In the time between the start of the 2015 season and Saturday’s trophy matchup against Iowa, UW players and coaches were throwing around words like “optimism” and “confidence” to describe the overall feeling of the Wisconsin football team’s progress.
Redshirt running back Taiwan Deal, who has taken on a much bigger role with tailback Corey Clement recovering from sports hernia surgery, had been growing more confident as he becomes more productive on the field.
This was especially the case following his performance against Hawaii last weekend, when he rushed for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns in the 28-0 victory.
“It raises my confidence through this week of preparation, just getting to go up against a Big Ten team now,” Deal said. “But the [Hawaii] game really did boost my confidence a lot.”
But while Deal was confident and ready heading into his first real test as a featured back Saturday, it looked as if Iowa was even more ready, as the stout rush defense held the redshirt freshman to just 59 yards and 15 carries.
But it was not just Deal that struggled. Junior running back Dare Ogunbowale could not get anything going on the ground either, finishing with just 28 yards on 11 carries.
And as the running game struggled, so did the passing attack.
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Fifth-year senior Joel Stave appeared to have regressed a bit in the progress he was making, completing just 21 of his 38 pass attempts for 234 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. On top of that, the quarterback also had two fumbles on the day.
“There’s going to be games where you’ve got to win it running the football and you’ve got to win it throwing the ball,” head coach Paul Chryst said. “I didn’t think we were consistent enough at either one today to really be as good as we needed to be.”
And while consistency is obviously a concern following a performance like Saturday’s, a potential lack of the confidence that was oozing from this Badger team just a week ago may be an even bigger concern going forward.
Even in defeat to Alabama, Stave looked confident and poised in the pocket, as he made sharp, accurate passes throughout the game.
Saturday was a much different story, as Stave against Iowa looked like the old Stave. He was missing targets, throwing ill-advised passes and simply not completing passes when his team needed him to do so the most.
But despite the struggles, Stave remains positive.
“I felt good,” he said. “I don’t think anyone on the sideline really wavered at all. It was a good team that were playing out there and they played us really tough.”
Stave will have an opportunity to redeem himself next week when he takes on a Nebraska pass defense that ranks dead last in yards per game allowed in the conference. And with the Cornhuskers’ rush defense statistically the best in the Big Ten, Wisconsin will likely lean on Stave to drive the offensive attack.
Leaning on Stave, however, may not be the most ideal situation for Wisconsin going forward, as not only are his old habits potentially resurfacing, but he is currently without two of his favorite weapons in the passing game.
Top-target Alex Erickson left Saturday’s game with a potential concussion and tight end Austin Traylor was sidelined in a sling with a potential arm injury, reducing Stave’s on-field help. Players who have not made any sort of impact this year may have to do so sooner than expected.
“It is not ideal for us, as we like having [Erickson] in there, we like having Traylor in there,” Stave said. “But everyone knows their role and everyone knows where they’re supposed to be and what routes to run.”
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On a day when the UW defense dominated for nearly 60 minutes, Stave and the offensive attack were in a prime position to take advantage, but they were unable to do so.
Deal attempted to simplify the situation.
“Iowa came out and made more plays than us,” he said.
But for Wisconsin, it goes beyond that. Between the various injuries and costly mistakes, there is real reason for concern, and in the Big Ten conference, it only gets tougher.
Miami (Ohio) isn’t showing up on the schedule again, and neither is Troy nor Hawaii. UW doesn’t have a cupcake matchup to help them rebound and regain their confidence.
For this team, it is now or never. And now, following Saturday’s abysmal performance, Stave and this Badger offense owe it to this defense to stay on the field, make plays and most importantly make both of their jobs a heck of a lot easier.
