In the wake of the Badgers’ 34-31 victory Saturday over the Fresno State Bulldogs, I think it only makes sense to pay tribute to a few players who made the win possible.
Well done, Scott Tolzien! After two weeks of starting at quarterback for the UW football team, you’ve proven that you can handle pressure and move the ball downfield.
Hats off to you, John Clay! Following a disappointing showing in week one, you finally showed the explosiveness everyone has been waiting to see. You ran all over Fresno State for 144 yards, including a 72-yard sprint that nearly made Camp Randall collapse.
Congratulations, Chris Maragos! You’ve continued to show passion and resiliency on the field, and your interception in double overtime essentially sealed a win for Wisconsin.
OK, now let me get to the point.
One week after nearly blowing a sure victory to Northern Illinois, the Badgers were confident they could improve on their strengths from the 28-20 win and correct the miscues that occurred down the stretch.
Instead, the UW football team played like it did last season, giving up 11 of 18 third-down conversions, committing seven penalties for 66 yards and letting the Bulldogs outgain them in total yards, 468 to 413. Now that’s a big number.
For a defensive-minded coach, Bret Bielema needs to be thinking one thing right about now: Get me some new freaking cornerbacks. Pronto.
With Aaron Henry sidelined for most of the game with an undisclosed illness, Bielema and defensive coordinator Dave Doeren entrusted the secondary to cornerbacks Devin Smith, Antonio Fenelus and Niles Brinkley.
Please help me forget.
No matter how good a team is at receiving — and Fresno State is no national powerhouse in the wide receiver area — the play from the UW cornerbacks was completely unacceptable.
Smith, who apparently impressed the coaching staff over the summer, looked like a fool when the Bulldogs’ Devon Wylie ran right past him for a 70-yard touchdown play. That set the tone for the rest of the day.
Seyi Ajirotutu made Fenelus look like he should be playing in Pop Warner football. His first touchdown of the day came from 25 yards out, where he completely turned around the sophomore cornerback.
Brinkley looked even more confused, especially in overtime, when he let Ajirotutu make an easy catch on a third-and-fifteen, allowing the Bulldogs the opportunity to score in the extra period.
Since I’ve been following Badger football religiously — about three years — the team has always had at least one go-to cornerback that can at the very least contain a top wide receiver. Last year it was Alan Langford and Jack Ikegwuonu before that.
While Henry is clearly better than every other cornerback on the team, the discrepancy on the depth chart is appalling.
You could look back at their performances and see that both Brinkley and Fenelus grabbed interceptions that helped protect the Badgers from an even bigger deficit late in the game.
But taking a closer look at the situation brings the facts to reality.
Last year, facing a much better Fresno State team, the Badger defense held the Bulldogs to only 10 points. While they beat them by the same margin this year, Fresno State outscored last year’s team in the middle of the first quarter — and they did it without Tom Brandstater, who is now in the NFL.
In their meeting last year, Wylie and Ajirotutu combined for a mere 93 yards. This year, the two put up 197 yards to go along with three touchdowns. Not OK.
Simply put, the Badgers won’t continue to win if their cornerbacks don’t improve. Brinkley doesn’t look much better than last season, and hopefully Henry will return with a clean bill of health.
But regardless, even when Henry returns, facing a spread offense will force the Badgers to play at least three of the cornerbacks throughout the course of a game. You know what that means? More 70-yard pass plays, more third-down conversions and yet another disappointing season for the Badger defense.
If Maragos is able to continue to perform at such a high level, however, UW might be able to build off something in the secondary. The Racine native has proven — though it’s only been two games — he is a playmaker and he has an extreme desire to win games.
If Henry can do the same, maybe the cornerback situation can be salvaged. But if he can’t, I won’t be surprised if we have d?j? vu of last year’s game against Cal Poly. Hopefully the results will be the same this year.
Jonah is a junior majoring in journalism and Hebrew and Semitic studies. Are you also frustrated with the cornerbacks’ play on Saturday? Send your thoughts to [email protected].
