Tag: Collin Larsh

Badger Countdown: Number 29 makes 11 field goals in 2022

The 2023 CFB season is right around the corner and the Badgers are now 29 days away from their season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The 2023 college football season is right around the corner and the Badgers are now 29 days away from their season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2. With Luke Fickell coming to town, there have been many changes in personnel and kicker could be another one.

That being said, Nate Van Zelst, number 29 and second-year kicker went 11-for-14 (78.6%) on field-goal attempts and a perfect 35-for-35 on extra-point ties in 2022. Not bad for Van Zelst who replaced Collin Larsh as the starter last season.

This offseason though, Nathanial Vakos transferred to Madison from the Ohio University after he went 22-for-27 (81.5%) on field goals last year. Vakos and Van Zelst are expected to compete for the starting nod ahead of 2023, with Vakos currently having the upper hand.

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A Wisconsin Badger senior is coming back for another year

The Badger senior is coming back for another year

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With the bonus year of eligibility in store for Wisconsin senior’s, one Badger made his decision public on Monday afternoon.

Wisconsin’s starting kicker Collin Larsh is coming back for another year. The Badger placekicker announced his decision on Twitter.

“Being a Badger has been a dream come true,” Larsh wrote on his Twitter account. “The opportunity for one more season with my brothers is something I simply can’t pass up.”

Larsh has gone 13-17 on field goal attempts so far this season, and the Marshall, Wisconsin native has a long of 43 yards. The Badger senior has started for the past three seasons as Wisconsin’s placekicker.

 

A Wisconsin player who deserves more praise earns national recognition

A Collin Larsh appreciation post:

It’s no secret that Wisconsin’s special teams have struggled mightily this season, and over the past number of seasons. One element of the unit, however, has been at its best this year and has helped propel the Badgers to stay competitive in key matchups.

That area of special teams is the kicking game, headed by senior Collin Larsh. Larsh has been at the top of his game this season, going 10-12 so far on field goals with the only misses coming off of a blocked kick and a 50+ yard attempt.

The Marshall, Wisconsin native went 3-3 on Saturday to help lift the Badgers over the Boilermakers. While certainly flying under the radar, Larsh’s improvement has put the Badgers in positions to win games even if the offense hasn’t been able to finish the job. Key kicks against Notre Dame and Penn State gave Wisconsin’s offense a chance, while his day against Purdue helped to shut the door on any Boilermaker comeback opportunity.

There are certainly a number of big moments left in the season for the senior kicker, but if his early track record shows us anything it’s that Wisconsin fans should trust in the Marshall, Wisconsin native.

Larsh earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Purdue:

Two Wisconsin Badgers earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors

Two Wisconsin Badgers earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors

While Wisconsin started the season slow, the team has not been without some tremendous individual performers.

Two of those players have been Wisconsin kicker Collin Larsh and inside linebacker Leo Chenal.

Larsh is off to a tremendous start with a 16/17 clip on extra-point attempts and 10/12 on field goals—one miss coming from a Penn State block.

Meanwhile, Chenal is putting together an All-Big Ten caliber season. He has 51 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in only five games.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 8 — Hey, Wisconsin

Both Badgers were tremendous during the team’s 30-13 victory over Purdue on Saturday. Larsh connected on all three field-goal attempts, while Chenal was a one-man wrecking crew on defense with 9 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

As a result, both Chenal and Larsh received Big Ten Player of the Week honors for their performances.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

That was a fun final 15 minutes.

It didn’t always look easy. In fact, it looked downright scary a lot of the time. However, you never can argue with what the scoreboard says when you’re ahead and the clock hits zero. That’s Notre Dame after its 41-13 win over Wisconsin in its Shamrock Series game at Soldier Field. As an added bonus, it allowed Brian Kelly to surpass Knute Rockne as the winningest coach in program history with 106 victories and get a pair of Gatorade baths for the accomplishment.

The fourth quarter began with the Badgers (1-2) threatening to reach the end zone, but the defense that could become more valuable for the Irish (4-0) as the season goes on was able to hold them to a 27-yard field goal from Collin Larsh. That 13-10 Badgers lead lasted all of one play as Chris Tyree returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time the Irish had scored on a kick return since 2016. Suddenly, the Badgers fans who were dancing to “Jump Around” a few minutes earlier weren’t feeling so hot.

