When you, the national media and I think of the Wisconsin Badgers, chances are a dominate run game comes to mind first. So, it should come as no surprise that UW had a good day on the ground in its 38-28 win over Illinois.
The Badgers’ first Big Ten win of the season came with 401 yards of offense on the ground, 175 of which came from star Melvin Gordon. That total put him over the 1,000-yard mark on the season and made him the fastest to that mark in school history.
Sophomore running back Corey Clement had himself a day as well, rushing for 164 yards and averaging 12.6 yards a carry.
Despite those numbers, we also saw an offensive gameplan that had Andy Ludwig still wanting his quarterback to chuck the ball deep. The problem with that gameplan? It didn’t work out very well.
After six games of the season, Wisconsin has a clear identity crisis, but the good news is the Badgers have an opportunity to rework their offensive formula and find one that will ultimately make them even more dangerous on offense.
That formula, if Ludwig chose to accept it, is rather simple — pound the ball with a dominant offensive line, two of the better running backs (if not the best 1-2 punch in college ball) and mix in an intermediate passing game to keep teams honest.
Is that formula sexy? Hell-to-the-no. Yet, it’s a formula that has been and should be working for Wisconsin.
On the one hand you’ve got a sure first round NFL running back in your backfield, one who happens to average nearly eight yards per carry and has 13 rushing touchdowns to his name. Gordon is second in the country with 1,046 yards and averaging 174.3 yards per game. His 13 touchdowns are also second in the country on the ground.
On the other hand you have a set of quarterbacks who haven’t hit a pass over 40 yards all season.
Starting quarterback Joel Stave was just 7-of-14 for 73 yards, with no touchdowns and a long of 22 yards against Illinois.
Depsite those numbers, it appears the Badgers offensive coordinator is still going to try to fit a square peg in to a round hole. In other words, he’s still going to try and be a team that throws the ball deep at all costs.
Following the game, head coach Gary Andersen made it clear UW wasn’t going to abandon a passing game that he sees as still developing.
“Our ability to continually throw the ball and we’ve talked so much about opportunities for lay-ups, we left some lay-ups out there today on the field but we also made some plays when we had to with some contested balls which was great to see with our ability to be able to protect much better and make it cleaner,” said Andersen.
While it’s great to present a deep threat, at some point you actually have to complete those passes for teams to take you seriously enough to back off the run game focus.
If Ludwig had his way, Wisconsin would have quarterbacks who can throw the deep ball and be mobile at the same time.
However, reality reared it’s ugly head on Saturday afternoon, as Stave continued to miss the deep ball and McEvoy was never asked to throw the ball beyond 20 yards.
Through a game and a half of Stave behind center, there’s been no noticeable difference in the results in the pass game than with McEvoy throwing the ball.
For me, that means Wisconsin needs to get the most effective weapons on the field at the same time and embrace being a ground and pound football team. If you want to be that offense, that means embracing a quarterback who can run, along with a backfield that has the talent that Wisconsin’s does.
Sadly, all one needs to do is turn to the offense that Minnesota runs as an example of said offense working. The Gophers don’t have a deep passing game because they don’t have the players to execute it (despite the want to do it), so they run the football with a great running back and a mobile quarterback. They also throw the ball when it needs to happen, making sure it gives them just what they need.
They know who they are, opposing teams know who they are and yet it still works. Works to the point of a 2-0 start in Big Ten play and a 5-1 overall record.
It’s nice to dream about being able to kill a defense with the deep ball, but here in the moment, the reality is that Wisconsin has an identity that works…and a set of players who can fully execute said offensive system.
With a bye week ahead of the Badgers, it is an opportunity for the coaches to figure out which direction it wants to go. The question is, will UW’s coaches embrace its true identity or continue to go down a path that hasn’t worked?
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
