -- a phase many wanted the junior to show improvement on -- he caught two passes for 48 yards. Both of those receptions turned into scores. Taylor's 36-yard touchdown after catching a pass in the left flat on a screen showcased an explosiveness many thought he could bring to that area of Wisconsin’s offense.
With mere seconds left on the clock in the first half, quarterback Jack Coan found Taylor, who was split out wide right. Against two defenders, he found a way to stretch into the end zone to give Wisconsin a 28-0 lead heading into intermission.
Taylor’s rushing capabilities won him the 2018 Doak Walker Award and made him a Heisman-caliber back. Adding this new layer to his skill-set should rightfully have him in conversations to be a Heisman finalist this season.
2. The defense started 2019 with an impressive effort and came to play
A lot of question marks revolved around exactly what South Florida’s offense would throw at Wisconsin’s defense under new coordinator Kerwin Bell. UW answered them emphatically on the road.
The Badgers constricted USF's offense to just 157 yards total. Two key stats here stand out. This was the lowest mark Wisconsin allowed since November 2017 when it held Minnesota to a mere 133 yards in Minneapolis. The Bulls also only gained 26 yards on 23 carries on the ground.
That being said, USF helped UW’s cause early on as well with a couple of missed opportunities on deep passes (one drop and one official pass breakup by Scott Nelson), along with some penalties by its offense.
However, defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's unit stifled South Florida, especially on third down where the Bulls converted just three of 14 attempts. The Badgers generated four sacks, five tackles for loss, three turnovers -- including a defensive touchdown by Matt Henningsen -- in an impressive debut.
3. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard utilized his defensive backs uniquely on Friday night
Wisconsin deployed a 2-4-5 nickel look throughout the game, but it was very interesting see which five defensive backs saw the field. UW used three safeties for a time with Reggie Pearson, Scott Nelson and Eric Burrell (Pearson working in the slot). Then at times, there would be three cornerbacks in the game as well.
The safety group appeared to show its versatility in yet another way the defense could attack opponents. Houston transfer Collin Wilder also played in the blowout victory, and like Burrell, also recorded an interception for the Badgers.
At cornerback, Faion Hicks and Deron Harrell started the game but Caesar Williams and Rachad Wildgoose worked in against USF's offense. Wildgoose played in the slot as well when the unit went with three corners in the nickel package.
Long story short, the secondary for this team could become a major strength, and the different ways Leonhard can use the defensive backfield will only help down the road against tougher opponents for particular matchups.
4. The offense looked good, but there is work to be done
The offense scoring 42 points is nothing to scoff at. Wisconsin displayed a balanced look in tallying 433 yards on the evening (234 rushing, 199 passing). Jack Coan finished the day 19-of-26 for a career-high 199 yards with two touchdowns. And, more importantly, no interceptions. Nine players caught passes, including returning wide receiver Quintez Cephus (three receptions, 39 yards).
That said, Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst used the word "sputtered" to describe the offense despite the good plays made. There were some missed opportunities on deep throws, but UW also gave up three sacks with the pressure put on by South Florida. Tight end Jake Ferguson fumbled a reception that was eventually recovered by USF's K.J. Sails. Even on Taylor's second touchdown reception, Coan should have thrown it to the end zone but the back made a great play.
The Badgers ran over the Bulls and made the plays it needed to in winning decisively. However, there will be areas where this team can polish up more heading into next Saturday's non-conference showdown with Central Michigan.
5. Like the defensive backs, Wisconsin's offensive line could have nearly a two-deep of game-ready players
This was really interesting to watch. Offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph said earlier this week that he believed there were three starting-caliber guards on this roster, and there were co-starters listed at those two spots on the depth chart. As seen hours ago, Jason Erdmann, Kayden Lyles and Josh Seltzner all played against South Florida. Over the course of the next few games, it will be worth monitoring if any of the two emerge in more consistent playing time, or if this could be the norm for the 2019 season.
It was not just at guard where you saw some changes on the line. Despite Logan Bruss starting, redshirt sophomore Tyler Beach worked in at right tackle while Cole Van Lanen held down the left side of the line.
On top of that, David Moorman wore No. 46 on Friday night and worked as a pseudo tight end. The redshirt senior displayed his versatility that has been seen throughout his UW career, as he can also play center, guard and tackle.
UPDATE: Wisconsin gave up three sacks to USF, not four. Apologies for the typo.