The Badgers faced a third down on their next drive. The play that followed resulted in Jayson Ademilola forcing a Graham Mertz fumble on a sack and Isaiah Foskey recovering it. With Jack Coan still on the bench, Drew Pyne completed a 22-yard pass to Michael Mayer to set up the Irish in the red zone. Two plays later, Pyne hit Kevin Austin for a 16-yard touchdown that only could be described as a backbreaker. It was Austin’s second touchdown of the game.

Desperately needing a score, the Badgers advanced to the Irish’s 34-yard line. When the drive stalled out there, Larsh attempted a 52-yard field goal that sailed left. Hope remained alive for the Badgers after the Irish went three-and-out, but Cam Hart quickly picked off Mertz for his second interception of the game. The offense didn’t get far, not that it really needed to at that point, but Jonathan Doerer kicked a 37-yard field goal anyway.

Even with the outcome decided, the Irish’s defense decided it wasn’t done scoring. Jack Kiser came out of nowhere and returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown. That somehow still wasn’t enough for the unit to make its statement. Drew White returned his own interception to the end zone from 45 yards out.

The Irish stomped on the Badgers, then stomped on them again. That’s quite the good feeling, isn’t it? What dominance at the end.

Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin: First-Quarter Analysis

Not the start we were hoping for.

This year’s Shamrock Series game looks like it will the barn burner everyone expected it to be. The game could just as easily swing as a dominant performance for one team or another. For now, Notre Dame has some work to do as it trails Wisconsin, 3-0, after one quarter.

The Irish took the ball first at their own 22-yard line and only moved backwards as Jack Coan was sacked by Matt Henningsen. Jay Bramblett couldn’t punt the ball out of Irish territory, and Graham Mertz made him pay with a 23-yard completion to Kendric Pryor on his first play. The Badgers couldn’t move much after that, but Collin Larsh salvaged the drive with a 37-yard field goal.

After Coan took another sack, his next drive went a lot better as he executed a pass-heavy attack to counter the Badgers’ strong run defense. He completed six passes to set up first-and-goal on the 10. When a pair of runs went nowhere, Coan went deep in the pocket for a pass but fell down at the 21. Jonathan Doerer came on to tie the game but missed a 39-yard field goal, keeping the Irish off the scoreboard.

The game then reached a stall as the teams traded three-and-outs. After that, Mertz seized momentum on a 42-yard pass to Clay Cundiff to set the Badgers up on the Irish’s 30. The Irish soon put a stop to that by stuffing Chez Mellusi on fourth-and-1. You never know what’s going to happen next in a game like that.

WATCH: Special teams coach Chris Haering discusses who will kick for Wisconsin this season

The spring isn’t about winning position battles or clearly defining starters at each position. But we do learn a good amount during each

The spring practice period isn’t about winning position battles or clearly defining a team’s two-deep depth chart.

But we do learn a good amount during each position coach’s spring media availability, including which positions are up in the air and where things stand with certain players.

Special teams coach Chris Haering was the most recent coach to meet with the media. During the conference, he touched on where the team stands at kicker:

Larsh was the team’s starting kicker last season, connecting on all 23 extra-point attempts and converting five of seven field goals.

Van Dyke, on the other hand, missed his only field-goal attempt last season, though he entered the program as one of the nation’s top specialists in the class of 2020.

It will no doubt be a position battle to watch as the season approaches.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Projecting Wisconsin’s 2020 Spring Special Teams Depth Chart

What will Wisconsin’s 2020 spring depth chart for specialists look like when the Badgers start spring practice?

