Tag: Wisconsin football news

Badgers PFF grades: Top 5 offensive players from Week 4 loss to Ohio State

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s blowout loss to Ohio State, according to Pro Football Focus:

Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) entered their week four matchup as 18.5-point underdogs and walked out with their second loss after a lopsided 52-21 beatdown in the Horseshoe on Saturday night.

To make an already daunting matchup even more complicated, Wisconsin played No. 3 Ohio State without its starting offensive tackles, Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman – forcing UW to play the hand they were dealt.

At the end of the first quarter, the Badgers had just two more yards (23) than the Buckeyes had points (21) – not exactly ideal.

On offense, Wisconsin mustered up 296 yards of offense (104 passing, 194 rushing) on 5.3 yards per play, most of which came in the second half when the game was well out of reach.

Here’s a look at the five highest-graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s loss to Ohio State, according to Pro Football Focus.

REPORT: Wisconsin TE Clay Cundiff suffers significant leg injury

Wisconsin’s starting tight end reportedly suffered a significant leg injury in the week 4 loss to No. 3 Ohio State:

According to a report from Jesse Temple of The Athletic, Wisconsin Badgers tight end Clay Cundiff suffered a left leg fracture during UW’s week 4 matchup with Ohio State.

This injury is, for myriad reasons, an incredibly tough blow for Wisconsin. First, Cundiff suffered a gnarly season-ending leg injury last season and worked tirelessly to get back onto the field for UW.

Through four games, the Kansas native has caught nine passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns – establishing himself as the TE1 in Wisconsin’s offense.

Second, quarterback Graham Mertz will be without one of his top targets in the passing game. Now, Wisconsin will need players like Hayden Rucci and Jack Eschenbach to step up and help fill the gaping hole left behind by the Badgers’ most well-rounded tight end.

Due to Wisconsin’s usage of multiple tight ends, the Badgers will likely need another young player to emerge and log snaps as well.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

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

Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 3 Ohio State game recap: Everything we know

Wisconsin #Badgers vs. No. 3 Ohio State game recap:

Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten), 18.5-point underdogs, walked out of the Horseshoe on Saturday night with their second loss of the season after a lopsided defeat in the Big Ten opener.

For No. 3 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), Saturday’s victory marked the 26th straight home victory over a Big Ten opponent, to add some context to the blowout loss.

The Buckeye’s top-ranked offense, led by Heisman hopeful C.J. Stroud, looked the part against UW, totaling 539 yards of offense on 7.7 yards per play. In short, Jim Leonhard’s defense didn’t have any answers.

On offense, Wisconsin mustered up 296 yards of offense, most of which came in the second half when the game was well out of reach, looking like a shell of themselves against one of the nation’s best programs.

Here’s a recap of Wisconsin’s road loss to the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Wisconsin’s updated injury report for week 4 contest vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Two more Badgers players have been ruled out for Wisconsin’s week 4 matchup vs. No. 3 Ohio State:

Madison, Wis. — Earlier this week, the University of Wisconsin released its official injury report ahead of its week four matchup vs. the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes. 

In that initial report, the unranked Wisconsin Badgers had five players ruled out due to injury against Ohio State and four others listed as out for the season. 

Now, the Badgers have ruled out kicker Vito Calvaruso, who is expected to miss several weeks, and starting right tackle Riley Mahlman, who will miss his third consecutive game due to a lingering injury – according to a report from Colton Bartholomew of the Wisconsin State Journal. 

In their place, Nate Van Zelst will take over as the starting kicker, and Logan Brown will start at right tackle, making his third consecutive start. 

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

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

See where PFF ranks Wisconsin’s offensive line through the first three weeks

See where UW graded out on PFF’s offensive line leaderboard:

Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus released its top three graded offensive lines through the first three weeks of the 2022 college football season.

On the top of the said list was the Wisconsin Badgers offensive line (88.6), followed by Arkansas (87.4) and Baylor (86.5).

This development does seem a bit puzzling, if I’m being honest. UW’s offensive line has performed well but hasn’t dominated its non-conference opponents as many had hoped.

Jack Nelson and Tyler Beach have been stalwarts on the left side for the Badgers. But, starting center, Joe Tippmann has gone through some unexpected struggles – while the right side has been in flux without starting right tackle Riley Mahlman.

Last week, coach Bostad rotated Tanor Bortolini in at right guard and Trey Wedig at right tackle over Logan Brown – leaving some question marks among UW’s starting five moving forward.

According to PFF, this top ranking is a product of the Badgers grading out as the No. 15 pass-blocking unit in the country and the No. 12 run-blocking OL – balance.

Once fully healthy, I believe there is more than enough talent for the Badgers to emerge as an elite offensive line once they gel – I just haven’t seen it yet.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

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

ESPN’s FPI projection for Wisconsin’s contest vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Wisconsin enters Saturday’s contest vs. No. 3 Ohio State as 18.5-point underdogs:

The Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) enter Saturday’s road contest against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) as 18.5-point underdogs in a David vs. Goliath matchup under the lights in Columbus, Ohio.

