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Wisconsin vs. Maryland: Jim Leonhard postgame availability recap

A summary of what Wisconsin interim head coach Jim Leonhard had to say following the Badgers' win over Maryland.

Matt Belz

In this story:

The Wisconsin Badgers came away with another crucial win on Saturday, taking down Maryland 23-10 in tough weather conditions at Camp Randall Stadium. 

The win is the third under interim head coach Jim Leonhard and helped Wisconsin improve to 5-4 on the season overall. 

Game recaps:

Following the 13-point victory, Leonhard met with media members to discuss the Big Ten victory and a number of different topics. Here is an overview of what he had to say on Saturday afternoon:

Opening statement

"First of all, just very proud of the way our guys handled the bye week and the prep needed to win this game and to come out and play strong early and not get affected by the weather and push through that and really thrive in those situations early in the game. Just really proud of the way they handled a lot of adversity today."

On the biggest factor today against Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa

"Number one, it's containing the quarterback. You saw late, in the last drive, how dynamic he can be when he gets out of the pocket. I thought we did a really good job early in the game of getting him on the ground, forcing him into the boundary, and getting him to throw the ball away because what happened late in the game is normally what he is doing for four quarters. So we did a great job of containing him and forcing him to make throws and make some tough decisions. You had to stop the run first today. You had to control the line of scrimmage and affect the quarterback in the pocket, and we were able it on get that done."

On the return of sophomore safety Hunter Wohler

"You lose a guy like Hunter Wohler and the versatility he has. We were able to put him in a lot of different positions today. Really playing some of our outside backer roles, to the field in certain packages. Just continuing to learn our players, what they can handle from adjustments, different packages, and what fits their skill set. We were able to get a big piece back. It is always fun to see them making plays and watching their teammates respond. They know how hard he [Wohler] has worked to get back and how frustrated he was having to sit out as many weeks as he did. It's a lot of fun when you see those guys reap the rewards of all the hard work."

On Wohler continued...

"So some guys you really get concerned on the emotions. And they've been out, and they try to press and do a little bit too much, but never felt like I had to even bring it up with him just because of his approach. That is rare out of a young guy to see that maturity and to see him go in there. It's just fun to see the look in his eyes. He is physical. He plays fast. He is aggressive, and he tracks the ball well."

On the offensive line and success of the running game

"I think this is probably the healthiest that group [the offensive line] has been in a long time. The combination of guys we had, we felt like it was the five that was playing the best at the time and healthiest. And you add the tight end group to that as well that's been banged up, you get Rucci back, and you are able to do just more things up front, and they played with a lot of confidence."

On freshman kicker Nate Van Zelst

"He really has been consistent kicking the ball in competitive situations in practice the majority of the year. So just kind of learning what his range is, where he likes the ball, putting him in some tough situations in practice just to see how he responds, but he has been solid."

On the impact of nose tackle Keeanu Benton

"A guy like Keeanu changes the math inside. He can dominate his matchups consistently, and he forces teams to put a lot of attention on him, which helps your linebackers run. If you can keep your linebackers clean with guys like that up front, you are going to have a lot of success. They are not going to bust many explosive runs. Having him in the middle is really priceless."

On the effort level lately under Leonhard

"They're playing hard. It's clear. It is easy to see, I think, how hard they are playing. Still have to eliminate some dumb mistakes that we are making with penalties and mental errors, but that's football. We're going to push to really just attack the last three weeks here of the regular season. I like the approach. These guys are holding each other accountable. They're putting in the work day in and day out. That is going to give them a chance to win on Saturdays, and as a coach, that's all you can ask."

You can watch the entire press conference below. 

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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