[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]
For a team with such lofty expectations at the start of the season, it is hard to believe the University of Wisconsin football team has been forced to revert back to square one. But that is exactly what they say they must do.
Organization, leadership, communication, and discipline are not issues that are usually thrown around midway through a season, but for the Badgers, these fundamental skills have become the top priority.
One of the biggest letdowns thus far has been the lack of production from the Badger’s offense. For aA unit that bolsters a deep backfield, an experienced offensive line and playmaking tight ends, the UW offense has struggled to score points and sustain drives. This talented unit understands that it is the little things that are holding them back.
For any offense, the success of any play starts up front, with the offensive line. Senior guard Andy Kemp is a leader of the line, and is well aware of the mistakes being made.
“We are shooting ourselves in the foot,” Kemp said. “We are not finishing blocks or doing the little things right.”
The Badgers’ offense has been consistently flagged for illegal formations or illegal substitutions, two mental mistakes that can be big factors in limiting the success of drives.
“Stupid penalties, lining up wrong, not getting the right blocks, all those things have been killing us,” said center John Moffit said.
With the insertion of new and inexperienced quarterback Dustin Sherer, the offensive line is well aware that the quarterback needs to have sufficient time in the pocket to make his reads and find the open man. After reviewing the game film from previous losses, the O-line has noticed how close they were to making some big plays.
“If we can give [Sherer] one or two more seconds, there are guys open downfield,” said Moffit said. “If we can provide that extra time, things will really open up, and that helps the running game as well.”
UW, known for its power rushing attack, has seen its running game become rather ineffective against stout Big Ten defenses as well. Junior running back P.J. Hill, one of the key figures of the UW running game, has been held in check over the past few weeks, due in large part to penalties or mental errors that have limited the effectiveness of plays. The coaching staff is working hard to discipline the players and correct mistakes, for they know that it takes a team effort to properly execute game plans.
“When guys are dropping balls in practice, we have been doing pushups,” Hill said. “We are putting an emphasis on making sure everyone is doing his job.”
Hill and his teammates know that the frustrating mistakes cannot continue to show up on game days, and they are taking it upon themselves to know the formations and execute them.
“We have got to be mature enough to know that these plays should come as second nature,” Hill continued. “We cannot have mental errors, because one error affects all of us.”
Aside from all the mental blunders, the UW offense must regain the intensity that has faded over these past few weeks. Consecutive loses have a way of draining a team’s emotion, but the Badgers know that they cannot allow that to happen.
“We have got to play with more enthusiasm, more passion, and determination to be successful,” Hill noted.
“We need to be keeping the energy up, getting in there and running to huddles,” Kemp added. “I’m trying to be vocal out there because we got to keep this program rolling.”
The Badgers will be back home on Saturday, as they ready themselves for another solid team in Illinois. These losses have taken their toll on the Badgers, but Saturday brings another opportunity to get this team going in the right direction.
“[Losing] is not easy to deal with, but we are still fighting every week and that is all that matters,” Moffit said.
This four-game losing streak has revealed how detrimental little mistakes can be to an offense, and but there is always something to take away from losses that can help a team improve.
“We have just got to learn from it, we have to bounce back and take it one step at a time,” Kemp said.