Vince Biegel is the heart and soul of the Wisconsin Badgers defense. No one will deny that.
So, when Biegel elected to have surgery to insert a screw in to his foot to heal a crack to a bone, many believed the Badgers were going to suffer a severe dip in production at arguably its most important position — outside linebacker.
Options like moving the experienced Jack Cichy to the outside were thought to be on the table, especially since there was no one on the roster with starting experience at the outside linebacker position besides him.
Instead, the coaching staff surprised some in naming little-known junior Garret Dooley as the starter ahead of the Michigan game.
That surprise starter has turned in to a player the Badgers have been able to trust. Not only that, he has become a vital part of the defensive gameplan against both Michigan and Ohio State.
Redshirt freshman Zack Baun also became a much more important piece of the puzzle than before. Sure, he was fine in back up duty behind Biegel, but was he really ready for the prime time?
Baun proved it against Ohio State, recording six tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss. He also outdid Dooley on the stat sheet, as the junior put up four tackles on the night.
However, Dooley racked up 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss against Michigan and got the start against the Buckeyes for that very reason.
The two combine to show the Badgers are far from a two-man show at outside linebacker. In fact, the confidence of Biegel and Watt have rubbed off on
Maybe the outside world expected a drop off, but the guys in the locker room sure didn’t.
“We don’t want to miss a beat,” said Dooley, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ahead of the Ohio State game. “That is the mentality that we have, that no matter who is in the game we don’t think there should be a drop-off at that position.”
Head coach Paul Chryst has also been pleased with Dooley’s play, but more importantly with his continued progression at the position.
“I’ve loved seeing his progression,” Chryst said of Dooley. “Like anyone, they work and they gain confidence from that work. And then he has the opportunity to make plays – special teams last year. And this year he gets an opportunity when Vince goes down.
“It’s been neat to see his growth.”
The growth has been nice, but with Biegel itching to get on the field sooner than later, it may be time for Dooley and Baun to see their reps decline.
Just don’t expect their expectations to decline when they do get their opportunities to play.
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