One word to describe Wisconsin’s pedestrian performance in its Week 1 win over Western Michigan: inexplosive.
Wisconsin tallied 388 yards of total offense (192 passing, 196 rushing), gained 27 first downs, was an impressive 11/17 on third and fourth down and traveled into the Western Michigan red zone a total of six times. It moved the ball at will.
But with 10 minutes left in the game, the Badgers somehow trailed 14-13.
Related: Wisconsin two-deep depth chart for Week 2 vs. South Dakota includes minor changes
One easy ‘one stat that must change’ is the team’s red zone efficiency. It reached the red zone in each of its first four drives, though scored only 13 points. The drives went: Missed field goal, touchdown, field goal, field goal. Scoring touchdowns on all of those trips would be a great place to start.
But Wisconsin’s biggest problem on offense was separate from its red zone struggles. The problem was a lack of explosiveness. The unit did not register a play longer than 17 yards.
That gets to the central problem facing the team, or at least the reason it failed to score 40+ against a poor MAC opponent. What is Phil Longo’s air raid offense if not explosive? That is a rhetorical question. The answer is not that good.
Longo’s attack works when it can hit big strikes, whether on the ground or through the air. Luke Fickell said on Monday that Western Michigan presented some unique looks, taking the Badgers out of their original plan. But whichever looks the offense saw, it should be able to hit on plays longer than 17 yards.
That failure to create explosive plays led the team to run far too many plays to drive the field. As seen in some of its first-half drives, too many plays often leads to trouble — missed field goals, turnovers, timely penalties, etc.
Wisconsin’s first four drives were 16 plays, 16 plays, 14 plays and 14 plays. That works to wear down a defense, but it also gives the opponent far too many opportunities to stall the drive’s progress.
The Badgers’ drives were of that length because the team went 11/17 on third and fourth down, an unsustainable rate of success. A team facing 16 third downs in a game typically means it is punting 7-8 times, at least. So the key to offensive success, especially in Longo’s scheme, is avoiding those situations. To do that, a team must create explosive, field-flipping plays.
The Badgers supposedly have the playmakers to stretch opposing defenses in the pass-happy offensive scheme. Week 2 vs. South Dakota will be about connecting on those plays and flashing the explosive potential of the offense. Otherwise, things won’t look good entering Week 3 vs. Alabama.
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