Wisconsin’s special teams in 2020 will see a complete overhaul mostly because of graduation as the Badgers lose their top two punters in Anthony Lotti and Connor Allen, in addition to kickoff specialist Zach Hintze as all three graduated. Wisconsin also lost kickoff returner Aron Cruickshank as he transferred to Rutgers. In total Wisconsin only returns three starters from last year’s special teams unit in Collin Larsh who handled PAT’s and field goals, long snapper Adam Bay, and punt returner, Jack Dunn.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we project what the spring depth chart on special teams will look like when the Badgers open up spring practice.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Punter: 1. Conor Schlichting

Conor Schlichting who will be a redshirt junior next season has yet to register a punt in a game for Wisconsin. The Madison native will be the only punter on Wisconsin’s roster when spring practice opens up. The Badgers did sign Jack Van Dyke who could possibly challenge Schlichting at punter but Van Dyke won’t be on campus until the summer.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Place Kicker: 1. Collin Larsh 2. Joe Stoll

Larsh handled PAT’s and field goals for the majority of last season and with him going 12-for-18 on his field goal attempts he once again will be favored to handle both duties in 2020. Stoll from Wooster High School in Ohio will be a freshman as consistency will be key in whether or not Stoll can challenge Larsh for the placekicking duties.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Kickoffs: 1. Collin Larsh 2. Blake Wilcox

Since Paul Chryst has arrived at Wisconsin the Badgers have used one kicker responsible for PAT’s and field goals and another kicker for kickoffs. The Badgers may not elect to use Larsh on kickoffs as special teams coach Chris Haering may want to find a role for Blake Wilcox if he shows over spring that he’s deserving of a role. Wilcox will be a redshirt freshman next season as he was an Under Armour All-American in 2018.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Long Snapper: 1. Adam Bay 2. Peter Bowden

Adam Bay was consistent in his snaps all season and once again will be the Badgers starting long snapper for a fourth straight season. Peter Bowden was one of three true freshmen to appear in the two-deep on the depth chart last season.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Holder: 1. Conor Schlichting 2. Joe Stoll

Connor Allen handled the holder’s duties over the last four seasons. This responsibility won’t be decided in spring as it will be figured out over fall camp. But it will come down to whoever can handle Bay’s snaps and get the ball down quickly in order for Larsh to be able to get off clean and accurate kicks. Spring will be the first important step in creating consistency and chemistry in this area.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Punt Returner: 1. Jack Dunn 2. Danny Davis

Dunn statistically was able to improve as a punt returner from his sophomore season to his junior year. Dunn last year averaged 8.3 yards per return, which was up from the 5.5 yards he averaged as a redshirt sophomore. Dunn has proven to be consistent in this area and has earned the trust of the coaches. Danny Davis only returned six punts a season ago for an average of 7.5 yards per return.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Kickoff Returner: 1. Faion Hicks 2. Stephan Bracey

Wisconsin fans saw what a dynamic return man can do to help an offense as Aron Cruickshank excelled in this area a season ago. With Cruickshank transferring to Rutgers the Badgers will be tasked to find his replacement. Faion Hicks was listed as his backup a season ago but he never returned a kickoff. Haering will try a combination of players over spring and fall camp to try and find the best replacement for Cruickshank.

Wisconsin 2019 Football Season Review: Specialists

How did Wisconsin’s specialists perform during the 2019 season?

Wisconsin finished its fifth season under head coach Paul Chryst as Chryst improved his overall record to 52-16 and has a posted a 34-10 record in conference games. After not winning the Big Ten West Division title in 2018 the Badgers were back in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game as the West representative for the fourth time in the last six years since the Big Ten went to its current format.

In this Badgers Wire feature we will examine the play of Wisconsin’s specialists from the 2019 season and take a sneak into what the 2020 season may have in store for the position:

Wisconsin excelled in certain areas on special teams in 2019 and then there were other areas where the Badgers were inconsistent.

Let’s begin with the highlight of the special teams in 2019, which was the kickoff return team. The Badgers certainly excelled in this area as Aron Cruickshank was able to return two kicks with one coming against Nebraska and another in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.

Cruickshank certainly proved to be a weapon for the Badgers on special teams as he averaged 29.3 yards per return on 23 attempts. As Cruickshank earned Second Team All-Big Ten on special teams this past year.

Although Cruickshank excelled in this area he wouldn’t have been able to have the success he had if it wasn’t for his blockers helping open up return lanes for him to utilize his speed to help set up Wisconsin with good field position.

When it came to punt returns from a game-to-game basis it was hit or miss. For a second consecutive year Jack Dunn handled the primary responsibilites as the punt returner.

