Indiana Preparing For Completely Different Offensive Style From Wisconsin

First-year Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell hired offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who's known for his air-raid style offense. For coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers, the Badgers' offense will look far different from Wisconsin teams of the past.

Jack Ankony | Oct 31, 2023

Indiana Preparing For Completely Different Offensive Style From Wisconsin /

In this story:

Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For decades, opponents knew what to expect from Wisconsin football: heavy emphasis on a power run game, mixed with a play-action passing. Year in and year out, Wisconsin had some of the best running backs and offensive lines.

But when Wisconsin hired coach Luke Fickell away from Cincinnati, the Badgers' offensive style completely changed. With Fickell came Phil Longo, an offensive-minded coach who learned the air-raid offense from the innovative Mike Leach.

As a result, Indiana coach Tom Allen is preparing for a Wisconsin team much different from prior iterations.

"It's completely different than in the past," Allen said of Wisconsin's offensive scheme. "They still run the ball effectively and well, got an elite running back. But just a different style without question, and Coach Longo's had a lot of success everywhere he's been ... The throw game is very very – vertical shots and reading and reacting to what you give them. They do a really good job of that, very well coached in terms of finding, as we call it, green grass in your coverages and things that they do well."

Longo has an impressive track record of building some of college football's most potent offenses. As the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State in 2016, Longo's offense averaged 547 yards per game, and quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe set the FCS record with 57 touchdowns.

His Ole Miss offenses ranked second in the SEC in total offense both years he coached there, averaging 511 yards per game in 2018. At North Carolina, Longo helped future NFL quarterback Sam Howell set the school's all-time passing record, and Drake Maye grew into a potential NFL Draft pick.

While Longo's offense has the pillars of Leach's air-raid style, it doesn't require the offense to throw the ball 60-plus times per game. Wisconsin ranks second in the Big Ten in pass attempts and middle of the pack in rush attempts per game this year, a noticeable change from the run-heavy Badgers of the 2010s, for example. Wisconsin still wants to run the ball, it just won't strictly do so out of formations with extra linemen or multiple tight ends.

When Fickell hired Longo at Wisconsin, they brought in former Oklahoma and SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai through the transfer portal. Moredecai threw for 7,152 yards and 77 touchdowns in two seasons at SMU, but now he's out indefinitely after breaking his hand on Oct. 14 against Iowa.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Braedyn Locke, who began his career at Mississippi State, replaced Mordecai during the Iowa game and completed 15-of-30 passes for 122 yards and an interception in the 15-6 loss. He took a step forward the following week in a 25-21 win, connecting on 21-of-41 pass attempts for 240 yards and two touchdowns. And during last week's 24-10 loss to Ohio State, he completed 18-of-39 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown.

Braedyn Locke ➡️ Will Pauling

Wisconsin has tied it in the 3rd quarter vs. Ohio State 👀pic.twitter.com/hmOgJImxZt
— 247Sports (@247Sports) October 29, 2023

Allen said he's seen some adjustments with Wisconsin's offensive play-calling since the quarterback change to cater to Locke's strengths and weaknesses. Fickell didn't have an update on Mordecai's injury on Monday, and Allen said they'll have to be ready for minor adjustments depending on who plays quarterback.

Wisconsin is also dealing with an injury to running back Braelon Allen, who's status against Indiana is unknown after leaving Saturday's game with a lower left leg injury.

"Braelon Allen is a special, special running back, without question," Tom Allen said. "He's 245 pounds. Most 245 pound people don't move the way he does, and he's elite. We're expecting him to play."

In his first two full seasons at Wisconsin, Allen rushed for over 1,200 yards. He's averaged six yards per carry and scored 31 touchdowns in 31 total games. Regardless of Allen's status, the Indiana defense is preparing for a Wisconsin run game that presents various challenges.

"The RPO [run-pass option] system is a big part of what they do and how they are able to set it up," Allen said. "They have a really comprehensive run game. It's not -- sometimes it's a couple run plays and that's it, but they're way more complex than that. So they do a good job with that. Very well thought out, really good system that I know they believe in."

Indiana and Wisconsin are set to kick off at Noon ET inside Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. At 2-6, the Hoosiers are desperate for a win with four games remaining. The Badgers have lost two of their last three games, but have a favorable stretch to end Fickell's first season, with Indiana, Northwestern, Nebraska and Minnesota left on the schedule.

Related stories on Indiana football