Was it pretty? No. Are there still things to work on? Yes.
However, the Badgers found a formula that worked for them in the second half on the way to a 37-3 victory over Western Illinois in the home opener of the 2014 season. Wisconsin passed it’s way out of danger and dominated the second half to improve to 1-1 on the year.
This one got off to a strange start, as Western Illinois let the opening kick bounce out of the end zone and in to the field of play before downing it back in the end zone. UW was up 2-0 after challenging the original call that it was a touchback.
It was the fifth fastest score in college football history, but it wasn’t exactly route on after that. Wisconsin managed two first downs the entire first quarter and it was 2-0 UW leading mid way through the second quarter.
That’s when the light seemed to come back on for the Badgers offense, and in particular quarterback Tanner McEvoy.
After throwing for just 50 yards against LSU and looking all out of sorts early on, quarterback Tanner McEvoy caught fire and lead the Badgers to four touchdowns in the final 32 minutes of the contest. He found a rhythm and a favorite target or two along the way, completing 23 of 28 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns and one interception.
It was vital to see that happen, as Western Illinois crushed any hope for Melvin Gordon winning the Heisman Trophy. Gordon had just 38 yards on 17 carries (2.2 avg) and never could get it going between the tackles.
Despite that the Badgers found a way to come out in the second half and turn things around in a major way. So much so that UW outscored the Leathernecks 28-0 in the half and ran away with the victory.
Badger of the Game: Tanner McEvoy, QB
Hard to argue with a quarterback who had 50 yards against LSU turning around and completing 82 percent of his passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. If it weren’t for late running by Corey Clement, McEvoy would’ve also been UW’s leading rusher on the day as well. As it is, McEvoy ended the game with 55 yards and one touchdown on the ground too.
While we shouldn’t be jumping for joy just yet, this was a nice building block to McEvoy as a passing quarterback. He’s clearly building a great relationship with wide receiver Alex Erickson and tight end Sam Arneson.
If UW can get this kind of balanced performance out of McEvoy during Big Ten play, they’ll be just fine.
Turning Point: Tanner McEvoy missing Arneson up the seam in 2nd quarter
Strange that we’re picking a bad play, right? However, the entire passing game took a turn for the better after McEvoy missed Arneson on a seam route on 2nd-and-14 from the Badgers’ own 14-yard line. It was a pass the Badgers needed to have considering the field position, but instead of going 3-and-out, the Badgers’ QB went right back to Arneson on the next play and hit him for a 22-yard gain.
From that point on, McEvoy found his stride. It was just one of four missed passes in the first half and McEvoy had 125 yards by the end of it all. He also ended up averaging a good 12.3 yards per completion on the day. Without that wake up call, it’s highly unlikely UW gets it’s offense going in a major way.
Stat of the Game: 17 completions
McEvoy had 17 straight completions in the contest, and while a ton were of the wide receiver screen variety, getting in to any sort of rhythm was a great sign of improvement for the Badgers pass game.
For those who aren’t impressed considering many were throws close to the line of scrimmage, Wisconsin radio color man Mike Lucas said it best after the game, “it’s hard to complete 17 passes in a row against air, let alone any opposition.”
Getting some confidence going internally is vital to developing the Badgers’ passing game through out the second half.
Tweet of the Game:
#Badgers QB McEvoy took blame for lone pick. But it appeared Wheelwright cut route short. Did not see field after.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) September 6, 2014
Highlight of the Game:
Melvin Gordon didn’t do a lot in the running game, but he was valuable in the pass game and his lone touchdown was all desire and our highlight of the game.
Wisconsin is on a bye next week, but will return to Camp Randall for a contest with Bowling Green on Sept. 20.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
