Time to pick yourselves up, dust off all the pebbles from the temporary artificial turf at NRG Stadium and move forward for the Wisconsin Badgers. While another close loss hurts, there’s nothing like a game the very next week to help you get over that loss.
Also helping matters is the fact that the next opponent is Western Illinois. There’s nothing like an FCS opponent to help you get some frustration out. It doesn’t mean that it will be easy, per say…but the Leathernecks are simply no LSU.
Western Illinois did just get done beating it’s Week 1 opponent 45-6 and all…but it was against Valparaiso, that mighty Missouri Valley Football Conference powerhouse.
All kidding aside, Wisconsin has plenty of its own stuff to work on following what and who went down on Saturday night in Houston, Texas. So, let’s take a look at the 5 things to watch for in Week 2 of the 2014 season.
5. A Freshman RB Debut – Wisconsin isn’t deep at running back, and with Melvin Gordon already suffering an injury (however minor or not it was) getting Taiwan Deal or Caleb Kinlaw in to the game and getting experience against an opponent UW should blow out would be very nice indeed.
Wisconsin hasn’t listed which one of the freshmen would get that look (if either would), as rumors circulated late in camp that Kinlaw was quickly turning heads upon his return from a small surgery. Either way, seeing Deal or Kinlaw out there on Saturday likely means the Badgers are doing some impressive work.
Just think back to last season when Wisconsin let Corey Clement go to work in the second half of its game against Tennessee Tech. That’s what would be great to see in this one.
4. Lubern Figaro’s improvement – Figaro didn’t stuff the stat sheet like his opposite number at safety last week, but that had more to do with Anthony Jennings not being all that accurate and the LSU running game becoming dominant in the second half. Figaro was caught up on one of the two long passing touchdowns that Jennings was able to throw, but we also his ability to range in the defensive backfield.
This week will be a nice test of his ability to review film, make improvement and get more comfortable in the secondary. Showing that the communication issue that led to the touchdown last week is fixed would go a long way towards giving fans even more confidence.
Figaro looks like he’s got a bright future, and Western Illinois is a good way to bounce back after being thrown to the wolves against LSU.
3. Corey Clement getting going – Wisconsin’s sophomore running back was bottled up in a big way during the second half against LSU. He ended the game with 45 yards on 15 carries for a 3.0 yards per carry average. He did get a touchdown to his name, but the reality was Clement just couldn’t get going in his first prominent role in a big game.
Should Melvin Gordon’s apparently minor hip flexor issue become a bigger deal down the road, Clement is going to have to be the one carrying the load for the Badgers.
2. Who steps up on the defensive line – Wisconsin will be without the two most experienced members of its defensive line for the near future, as both Konrad Zagzebski and Warren Herring are out for a few weeks at a minimum.
That leaves redshirt freshmen Chikwe Obasih to make his second career start, sophomore Arthur Goldberg starting his first game at defensive tackle…and junior Jake Keefer making his first start at the other defensive end position — at least according to the depth chart that was released on Monday.
If this wasn’t an FCS opponent, that prospect wouldn’t be a good one. No doubt there is talent in that trio, but it will have to produce faster than they would’ve liked thanks to injuries. If UW can’t get production up front against Western Illinois it could be a long few weeks until both Herring and Zagzebski return to the lineup.
1. More Tanner McEvoy to Alex Erickson – McEvoy completed just eight passes against LSU, but three of those eight went to redshirt sophomore Alex Erickson. McEvoy targeted him more than any other receiver in the game and the two seem to be developing a good relationship.
It was about the only positive in an otherwise completely forgetful and brutal to watch passing game last Saturday.
Growing that relationship, and seeing it happen more on intermediate and deep routes would be massive for the future of what Wisconsin’s offense could become this season. The reality is that Wisconsin has to work with what they’ve got right now, and that means a passing game that is clearly going to take time to evolve into something good. Seeing that timeframe accelerate with a game like this is something every Badger fan would love to see.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
