Through five games of purely dominant football, the University of Wisconsin Badgers might have become their own worst enemy.
After allowing a combined 34 points against their four non-conference opponents, the Badgers limited the Nebraska Cornhuskers – the nation’s ninth-ranked rushing attack – to only 17 points in their Big Ten conference opener. That level of success, along with the stunning proficiency of quarterback Russell Wilson and the UW offense, has prompted BCS talk, national title talk and a large number of other lofty expectations.
Seemingly the lone qualifier for that championship talk has been the perceived weak level of competition the Badgers have faced. Those were somewhat allayed after the 48-17 victory over Nebraska, and in that game, Wisconsin continued a theme that has gone somewhat unrecognized so far this season – the Badgers have been tested this season, both by opposing offenses and by the injury bug.
Cornerback Devin Smith was lost for the season due to a foot injury suffered in Week 2, while defensive end David Gilbert was lost for six-to-eight weeks after breaking his foot the Tuesday before the Nebraska game. Linebacker Kevin Claxton fractured his hand on the opening kickoff of the season and missed two games.
“We’ve most definitely been tested so far,” safety Aaron Henry said. “I think our preparation during fall camp, [our coaches] did a really good job. We had guys nicked up and out during camp, so the coaches were preparing people back then. I think coach Bielema has done a really good job in preaching ‘the next guy in’ mentality around here.”
The Badgers currently rank second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 10.2 points per game. That number is largely a tribute to the performances of those players who have stepped into larger roles – notably defensive end Brendan Kelly for Gilbert and cornerback Marcus Cromartie for Smith – but the play of the linebacking unit has proven to be the anchor of the defense.
Outside linebacker Mike Taylor leads the Badgers in tackles so far with 44, including four that have went for a combined loss of 10 yards. When healthy (he’s missed seven games in his first two seasons at UW), Taylor has proven to be one of Wisconsin’s most lethal playmakers on defense with 18.5 tackles for loss.
Chris Borland, who moved from outside linebacker to the middle spot this fall, has also returned to his 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year form, sitting right behind Taylor with 43 tackles (5.5 for loss). Both players also have an interception on the season, and regardless of who’s lined up next to them (redshirt sophomore Ethan Armstrong has manned the other outside linebacker spot when Claxton has been out), they’ve arguably been the two most steady producers on the defense.
“[The linebackers] are playing great,” Borland said. “I think Mike’s playing his best football. This is Ethan and Clax’s first years as starters; they’re both doing well. It’s a good core right now.”
After recording a career-high 14 tackles (one for loss) against Nebraska, Taylor was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, only increasing the attention the Badgers have received throughout the first month of the season. Borland has been in line for the award several times this season, though the accolades certainly won’t mean much to a team that has its eyes on much more than weekly awards.
“I think I’ve just done what I’m supposed to do,” Taylor said. “You can’t ever be satisfied with what you do. Watching film, you could see the things you do wrong and you know what to do. When you do it wrong, it gets under your skin. That’s what keeps you going, keeps you motivated, to get better every day.”
After the hotly anticipated conference opener against the Huskers, the Badgers approach an intriguingly timed bye week. Very few pundits thought Wisconsin would dispatch Nebraska as it eventually did, and the Oct. 8 bye date was foreseen as a well-placed week to recover from a bruising against the Huskers.
Sure, the Badgers are banged up, but now the question in Madison has been, would this team rather keep playing?
“It’s just something on our schedule,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to have a bye week here or there, so I think if it’s got to happen, it might as well happen now. Some guys are injured, so I think it’s some time off to get some guys back.”
Even with Smith and Gilbert out for extended periods of time, the most pertinent players to keep healthy remain Borland and Taylor. Simply because of their injury history (Borland appeared in only two games last season before suffering a shoulder injury), the duo entered the season as somewhat of a question mark for a defense that was widely expected to keep pace with the expected power of the offense.
Plenty of time remains in the season, but the fact that Borland and Taylor are both still fully healthy speaks volumes for UW’s ability to continue its dominance moving forward through October. Injuries are bound to strike the Badgers, especially as Big Ten play continues to ratchet up, but Wisconsin’s two linebackers may very well be the two players it cannot afford to lose.
“Those guys are tremendous for us,” Henry said. “Chris Borland, even going back to him as a freshman, he was ridiculous. Mike Taylor, when he first came in here, him playing as a freshman was ridiculous. We knew the caliber, the ability those guys had.
“Those guys, they’re in the middle, so they get a lot of action, a lot of attention. They’ve definitely been living up to everything that’s going on right now.”
