Tag: big ten week 4

Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz is ‘pumped’ to see Jack Coan get back to healthy

One of the forgotten storylines of the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers is the foot injury to senior quarterback Jack Coan back in early October…

One of the forgotten storylines of the 2020 Wisconsin Badgers is the foot injury to senior quarterback Jack Coan back in early October.

His story was caught up in the team’s 45-7 victory against Illinois, the COVID-19 outbreak within the program, the three weeks in between games and their 49-11 onslaught of the Michigan Wolverines. However, Coan was in line to be the starter this season and not much has been said about when he will return to the field.

In good news for Coan’s injury and his possible path to returning, the senior quarterback was out on the field before the game this weekend throwing passes and moving around without a boot on his foot.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz — a player who has a completion percentage of 74.4, 375 yards, 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions through his first two starts — talked yesterday about Coan’s status and his mindset in his recovery.

“I see him in there working every day in the training room,” Mertz said. “He’s pushing himself and I’m happy to see him recovering…His edge of working back to get healthy has been great.”

Related: Wisconsin’s bowl history over the past 20 years

Mertz continued to cite the senior’s work ethic during his rehab, while also noting his hard work hasn’t just appeared after his injury.

“He’s always had the same work ethic,” Mertz said. “It’s not ‘Oh, I got injured now I have to work.’ He’s always had that work ethic and I think our group as a whole has always had that work ethic.”

The redshirt freshman finished by saying he is “pumped to see him getting back to healthy.”

Related: Studs and duds from the Badgers’ onslaught of the Michigan Wolverines

Here is the full clip of the interview:

Mertz and the Badgers will be back in action on Saturday in Evanston, Illinois, against the 4-0 and No. 19-ranked Northwestern Wildcats.

It seems unlikely Coan will have reached 100 percent by then, and, therefore, it is unlikely he will suit up and be available. Whether he starts at quarterback when he returns is yet to be seen, though there are definitely promising signs surrounding his return and the team is happy to be getting him back.

 

Gameday work:

What Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh said about Wisconsin after the game

Paul Chryst and the No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers returned to the field last night in Ann Arbor, Michigan and made an absolute statement…

Paul Chryst and the No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers returned to the field last night in Ann Arbor, Michigan and made an absolute statement, routing HC Jim Harbaugh and the 1-3 Michigan Wolverines 49-11.

The game was more than a positive sign for the Badgers, especially after having to wait 22 days to play their second game of the year.

Related: Studs and duds from the Badgers’ onslaught of the Michigan Wolverines

Michigan, on the other hand, now sits at 1-3 on the season and has real questions about the team, the coaching and the overall direction of the program.

Harbaugh discussed after the game what his team needs to change going forward, saying “there’s nothing to right now to say an acceptable job is being done — players or the coaches.”

He then continued to note that his team needs to re-evaluate the “process of everything we do — we’ve gotta try to win by all means necessary. That’s gonna be our training, that’s gotta be our workouts, that’s gotta be our meetings, that’s gotta be our coaches. All of us in terms of putting our plan together — every meeting, every walkthrough, every practice, nutrition, recovery — everything we do is going to be aimed at improvement. Really all areas, all areas. Anything we can identify of a way we could do it better. I’m thinking of things, but gotta address all areas.”

The Michigan head coach also had good things to say about the job Paul Chryst and the Badgers did in every area last night, especially on the perimeter:

“They had extra blockers on the perimeter. We didn’t set the edge all night. We weren’t containing.”

A testament to the job Chryst and his staff did preparing the team, Harbaugh noted that they “were thoroughly beaten in every phase. Didn’t really do anything well. Did not play good, did not coach good.”

Most of the focus of the press conference was on the state of the Michigan team and program, though the overall tone pointed towards the Badgers’ utter domination of the Wolverines on all fronts.

Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers are back in action on Saturday against the undefeated No. 19 Northwestern Wildcats. A fun fact to note: the game will mark the first top-20 matchup between the two teams since 1962.

Gameday work:

Studs and duds from the Badgers’ onslaught of the Michigan Wolverines

Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers returned to the football field tonight after more than three weeks of inactivity and made an…

Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers returned to the football field tonight after more than three weeks of inactivity and made an absolute statement, routing the Michigan Wolverines 49-11.

It was a remarkable all-around effort that didn’t leave much to be desired, as Jim Leonhard’s defense dominated the Michigan offense all night, Joe Rudolph’s offense was creative and looked unstoppable and the team got breakout efforts from players all over the field.

Related: Instant analysis: The Badgers make a statement in their return with a blowout victory against Michigan

Spoiler alert: there weren’t many duds from the game, but nevertheless, here are studs and duds from the Badgers’ blowout victory in Ann Arbor:

Instant analysis: The Badgers make a statement in their return, routing Michigan 49-11

It was a long time coming, but quarterback Graham Mertz and the Wisconsin Badgers finally returned to the football field tonight in…

It was a long time coming, but quarterback Graham Mertz and the Wisconsin Badgers finally returned to the football field tonight in Ann Arbor, Michigan and made an absolute statement in their return, routing the Michigan Wolverines 49-11.

