Ninth-ranked Wisconsin opens the 2017 season Friday against Utah State. Here are five things to know as the Badgers prepare for kick off against the Aggies:
WHAT'S THE CATCH?
You have to go back nearly a decade to find the last time the Badgers were led in receiving yards by someone born outside the state. Senior wide receiver Jazz Peavy (Kenosha) did the honors last season with 43 catches for 635 yards and a team-best five receiving touchdowns. He followed in the footsteps of wide receiver Alex Erickson (Darlington) in 2014 and '15, wide receiver Jared Abbrederis (Wautoma) in 2011, '12 and '13, tight end Lance Kendricks (Milwaukee) in 2010, and wide receiver Nick Toon (Middleton) in 2009. Tight end Garrett Graham (Brick, New Jersey) was the last non-Wisconsinite to top this list in 2008. Peavy could easily continue the streak in 2017, but he'll have a lot of competition based on the current depth chart. Sophomores Quintez Cephus (Macon, Georgia) and A.J. Taylor (Kansas City, Missouri) and true freshman Danny Davis (Springfield, Ohio) are in the mix at wide receiver. Senior Troy Fumagalli (Aurora, Illinois) and sophomore Kyle Penniston (Orange, California) are the prime targets at tight end. In fact, Fumagalli, a preseason All-American, led the Badgers with 47 receptions a year ago, good for 580 yards and two TDs.
LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING
Wisconsin averaged 179.1 passing yards per game last season, which ranked 104th out of 128 Football Bowl Subdivision programs. That's the lowest output by a Paul Chryst-managed offense since he became a major-college coordinator in 1997, a stretch that includes multiple stops at Oregon State and UW and one at Pittsburgh. Yet the Badgers went 11-3 overall a year ago and scored 30-plus points six times. They did that while using two starting quarterbacks and facing a schedule that featured seven opponents ranked in the top 15. UW utilized a decent running game (39th nationally) and a profound sense of efficiency: a 62.5 percent completion rate (22nd) and 7.8 yards per pass attempt (37th). A plus-12 turnover margin (ninth) helped, too. Chryst is expecting more balance and production from his offense in 2017.
POSITION OF NEED
Few programs in the country utilize the fullback as much as UW does, but it's uncharacteristically shorthanded at the moment. Senior Austin Ramesh and junior Alec Ingold reside atop the depth chart, having played 27 and 24 career games, respectively. But sophomore Jake Whalen is sidelined with a head injury and redshirt freshmen Aaron Maternowski has left the team. If needed, junior Zander Neuville, the resident Swiss Army knife who played tight end, defensive end and special teams last season, could always fill in.
REMEMBERING WHEN
It's been nearly five years since Utah State came to Camp Randall and nearly knocked off the Badgers, who prevailed 16-14 in part because Aggies kicker Josh Thompson missed a 37-yard field goal with six seconds left. The outcome on Sept. 15, 2012, set the stage for some dramatic developments for both programs. UW coach Bret Bielema stunningly left for Arkansas in December and Gary Andersen, the Utah State coach, was hired to replace him. Andersen ran the show in Madison for two seasons — going 20-7 — before abruptly leaving for Oregon State in December of 2014. His greatest gift to the Badgers might have been bringing in defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who brought his 3-4 scheme and spent one additional season with Chryst at UW before taking his expertise to LSU. The 3-4 scheme now thrives under Chryst and first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.\
IN THE MINORITY
Utah State is one of six UW regular-season opponents that returns a starting quarterback, joining Florida Atlantic (Scott Driskel), Northwestern (Clayton Thorson), Purdue (David Blough), Indiana (Richard Lagow) and Michigan (Wilton Speight). The Aggies are led by senior Kent Myers, who is poised to make his 28th career start. He ranks among the top 10 in school history in six prime statistical categories, including completion percentage, total offense, touchdown passes, completions, pass attempts and TD-to-interception ratio.
I'm chomping at the bit to watch this one. It should be a game where the Badgers can give a lot of guys play time, and we should see what they have. I'd even like to see them able to use at least Coan at QB for a period or more.
