Tag: Keeanu Benton

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:

A way-too-early look at the 2022 Wisconsin Badger defense

Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badger coaching staff have been making waves on the recruiting trail during the last few months, landing…

Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badger coaching staff have been making waves on the recruiting trail during the last few months, landing big defensive names including Braelon Allen, T.J. Bollers, Hunter Wohler and Darryl Peterson.

Their 2021 class currently stands at No. 14 in the nation and No. 3 in the conference, both marks placing the class as the best the program’s had since the online ranking era began.

Every college football fan knows that the Badgers pride themselves on their defense and they–no matter who is out there on the field–always seem to have one of the conference’s best defensive units.

With all of the question marks surrounding the upcoming 2020 football season I’m looking into the future at the 2022 defensive unit, one which at this point is lining up to be an absolute sight to see.

 

Defensive Line

Syndication: Milwaukee
Badgers nose tackle Keeanu Benton (95) and linebacker Jack Sanborn celebrate a fumble recovery by UW’s defense deep in its own territory during the first quarter against Michigan. Credit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-Imagn Content Services, LLC

Defensive end: T.J. Bollers, Ayo Adebogun, Mike Jarvis, Cade McDonald

Nose tackle: Keeanu Benton, Rodas Johnson

 

Keeanu Benton showed crazy potential last season as a true freshman. He will be a senior at this point and the leader of a talented defensive front.

Bollers is a four-star recruit and will be coming to Madison in 2021 as one of the highest-rated recruits in the 2021 class.

This unit will have the skills needed to control the opponents’ ground game but even more significantly they will be an absolute force rushing the quarterback.

 

Next…the linebackers

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An under-the-radar breakout player to watch for the 2020 Wisconsin defense

Much is being written and said about returning defensive leaders Jack Sanborn and Eric Burrell and their futures both in Madison for…

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Much is being written and said about returning defensive leaders Jack Sanborn and Eric Burrell and their futures both in Madison for the 2020 season and possibly in the NFL in the near future.

One player flying a bit under the radar for Jim Leonhard‘s defensive unit, a guy who showed flashes of dominance last season as a true freshman, is defensive tackle Keeanu Benton.

The Wisconsin native played in eight games in 2019, again as a true freshman, and recorded 12 total tackles, four tackles-for-loss and two sacks.

First of all, playing at all as a true freshman yet alone having meaningful production in eight games is rare for the Wisconsin defense, as it is usually a veteran-heavy unit with many players taking a redshirt when they arrive to the program.

Second, the story of a defensive lineman’s production isn’t completely told by his tackle and sack numbers, as when you’re drawing double teams and forcing the quarterback to get the ball out early, even though it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, you’re having a significant effect on the opposing offense and doing your job to help the players in coverage behind you.

Owen Riese, a graduate assistant offensive line coach at UW-Whitewater, looked at what Benton was able to do against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship and recognized the flashes of dominance Benton showed as only a true freshman.

Benton, No. 95 lined up to our left of the center, bodies the right guard coming off the line with a strong punch, disengages from the block, meets Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins in the hole and forces him to cut back into the middle right into the waiting arms of Burrell and Sanborn.

Though this doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, Benton completely blew up the direction of the run play and bought time for the linebacker and safety behind him to come up and make a play on the ball carrier.

This all not mentioning the fact he powered through an All-American offensive lineman in Wyatt Davis, a guy ranked by TheDraftNetwork as the No. 19 overall prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Riese continues to the next play, an arguably more impressive rep for the Badger defensive lineman

Benton followed up his play in run defense with a pass-rush rep where he engages with Ohio State center Josh Myers, TheDraftNetwork’s No. 35 prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft, has the strength to rip through the block, has the speed to squeeze through the incoming double team and finishes the play with a sack on quarterback Justin Fields.

These flashes of brilliance point towards a breakout sophomore campaign for Benton as he continues to develop physically and gain experience at the college level.

Leonhard will definitely need it as he obviously said goodbye to two defensive leaders in Zack Baun and Chris Orr after the 2019 season, guys who accounted for much of the 2019 unit’s sack and turnover production.

Wisconsin hasn’t had a premier defensive tackle in years with the last player drafted at the position being Beau Allen in 2014 and the last player drafted at the position higher than the sixth round being Wendell Bryant in the first round in 2002. Given what we saw on the field from him as only a true freshman, Benton has a shot at joining that list and even one at making a real impact at the next level.

Wisconsin to Push Back Start Date of Spring Football

Paul Chryst on Monday announced that he was going to push back the start date of spring football.