There were many question marks heading into the contest about what the Badger football team would look like after 22 days since their Week 1 contest, whether they will be well conditioned and what the team will look like against a team not named Illinois.

Related: WATCH: Chimere Dike explodes for a 33-yard reverse against Michigan

Well, those questions were answered, as even without several key contributors on both sides of the football–running back Garrett Groshek, defensive end Garrett Rand, cornerback Rachad Wildgoose and outside linebacker Izayah Green-May to name a few–and without Graham Mertz playing an amazing game, they played a sharp and dominant football game from start to finish.

Jim Leonhard’s defense came out of the gates with a bang, intercepting Wolverine quarterback Joe Milton on his first two pass attempts, and held the Milton-led offense to zero first-half points, 219 total yards, 47 rushing yards, 2.5 yards-per-carry and 11 total points.

Joe Rudolph’s offense did everything they needed to do to win–establishing the run early, letting Graham Mertz get comfortable, dialing up end arounds, getting their playmakers the ball in space and punching the ball into the end zone on all of their red-zone trips.

There are several things you can take away from this game, but the biggest thing we saw on the field tonight–aside from players like Leo Chenal, Nick Herbig, Jalen Berger and the entire offensive line showing out–was how much of a mismatch Paul Chryst was for Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.

It can be stated as clear as this: Chryst’s team came out with a purpose and like a team that had just gotten two games taken away while Harbaugh’s team came out uninspired and looked like a unit that had nothing to play for.

Paul Chryst’s Badgers now move forward to next weekend’s contest aginst 4-0 Northwestern undefeated and looking sharp, something anybody would have taken heading into the season.

 

We have a lot of postgame content coming your way this week on BadgersWire. But for now, it’s good to have Badger football back and I could not have envisioned a better return for the team as they work towards winning their first Big Ten Championship since 2012.

The boat has sunk for Minnesota this year

When Head Coach P.J. Fleck arrived in Minnesota a few years ago he brought with him his motto of “row the boat.” Everything…

When Head Coach P.J. Fleck arrived in Minnesota a few years ago he brought with him his motto of “row the boat.”

Everything seemed to be working in the beginning for Fleck and the Golden Gophers, as their 11-2 2019 season was the best the program has seen in a long time.

It was enough of an accomplishment for the program that they made championship rings for their season–commemorating their Outback Bowl victory against Auburn, 11-2 record, Big Ten west first-place finish (tied) and more.

Related: BadgersWire roundtable: Wisconsin-Michigan score predictions

Yes, they included Big Ten West co-champions despite losing to the Badgers and not making the Big Ten Championship.

They understandably received comments on the “Big Ten West co-champions” part of the ring as, again, it was the Badgers that won the division.

The rings aside, Fleck’s team had Big Ten Championship aspirations entering this year. Now 1-3 through four games, it appears there is no longer a boat to row.

The season-opening 49-24 loss to then-No. 18 Michigan wasn’t the biggest disappointment.

The 45-44 overtime loss to Maryland and 35-7 blowout loss to Iowa since then, however, have taken Minnesota out of Big Ten West contention and have their season heading in the wrong direction.

It wasn’t pretty last night against Iowa, with the Gophers’ only touchdown coming at the end of the fourth quarter and Iowa dominating them on all sides of the football.

It also is fun to note that after penalties last night, Fleck himself has more penalty yards than the Wisconsin Badgers have this entire season (yes, I know they’ve only played one game).

The Gopher program could still be headed in the right direction. This year at least, sitting at 1-3 through four games, there is no longer a boat to row in Minnesota.

 

Gameday work:

What Michigan is saying about Wisconsin football this week

The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers are set to take the field tonight against the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines in what will be their first game…

The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers are set to take the field tonight against the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines in what will be their first game in 22 days.

This week we’ve gone through the matchup, analyzed the Wolverine team, and gave you keys to the game, what to watch for and why Wisconsin will come away with a victory.

That’s all from a Wisconsin perspective

Now we’re looking at what Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has been saying about the Badgers this week.

Related: BadgersWire round table: Wisconsin-Michigan score prediction

First, regarding the fact the Badgers have only played one game this season, Harbaugh said his team will “use film against Illinois and film from last year” to prepare for the contest.

I don’t think anybody knows what Wisconsin team we’ll see tonight, especially given the fact there will likely be players out and the team hasn’t played in more than three weeks.

Despite this being the marquee matchup of the weekend in college football, a lot of the talk in Michigan is around their 1-2 start and what direction the program is heading.

When asked about how the team will prepare for the rest of the season with the Big Ten off the table, Harbaugh said the focus is to win the next game on the schedule and said he and his team aren’t concerned with the outside noise about their bad start.

There wasn’t much else said in his game week press conference against the Badgers and the matchup between the two teams, as many of the questions addressed why Michigan has started slow and what direction the team and the program are heading.

How Wisconsin’s defense can find success against Michigan tomorrow

The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers are set to take the field in Ann Arbor tomorrow night against the Michigan Wolverines and continue…

The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers are set to take the field in Ann Arbor tomorrow night against the Michigan Wolverines and continue their interrupted season.

