4 Observations After Rewatching Wisconsin’s Offense: There’s A Good Foundation To Build Upon

The end score was not a pretty one on Sunday night at Lambeau Field for the Wisconsin Badgers, who lost 41-13 to the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to start Year 4 under Luke Fickell.

Wisconsin fought through the first half, trailing by only three at halftime, but things really got out of hand quickly in the second half as the Badgers were never really competitive over the final 30 minutes.

The offense got a lot of questions after the game, as Wisconsin scored just three points in the second half, while the run game had 67 yards on 31 attempts. But, after re-watching the full game, was the offense as bad as the numbers say?

Here are my four top observations after watching the Week 1 film back.

Jeff Grimes’s gameplan was great

Avid readers of the site know I’ve been up and down on Wisconsin’s playcalling over the last few years, voicing my frustrations on parts of the gameplan, while praising what has gone well (which I know, hasn’t been much recently).

One of the biggest things I was looking forward to was how Grimes would look with his handpicked quarterback after not having Billy Edwards last year. Colton Joseph was an even better fit with what he could bring to the run game. And I left Sunday quite pleased with Grimes’s creativity, writing about it as a top takeaway in my immediate postgame reaction.

After a full re-watch of the offense? I had a very similar reaction.

Grimes did a phenomenal job of keeping things easy for Colton Joseph. Joseph had a time to throw of just 2.32 seconds, and that was very evident on film. Grimes had his quarterback making quick reads and getting the ball out quickly, and the offensive line did a very solid job in pass protection (more on them soon) to not muddy up those reads.

There were a lot of screens, quick hitches, and outs that made Joseph’s life easier against a very tough defense. Where Grimes had Joseph work the most was the zone-read game, which had some positives, but also some room for improvement in decision-making.

Now, people will look at 13 points and be discouraged. I thought there were a number of plays where the process and call were right, but some factors muddied up the execution, especially on a few screens.

Grimes used a ton of motion, which helped with those quick decisions in the pass game, while also freeing up some receivers with the play designs. I really liked some of the bootleg work off play-action, getting Joseph on the run, where he’s comfortable, and reading half the field to make the right decision. Wisconsin almost had a major explosive to Chris Brooks on one of those, if not for a great play from the Notre Dame cornerback.

It also felt like a game where the offensive coordinator was testing his personnel and seeing which of his pass-catchers could win their battles. I thought the tight end room as a whole struggled a bit to beat man coverage, while we all saw Malachi Coleman shine as a route-runner, both with the stop-and-gos and the hitch/curls.

I came away with a very select few calls that I questioned Grimes’s thought process on, and felt it was overall a day with a lot to build on from the Wisconsin offense. I do want to see Joseph more on the move in the passing game, but it was a good start from Grimes, who seemed to keep things very simple in the debut of his quarterback.

Run game has good foundation, stuff to work on

67 yards on the ground isn’t an exciting number by any means. But the Badgers showed a good foundation in the run game on Sunday against a very good defense, which has me believing they should definitely be a better offense on the ground this year.

First, on Abu Sama. I wrote a lot about Sama post-game, noting his cutting ability, sheer juice as a runner, and explosive play ability. When hitting the hole, he can break a few tackles, and he’s also got the explosiveness to hit the edge.

Sama made a few plays out of nothing on Sunday. And it was definitely tougher to run the football because Notre Dame had eight or nine guys in the box at times with their five-down linemen packages. That’s a good sign for the future when those holes become bigger and the opposing defense isn’t as elite as Notre Dame’s is.

As I mentioned on Sunday, there were a few times I felt Sama bounced to the edge, rather than cutting upfield. Now, with that said, there are plays where Sama might bounce to the edge and still pick up five yards because of how good a back he is. But in the second half, I thought the consistency wasn’t there to the same degree as earlier on.

