Know Your Opponent: Scouting the Wisconsin Badgers
We are now halfway through college football’s regular season. Like every year there are many storylines around the country. In the Big Ten, there have been two teams that had high expectations but have been very disappointing. Those teams are Michigan State and Wisconsin.
The Badgers and Spartans face each other this week in East Lansing, trying to salvage what’s left of their seasons. For Michigan State, winning or losing this game could be the difference between making a bowl game or not. For Wisconsin, it is about how they will respond the rest of the season after a midseason coaching change.
There is a lot of turmoil around both programs in their own ways right now. This game could determine who will bounce back and who will keep spiraling down. With that said, let’s take a deeper look at the Badgers.
Coaching Staff
Paul Chyst was the head coach of Wisconsin to start the season. He was fired two weeks ago after losing to Illinois in embarassing fashion at home. His style of offense was not built for this fast-paced era of college football. His recruiting has slowly been deteriorating, and one factor could be Michigan State poaching director of recruiting Saeed Khalif from Wisconsin’s staff.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonard is the interim coach. He will be a top candidate for the job at the end of the season, as he has head coaching interest from other schools. Part of the reason he’s still with the Badgers is that he’s an alum, and doesn’t want to leave Madison if he doesn’t have to.
The whole coaching staff needs to be revamped, but rebuilding this program shouldn’t be hard. With success in recent years paired with being in the Big Ten West division, a rebuild at Wisconsin is surely a faster process than rebuilding at a school like Michigan State.
Offense
Wisconsin runs their signature ‘smashmouth’ offense. Sophomore running back Braelon Allen leads the way for the offense, as he continues a line of All-Conference level Wisconsin tailbacks. Michigan State’s defensive front will have its hands full with Allen, who is averaging six yards per carry.
Junior quarterback Graham Mertz has struggled this year. Similarly to Spartan QB Payton Thorne, Mertz has lacked consistency in 2022. Unlike Thorne, Mertz doesn’t have a great amount of weapons to throw to on the outside. Junior Chimere Dike is his top target, catching four of Mertz’s 13 passing touchdowns this season. Freshman Skyler Bell is another receiving threat to look out for, as he averages 17 yards per catch.
The difference between this Wisconsin team and past Badger squads is the offensive line. While it’s been above average, it hasn’t been the elite position group that Wisconsin is accustomed to having. The Badgers depth at O-line took a hit earlier this week when former five-star prospect and Michigan native Logan Brown was dismissed from the team.
Wisconsin’s turmoil up front is something Michigan State needs to take advantage of if they are going to win the game.
Defense
Like I said earlier, Jim Leonard is a highly-touted defensive coordinator. The Badgers defense is one of the best against the run in the country. Wisconsin is allowing only 117 yards per game, and that number will likely shrink even more this week against Michigan State’s struggling run game.
Junior linebacker Maema Njongmeta leads the Badgers in tackles this year with 38. Wisconsin has 10 sacks on the year, and will likely take advantage of Michigan State’s offensive line. Junior linebacker Nick Herbig already has five sacks this year, and will be a problem all game.
As stout as Wisconsin is against the run, the Badgers are forcing turnovers mostly through their pass defense. U-W already has ten interceptions and 21 pass deflections on the year, and is allowing just 203.5 yards passing per game.
Senior John Torchio and junior Kamo’i Latu start at safety for the Badgers and will provide held for Wisconsin’s corners over the top. They each have two interceptions and multiple pass break-ups this season.
Final Thoughts
In many ways, Wisconsin is going through the same issues Michigan State is offensively. But in other ways, such as roster build and defense, Wisconsin has a better foundation than MSU. Michigan State has more top-end talent on offense, but as a complete unit, Wisconsin still may be better.
In a stretch where the Spartans have played Washington, Minnesota, Maryland and Ohio State, and still have Wisconsin and Michigan in their next two contests, this game may be the most winnable of the stretch for Michigan State.
Whether MSU can get a win or not will be in the hands of its offense. One thing is for sure, the bye week next week for Michigan State can’t come soon enough.
