Wisconsin is one of those programs, love 'em or hate 'em, that one has to respect. They do a great job of recruiting kids who fit what they are trying to do and, while they may not be loaded with four and five-star talent, they are great at coaching guys up and developing them into very good Big Ten football players.
What Head Coach Paul Chryst and the Badgers are trying to do offensively is no secret. They want to pound the ball behind a big and formidable offensive line that executes at a high level. One of their bread and butter plays is outside zone. With inside zone (which Indiana runs a lot of), the idea is to attack the B gap (between the guard and tackle) and to create vertical movement through combination blocks and double-teams. With outside zone the point of attack is off the tackle. The offensive line moves together as a unit in a more horizontal way and they create a track for the back to follow. The back uses his vision and if a seam is there he can cut it back and take advantage of any lane that has been created. If not the stays on track and follows the momentum of the play for a positive gain.
Wisconsin also likes to use jet or fly motion which does several things. It tells the quarterback if the defense is in man or zone, it challenges the eye discipline of defenders, and it stretches the defense horizontally - softening them up so-to-speak. The motion usually comes from the weakside of the offense and the flanker or X receiver moves quickly across the formation, creating a concept with which the offense can do multiple things. They can hand it to the X who will attempt to break contain on the outside or they can hand it to the tailback for an inside run. If the fly sweep is effective and the defense begins to over-play it they'll hit them with a reverse or a gap scheme (not zone blocking) counter play. Last year the quarterback even faked the inside run and kept it on what was essentially a read option.
Once the defense begins to sell out to stop the run they work in play action which can be very effective.
Another look Wisconsin may show is a tight bunch formation with two tight ends and a full back. They like to run a pitch into the bunch formation which can be a challenge to defend and of course sets up more play action.
Wisconsin's passing attack is more sophisticated than one might think. Last year Quarterback Jack Coan was going through his progressions, looking off safeties with his eyes, and hitting throws where the ball comes out before the receiver has even made his break. So far in 2020 Freshman Graham Mertz has been taking snaps for the Badgers due to Coan being injured. Mertz was 20 for 21 for 248 yards and 5 touchdowns in his very first game against Illinois, earning him Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Freshmen of the Week honors from the Big Ten. Since then Mertz is a more earthly 35 for 63 (.556 percent) with three TDs and three interceptions. Mertz is a big guy with a live arm and he plays with poise and confidence. Indiana will likely look to get him off his game through pressure and by confusing him with new and disguised defensive looks.
In an interesting wrinkle it was announced today that Jack Coan is back practicing and will be available to play Saturday. It remains to be seen if he will actually play or if they will keep him in a back-up role for now.
The Badger run game will be a challenge but it may not be as effective as it has been in recent years. The Badgers only return two starters from last year's offensive line. It takes time for the offensive line to come together as a unit and Wisconsin has only played in three games in a season that has been disrupted by cancellations. Wisconsin hasn't had a back hit 100 yards in five straight games, although some of this is due to the fact that three different backs have been sharing carries. The Badgers have given up six sacks in three games so Indiana may be able to get home with pressure.
Their wide receivers are talented but don't necessarily seem to be the kind of guys who will take over a game - especially given how well Indiana's secondary has been playing. Junior Tight End Jack Ferguson is their best weapon through the air, especially in the red zone. Through three games he has 18 catches for 181 yards and 4 TDs so look for Mertz to get him involved through play fakes.
On the other side of the ball Wisconsin runs a 3-4 hybrid scheme under Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonhard. Leonhard is a former Badger walk-on Safety who became a three-time All American and Madison legend. After a 10 year NFL career he came back to Wisconsin to coach and worked his way up to DC under Chryst. Much of the time they will show only two true down linemen and then have two outside linebacker / defensive end hybrids in two-point stances. This look makes it hard to determine who is rushing and who is dropping in coverage as the hybrid player could do both. You could almost call it a 2-4-5 as there are two down linemen, four linebacker types, and five secondary players. They may also show a 3-4-4 look - three linemen, four linebacker types and four defensive backs. In addition to not knowing which hybrid player is rushing and which is dropping in coverage Wisconsin likes to bring pressure off the edge. In past years they have been able to create pressure with just four rushers, allowing the seven in coverage to really blanket and shut down opposing receivers. If they can succeed in doing this Saturday it will be a tough day for Indiana Quarterback Jack Tuttle who will be making his first career start.
Junior Linebacker Jack Sanborn received pre-season honors from the Big Ten, one of only ten players to be recognized. So far in 2020 he has 20 tackles including 12 solo and a sack. He also has two quarterback hurries. Junior Rachad Wildgoose, who was a starter at corner, is out for the season due to injury which is a blow to the Badger Secondary.
