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Braun: UW must fix errors from Saturday
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- Coaches prep for tough conference schedules (September 17, 2008)
- Braun: A-Rod solid so far for Pack (September 16, 2008)
- Braun: Tough tests lie ahead for UW (September 9, 2008)
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by Jonah Braun
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
With two of the Badgers’ remaining homes games against No. 6 Penn State and Illinois, not to mention away games at Michigan State and Iowa, the Badgers need exponential improvements, which are very attainable.
Whatever chance the Badgers had at making the Rose Bowl are pretty much gone. But after watching the game this past weekend, there are some pretty clear examples of what went wrong for Wisconsin and what it can do to beat better opponents.
There were some negative and some positive outcomes of the game — here they are:
Play with Clay
The Badgers’ most productive drive came in the fourth quarter when quarterback Allan Evridge threw only one pass. Redshirt freshman John Clay ran over — and literally hurdled — Buckeye defensive backs.
I’m not saying Hill should be dismissed. He is incredibly valuable to the team and has shown improvements from last season to 2008. Clay, though, will give Hill the rest he needs and is by no means a downgrade.
In 10 carries on Saturday, Clay had 69 yards to lead the Badgers on the ground. Since he will likely be the Badgers’ top running back when Hill is gone, it is vital to get him into the mix many times a game. With Hill’s power and Clay’s explosiveness, Wisconsin’s running game will be virtually unstoppable.
Ditch the conservative play calling
One of the biggest absences from the Badger offense was the play-action pass. With the dangerous running attack that Wisconsin boasts, it is baffling that it doesn’t utilize the play-action to give Evridge a bit more time in the pocket and allow his receivers to break away from coverage.
Attacking teams down field will also open up the running game, which was effectively shut down by Michigan last week and was not able to make big runs against the Buckeyes.
Reevaluate Allan Evridge
Evridge has looked like a solid quarterback at times this season, but he has also looked like a struggling first-year starter. When the running game wasn’t working against Michigan, Evridge couldn’t bail out the Badgers with his arm and barely got them by the Bulldogs in Fresno.
And, of course, we all know about Saturday. Evridge’s interception on the first play of a possible game-tying drive was unacceptable; his inability to recognize defensive linemen closing in on him emphasized his inability to see the field as well as other quarterbacks on the roster can.
Though he doesn’t need to be incredible for the Badgers to succeed, he must be able to manage the team. So far, he has yet to prove that he can do that.
Gilreath needs more room to run
Everybody knows that kick returner David Gilreath is capable of bringing a kickoff back. So why did he average a mere 14 yards per return on Saturday? Well, he just didn’t have any room to run.
Against every other team the Badgers faced this season, Gilreath was able to break away for huge gains on kickoffs. But against its first top-tier opponent, Wisconsin’s coverage simply was not there. As a result, the Badgers were forced to play on a much longer field and were not able to convert on long third downs.
Badgers containing the spread
Aside from two huge Chris “Beanie” Wells runs and Terrelle Pryor’s game-winning touchdown run, the Wisconsin defense was able to contain the spread and keep Pryor from running downfield.
The Badgers sacked Pryor four times and limited him to just 20 yards rushing on 15 attempts. They also shut down the Buckeyes’ passing attack, holding Pryor to 144 passing yards. Cornerback Allen Langford also made a big interception to prevent Ohio State’s only attempt at the long ball all game.
A loss is a loss
Despite outplaying the Buckeyes for a large portion of the game, the Badgers still get another point in the loss column. The defense must figure out a way to keep opposing offenses from scoring in the last few minutes of the game, and the offense must be able to move the ball downfield under pressure.
During the past two weeks, the Badgers have shown that they do not belong among the best in the country, let alone the Big Ten. If they want to beat Penn State this week, many improvements need to be made.
Jonah is a sophomore hoping to major in journalism. Have your own view on the Badgers’ past two losses? He can be reached at jbraun@badgerherald.com.
Anonymous (October 7, 2008 @ 7:46am):
I agree. We are awful. I'm not going to the game on Saturday, and it will be interesting to see how many people actually show up by half
Anonymous (October 7, 2008 @ 12:56pm):
About the 4th quarter drive. Very true. Clay pounded the ball all the way down the field. Then what? Coach puts Hill in with a first and goal. The touchdown was scored on third down - but it's very obvious who the best red-zone running back is on this team.
The logic there evaded me and could have cost a TD. Let Clay pound it in - he got ya there.
To those of you who wanted to sack Tyler Donovan last year for Evridge, this is why it couldn't be done.. Tyler had HEART. He'd chew your ear off to win. Evridge doesn't seem to have it. No fire. Maybe Evridge is a bit more talented than Tyler - but all things being relatively equal - give me the guy with the biggest heart.
Gonna be a long season I fear.
Anonymous (October 7, 2008 @ 3:11pm):
do you also think that the badgers should try and avoid turnovers, complete more passes and play as hard as they can no matter what the score?
Anonymous (October 7, 2008 @ 5:31pm):
thats a great attitude by the first poster, lets all be terrible fans and quit on the team when we lose two games by 5 points. The team needs our support now more than ever. The attitude of some fans is just pathetic.
Anonymous (October 7, 2008 @ 10:41pm):
I agree 5:31. That's the definition of a fairweather fan. Stand by your team no matter what. Even if we lose every game, I'm still proud to be a Badger.
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