At 6-0, the Badger football program is off to one of its best starts since its Rose Bowl years. As Wisconsin prepares for the second half of the season with the crucial tilt at Purdue this weekend, it is time to look back and measure up the first half of the season.
Quarterback: John Stocco has not been impressive at all to start the season, as the blame for having the Big Ten's worst passing attack should fall squarely on Stocco's shoulders. He hasn't been accurate on downfield passes and his timing and rhythm on the short throws looks way off.
With all the bad, there was some good. Three things have really kept Stocco out of hot water: Wisconsin's 6-0 start, few turnovers and his performance against Ohio State.
Like pitchers in baseball and goaltenders in hockey, the biggest stat for quarterbacks is wins. Stocco has six of them in six tries. For everything he hasn't done well, he has always found a way to make something happen down the stretch when the Badgers need it most. The fact that he hasn't turned the ball over and rarely takes a sack has been a big reason why, despite his inefficiencies, Wisconsin has been able to sneak out of some close calls.
The other thing that has saved Stocco to this point was his most recent outing against Ohio State. While 160-yards passing isn't incredible, it was the best start Stocco had all year and was perhaps the turning point for him.
Grade: C-
Running Back: The good news is that Anthony Davis has looked like an All-American, running all over Wisconsin's opponents. The bad news, Davis has missed all or part of four of the Badgers' first six games. He's healthy right now and that has been all good news for Wisconsin.
A.D.'s last two games against Big Ten foes Illinois and Ohio State showed just what he is capable of, as he ran for 213 and 168 yards respectively.
In Davis' absence, only Matt Bernstein's emergency play at tailback was impressive. Booker Stanley, Jamil Walker and Chris Pressley have been very average as replacements.
Grade: A-
Receivers: Not all the blame for the Badgers' lame passing game can be placed on Stocco, as the receivers have played well below their talent level for much of the season. Like Stocco, the group did show up to play against Ohio State as they got open and made the big plays.
Only Owen Daniels, who is listed as a tight end, has consistently made plays all season long. In fact, without Daniels, it is likely that Wisconsin would not be looking to remain undefeated when they travel to Purdue this weekend.
Grade: C
Offensive Line: The "O" line is big, talented and experienced — three things that every line coach dreams of. More importantly, they are playing up to their abilities.
While the running game was on hiatus with Davis injured, the line was opening holes that the backs couldn't exploit. With Davis back, those same holes look gigantic as the senior tailback blows through them on his way to the opponents secondary.
The group has also been far more efficient in protecting Stocco, as they have given up just five sacks all season long.
Grade: A
Defensive Line: If there is any one group on the UW squad that deserves to be showered with praise it is this one. The front four have dominated the line of scrimmage all year and are the biggest reason why Wisconsin has the best defense in the country right now.
Erasmus James' return from last season's hip injury has been the highlight of the group. James, and his six sacks, along with Anttaj Hawthorne, Jason Jefferson and Jonathan Welsh have often gotten plenty of pressure on the quarterback without the use of numerous blitz schemes.
Additionally, this group has absolutely stopped opposing offenses' running games, closing holes before the backs ever get there and getting penetration into the backfield on a regular basis.
If the "D" line played any better it just wouldn't be fair to the other team, not that it is right now.
Grade: A+
Linebackers: The linebackers were one of the biggest question marks for Wisconsin coming into the season, but they have answered in a big way, with the top two tacklers on the team, Dontez Sanders (38) and Reggie Cribbs (32) coming from the linebacker corps.
With the front four doing a lot of the dirty work, the linebackers have been very proficient at finishing off the plays. The athleticism and speed of the group has allowed it to make big stops all year long. And save for some interesting calls by the officials, the Badger linebackers should have nearly as many points as the offense.
With all of that said, the inexperience of the group still shows up from time to time, with a missed tackle or a blown assignment, but the good has far outweighed the bad.
Grade: B+
Secondary: With the defensive line wreaking havoc in the opposing backfields, the Badgers' defensive backs have benefited the most. Gone are the days of the soft zones and 4-5 second coverage times, as this speedy group has been turned loose by defensive coordinator Bret Bielema.
The result has been the stingiest Badger pass defense since the days of Jamar Fletcher and Mike Echols. While the challenges have not been that great yet, this group will go a long ways towards proving how good it is against Purdue Saturday.
Jim Leonhard, Brett Bell and Scott Starks haven't been able to come up with many big interceptions, but they are constantly around the ball and keeping it out of the receivers hands as is evident by the 16 passes defended the trio has recorded.
Grade: A-
Special Teams: During the Barry Alvarez era, his best teams have always had great special teams play. The 2004 Badgers are no exception.
Kicker Mike Allen has been steady, especially from short range, although his weak leg has been an issue.
Freshmen Ken DeBauche and Taylor Melhaff have done a good job of winning the field position battle for Wisconsin, although they have shown some inconsistency at times.
The return game has been excellent as Leonhard and Brandon Williams have gained good yardage in returning punts and kickoffs respectively.
Grade: B+
Coaching: With the turnaround that the defense has had this season, Bielema should be hailed as a genius. The only downside to what he has done this year is that he likely won't be back because there should be a long line of teams hoping to make him their next head coach.
Offensive coordinator Brian White on the other hand has not been as brilliant. His play calling for the offense has been so unimaginative at times that it's no wonder that the group has sputtered. White has done better with Davis back in the fold, but a new wrinkle here and there sure wouldn't hurt.
When all is said and done, the head coach takes all the blame or credit for a season. In this case Alvarez should be basking in the glow of a lot of happy boosters. Using mainly the same personnel as last season, Alvarez has gotten a lot more out of his charges, and it has showed up time and time again on the field.
Grade: A-