One of the keys to Paul Chryst and his team coming away victorious and starting the season 2-0 will be repeating their impressive defensive effort from Week 1.

The defense pitched a shutout if you will, a performance that is unlikely to be repeated against a much better Michigan offense.

Related: Why Wisconsin wins, or why Wisconsin loses tomorrow against Michigan

For the defense to find any success, though, they will need to excel in a few key categories.

The first is in the trenches against Michigan’s talented running backs (and quarterback).

Wolverine running backs Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins enter the contest with a combined 30 carries for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns. Add quarterback Joe Milton’s 25 carries for 102 yards and 1 touchdown and you have a running attack that can hurt you in several ways.

Jim Leonhard and his defense will need Keeanu Benton, Garrett Rand and Isaiahh Loudermilk to have a game upfront, as well as linebackers Noah Burks, Jack Sanborn, Leo Chenal and Izayah Green-May to help them control the gaps.

Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Michigan on Saturday

To me, shutting down Milton should be the top priority after Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters ran for more than 70 yards on 7 carries against the Badger defense in Week 1.

But the Michigan offense has struggled when they’re forced into third-and-long scenarios. Getting them to those situations and getting off the field will be the focus for Leonhard and his unit tomorrow night.

The second area the Badger defense will need to excel in is taking wide receiver Ronnie Bell out of the game.

In Week 1 cornerback Rachad Wildgoose shut down Illini receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe to just 3 catches for 26 yards. Coming against a player who averaged more than 18 yards-per-reception last season, Wildgoose’s performance was an exceptional one and will need to be repeated this week.

Bell thus far through three weeks has 14 catches, 269 yards, 1 touchdown and has averaged 19.2 yards-per-reception. He’s as good of a deep threat that the conference has, and taking him out of the game will be key to limiting Michigan’s offense output.

Leonhard’s defense will need a complete effort to shut down the Wolverines, and winning the turnover battle would be a big plus. But the two areas in which the team must find success is stopping Milton on the ground, getting Michigan to third-and-long and taking Ronnie Bell out of the game.

If they can do all three of those things, we could see another dominant performance from the Wisconsin Badger defense.

 

Gameday work:

Why Wisconsin wins, or why Wisconsin loses tomorrow against Michigan

When the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers take the field tomorrow night against the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines it will mark 22 days since their…

When the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers take the field tomorrow night against the 1-2 Michigan Wolverines it will mark 22 days since their Week 1 contest.

The layoff, due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program, has been a tough one for the players and the program as a whole, as they’ve seen the team drop in the national rankings and have been unable to practice together like during normal off weeks.

The wait is now finally over, though, and the team has emphasized how great it is to be back on the field and how high the energy is around the facility.

Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Michigan on Saturday

Back before Week 1, I went through what would happen for the Badgers to come away victorious in that contest.

As Badger fans know, it came to fruition, and the team came away with a decisive 45-7 victory.

Now the team is on to Michigan, and here is why Wisconsin wins tomorrow or why they lose:

 

Gameday work:

HC Paul Chryst gives an update on QB Jack Coan’s status

Back on October 4 Wisconsin senior quarterback Jack Coan injured his foot at practice and was declared out indefinitely…

Back on October 4 Wisconsin senior quarterback Jack Coan injured his foot at practice and was declared out indefinitely.

Coan was in line to start this season, and by many measures was lining up to be the best player the program has had at the position since Russell Wilson.

We all know what redshirt freshman Graham Mertz did in his absence, completing 20 of 21 passes for 248 yards and 5 touchdowns against Illinois. But Coan may remain in the quarterback mix when he is able to return.

Related: Can Graham Mertz play this Saturday?

There haven’t been any updates since the injury about Coan’s status, or a concrete timeline of when he can return to the field.

That, until today, when Head Coach Paul Chryst was asked about the quarterback during his pre-weekend press conference.

“We don’t have a specific timeline,” Chryst said. “He’s been able to do more. He’s at that point now where it’s been for a little bit where you can see the energy in him being able to do more.”

Related: Five keys to a Wisconsin victory over Michigan on Saturday

Whether he will start when he returns is yet to be seen, though Chryst had a positive tone when talking about where the quarterback is in his rehab and his energy level around the facility.

Related: Everything you need to know about the 2020 Michigan Wolverines

BREAKING: Maryland vs. Ohio State becomes the first non-Wisconsin Badger contest in the Big Ten to be canceled

Through the first three weeks of the Big Ten season only one program experienced a significant COVID-19 outbreak: the Wisconsin Badgers…

Through the first three weeks of the Big Ten season only one program experienced a significant COVID-19 outbreak: the Wisconsin Badgers.

Today that has officially changed as the Maryland Terrapins have announced they’ve experienced an “elevated number of COVID-19 cases within the program” and have canceled this weekend’s game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Like the Badgers’ two cancelations, the game will not be rescheduled and each school will play only seven conference games.

This will be interesting to watch as the week and the month progress, as with what we’ve seen in the Wisconsin program these things don’t tend to go away very quickly.

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