The other note though: some of his rush lanes were muddied up by one missed block or tough assignment on the offensive line, which prompted Sama to trust his speed and hit the edge. On Wisconsin’s second drive out of the half, the Badgers had a 3rd & 5, where the hole was there for a first down on the run, thanks to quality blocking from Colin Cubberly, Austin Kawecki, and Kevin Heywood. Blake Cherry struggles with his assignment at right guard, and instead of hitting the hole, which was still there, Sama bounces outside and gets caught. That goes from a red zone touchdown chance to a field goal.

Many came after the offensive line as well for the run blocking. In reality, it really wasn’t bad at all, which I thought on Sunday. Colin Cubberly and Austin Kawecki looked like the team’s best two players up front, and I thought they had a number of really good reps. Cubberly is physical and a mauler in the run game.

The right side had its ups and downs against the run. I thought Blake Cherry did struggle a bit on a few plays, while Kevin Heywood sometimes had difficulty with play strength. Heywood had one key play on Wisconsin’s second-to-last drive of the first half where the rest of the offensive line had created a major hole, but the right tackle whiffed on a tough assignment as a puller, leading to a loss rather than a big gain. PJ Wilkins was a bit inconsistent as well, getting beat inside a few times by speed.

There were also a few plays where timing was disrupted by off-target snaps, which hadn’t been a problem for Kawecki in the offseason. That needs to change.

There’s definitely room for improvement on the ground with the offensive line. And my main takeaway from Sunday was that Wisconsin needs Emerson Mandell back. But I thought the foundation was good against a very, very good defense.

The last part: I alluded to it on Sunday, but there were a few decisions that I think Colton Joseph would like back with zone reads. We saw he can be elusive as a runner, be it to the edge or inside the tackles. But there were two or three plays that I thought he should’ve handed it off, as well as another that he should’ve probably taken himself. It felt like he tested himself a bit too much with sitting edge rushers, rather than handing the ball off in those situations.

Still, there was definitely good stuff from the run game, and the quarterback threat should raise the ceiling of the offense, especially when he can throw the ball.

Pass protection remains a strength

The Badgers have been an underrated pass-blocking team the last two years, but they haven’t seen much results from it because the pass offense hasn’t been effective.

Well, with room to still improve, I think we saw the pass game can be something on Sunday, and the pass pro was quite good overall. Once again, I point to Colin Cubberly and Austin Kawecki, who shined in this area. But I thought the overall unit, outside of a few reps, played well.

The right guard spot gave up three pressures, including a couple late that led to the two sacks, with Blake Cherry responsible for both. Kevin Heywood also had one tough rep, dealing with speed on the edge, but he faced some tough opponents. There was a nasty spin move, as well as a couple of reps with speed, but I thought he still had a good game there for the most part.

PJ Wilkins is an interesting case to me, as I can very clearly see how he was previously a guard. He’s a good puller, athletic in that regard, and deals with power well. He got beaten with speed on two reps (one in pass game, one in run game), but I also thought he helped keep the pocket clean overall.

Colton Joseph did a good job moving up and around in the pocket on a few reps. Luke Fickell said after the game he was impressed by his quarterback’s poise. I tend to agree. Joseph’s mistakes didn’t come from being flustered.

As I said above, my main takeaway is that Wisconsin needs Emerson Mandell back. The interior of this offensive line is quite good. The tackles are getting there with more game reps. It was a solid day in pass pro, which was also aided by a great game plan from Jeff Grimes to get the ball out and mitigate any damage there anyway.

There were a lot of opportunities left on the field

It wasn’t a flawless day from Colton Joseph. His mechanics were a bit rough on a few inaccurate throws. He missed some short targets. He had an interception.

But he did show me something: there is a floor to this offense with him at quarterback that Wisconsin just hasn’t had.

Joseph made decisions quickly. He showed his speed and elusiveness as a runner. He looked comfortable at the line of scrimmage. He got out of two different pressures. He hit an open receiver downfield for a touchdown (which has not been a guarantee at Wisconsin).

There’s a ton to improve on. So, let’s walk through all the key plays that Wisconsin could’ve had.

