Every week Herald Sports will analyze the most recent Wisconsin football game and hand out grades for each position group on a scale from zero to five. Let’s take a look at how the Badgers scored in their thrilling victory over Iowa.
Quarterbacks – 4 out of 5
Another brutally tough defense and another efficient outing from quarterback Scott Tolzien. The senior completed 20 of 26 passes for over 200 yards and threw a first quarter touchdown pass to fullback Bradie Ewing off play-action. Tolzien was terrific on third downs and executed when the Badgers needed him during UW’s game-winning fourth quarter drive. Tolzien hit Montee Ball for a first down on fourth and four and was able to rally the Wisconsin offense without his starting tight end and No.1 receiver. A late interception could have been a backbreaking mistake, but Tolzien put that throw behind him and led the Badgers to the 31-30 win.
Running backs – 4.5 out of 5
Wisconsin racked up 166 yards on the ground against one of the toughest defensive lines in the country. John Clay scored two touchdowns against a team that had only given up two scores on the ground all season. Clay was limited to 93 yards on 23 carries, but his tough runs between the tackles were critical in wearing down the Iowa front seven. Backup Montee Ball became a hero for UW when James White went down, and the sophomore scored the game-winning touchdown on an inspired 8-yard run. Ball also was Wisconsin’s leading receiver with 5 big catches for 41 yards.
Wide receivers – 3.5 out of 5
The UW wideouts didn’t have a huge impact on the game, but they made their contributions when counted upon. Isaac Anderson had three catches, including a 30-yarder that put the Badgers in scoring position. David Gilreath picked up solid yardage on his two end-arounds and also had two grabs. Jared Abbrederis also had a catch for 15 yards.
Tight ends – 4 out of 5
After hauling in two catches for 26 yards, senior captain Lance Kendricks was forced to leave the game due to injury. Luckily for UW, his replacements were ready. Jacob Pedersen and Jake Byrne don’t have the physical tools or experience Kendricks possesses but the two tight ends stepped in and made an impact. Byrne caught the first two catches of his career, and Pedersen had a critical third down catch during the final drive.
Offensive line – 4.5 out of 5
The Badger offensive line won the battle in the trenches against perhaps the best D-line in college football, and that was a huge key to the Badgers’ offensive success. After an embarrassing, injury-plagued performance against star defensive end Adrian Clayborn a year ago, senior left tackle Gabe Carimi responded by keeping the all-American relatively quiet all day. John Moffitt helped anchor that left side on the line, and Wisconsin was able to control the line of scrimmage when it had to. Starting center Pete Konz also missed time due to injury, but Bill Nagy filled in and didn’t miss a beat. Tolzien was sacked just once and UW scored three rushing touchdowns.
Defensive line – 3.5 out of 5
Wisconsin’s D-line was pushed around much of the day against the Hawkeyes, but as he often does, defensive end J.J. Watt made a play when it mattered most. Watt sacked Ricky Stanzi in the closing moments and forced Iowa to burn a valuable timeout. Watt also blocked the extra point that ended up being the difference in the game. UW struggled to generate a consistent pass rush throughout however, and that will be an area in need of improvement going forward.
Linebackers – 3 out of 5
Adam Robinson ran for 114 yards against the Wisconsin defense, and he broke through several tackles once he got to the second level. The UW linebackers are capable of better and took a couple poor angles that led to big plays in the Iowa running game. Starting outside linebacker Mike Taylor was nursing an injury, so Kevin Claxton once again stepped in to take some reps. Taylor was on the field during the final drive however, and he made the game-ending tackle on Robinson to keep the running back in-bounds and run out the clock. Senior Blake Sorensen continues to pile up the tackles and recorded a team-high eight against the Hawkeyes.
Secondary – 3 out of 5
Stanzi threw three touchdowns against the Badger secondary, but the UW D-backs weren’t terrible. Niles Brinkley and Antonio Fenelus went up against two of the best receivers in the conference – Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Marvin McNutt – and they held their own. Johnson-Koulianos did get free on a long play-action pass that went for a score, and that was the glaring mistake from this group Saturday. Aaron Henry and Jay Valai were pretty quiet, but Valai did have one big hit to force an incompletion in the first half.
Specialists – 5 out of 5
The two longest runs of the day for Wisconsin both went for 17 yards. Clay recorded one and punter Brad Nortman recorded the other, but it’s Nortman’s scamper that made all of the highlight reels. On fourth down deep in UW territory, the Badgers went with a fake punt and Nortman picked up an essential first down on the ground. Kicker Phillip Welch was solid on his kickoffs and connected on a 33-yard attempt. The 67-yard attempt at the end of the half was basically just for fun.