Wisconsin spring football was officially supposed to start on March 10th but it was announced on Monday that Paul Chryst has elected to push back the start of spring football.

Wisconsin will be on spring break next week and with winter conditioning recently wrapped up Chryst wanted to give his team two weeks to recover in order to maximize the 15 spring practices. The new tentative start date for spring football is March 22nd.

It was also learned on Monday that the Badgers will be without eight players for the entire spring due to injuries. They are nose tackle Keeanu Benton (core), long snapper Josh Bernhagen (left leg), safety Eric Burrell (left arm), wide receiver Jack Dunn (left leg), offensive lineman Kayden Lyles (right and left leg), safety Scott Nelson (left leg), running back Brady Schipper (right and left arm), and nose tackle Bryson Williams (left leg).

It shouldn’t be surprising that Nelson and Williams aren’t available this spring considering both were lost at some point during last season because of an injury. Nelson only played in one game last year and Williams appeared in six games.

Not having Lyles available during spring football will hurt as he was expected to fight for a starting spot on the interior of the offensive line. Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Rudolph wasn’t going to name a starting five by the end of spring football but Lyles needed the reps in order to set himself up to have a productive fall camp and to allow Rudolph his first chance of trying out different offensive line combinations.

Wisconsin will officially open the season against Indiana on Friday, September 4th at Camp Randall Stadium.

 

Projecting Wisconsin’s 2020 Spring Defensive Depth Chart

Who will open up on Wisconsin’s spring depth chart on the defensive side of the football?

Wisconsin’s defense in 2020 will be missing not only two key players but also two key leaders to not only the defense but the entire team. Those two players being 2019 team captains outside linebacker Zack Baun and inside linebacker Chris Orr. Despite Wisconsin losing Baun and Orr to graduation the Badgers still return an impressive nine starters from last year’s defense.

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

Projected Spring Depth Chart Defensive Line: DE 1. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Garrett Rand, 2. Matt Henningsen and Isaiah Mullens NT 1. Keeanu Benton 2. Gio Paez

Loudermilk and Rand were able to stay healthy over the course of their redshirt junior seasons and as long as they stay healthy they have established themselves as starters at the defensive end positions. Henningsen used last year’s spring practice to put him in a position to have a terrific redshirt sophomore season. If Henningsen can put together a productive spring like he did in 2019 should allow him to take another step in his development. Mullens appeared in 13 games mostly on special teams as he registered one tackle. With backup defensive end David Pfaff graduating he’ll have a chance in spring football to show why he deserves to be apart of the defensive line rotation. At nose tackle, Keeanu Benton will be going through his first spring practice and will receive plenty of valuable practice reps as Bryson Williams could miss all of spring football as he continues to recover from his left leg injury that he suffered this past season. If Williams can’t go that will mean more reps for redshirt freshman Gio Paez as it will be critical that he takes advantage of his reps.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Linebackers: OLB 1. Noah Burks and Izayah Green-May, 2. Spencer Lytle and Jaylan Franklin ILB 1. Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal 2. Mike Maskalunas and Maema Njongmeta

Christian Bell would’ve had a chance at competing for one of the starting outside linebacker positions opposite of Noah Burks but instead elected to transfer. That leave’s Green-May as the likely starter opposite of Burks when Wisconsin opens spring football. Green-May initially started the 2019 season as a starter but suffered a right arm injury early in the season, which caused him to miss time. Green-May was able to put together a productive fall camp and the practice habits he developed last year will need to continue if he wants to establish himself as the starter once again. Outside linebackers coach Bobby April will also give Franklin and Lytle a look as a starter opposite of Burks. Making it an important spring for both of them as the Badgers look for a starter who can complement Burks. Wisconsin may lose Chris Orr at middle linebacker but the transition between Orr and Leo Chenal should be a smooth one. Chenal gained valuable experience last year as he played as a true freshman. Chenal will receive plenty of reps over spring football and he should be able to take a nice step in his development. Maskalunas will be Chenal’s top competitor for the other starting inside linebacker position as he’s been serviceable during his time at Wisconsin. Njongmeta redshirted last season and will be going through his first spring practice.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Cornerbacks: 1. Faion Hicks and Rachad Wildgoose 2. Caesar Williams and Semar Melvin

Hicks has been a regular starter at cornerback for Wisconsin the past two seasons and that shouldn’t change heading into spring practices. Wildgoose and Williams started eight and seven games respectively a season ago. The trio has been Wisconsin’s most consistent group of cornerbacks. Semar Melvin is coming off a redshirt season but he was able to take advantage of the redshirt rule by playing in four games without burning a year of eligibility. Melvin was up and down, which is understandable but the reps he does receive during spring practice will be invaluable as he looks to build off of his freshman season. Jim Leonhard will also likely rotate in Donte Burton and Deron Harrell too as the starters at cornerback or with the second string cornerbacks too.