Q2 14:53: 3rd & 5 at WIS 29

Joseph missed a huge opportunity to Chris Brooks on Wisconsin’s third drive on 3rd & 5 after a great setup from Jeff Grimes, eyeing the slant all the way off the motion, while both Notre Dame defenders went inside, leaving Brooks open on the boundary for a major gain and potential touchdown.

This one’s a learning experience. Looked like Joseph eyed the route at the sticks all the way and so did Notre Dame, resulting in a huge coverage bust.

Q2 7:33: 1st & 10 at WISC 39

Jeff Grimes had another good setup here on a play-action that Notre Dame seemed to bite on. Colton Joseph rolled to his right, where he had an advantage with Malachi Coleman on a streak with a defender on him and Chris Brooks on a wheel behind him open.

Joseph fired to Brooks, but D.J. McKinney had a phenomenal play, coming off his man to make the hit on Brooks as he caught the ball to jar it loose. This was a nice play design and nearly executed. Probably want Joseph to hold the defender for another second to create more separation for Brooks, but have to tip cap to the defense for a great play.

Q2 0:55: 3rd & 11 at ND 42

Wisconsin was looking to score and at least tie things up before the half and had a 3rd & 11 in Notre Dame territory.

To the field side up top, the Badgers had a 2×2, but they motioned Chris Brooks over from the other side of the formation and Notre Dame didn’t react in zone defense, creating a 3×2 with plenty of open space.

Grimes called a screen here, which seemed to be a great call as the Badgers had a receiver to block each Notre Dame defensive back playing off and it would be up to Tyrell Henry. But the screen was blocked by a defensive lineman at the line of scrimmage, killing the play.

This was a big missed opportunity for the Badgers.

Q3 8:42: 2nd & 10 at WIS 45

The Badgers were moving to start the second half, getting to their 45-yard line before the big interception to D.J. McKinney for a pick-six.

Clear miscommunication from Chris Brooks, who sat at the top of his route, and Colton Joseph, who expected him to cut out and McKinney, playing on the boundary in zone, was right there for the interception. Didn’t help that Joseph had a man in his face with a weird blocking scheme on the play.

I point this out because there were two or three other similar plays where it seemed like Joseph was looking to hit the out, while his receiver settled at the stem of his route in zone coverage. This seems like a timing issue and that connection should continue to grow with more reps.

But a new offense led to a brutal mistake there.

Q3 2:09 2nd/3rd down around ND 20

This was a duo of plays where I felt the run game had a mistake.

On 2nd & 10 at the ND 20, with a 2nd & 6, Joseph elected to keep the ball on a zone-read rather than hand it off. The edge rusher had stayed to protect against the quarterback run and the offensive line created a hole, which Abu Sama could’ve hit for a solid gain.

Instead, Joseph kept the ball, trying to go around the edge rusher, and then took a major hit from safety Adon Shuler for just a one-yard gain.

Then, on 3rd & 5, Abu Sama elected to bounce to the edge, rather than hit the hole and turn upfield to fight for the first, gaining only one yard. Blake Cherry struggled to move his defender, but there was still a hole that Sama should’ve hit there to at least close the distance a bit. Instead, Wisconsin kicked a field gola on 4th & 4 to make it 27-13.

Q4 7:57: 3rd & 7 at 50 yard line

For the final play I’ll point out, this one was one of the lone design issues I had on Sunday.

On 3rd & 7 at the 50-yard line, the Badgers had a 3×4 setup to the field side while on the opposite hash. Jeff Grimes wanted to make this a quick one-side throw for Colton Joseph with only three routes to read, but Notre Dame covered all three levels very well.

Joseph fired off his back foot and threw the short out-route to the inside for a dangerous throw, but I thought it was a really tough ask from Grimes to ask his quarterback to make a far-side out with sticky coverage and no advantage.

Would’ve liked at least a motion on that play, but just a better overall play design there to try and convert. Wisconsin ended up punting on 4th down at the 50, which felt like waving the white flag there at the end.