Wisconsin Badgers Football: Six Quick Fixes Before Minnesota Comes to Town
The Wisconsin Badgers' illusions of a perfect season and a trip to the national championship game were shattered on Saturday in East Lansing.
The Badgers are headed into an interesting rivalry game after a pedestrian performance against MSU.
What are some of their problem areas?
If the Badgers are going to compete at all on a national level for the rest of the season, this week is the time to get it worked out.
Minnesota is just plain bad this season, and a chance to rebound from a tough loss against the hapless Gophers could be just what the doctor ordered for the Badgers.
6. Defense Must Get Off the Field
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Michigan State went into the game Saturday with one of the lowest third down conversion percentage rates in the Big Ten.
They went home Saturday night feeling pretty good about converting 11 of 21 third and fourth downs...
That means the defense was on the field for almost 37 minutes, which is not how Wisconsin is going to win football games.
5. Blocking Needs to Improve
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Wisconsin's offensive line has been hailed as one of the best in college football...
What a joke.
Michigan State's star linebacker, Greg Jones, spent pretty much all day in the Badger backfield wreaking havoc.
The Badger O-line allowed three sacks against MSU, or one more than they had allowed all season...
The line also got no push up front and had a really hard time establishing a new line of scrimmage downfield.
4. Defense Must Be Consistent
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There were times Saturday when the defense looked, well, dominant.
Other times they were not so stout.
The Badgers have very little depth on the defensive side of the ball, and being on the field for almost 40 minutes is going to slow down the starters.
The Badgers have to find a way to keep everyone fresh so that the level of play remains constant throughout the contest.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
3. Catch the Ball
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Star receiver, Nick Toon returned to the sidelines after missing two games with turf toe...and promptly dropped two third down passes that hit him right on the hands.
Then he proceeded to say earlier this week that he feels like "he needs more opportunities."
Catch the ball, Nick—the opportunities will follow.
But Toon was not alone Saturday in his ineptness. Star tight end Lance Kendricks dropped at least two passes, and wide receiver Isaac Andersen dropped another...
2. Tackle the Return Man
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Not to beat a dead horse, but the Wisconsin kick and punt return coverage has been nothing short of dismal this season.
To be honest, if the Badgers had shored up the special teams game going into Saturday's game, the outcome may have been vastly different.
After MSU punt return man Keshawn Martin took one to the house in the second quarter, the Spartans never looked back.
To that point, the Badgers had played well against the MSU offense, but after that punt return, it was as if the wind went out of the defense's sails...
1. Improve in the Red Zone
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After being tops in the conference in red zone offense last season, the Badgers have struggled a bit this season.
They currently sit at sixth in the conference in red zone offense, converting only 85 percent of their chances.
On the defensive side of the ball, the story is even worse.
The Badgers are eighth in the conference in red zone defense, allowing six passing touchdowns and one rushing and a scoring percentage of nearly 85 percent.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
