This past weekend, there wasn’t much to be excited about if you are a fan of the Wisconsin Badgers football program.
UW dropped a game where they entered as 17-point favorites and, through sloppy play across all three phases, managed to lose to the visiting Washington State Cougars 17-14.
With Wisconsin’s sloppy loss in the rearview mirror, I’d like to take a moment to highlight one of the most positive developments that came out of week 2 – sophomore wide receiver Keontez Lewis.
I think it goes without saying, but WR coach Alvis Whitted has done a terrific job rebuilding UW’s receiving core with players of differing skill sets. Both the future and the present of the position group have bright futures, giving the program hope for an improved passing game.
Lewis, a UCLA transfer, came to Wisconsin via the transfer portal during the offseason. Although the program has several young, talented options fighting for snaps, the 6-foot-2, 190 pass-catcher offers something unique – the ability to stretch the field with his length and straight-line speed.
Week two contest vs. Washington State
Last week against Washington State, Lewis logged the third-most snaps among UW WRs, trailing only Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell.
Quarterback Graham Mertz targeted Lewis three times, catching a career-high two passes for a game-high 62 yards and drawing a pass interference downfield on his only other target.
— Badger Film Clips (@Badgers_Film) September 12, 2022
— Badger Film Clips (@Badgers_Film) September 12, 2022
His size and speed combination plays well on the boundary, allowing players like Dike and Bell the freedom to play all over the formation in three WR sets.
The Illinois native’s ability to stretch the field and get behind his defender forces the opposing team to pull a defender out of the box, making him a valuable weapon for UW and its improved passing game moving forward.
Mertz clearly has a desire to push the ball downfield when he sees a winnable matchup, so it’ll be interesting to see if the UCLA transfer will get more opportunities against the New Mexico State Aggies this weekend.
Either way, Lewis flashed on Saturday and made his case for an expanded role in Bobby Engram’s offense.
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