If a picture was worth 1,000 words, look at the cover photo for this story. Look at Caesar Williams knocking the ball away from Tyler Johnson, in one of the one-on-one matchups the Wisconsin Badgers needed to win in order to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Look at the confidence Williams displayed here. Look at the authoritative demonstration of textbook coverage.
The picture told the story of a Wisconsin secondary which did a complete 180 from previous weeks against Nebraska and Purdue. The picture told the story of a banged-up back line of defense which had valid reasons for uneven play and a spotty track record in the second half of the 2019 season, but regrouped and played its best football when everything mattered. We said all week here at Badgers Wire that if Wisconsin delivered the goods against the Gophers, the previous several weeks of relatively ordinary football would be forgotten. The Badgers played as though that was the absolute truth. As a result, they are going to Indianapolis. They will get their coveted rematch with Ohio State. They won back the Big Ten West title they lost in 2018. This team will be remembered fondly, no matter what happens next.
Hail, Caesar. Hail to Caesar Williams, Faion Hicks, and other members of a secondary which was asked to do a lot… and did more than it was asked. WAY more. If you had talked to Wisconsin fans before this game, and you had said that Minnesota would score 24 points against the Badgers, most UW fans probably would have said, “Hey, not bad. That gives us a chance to win.”
The final score says Wisconsin gave up 17 points, but if we’re being honest, it’s only 10. The Gophers scored a meaningless touchdown late in garbage time. Throw that one out if we are trying to accurately measure what this defense and this secondary achieved. When Minnesota was trying to come back, down 24-10 and inside the Badgers’ red zone, Wisconsin’s corners held up in man coverage on an island yet again. They had done that all day, staying strong and contesting catches on the perimeter when Tanner Morgan threw jump balls and asked his receivers to win them at the catch point. Williams, Hicks, and the rest of this secondary — under so much game pressure, on a day when their teammates needed them to dramatically improve — were golden against the Gophers.
This was a magnificent display. Jack Coan brought his A-game. Jim Leonhard brought his A-game. The front seven brought their A-game. So many Badgers, wearing shoulder pads or headsets, were at their best on Saturday. Yet, the position group under the most fire was the secondary. This is where Minnesota figured it could separate itself from Wisconsin. The Badgers’ secondary stuck to the Gophers and prevented that separation from happening.
Hail, Caesar, and the rest of a secondary which forged its finest hour of 2019.