Badgers Grades, Snap Counts On Defense From Week 4: Impact Players Starting To Emerge

The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off a big upset in Week 4, beating the Penn State Nittany Lions 24-20 on the road to improve to 3-1 on the season.

While the offense saw its ups and downs, the defense was excellent, especially down the stretch as they forced four three-and-outs in the fourth quarter to give the offense a chance at a comeback effort.

There were a lot of impact plays and players defensively in Week 4, so let’s look at the snap counts and PFF grades for the defense vs. Penn State.

Defensive Line

Hammond Russell IV – Snap Count: [31], Grade: 57.5

DeNigel Cooper – Snap Count: [24], Grade: 65.0

Charles Perkins – Snap Count: [21], Grade: 76.6

Junior Poyser – Snap Count: [20], Grade: 71.8

Nolan Vils – Snap Count: [14], Grade: 61.5

Dillan Johnson – Snap Count: [11], Grade: 57.4

Michael Garner – Snap Count: [3], Grade: 61.0

Jacob Anderson – Snap Count: [2], Grade: 60.5

I’ve been noting DeNigel Cooper as a player who’s made the most of his opportunities. His snaps continue to rise, and he had three pressures on 14 pass rush snaps, good for a 15.4 percent pass-rush win rate.

Hammond Russell was also a big factor, and he’s been Wisconsin’s best defensive lineman so far. Russell had 1.5 sacks, two pressures, two stops, and the big batted pass that led to Charles Perkins’s interception. It was a big game for the West Virginia transfer.

This group is prided on its depth, and those top six seem to be the key players for the Badgers on the defensive line. Nolan Vils continues to see his snaps consistently in the teens as well.

Outside Linebackers

Sebastian Cheeks – Snap Count: [58], Grade: 69.3

Tyreese Fearbry – Snap Count: [48], Grade: 57.8

Nicolas Clayton – Snap Count: [25], Grade: 72.4

Justus Boone – Snap Count: [12], Grade: 64.3

Aaron Witt – Snap Count: [3], Grade: 60.0

Sebastian Cheeks has been a top-three player on the defense this year alongside the star linebacker duo. Not only has he been playing a high number of snaps, but Cheeks has been one of the best pass-rushers in the country through four weeks.

He added five more pressures against Penn State’s tackles, good for a pass-rush win rate of 20.8 percent, while recording two stops as well. Through four weeks, Cheeks has 18 pressures and 10 on 80 pass-rushing snaps. Ridiculous. For reference, he had 27 pressures all of last season.

Tyreese Fearbry continues to be the other most-trusted player on the edge. He had two pressures and two stops in this game, while also missing two tackles, per PFF.

It was a good sign, though, that Nicolas Clayton saw his biggest workload yet in the team’s biggest game yet. Clayton’s snaps have gradually been increasing, and he had three pressures for a 17.6 percent pass rush win rate.

Linebackers

Cooper Catalano – Snap Count: [67], Grade: 81.7

Mason Posa – Snap Count: [66], Grade: 79.5

Jon Jon Kamara – Snap Count: [26], Grade: 67.7

Thomas Heiberger – Snap Count: [1], Grade: 63.3

Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano were both fantastic in this one. Catalano had the highest defensive grade on the team, and he had five stops to go with his six tackles and a pressure. Posa had 13 tackles and a whopping 11 stops, as well as two pressures.

Jon Jon Kamara saw a good amount of run as the No. 3 linebacker, as he played a ton on base downs. Good to see him maintain a role after some struggles earlier in the season.

Cornerbacks

Javan Robinson – Snap Count: [66], Grade: 69.6

Jai’mier Scott – Snap Count: [42], Grade: 68.5

Bryce West – Snap Count: [39], Grade: 75.6

Eric Fletcher Jr. – Snap Count: [23], Grade: 60.9

Wisconsin didn’t play its nickel look as much against Penn State, with Bryce West getting just 39 snaps. West was targeted five times, allowing just one catch for nine yards.

Robinson was the hero late for the Badgers. He was targeted 10 times on Saturday, but gave up only two catches, while breaking up three passes and allowing a passer rating of just 39.6. He easily had his best game yet.

Scott and Fletcher continue to split reps on the field side, with Scott getting the bigger portion of snaps.

Safeties

Matthew Jung – Snap Count: [67], Grade: 59.4

Marvin Burks Jr. – Snap Count: [60], Grade: 73.1

Cairo Skanes – Snap Count: [7], Grade: 64.7

Carson Van Dinter – Snap Count: [1], Grade: 60.7

Nothing different here, although Marvin Burks took up most of the snaps alongside Matthew Jung. We had seen Cairo Skanes dip into those snaps a bit in previous games, but Burks saw 60 snaps last Saturday.