Projected Spring Depth Chart Safety: FS 1. Eric Burrell, 2. John Torchio SS 1. Reggie Pearson, 2. Collin Wilder

Wisconsin Football Season Review: Defensive Line

How did Wisconsin’s defensive line play over 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 defensive line from the 2019 season and take a sneak into what the 2020 season may have in store for the position:

If the tight end position was hit hard by injuries in 2019 that award goes to the defensive line in 2018.

Wisconsin’s projected starting defensive line was Isaiahh Loudermilk and Garrett Rand at defensive ends and Olive Sagapolu at nose tackle in 2018. But Rand missed the entire season with an injury, Loudermilk missed four games due to an injury, and Sagapolu missed Wisconsin’s last five games after sustaining an injury against Northwestern.

One player who was forced to step up because of the injuries a season ago was Matt Henningsen. Although the coaching staff wasn’t expecting much from him in 2018 prior to the injuries the experience he did gain as a redshirt freshman was invaluable.

Henningsen was able to make a noticeable leap in his play as he started to become more of a playmaker along the Badgers defensive line in 2019. Henningsen finished the season with 24 tackles and his five tackles for loss tied for the team lead among defensive lineman with Loudermilk and his four sacks were the most amongst defensive lineman. Henningsen also registered two defensive touchdowns too.

Loudermilk and Rand were the starters at defensive end as Loudermilk played in all 14 games but Rand did miss one game. Between Rand and Loudermilk they combined for 51 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four sacks.

They helped set the edge for Wisconsin’s defense and their ability to take on opposing offensive lineman allowed for Wisconsin’s linebackers to consistently make plays an area that was missing at times in 2018.

It also helped that the Badgers received improved play at the nose tackle position. Bryson Williams like Henningsen improved from his freshman season but his season was cut short as he only appeared in six games.

Williams loss would have hurt Wisconsin’s defensive line a lot but due to the play of true freshman Keeanu Benton, the play by Wisconsin’s defensive line didn’t miss a beat.

Benton consistently improved throughout his freshman season as he was able to utilize his wrestling background to help him gain better leverage in the trenches. Benton finished the season with 12 tackles and had four tackles for loss and two sacks.

2020 Wisconsin Defensive Line

With everybody returning along Wisconsin’s defensive line with the exception of David Pfaff the Badgers should once again be strong in the trenches. The starters at defensive end should continue to be Loudermilk and Rand and the Badgers will have two capable nose tackles in Williams and Benton. Benton certainly had an impact as a true freshman and with him going through spring football for the first time should allow for him to only grow as he heads into his sophomore season. It will also be an important spring for redshirt freshman Gio Paez and Rodas Johnson in their development, in addition to Isaiah Mullens too. Wisconsin’s ability to continue to build solid and reliable depth along the defensive line will be critical for not only 2020 but in the future too and that will begin in the spring.

Grading Wisconsin’s 34-21 Loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game

What grades did Wisconsin earn in their 34-21 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game?

Grading No. 8 Wisconsin’s 34-21 loss over No. 1 Ohio State.

Offense: C

Wisconsin couldn’t put together two strong halves of football on offense. After registering 294 yards of total offense in the first half against Ohio State’s defense the Buckeyes held the Badgers to 138 yards on 37 offensive plays.

Wisconsin in the first half was able to create a balance as the Badgers rushed for 194 yards and Jack Coan threw for 100 yards. Coan was able to make the plays he needed to in the first half to give the Badgers a chance of pulling the upset leading 21-7 at halftime.

But the same opportunities that were there for Coan in the first half the Buckeyes had an answer for in the second half. Coan was able to consistently connect on quick passes to his wide receivers but with the Buckeyes dropping into zone coverage in the second half the same passing lanes simply weren’t open.

Coan’s go-to target in the passing game was Quintez Cephus who finished the game with seven receptions for 122 yards.

Cephus’ two biggest catches of the game came on the first offensive play, which resulted in a 27-yard gain helping set up Wisconsin’s first touchdown of the game. Cephus also hauled in a 24-yard catch to set up Wisconsin 1st and goal from the 1-yard line. Coan was able to punch the football in on the ensuing offensive play to give Wisconsin a 21-7 lead right before halftime.

