Wisconsin Badgers Defense Has Glaring Issue to Iron Out

Mike Tressel and the Wisconsin football defensive unit have a glaring issue they need to fix.

As the Wisconsin Badgers football team exits the bye week with a 3-1 record and a 1-0 start to their Big Ten campaign, one glaring issue stands out like a sore thumb for a unit in transition – chunk plays allowed.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel and head coach Luke Fickell have their work cut out for them as they aim to address this pressing concern for the home stretch.

Wisconsin Needs to Prevent Chunk Plays

The statistics don’t lie. When comparing this season to the previous one, the Wisconsin Badgers have seen a significant shift in their ability to prevent chunk plays — defined as plays that gain 10 or more yards. Last year, UW ranked among the top 20 teams in this category, but this season, they’ve slipped to the bottom 30 in all of college football.