Every week, Herald Sports takes a look back at the Wisconsin football game and grades the position groups on a scale of zero to five.
Here is how the Badgers fared in week nine against streaking Purdue:
Quarterbacks — 2 of 5
Junior quarterback Scott Tolzien handed the ball off well. What else is there to grade?
The passing statistics weren’t very pretty, though it was a pretty windy day at Camp Randall. Tolzien only attempted 13 passes — completing six — and finished the day with 87 yards. Freshman Curt Phillips came in and had probably his worst showing of the year, albeit in extreme garbage time. The mobile signal caller only rushed for three yards on four attempts and missed a passing touchdown opportunity by throwing a duck when he had wide receiver David Gilreath wide open with field ahead of him. At the very least, Tolzien didn’t throw an interception, something Phillips managed to do in only a quarter of playing time.
Running backs — 4.5 of 5
On the first drive of the game, the Badgers rattled off 11 straight runs with John Clay touching the ball eight times, including a 1-yard touchdown smash. Clay exerted his will on a smallish Purdue defensive front all day, finishing with a demoralizing 123 yards and three touchdowns — all of the 1-yard variety — on 24 carries. It was the best game Clay has had since Minnesota. Impressively, the bruising sophomore back never carried for a loss. Freshman Montee Ball struggled after his first touch of the day, finishing the game with only 18 yards on nine carries. Erik Smith took the ball five times for 19 yards in garbage time.
Wide Receivers — 3 of 5
The receivers almost deserve an incomplete for their effort, finishing with only six receptions for the entire position group. Of course, there were only six total completions to divvy up. Sophomore Nick Toon dropped a pass but also made an athletic catch to reel in a 37-yarder. Freshman — and four-star recruit — Kraig Appleton got his first two catches of the year with Phillips on the field, giving Badger fans a possible taste of the future. The wideout crew did a nice job blocking on Lance Kendricks’ end-arounds.
Tight Ends — 5 of 5
Simply put, Kendricks was a game breaker. Using a reverse/end-around handoff, the junior tight end took the first four carries of his career for 91 yards, including a 54-yarder where the big man ran out of steam inside the 5-yard line. UW head coach Bret Bielema handed him the game ball of the week for offense, while Kendricks also added two receptions for 21 yards. Garrett Graham was quiet in terms of yards — one catch for 11 yards — but provided his usual steady run blocking.
Offensive Line — 4.5 of 5
Bielema said after the game no other team had used a power run game against Purdue, and he thought they could exploit a weakness there. Boy was he right. The 11 straight runs set the tone for a physical game, and the Badgers rushed the ball 53 total times. UW tried to stay away from star defensive lineman Ryan Kerrigan, which helped in the run game. Kerrigan did get home for 1.5 sacks, however, and the Badgers gave up three total sacks, despite dropping back only 22 times.
Defensive Line — 5 of 5
Although usual star O’Brien Schofield only finished the game with three tackles, the D-line came through huge for the Badgers. Wisconsin defensive tackles Dan Moore and Jeff Stehle recorded a sack apiece, despite Purdue utilizing a quick-hit passing attack. J.J. Watt also chipped in with a tackle for a loss. Overall, the Boilermakers finished with a measly 60 yards rushing — a strong sign of success for any defensive line.
Linebackers — 5 of 5
Senior Jaevery McFadden played his best game of the season, finishing with nine total tackles and a TFL. Freshman Chris Borland started his first game, recorded a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble and recovered two others. He continues to make plays. Despite coming out of the game for most passing plays, middle linebacker Culmer St. Jean recorded a sack and four tackles. Any downgrade would be nitpicking after shutting out a decent offense.
Secondary — 4.5 of 5
Plays were made all over the defense, and the secondary was no exception. Replacing the four-corner rotation with Devin Smith and Niles Brinkley as starters, and Antonio Fenelus as the nickelback, the defensive backs helped hold Purdue quarterbacks Joey Elliot and Caleb TerBush to 9-of-33 passing for a low, low total of 81 yards. Smith made a nice read on an out route, picking off Elliot in the first half. The only blemish comes from an unofficial six drops by the awful Purdue receiving core.
Special Teams — 5 of 5
After struggling for two weeks in a row, the special teams unit — and its “position coach” — finally redeemed itself. Phillips Welch connected on all three of his field goal attempts and had two touchbacks from kickoffs. And, of course, freshman David Gilbert soared to block a punt, a la Borland, which Aaron Henry recovered for a touchdown.
