Tag: Phil Longo

Former Wisconsin linebacker shares extensive thought on state of Badgers program

Former Wisconsin linebacker shares extensive thought on state of Badgers program

Wisconsin fell 38-21 to No. 11 USC on Saturday, dropping to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in Big Ten play.

A common theme postgame has been collective unhappiness about the state of the team and the program under Luke Fickell. Many have shared their criticisms, highlighted by notable program alumni.

Related: Notable Wisconsin alumni irate with the Badgers’ struggles with short-yardage runs

The latest former Badger to express his displeasure is linebacker Jack Cichy. Coincidentally, he was the reason Wisconsin defeated USC in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.

Here is Cichy’s string of posts on X from Sunday. His focus is on the defensive side of the football:

Cichy’s thoughts on Wisconsin’s current defensive scheme carry weight. He was a multiyear starter in the Badgers’ signature 3-4 scheme — first under Dave Aranda in 2015 then Justin Wilcox in 2016.

Wisconsin’s problem on defense against USC was not its scheme. Badger defenders were in position all afternoon. They were consistently beat 1-on-1 by bigger and more physical USC receivers. Still, it’s hard to disagree with the thought the Badgers defense is regressing under Mike Tressel and Fickell. Maybe not severely, but enough to be far from the dominant unit that many need it to be.

Cichy’s perspective on Wisconsin’s current ‘air raid’ comes as no surprise, and is shared by many — especially former players. More and more weeks of struggles, especially in picking up short-yardage runs, has led to more and more program alumni voicing their unhappiness.

Thoughts from notable program alumni do not mean everything. If Wisconsin picks up a few consecutive wins and shows some progress, much of the current state will be forgotten. But they do matter. The timeline on the Fickell era to find success will only be sped up by a collective displeasure with the state of affairs.

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Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke: Rest of 2024 ‘an opportunity to show what I can do’

Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke: Rest of 2024 ‘an opportunity to show what I can do’

The Wisconsin Badgers have entered an all-too-familiar position with their starting quarterback.

Veteran starter Tyler Van Dyke will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, leaving redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke to take his place under center. It is the second time in as many seasons that Luke Fickell’s team must rely on the underclassman backup after an injury to the starter. The same happened in 2023 when Tanner Mordecai missed a month with a hand injury.

Related: Wisconsin updated depth chart for Week 5 vs. USC includes new starters at quarterback, tight end

The Badgers should be better equipped to handle the situation this time around. Unlike in 2023, the staff got a bye week to reevaluate the team and reconfigure the offense to Locke’s strengths. The instant performance when Locke entered against Iowa last season and against Alabama two weeks ago should not be held against the staff or OC Phil Longo.

The next few weeks of play, however, can be.

All of those signs point toward better results from Locke and the offense than during the same situation last season. The team got a week to prepare, the offensive personnel is a year older in the system and the offensive line is arguably the strength of the team. But most importantly: Locke himself should be much improved after another year of development in Longo’s system. If Wisconsin wanted to create a ‘quarterback factory,’ Locke should be the first proof of concept.

Expectations for the redshirt sophomore through the rest of the season should surpass his tallies of 777 passing yards, 5.1 yards per attempt, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception on 50% completion in limited action in 2023.

How is Locke handling the situation? The Badgers new starter met with the media on Tuesday and discussed stepping in as starter entering Week 4 after losing the starting job to Van Dyke in training camp:

“I do know that this is an extremely great opportunity for me, and an opportunity to show what I can do,” Locke said. “I definitely don’t take that lightly. I’m thankful for it. You don’t wish that Tyler [Van Dyke] goes down or anything like that. You hate it for him. But I have to step in, I have to do my job. So yea, I’m extremely excited and I’m ready to do what I can do.”

Locke and the Badgers are back in action on Saturday in their Big Ten opener at No. 13 USC at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT. USC’s defense is improved from its FBS-worst standing over the last few years. It still ranks No. 65 in ESPN SP+’s latest update. Locke and the Badgers offense should have little trouble putting points on the board.

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Wisconsin legend Joe Thomas shares his opinion of Badgers’ current ‘Air Raid’ offense

What Joe Thomas thinks of Wisconsin’s ‘Air Raid’ offense

The Wisconsin Badgers football team has started the year 2-1, but many are growing to be impatient with the team’s offensive approach. Wisconsin legend Joe Thomas, however, is not one of those jumping ship on Phil Longo’s offense.

Thomas is a member of the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, spending 2003-2006 with the Badgers before an 11-year professional career with the Cleveland Browns.

He joined ESPN Madison’s “Jump Around” program Thursday, explaining what he thinks of the air raid offense from an offensive lineman’s perspective.

“If you have aspirations of being an NFL offensive lineman, the air raid doesn’t bother me the way that Wisconsin is running. They’re still teaching pro-style techniques,” Thomas explained.

