As the 2019 season fully recedes into the pages of history, Badgers Wire is exploring what Wisconsin will look like — and can achieve — in 2020. We have been taking a look at the Badger offense, but now it’s time to switch sides and take a look at what the Badgers are bringing back on defense for the 2020 season. In order to make it easier to digest and disseminate, Badgers Wire will be breaking it up by position group. First up for the Badgers is a look at the defensive line.
The Wisconsin defensive line had a hell of a year in 2019. The team was No. 5 in the nation in total sacks, averaging a total of 3.64 sacks per game with 51 sacks total and 361 sack yards. They also boasted the nation’s No. 6 rushing defense, allowing opponents just 3.29 yards per carry for a total of 1,397 opponent rushing yards, which was good enough for 99.8 yards per game. As a unit, the Wisconsin defensive line did their job and then some.
The defense lost David Plaff and Gunnar Roberge to matriculation, but kept several key players, particularly Isaiahh Loudermilk, Garrett Rand, and Keanu Benton. Defensive ends Loudermilk and Rand should provide Wisconsin pressure and reliable run stuffing. With solid play at the nose tackle position, the Badgers should see a return to form from 2019.
This is a good time to offer a reminder that Wisconsin will have Bryson Williams back to bolster its defensive line. In the process of moving from one season to the next, discussions of returning starters and departing players are important to have, but it is often necessary to emphasize a particular kind of player who can get lost in the shuffle: the player who returns to the lineup, but whose impact on the previous season was limited not by deficient performance, but simply injuries.
Bryson Williams was an extremely important part of Wisconsin’s defense in 2019. When on the field, the Badgers were nastier and more formidable. Imagine a world in which Williams had played every game last season. One of UW’s losses, maybe two, might turn into a win.
The fact that UW loses few starters on defense heading into 2020 is obviously wonderful, for reasons which require no explanation, but it is worth underscoring the more specific point that if the Badgers get a full season out of Bryson Williams, that might be the biggest boost of all.
The Badgers are well positioned to lead the Big Ten in several categories. Only Penn State had a better rushing defense than the Badgers. Likewise, the only team that had more sacks than Wisconsin last year was Ohio State. Even then, Wisconsin had more sack yardage than the Buckeyes. The Badgers are returning most of their key players on a line that was already good. It’s a recipe for success, but there’s always the possibility the defense spends more time on the field in 2020 because of the loss of production on offense. In sum, these players will have their chances to make their stand.
Bryson Williams, if healthy, could lead the charge.