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Is it time to heat up the grills, cool down some beers and get the tailgating rust shaken off? You bet it it is, and the Wisconsin Badgers season kicks off on Friday with a visit from the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
The two teams have only met one other time in history, but this game is all about setting the tone for the season to come.
With that in mind, we’ll key in each and every week on things to watch for. This week, it’s all about seeing if answers to offseason burning questions play out against an actual opponent like they have against each other in practice for the last few months.
So, here is what we’ll be watching for come Friday night inside Camp Randall Stadium.
Jon Dietzen vs. Cole Van Lanen
It’s the season opener and two Northeast Wisconsin products have yet to separate themselves in the battle for the left tackle position. Dietzen finally got himself healthy with hip surgery this offseason and he looks like a different player. Meanwhile, Van Lanen is starting to live up to the U.S. Army All-American status he had in high school at Bay Port (Green Bay, Wis.).
Western Kentucky may not be the biggest challenge on UW’s schedule, but this is the first live game action against someone else and it’s a perfect game to help continue the evaluation process between these two talents. Look for both players to see plenty of snaps, and for a winner likely to emerge following this game.
No matter who wins the battle, it certainly is a nice problem for Wisconsin to have.
Consistency from Hornibrook
Simply put, Wisconsin’s hopes for a dynamic offense rest on the throwing arm and mind of junior quarterback Alex Honribrook. He’s got a full season of starts behind him, and it was a rocky season at that. There were certainly highs — the Orange Bowl against Miami — and plenty of lows — throwing an interception in all but four games for example.
If the Badgers want to take advantage of a lot of depth and potential at wide receiver and tight end, Hornibrook needs to cut down on the mental mistakes and interceptions this year. Without it, UW will be the same old offense that smashes you in the mouth but does little else to scare you on that side of the ball.
There is preseason talk of College Football Playoff potential. How Hornibrook progresses in year two as a full-time starter is likely the answer — good or bad — as to how those preseason thoughts play out for UW’s offense.
That Young Secondary
It could be a theme nearly every week for awhile, but no offseason question loomed larger for the 2018 season than what would happen on the edges of UW’s defense.
With three key starters gone and a fourth big contributor also off to graduation, there was a gaping hole in the Badgers secondary. In Week 1, those starting holes at cornerback will be filled by two somewhat surprising starters in Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks.
It was expected that one player with any semblance of experience, Dontye Carriere-Williams, would occupy one spot. But, consistency over the last few weeks was a big issue for him and he is listed as the backup to Williams.
A bit less talked about, but equally important to take in is the performance of redshirt freshman Scott Nelson at safety. He’s had a very impressive offseason, but let’s see that translate to when the games actually count before hailing him as the next star at the position.
Interestingly enough, another camp standout — converted wide receiver Deron Harrel — didn’t make the two deep at cornerback despite multiple days running with the No. 1 unit opposite of Hicks.
Western Kentucky has a veteran group of receivers lining up across from UW’s young secondary, so this could be a nice test and a good opportunity to ease any fears from the masses.
Continue reading...
The two teams have only met one other time in history, but this game is all about setting the tone for the season to come.
With that in mind, we’ll key in each and every week on things to watch for. This week, it’s all about seeing if answers to offseason burning questions play out against an actual opponent like they have against each other in practice for the last few months.
So, here is what we’ll be watching for come Friday night inside Camp Randall Stadium.
Jon Dietzen vs. Cole Van Lanen
It’s the season opener and two Northeast Wisconsin products have yet to separate themselves in the battle for the left tackle position. Dietzen finally got himself healthy with hip surgery this offseason and he looks like a different player. Meanwhile, Van Lanen is starting to live up to the U.S. Army All-American status he had in high school at Bay Port (Green Bay, Wis.).
Western Kentucky may not be the biggest challenge on UW’s schedule, but this is the first live game action against someone else and it’s a perfect game to help continue the evaluation process between these two talents. Look for both players to see plenty of snaps, and for a winner likely to emerge following this game.
No matter who wins the battle, it certainly is a nice problem for Wisconsin to have.
Consistency from Hornibrook
Simply put, Wisconsin’s hopes for a dynamic offense rest on the throwing arm and mind of junior quarterback Alex Honribrook. He’s got a full season of starts behind him, and it was a rocky season at that. There were certainly highs — the Orange Bowl against Miami — and plenty of lows — throwing an interception in all but four games for example.
If the Badgers want to take advantage of a lot of depth and potential at wide receiver and tight end, Hornibrook needs to cut down on the mental mistakes and interceptions this year. Without it, UW will be the same old offense that smashes you in the mouth but does little else to scare you on that side of the ball.
There is preseason talk of College Football Playoff potential. How Hornibrook progresses in year two as a full-time starter is likely the answer — good or bad — as to how those preseason thoughts play out for UW’s offense.
That Young Secondary
It could be a theme nearly every week for awhile, but no offseason question loomed larger for the 2018 season than what would happen on the edges of UW’s defense.
With three key starters gone and a fourth big contributor also off to graduation, there was a gaping hole in the Badgers secondary. In Week 1, those starting holes at cornerback will be filled by two somewhat surprising starters in Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks.
It was expected that one player with any semblance of experience, Dontye Carriere-Williams, would occupy one spot. But, consistency over the last few weeks was a big issue for him and he is listed as the backup to Williams.
A bit less talked about, but equally important to take in is the performance of redshirt freshman Scott Nelson at safety. He’s had a very impressive offseason, but let’s see that translate to when the games actually count before hailing him as the next star at the position.
Interestingly enough, another camp standout — converted wide receiver Deron Harrel — didn’t make the two deep at cornerback despite multiple days running with the No. 1 unit opposite of Hicks.
Western Kentucky has a veteran group of receivers lining up across from UW’s young secondary, so this could be a nice test and a good opportunity to ease any fears from the masses.
Continue reading...