In terms of where the offense is at so far on the season, Wisconsin ranks 96th in the FBS, averaging 356.3 yards per game on offense. Thomas outlined what the team needs to do moving forward.

“It’s just a matter of putting together what’s our identity on offense. If it is air raid and short passes, then we have to complete a lot of them. If we’re not good at that, maybe we have to pivot a little,” Thomas described.

Wisconsin will return to action on Sept. 28, squaring off with No. 11 USC in Los Angeles.

Wisconsin legends unhappy with Badgers play-calling in first quarter vs. Alabama

Thoughts on Wisconsin’s early play calling vs. Alabama?

A few Wisconsin legends are making their thoughts on Wisconsin’s play-calling in the first quarter against No. 4 Alabama known.

The Badgers have moved the ball well on the ground. However, the team’s first drive stalled after an injury to starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. Backup QB Braedyn Locke entered and then attempted three consecutive passes, all of which fell incomplete. That led to a 53-yard field goal attempt.

Former Badger and current New York Jet running back Braelon Allen did not understand the sudden switch from the successful run, especially with a backup quarterback inserted into the game.

The bigger second-guess came on the next drive. Wisconsin drove the ball successfully and faced a fourth-and-1 on the Alabama 40-yard line. The Badgers ran the football, but out of shotgun. Alabama had little trouble stuffing running back Tawee Walker for a loss.

That process and result led to quite the reaction on X, one thought coming from program and NFL legend J.J. Watt:

Wisconsin trails Alabama 7-3 after one quarter of play.

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One statistic Wisconsin must change entering Week 2 matchup vs. South Dakota

OC Phil Longo’s offense has one major thing to change entering Week 2:

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.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Four former Wisconsin quarterbacks will start elsewhere in 2024

Four former Wisconsin quarterbacks will start elsewhere in 2024

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo have discussed building a ‘quarterback factory’ at Wisconsin.

That ‘factory’ would include a strong high school recruiting pipeline at the position, star players at the college level and an increased level of professional-caliber players.

Related: Ranking the biggest storylines entering Wisconsin’s Week 1 contest vs. Western Michigan

It’s early, Fickell and Longo are only entering their second season at the helm. But it’s safe to say Badgers fans are still waiting for results in the ‘quarterback factory’ department.

Of course, Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke is expected to be the first in the line of strong play at the position. Former SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai was expected to be that in 2023, but an injury and inconsistent play made that not the case.

Wisconsin’s method of taking one-year transfers while building up its high school recruiting base will need a further deep-dive after the season. An initial thought is the high school recruiting results have not been impressive at the position. But it’s reasonable to counter that better on-field results with Van Dyke in 2024 will help that cause.

Along these lines, it’s worth mentioning that four former Wisconsin quarterbacks are set to start elsewhere in 2024. Graham Mertz at Florida, Nick Evers at UConn, Deacon Hill at Utah Tech and Myles Burkett at Albany.

All three will do so under different circumstances. Mertz transferred to Florida after the 2022 season, Hill also left during the coaching transition, Evers left for UConn this spring after getting buried on the depth chart and Burkett recognized his chance to start would be at a lower level.

None of these four are indictments on Wisconsin’s vision at the position, except maybe Evers who was a blue-chip transfer addition by Fickell and Longo during the 2022 offseason.

But having numerous former players starting at quarterback at other schools will hopefully not be the case moving forward. Wisconsin is working to create a pipeline of high school recruiting to the field in Madison, not to the field elsewhere.

Again, Evers, Hill and Burkett were never in line to start for the Badgers. And Mertz’s transfer made sense given the circumstances. Wisconsin is likely in better shape with Van Dyke under center than any of the four teams listed.

Still, it would be better for the Badgers long-term to not have a large collection of players starting elsewhere.

It will be interesting to watch how all four perform in 2024, how Van Dyke does in his one year with the Badgers and what Wisconsin does recruiting at the position moving forward.

This will be a topic that we revisit during the offseason.

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One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers tight end Tucker Ashcraft

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers tight end Tucker Ashcraft

The Wisconsin Badgers football team completed another training camp practice on Wednesday as they near their 2024 season-opener: Aug. 30 at home against Western Michigan.

Sophomore tight end Tucker Ashcraft is looking to take a step up in his second season with the team. In 2023, he was able to reel in eight catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. He feels his confidence is higher entering this year.

“Mentally, my confidence is there. My physicality is there. I’m working on getting faster every day,” Ashcraft said. “As a whole, I think we’re getting there. I think there’s things we can always clean up, but there’s a lot of good things that I’m seeing.”

Ashcraft will be working with a new starting quarterback in 2024 after it was announced Wednesday that transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke earned the job.

