Wisconsin Football Notebook: Final Thoughts, Takeaways From Week 3

Some reflections, observations, and random musings from week 3.

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program had another up-and-down performance en route to a 35-14 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday afternoon.

Now, 2-1, the Badgers get back to work ahead of a week four Friday Night Lights matchup against Purdue to kick off Big Ten play in West Lafayette.

There were some key takeaways from Saturday’s performance, so let’s dive in.

Wisconsin Football Thoughts, Observations, & Other Ramblings. 

Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell might have to shake up his starting five before Wisconsin football takes on Purdue. Trey Wedig, the Badgers’ sixth offensive lineman, played more snaps on Saturday than Joe Huber and Michael Furtney. He also played better than both of them. 

Wedig has been among the better performers on the offensive line thus far and represents a noteworthy upgrade over Furtney as a run-blocker. That said, Huber played the fewest amount of snaps of the trio. Either way, I’ve not been impressed with the Badgers in the trenches, and Wedig has been one of the better run/pass blockers on the team — he needs an increased role — and the coaches seem to agree. 

***

So far, the Wisconsin football pass rush has been a concern of mine. But the numbers don’t seem to agree with my eye test. Through three games, the Badgers defense has generated 22.6 pressures a game — despite not having a stud pass rusher for the first time in quite a while. 

For reference, the Wisconsin Badgers defenses have averaged 15.4 pressures per game over the last decade. That tells me that Mike Tressel has done a better job scheming up pressure than I initially thought. 

I understand those numbers won’t likely hold up once the competition level increases, but it’s encouraging nonetheless. 

***

On a more frustrating note, the Wisconsin football secondary has looked piss-poor through the first three games. It’s abundantly clear that UW wants to play heavy-man coverage, but I question whether or not the Badgers have the talent at cornerback for that to work right now.