Coan finished the game with 232 yards passing on 17-for-33 passing, in addition, he rushed for 27 yards on eight carries and he had two rushing touchdowns. Coan was able to use his mobility to his advantage in the first half as he was able to keep plays alive with his feet and to extend drives.

Jonathan Taylor became the first player this season to rush for over 100 yards as he finished the game with 148 yards on 20 carries and had a 44-yard rushing touchdown. Taylor also registered a 45-yard rush on Wisconsin’s final offensive drive in the first half. If Taylor is stopped for minimal gain the Badgers likely go into halftime up 14-to-7.

But Taylor’s run continued to allow for Wisconsin to play with the same aggression that they played with throughout the first half.

Wisconsin had six different players catch a pass as outside of Cephus having a productive day Danny Davis who hasn’t caught a pass in three straight games was second on the team in both receptions (three) and receiving yards (38).

The Badgers offensive line turned in a better performance in the rematch against Ohio State but in the second half, the Buckeyes started to get the better of Wisconsin’s offensive line. Considering the Buckeyes defense held Wisconsin to 3.7 yards per play.

The Badgers offensive line also allowed eight tackles for loss and two sacks as Chase Young finished the game with six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries.

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Bryson Williams set to Miss Game Against Purdue

Bryson Williams will miss second straight game with a left leg injury. Semar Melvin listed as questionable.

Bryson Williams will miss his second straight game because of a left leg injury as the Badgers get set to play Purdue.

Williams had to leave the game against Iowa early and with him set to miss Wisconsin’s home finale against the Boilermakers, this will mark the fifth game he has missed this year.

Keeanu Benton will start in his place as Benton has started six games and has appeared in nine games overall. Benton over Big Ten play has registered seven of the 10 tackles he has on the year and his lone sack came against Ohio State.

True freshman cornerback Semar Melvin who missed the game against Iowa with a head injury was listed as questionable heading into the game against the Boilermakers.

Melvin has only appeared in two games this year against South Florida and Ohio State as he recorded a tackle in each game.

Wisconsin will take on Purdue at 3 p.m. as the game can be seen on Fox.

 

Who are Three Defensive Players to Watch when Wisconsin Travels to Nebraska?

Badgers who could play an important role in Wisconsin’s success against Nebraska. Zack Baun OLB, Keeanu Benton NT, Caesar Williams CB

Here are three defensive players for the Badgers who could play an important role in Wisconsin’s success against Nebraska:

1) Zack Baun, OLB

In the win over Iowa, Baun finished the game with six tackles but for the first time this year, he failed to make either a tackle for loss or register a sack. In order for Wisconsin’s defense to have success in defending Adrian Martinez and Nebraska’s offense, he can’t afford to have another game where he doesn’t make a play in the backfield. Nebraska is allowing 2.2 sacks over conference play, and Baun will have a chance of being able to make a play in the backfield if he can keep containment of Martinez. That’s easier said than done, considering Martinez’s 399 rushing yards leads the team. Even if Baun can’t register a sack, he still has the ability to speed up Martinez’s decision making or force him to throw the football away. Martinez has shown he’s a threat with his legs, but he also has two capable playmakers in wide receivers JD Spielman and Wan’Dale Robinson, who can beat Wisconsin’s secondary for a big play.

2) Keeanu Benton, NT

Wisconsin will have a chance of limiting Martinez if they are capable of creating rushing lanes for Wisconsin’s linebackers to create pressure in the backfield. That will begin with Benton and him getting the better push. Despite being a true freshman, Benton has been able to hold his own throughout the season. Thanks to his wrestling background and him being a standout wrestler for Janesville Craig High School, he understands leverage as it has also allowed him to shed his blocker and register three tackles for loss and one sack on the season thus far.

3) Caesar Williams, CB

Outside of limiting the success Martinez has on offense, the Badgers defense will need to be ready to defend wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson if he’s available to play. Robinson left the Purdue game two weeks ago with an injury and he might not play the Cornhuskers on Saturday. If Robinson can go, he has shown to be a threat in not only catching the football, but also rushing it too. Robinson has 453 receiving yards on 40 receptions, which leads the team. He also has rushed for 326 yards on 85 carries. If Robinson can’t go, it will take away one of Nebraska’s most consistent playmakers on offense. The Cornhuskers do have JD Spielman who they can rely on in the passing game, as he has caught 35 passes for 689 yards. Williams’ ability to make plays on the football as he has four pass breakups on the year will go a long way in helping slow down Nebraska’s passing attack that’s averaging 208.3 yards over Big Ten play.