The Badgers, coming off a 66-7 victory over New Mexico State, looked sharp on offense after a lousy performance the week before; however, it was against one of the nation’s worst programs.

UW will need an efficient game from starting quarterback Graham Mertz and the offensive line to hold up in pass protection if they are going to have a chance against the Buckeyes, who are 37-4 under head coach Ryan Day and rarely lose at home.

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, ESPN’s FPI model gives Wisconsin an 11% chance of winning on the road against the Buckeyes.

This projection is more than fair, considering Wisconsin hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2010. Not to mention the talent disparity between the two programs, at least on paper.

For Wisconsin, I’d love to see the Badgers execute in the passing game and use it to open up the run – continuing the shift to a more balanced offensive approach under first-year OC Bobby Engram.

I have no expectations of Wisconsin winning this game. But playing the Buckeyes tough into the fourth quarter would undoubtedly inspire confidence in UW moving forward as they pursue a Big Ten West title.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

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

Admit it; Wisconsin Badgers QB Graham Mertz has improved

Through three non-conference games, #Badgers QB Graham Mertz looks much improved:

Madison, Wis. – It’s hard to think of a player who joined the Wisconsin football program with higher expectations than quarterback Graham Mertz. 

Rated as the highest QB recruit in school history, many viewed Mertz as the messiah, sent to help UW make the leap from consistently good – to great. 

As a junior, Mertz was a net negative at QB, throwing for 1,958 yards with 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 121.3 passer rating. 

You can read a deep dive into Mertz’s struggles here. 

The former four-star recruit displayed poor mechanics, held the ball too long, and often failed to make the right reads. In addition, he only had three games last season where he attempted 25 or more passes in a game – all three resulted in losses. 

Coach Chryst didn’t trust Mertz to lead Wisconsin’s passing attack – that much was evident. 

I think it’s fair to say the 6-foot-3, 223-pound QB has fallen short of his astronomical expectations to this point, and I’m sure he’d be the first person to tell you that. But don’t write him off just yet; he still has plenty of time to rewrite his narrative at UW.

During the offseason, Mertz took a long look in the mirror and knew he had to be better for himself, his teammates, and the program. 

The Kansas native had the gumption (thanks for the vocabulary boost SGT Altschwager) to put in the work to improve his game and take on a more prominent leadership role within the program – and the early returns have been very promising. 

Wisconsin releases week 4 injury report for contest vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Five players ruled out, and four others listed as out for the season in Wisconsin’s injury report for week 4 vs. Ohio State:

Madison, Wis. — On Monday, the University of Wisconsin released its official injury report ahead of its week four matchup vs. the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes. 

The unranked Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) already have five players ruled out due to injury against Ohio State and four others listed as out for the season. 

Wisconsin’s secondary has already gone without its No. 1 cornerback Alexander Smith for the entire non-conference slate. Now, it appears he will miss a fourth consecutive game after being quickly ruled out for their week four matchup against the Buckeyes. 

It’s also worth noting that starting right tackle Riley Mahlman, who missed the past two weeks, isn’t listed on the injury report – signaling a chance of returning in week four. Logan Brown and Trey Wedig have filled in at tackle during his absence, with varying degrees of success.

UW will need all hands on deck in a David vs. Goliath matchup in Columbus this weekend. 

Here is a look at Wisconsin football’s injury report for Week 4:

Badgers PFF grades: Top 5 defensive players from week 3 win over New Mexico State

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded defensive players from Wisconsin’s 66-7 victory over New Mexico State, according to Pro Football Focus:

Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) took care of business at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon, beating the visiting New Mexico State Aggies 66-7 in a game that was never close.

The Badgers’ defense, led by Jim Leonhard, only allowed seven points (which came in garbage time), 242 yards of offense, and wound up forcing three turnovers.

The defense dismantled the Aggies two quarterback system from the jump, ending eight of New Mexico States’ 15 possessions in three and outs.

The Badgers, currently unranked, finished conference play on a high note and will now prepare for a grueling Big Ten slate that begins with a road test against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded defensive players from Wisconsin’s 66-7 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies, according to Pro Football Focus.

Badgers PFF grades: Top 5 offensive players from week 3 win over New Mexico State

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s 66-7 victory over New Mexico State, according to Pro Football Focus:

Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) took care of business at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon, beating the visiting New Mexico State Aggies 66-7 in a game that was never even close.

Bobby Engram’s offense ruled the day, producing 595 total yards of offense (335 passing, 260 rushing) and scoring the most points in a single game during the Chryst era.

I thought third-year starting quarterback Graham Mertz looked excellent on Saturday, completing 12-of-15 passes for 251 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. The Kansas native has taken a clear step forward and given the Badgers a respectable passing attack.

The Badgers, currently unranked, finished conference play on a high note and will now prepare for a grueling Big Ten slate that begins with a road test against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Here’s a look at the top 5 highest graded offensive players from Wisconsin’s 66-7 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies, according to Pro Football Focus.