What Head Coach Paul Chryst and the Badgers are trying to do offensively is no secret. They want to pound the ball behind a big and formidable offensive line that executes at a high level. One of their bread and butter plays is outside zone. With inside zone (which Indiana runs a lot of), the idea is to attack the B gap (between the guard and tackle) and to create vertical movement through combination blocks and double-teams. With outside zone the point of attack is off the tackle. The offensive line moves together as a unit in a more horizontal way and they create a track for the back to follow. The back uses his vision and if a seam is there he can cut it back and take advantage of any lane that has been created. If not the stays on track and follows the momentum of the play for a positive gain.
Wisconsin also likes to use jet or fly motion which does several things. It tells the quarterback if the defense is in man or zone, it challenges the eye discipline of defenders, and it stretches the defense horizontally - softening them up so-to-speak. The motion usually comes from the weakside of the offense and the flanker or X receiver moves quickly across the formation, creating a concept with which the offense can do multiple things. They can hand it to the X who will attempt to break contain on the outside or they can hand it to the tailback for an inside run. If the fly sweep is effective and the defense begins to over-play it they'll hit them with a reverse or a gap scheme (not zone blocking) counter play. Last year the quarterback even faked the inside run and kept it on what was essentially a read option.
Once the defense begins to sell out to stop the run they work in play action which can be very effective.
Another look Wisconsin may show is a tight bunch formation with two tight ends and a full back. They like to run a pitch into the bunch formation which can be a challenge to defend and of course sets up more play action.
Wisconsin's passing attack is more sophisticated than one might think. Last year Quarterback Jack Coan was going through his progressions, looking off safeties with his eyes, and hitting throws where the ball comes out before the receiver has even made his break. So far in 2020 Freshman Graham Mertz has been taking snaps for the Badgers due to Coan being injured. Mertz was 20 for 21 for 248 yards and 5 touchdowns in his very first game against Illinois, earning him Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Freshmen of the Week honors from the Big Ten. Since then Mertz is a more earthly 35 for 63 (.556 percent) with three TDs and three interceptions. Mertz is a big guy with a live arm and he plays with poise and confidence. Indiana will likely look to get him off his game through pressure and by confusing him with new and disguised defensive looks.
In an interesting wrinkle it was announced today that Jack Coan is back practicing and will be available to play Saturday. It remains to be seen if he will actually play or if they will keep him in a back-up role for now.
The Badger run game will be a challenge but it may not be as effective as it has been in recent years. The Badgers only return two starters from last year's offensive line. It takes time for the offensive line to come together as a unit and Wisconsin has only played in three games in a season that has been disrupted by cancellations. Wisconsin hasn't had a back hit 100 yards in five straight games, although some of this is due to the fact that three different backs have been sharing carries. The Badgers have given up six sacks in three games so Indiana may be able to get home with pressure.
Their wide receivers are talented but don't necessarily seem to be the kind of guys who will take over a game - especially given how well Indiana's secondary has been playing. Junior Tight End Jack Ferguson is their best weapon through the air, especially in the red zone. Through three games he has 18 catches for 181 yards and 4 TDs so look for Mertz to get him involved through play fakes.
On the other side of the ball Wisconsin runs a 3-4 hybrid scheme under Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonhard. Leonhard is a former Badger walk-on Safety who became a three-time All American and Madison legend. After a 10 year NFL career he came back to Wisconsin to coach and worked his way up to DC under Chryst. Much of the time they will show only two true down linemen and then have two outside linebacker / defensive end hybrids in two-point stances. This look makes it hard to determine who is rushing and who is dropping in coverage as the hybrid player could do both. You could almost call it a 2-4-5 as there are two down linemen, four linebacker types, and five secondary players. They may also show a 3-4-4 look - three linemen, four linebacker types and four defensive backs. In addition to not knowing which hybrid player is rushing and which is dropping in coverage Wisconsin likes to bring pressure off the edge. In past years they have been able to create pressure with just four rushers, allowing the seven in coverage to really blanket and shut down opposing receivers. If they can succeed in doing this Saturday it will be a tough day for Indiana Quarterback Jack Tuttle who will be making his first career start.
Junior Linebacker Jack Sanborn received pre-season honors from the Big Ten, one of only ten players to be recognized. So far in 2020 he has 20 tackles including 12 solo and a sack. He also has two quarterback hurries. Junior Rachad Wildgoose, who was a starter at corner, is out for the season due to injury which is a blow to the Badger Secondary.
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