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“I think he’s a great quarterback. He can scramble and get out of the pocket and still make plays. Honestly, I’m pretty excited,” Ashcraft detailed.

Ashcraft will look to form a dynamic tight end duo this season with redshirt senior Riley Nowakowski — who profiles as a more productive blocking option — in offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s air raid scheme.

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tyler Van Dyke

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tyler Van Dyke

The Wisconsin Badgers football team held another training camp practice in Madison on Wednesday. It ended up being a rather notable one.

Following the conclusion of practice, offensive coordinator Phil Longo officially named Miami transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke as the team’s starter.

Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin this offseason after spending four seasons at Miami, including three years as a starter.

After a disappointing 2023 campaign in which he compiled 19 passing touchdowns and a career-high 12 interceptions while compiling 2,703 passing yards over 11 games, the quarterback appreciates his opportunity with Wisconsin.

“It means a lot. It shows the coaches have confidence in me to get the job done. Shows the players have confidence in me as well,” Van Dyke explained.

He was in a position battle with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke, ultimately edging Locke out for the starting role.

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Van Dyke has faced his fair share of adversity in his career, whether with injury or with his role, something he thinks is valuable.

“You never want to go through your career with straight no adversity and everything is good. You have got to fight through adversity and I’m thankful for it,” the quarterback outlined.

Van Dyke will make his Wisconsin debut when the team begins it’s season in just over two weeks on Aug. 30 at home against Western Michigan.

Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke discusses being named Badgers starter entering 2024

Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke discusses being named Badgers starter entering 2024

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo named Tyler Van Dyke the Badgers’ starting quarterback on Wednesday.

Van Dyke, a former three-year starter at Miami, edged redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke. The news puts an end to what was, reportedly, a multi-week battle between the two players at fall training camp.

Related: Full previews for every Wisconsin football position group entering 2024 season

Longo’s comments were not much of a surprise after Van Dyke took all of the first-team reps at the start of the week. It was also not a difficult conclusion to predict given Van Dyke’s collegiate experience, past success and status as one of Wisconsin’s priority transfers last winter.

The veteran met with the media on Wednesday afternoon after being named the official starter entering 2024. He emphasized that the competition in the room will continue despite his new title.

“He named me the starter, but obviously we’re still competing,” Van Dyke said. “Still gotta go out there every day and do what I gotta do. It means the coaches believe in me, it means the players believe in me. I’m just glad they gave me this opportunity.”

Van Dyke’s starting experience goes back to his ACC Rookie of the Year breakout in 2021 at Miami. He has held the job since despite coaching turnover and now a team chance. The word ‘competition’ remains at the center of his collegiate path.

“Braedyn [Locke] has done a great job pushing me, I pushed him. You always have to keep competing, keep going through it,” Van Dyke continued. “I’ll be motivated even when sometimes you feel comfortable. So you can’t ever be complacent. Gotta just keep going, never stop.”

Van Dyke enters the 2024 season with 30 total games of experience, those including 63.7% completion, 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Head coach Luke Fickell, Longo and Badgers fans all hope to see the 2021 version of the Miami transfer show up when the team begins its season on Aug. 30 against Western Michigan.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

NEWS: Wisconsin OC Phil Longo officially names Badgers starting quarterback

Wisconsin OC Phil Longo put an end to the Badgers quarterback competition on Wednesday:

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo ended any question about the Badgers’ starting quarterback situation entering the 2024 season when meeting with the media on Wednesday.

He named veteran Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke the team’s prohibitive starter, with redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke the primary backup.

Related: Full previews for every Wisconsin football position group entering 2024 season

Longo’s comments to the media come after Van Dyke had recently captured the entirety of the unit’s first-team reps at training camp.

Van Dyke and Locke mostly split those reps during the Badgers’ two-week satellite camp at UW-Platteville. Since the team returned to campus on Monday, the sessions have seen the veteran emerge as the clear No. 1 option.

This news is no surprise given the context of both players’ situations.

Van Dyke was a priority transfer addition last December. He was a three-year starter at Miami, including a breakout 2021 season that finished in an ACC Rookie of the Year award.

The veteran brings 30 games, 912 pass attempts and nearly 7,500 yards of experience. Despite some recent struggles amid coaching turnover at Miami, many project Longo’s pass-friendly offense to be exactly what Van Dyke needs to boost his NFL draft stock.

Locke, meanwhile, transferred to Wisconsin as a redshirt freshman before last season. He was thrust into action when starter Tanner Mordecai went down. While he performed well in that limited action given the circumstances, he was a significant longshot to earn the starting job entering 2024.

Locke remains Wisconsin’s projected starter in 2025 and 2026. Longo was sure to enforce the program’s optimism about his future.

But when Wisconsin kicks off its 2024 season on Aug. 30 against Western Michigan, it will be Tyler Van Dyke taking the snaps under center.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.