Dunn was able to statistically improve as a punt returner as he improved his average from 5.5 yards to 8.3 and he went for 94 punt return yards to 200.

In terms of punting the football, Wisconsin struggled as Anthony Lotti handled the punting duties. Although he was inconsistent his last two games as a Badger weren’t strong as in the Big Ten Championship game and the Rose Bowl game he struggled to handle a snap resulting in a fumble as Ohio State and Oregon were able to take advantage of the miscue by Lotti.

Overall Lotti finished the season averaging 39.7 yards per punt on 45 attempts.

While the punting game struggled with consistency kickoff specialist Zach Hintze was a model of consistency. Hintze routinely kicked the football in the end zone as 69 of his 89 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

Hintze’s strong leg came useful when the Badgers played Purdue as he made a program record 62-yard field goal before halftime. Hintze went 2-for-3 on his field goal attempts.

Collin Larsh was the regular kicker when it came to field goals and PAT’s as he finished the season 12-for-18 on his field goal attempts and made all of his PAT’s except one.

Larsh started the season 3-for-6 on his field goal attempts over the Badgers first six games but ended the year going 9-for-12.

2020 Wisconsin Specialists

Wisconsin will need to find a new kickoff returner as Cruickshank following the season announced he was transferring the Badgers also lose Lotti, Connor Allen who held for PAT’s and field goals, and Hintze. Spring will be important for all the specialists to continue to work and try to make Wisconsin’s kicking and punting game more consistent. Who replaces Lotti at punter and Hintze on kickoffs won’t be determined until fall camp. The Badgers will also likely try a combination at kickoff returner as the two that may get long looks at filling the role could be Isaac Guerendo or Kendric Pryor.

Grading Wisconsin’s 28-27 Loss to Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game

What grades did Wisconsin earn in their 28-27 loss to Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game?

Grading No. 8 Wisconsin’s 28-27 loss to No. 6 Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game.

Offense: D

Four turnovers.

Simply put Wisconsin beat themselves on offense at times. Four turnovers all occurring in Wisconsin territory was a killer as Oregon turned Wisconsin’s miscues into 21 points.

Wisconsin fumbled the football three times as Jonathan Taylor, Danny Davis, and Anthony Lotti all lost fumbles while Jack Coan threw an interception.

The dagger came when Davis fumbled the football in the fourth quarter on a jet sweep as the fumble was forced by Rose Bowl Defensive MVP Brady Breeze and was recovered by Bryson Young. Oregon only needed one play to take the lead for good as Oregon’s quarterback Justin Herbert registered a 30-yard rushing touchdown with 7:41 to go in the game.

Davis was also called for an offensive pass interference call on Wisconsin’s last offensive possession of the game, which wiped out a first down catch by Jake Ferguson on third down. Wisconsin’s ensuing offensive play resulted in an incompletion on third and 20 forcing the Badgers to punt the football away with 2:54 to go in the game.

Davis’ 19 yards rushing was second on the team behind Taylor’s 94 yards rushing on 21 carries. Taylor’s 94 yards put him over 2,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season joining Iowa State’s Troy Davis (1995, 1996). Taylor also added 43 yards receiving on two receptions.

Taylor struggled to get into a rhythm on offense as the Ducks defense did well of containing him as he averaged 4.5 yards per carry as his longest rush was 18 yards against the Ducks defense.

With Oregon doing well of keeping contain of Taylor on the ground meant Coan attempted 35 passes, which was a season-high. Overall Coan finished the game 23-for-35 for 186 yards and one touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus.

Two of Coan’s favorite targets were Cephus (7-59-1) and Ferguson (4-44) as the two combined to catch 11 passes for 103 yards. Overall eight players caught a pass for the Badgers as half of the players who caught a pass registered at least three or more receptions.

Wisconsin’s offense at times struggled to get into a rhythm early in the game as the Badgers defense was able to set Wisconsin’s offense up with good field position when Jack Sanborn intercepted a pass giving the Badgers offense the football back at Oregon’s 27-yard line. But Oregon’s defense stepped up and was able to get off the field after three plays forcing for Wisconsin to settle for a field goal to give the Badgers a 10-7 lead. 

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