Just two weeks ago, even after his second straight outing in which he threw for fewer than 100 yards, the idea of benching starting quarterback Colton Joseph seemed absurd for Wisconsin football.
The Badgers had just taken down No. 16 USC for their second top-20 upset of the season. That catapulted them into the AP Top 25, and even with an extremely lackadaisical passing game, Wisconsin pushed the Trojans around all night and dominated physically. It was a win that warmed the hearts of old-school Badgers fans. Who needs a passing game when you can completely control both sides of the line of scrimmage?
Well, that all came crashing down just one week later at Iowa. Joseph once again struggled through the air, and by the fourth quarter, he was benched in favor of Ryan Hopkins. It wasn’t technically the true freshman’s debut, but it was the first time we’d seen him throw a pass. He finished 8-of-13 passing for 93 yards and an interception.
Now, even though head coach Luke Fickell seemingly dispelled the notion of a quarterback controversy in Madison, a large portion of the fanbase is vocally clamoring for Hopkins to take the reins of this offense.
Is that the move? BadgerNotes dives into the All-22 film to investigate. This was Hopkins’ first play:
Now, getting your first somewhat meaningful action on the road at Kinnick Stadium against one of the best defenses in the country is daunting. This was the first pass of Hopkins’ career, and the jitters were palpable. It was a simple swing pass to halfback Darrion Dupree, and it should have been an easy pitch-and-catch. But again, first throw of your college career, you get a pass.
Slightly more concerningly, that wasn’t the only swing pass Hopkins missed against the Hawkeyes. Had he put this ball on the money, it could’ve been a sizable gain; take a look at wideout Chris Brooks Jr. and tight end Jacob Harris blocking on the bottom of the screen:
Once again, Hopkins throws behind his intended target on the swing pass, and because this isn’t the NFL, receiver Tyrell Henry is down as soon as he falls to the turf with possession of the football. That’s a completion, and a loss of four yards.
While Hopkins wasn’t quite on the money with that particular route concept, he was precise and on time on a different type of route: the good ol’ fashioned slant:
This was one of Hopkins better throws all afternoon, as he hits Eugene Hilton Jr. in stride to move the chains for a solid pickup.
Another thing to like about this throw is that it appears Hilton isn’t the first read in his progression. Initially, Hopkins looked to the right side of the field at tight end Jacob Harris. But with the latter blanketed, Hopkins comes back the other way and finds Hilton.
Again, the slant was one of Hopkins’ best friends against the Hawkeyes.
The following was also one of the Mater Dei product’s better throws of the day, largely because it came on fourth down:
There isn’t a whole lot for Hopkins to process here; receiver Jaylon Domingeaux is one-on-one at the top of the screen, and he beats the cornerback’s inside leverage to get open over the middle. The quarterback sees it and puts the ball on the money to keep the chains moving.
Hopkins looked for Domingeaux a few other times, but this next play had a chance to significantly pad both players’ stats and make the final score slightly less ugly. This easily could’ve been a touchdown:
