As has been the story for the last few seasons, Wisconsin is in dire need of a bounce-back effort following a drubbing by Iowa. On a more positive note, the next three games for the Badgers are against the 16th, 17th and 14th-ranked teams in the Big Ten, starting with this Saturday against Rutgers.
Ahead of a must-win game for Luke Fickell, here are the storylines that stand out to me
The quarterback position
Late in the third quarter, Fickell and Jeff Grimes turned to Ryan Hopkins, looking for something positive to take from the pitiful offensive effort. Obviously, the game was far out of reach at that point, so I wouldn’t count on it being a sign of what’s to come, but it certainly opens the door for that discussion.
With three winnable games preceding the crucial matchup with Minnesota, I’d be a little surprised to see Wisconsin make a quarterback change. No, Colton Joseph has been by no means great, but turning to a true freshman late in the season comes with its fair share of risks as well.
Saturday in Iowa City wasn’t Hopkins’ official debut, but it was the first true opportunity to see him throw the ball. He completed eight of his 13 attempts for 93 yards, throwing one interception on a desperation heave on fourth-and-18.
It was a small sample size, one too small to draw any major conclusions, but for a true freshman in a hostile environment, Hopkins seemed about as comfortable as you can ask for. Understandably, the situation is being kept under wraps and Fickell gave no indication that a change is coming during his weekly presser, but it will be interesting to see if Hopkins sees more time this week.
Energy levels
The Badgers’ effort was shameful against the Hawkeyes. There’s no way to defend the lifeless energy that they came out with as they were handled by a more prepared and motivated football team. Now, the question becomes, if a rivalry which you’d lost four straight in, on Halloween, doesn’t get the juices flowing, does a November home game against Rutgers?
Wisconsin could likely win this game even if it doesn’t play its best, but I’ll be closely monitoring the energy on the sideline throughout the contest. Sure, getting pounded by a rival once again is demoralizing, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot left in front of this team.
Three games against teams at the bottom of the conference, followed by a home game against the program’s biggest rival, which it hasn’t beat in two years, opens the door for a positive end to the season. Should Wisconsin right the ship and take care of the teams it should beat, it would have a chance to beat Minnesota to finish 9-3.
The bottom line is, a third of the season is yet to be played, and the Badgers have a favorable schedule to close the year strong, but it will need to showcase their ability to respond in the face of adversity.
Does the defensive dominance return?
All season, this Wisconsin defense had been dominant. Even in a game where it performed mediocre by its standards, the Badgers held UCLA to 17 points on the road. Last weekend, however, it was a subpar effort. Iowa averaged just 3.3 yards-per-carry, but allowing Hank Brown, a quarterback whose job hasn’t been secure this season, to throw for nearly 200 yards in a single half was inexcusable.
Rutgers is likely to roll with AJ Surace at quarterback again this week. Surace made the start last week against Michigan, filling in for the injured Dylan Lonergan. The junior completed just three passes on 12 attempts, going for 80, 32 and 11 yards, respectively.
For a defense in need of a rebound performance, facing an inexperienced quarterback could be exactly what it needs. Rutgers did run for 126 yards on 26 carries against the Wolverines, averaging nearly five yards-per-carry.
The Badgers have been stout against the run all season and if they can do so once more, Surace will be forced into throwing the ball more than Rutgers would like.
Defense has been Wisconsin’s calling card all season and with questions surrounding the offense once again this week, it will lean on Mike Tressel’s group to bounce back and help control the flow of the game.
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