All Badgers

Wisconsin's defense deserves better after another low-scoring loss

The defense for the Wisconsin Badgers did enough to win versus Washington State, but the team once again dropped a close game due to sloppy play on offense and special teams.

Matt Belz

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College football is a team sport. On any given Saturday, it takes all three phases of the team to play well to secure a win. If the offense, defense, or special teams fail to meet expectations, it can have a devastating impact on the collective, and ultimately lead to losses.

Over the past three seasons, the Wisconsin Badgers have been consistently unable to put all three phases together. As a result, the Badgers have floundered against Power-5 opponents, going 11-8 against such foes since 2020.

The most recent loss?...an ugly 17-14 game this past Saturday against Washington State inside Camp Randall Stadium, a team that narrowly beat FCS Idaho the week prior.

For most fans of Wisconsin athletics, it was just the latest in a pervasive merry-go-round of low-scoring losses that have occurred recently in Madison.

However, the Wisconsin Badgers defense held up its end of the bargain once again.

The unit only surrendered 17 points, with all three scoring drives coming on the heels of mistakes made by the offense or special teams that gave the other team a short field of fewer than 55 yards.

The first touchdown came after the offense was unable to convert on a fourth and three. The second scoring drive of the game came after a 73-yard kickoff return to open the second half. Finally, the third score came after an interception near midfield.

Since Jim Leonhard has taken over as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin in 2017, the defense has given up an average of 17 points per game, placing them third best in the country during that timespan. Equally impressive, the group has ranked No. 1 in total yards allowed per game, No. 1 in opponent passing efficiency, and No. 1 in opponent first down conversion percentage.

Offensively, it has been a very different story. Since 2020, Wisconsin has averaged 25 points per game and 11 points in their eight losses.

11 points per game is not good enough to win the vast majority of the time, and neither is the 14 points the offense generated against Washington State.

So until things change, this recurring trend in which the offense and special teams let down the defense will most likely continue.

This off-season head coach Paul Chryst made several changes to the staff in hopes of remedying some of the issues. Unfortunately, through two games, the same game script has played out. Penalties, mental errors, and coaching miscues have carried over into the 2022 season. Those bad habits take away the fact that Wisconsin had 401 yards of offense against Washington State and instead put pressure on the defense to step up and attempt to bail them out again on Saturday. 

Against Washington State, the Badgers had 11 penalties. Nine of those penalties were assessed to the offense, six of those penalties on the offensive line alone. The offense also had to waste two timeouts due to miscommunication amongst the coaches and players, as well as multiple costly turnovers. Special teams added two missed field goals and a 73-yard kickoff return that resulted in points for Washington State. 

These types of results are not unfamiliar over the past few seasons:

  • Loss at Illinois (2019) - three turnovers, six penalties, a missed field goal
  • Loss to Oregon (2020 Rose Bowl) - four turnovers, nine penalties, missed field goal, dropped punt
  • Loss vs. Penn State (2021) - three turnovers, seven penalties, missed field goal

It's the same movie. Substantially outgain an opponent but make costly mistakes on offense and special teams that inevitably lose the game.

As a result, following each loss, players from the Wisconsin defense have had to answer questions about what went wrong.

In postgame player availability, the defensive players for the Wisconsin Badgers football team answer questions diplomatically and give all of the answers you would expect from caring teammates.

However, time and time again, the issues for Wisconsin have not been about the defense.

So while senior safety John Torchio can say that "the team needs to tackle better," the fact of the matter remains, holding a team to 17 points should typically lead to a win.

You hear hints of it when team leaders like Nick Herbig say, "I thought we had a great plan. I thought Coach Leonhard did a great job of putting us in good positions. I mean at times they were going quick, but I mean we were making big plays, I thought we were playing well."

But until the mental errors on offense and special teams cease, low-scoring losses will continue to pop up for Wisconsin at times, regardless of how well the defense plays.

Wisconsin has built the program around the motto of players being tough, smart, and dependable. The defense has embodied that adage in recent seasons and has proven to be one of the very best in the country. Now it is about the rest of the roster following that lead.

The Badgers are not all that far removed from winning ten or more games in five of six seasons from 2014-2019. Team records will fluctuate every few seasons. However, Wisconsin needs to get back to being tough on offense, behind an offensive line that wins the battle in the trenches and does not make unnecessary mistakes. They need to get back to having a dependable special teams unit, and the coaching staff needs to be smart when it comes to decision-making. 

That's the recipe. The defense is already in place to succeed. Now the offense, special teams, and the coaching staff that oversees them have to start holding up their end of the bargain. 

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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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