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The Badger Review
Wisconsin for six…music to my ears except when that six is six fumbles. The 3-0 Wisconsin Badger football team heads into its Big Ten opener with Michigan State with many questions yet to be answered. We do know the following:
Scott Tolzien looks tremendous at quarterback…the best start as a Badger signal caller since Brooks Bollinger’s outstanding freshman effort.
Nick Toon looks better every game at wide receiver. He is a much more physical player than his dad was at UW.
The tight ends…all three of them…are excellent receivers.
Due in part to a plethora of injuries, the offensive line is unsettled. The return of John Moffitt, Bill Nagy, and Travis Frederick would help this group significantly.
The running backs have been disappointing. John Clay, in particular, has been very inconsistent missing open holes and fumbling his way out of a starting position.
The defensive line is bigger and a tad better than a year ago. JJ Watt has helped solidify the run defense and O’Brien Schofield looks the part of a 3-4 pass rush specialist in the NFL (anyone know of a 3-4 defensive squad in the area that could use someone like him?)
The defensive backfield is very shaky. Aaron Henry is OK…so is Maragos…but the rest struggle. A solid pass attack would shred this crew…the Minnesota game may be ugly.
Freshman linebackers Mike Taylor and Chris Borland are future stars.
My prediction versus Michigan State? The Badgers have stronger QB play than the Spartans (can’t ever remember saying Wisconsin had stronger QB play than any team) and I envision a 26-17 Wisconsin win.
1 Comments
What I find most disconcerting is the inconsistency in offensive line play, particularly in the running game. So far, this group actually seems better suited to pass blocking. Hopefully, once guys get healthy they can start to assert themselves more on the ground.