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On what was supposed to be a quiet day of college football, upset scares were aplenty. Clemson and Georgia each narrowly avoided upsets against cupcakes, while Oklahoma State lost to a MAC underdog. The Wisconsin Badgers did not have that problem. They came out of the gate with fire, running the ball down Akron’s throat for an opening drive touchdown. Wisconsin didn’t look back, winning 54-10.
But, how did the positions look on an individual level? It’s time to grade out Wisconsin’s victory over the Akron Zips.
Quarterback
Bart Houston seems to be in that Joel Stave/Traevon Jackson mold of making a bunch of good plays with a few head scratchers mixed in. His horrible decision making was back, nearly throwing three first quarter picks. He constantly tries to fit the ball into double coverage. When he isn’t making horrible decisions, he is a good quarterback. He controlled the offense very well, throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He threw some really beauties, like this dime to Jazz Peavy.
Bart Houston finds Jazz Peavy for the 34 yard touchdown! 30-7 Badgers. https://t.co/bJe1MCRSbu
— Cream City Central (@CreamCityCtral) September 10, 2016
But he has to cut down on his bad decisions.
Redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook got some playing time as well. There was noticeably less zip on his intermediate throws, but he was accurate and kept the offense moving. He led three touchdown drives, and had a great deep ball to A.J Taylor in the 4th quarter. He ended 5 for 5 for 61 yards. Watch out Bart!
Beautiful pass by Alex Hornibrook for 35 Yards! https://t.co/GiG8oiQxDH
— Cream City Central (@CreamCityCtral) September 10, 2016
Grade: B
Running Back
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Corey Clement picked up right where he left off against LSU, making tough runs between the tackles. He still hasn’t been able to break off a big gain, but he is doing a great job keeping his balance and getting whatever extra yards he can. He had 21 carries for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns by halftime before exiting the game with a left leg injury
Taiwan Deal replaced him, and the Badger’s offense didn’t miss a beat. Deal looked excellent, running powerfully between the tackles and showing much more shiftiness and speed than we saw from him last year. He finished with 12 carries for 58 yards.
In addition to their fantastic blocking, fullbacks Alec Ingold and Austin Ramesh each had short yardage touchdowns. Redshirt freshman running game Bradrick Shaw also looked really good in garbage time, rushing nine times for 74-yards, including a 34-yard touchdown.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
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The duo of Rob Wheelwright and Jazz Peavy was fantastic all day. They both broke their career-highs by half-time. Peavy had seven receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 23-yard rush. Peavy’s route running was smooth as… well, jazz, and he made multiple diving catches. When he caught the ball on slants, he was able to use his speed and shiftiness to gain yards after the catch.
Wheelwright had four receptions for 99 yards, including a 47-yard catch-and-run off a screen pass. He looked truly explosive today, especially with the ball in open space.
The rest of the receivers had quiet days (has anyone seen Reggie Love lately?), but true freshmen A.J Taylor and Quintez Cephus each showed us a glimpse of their massive potential.
Grade: A+
Tight End
After Troy Fumigali’s 100-yard season opener, he only had two receptions for 16 yards. Akron must have payed close attention to the LSU film, because he was covered very tightly. Eric Steffes had a nice eight-yard catch on 3rd down to keep the chains moving. Other than, it was extremely low key for the tight-ends.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
This still isn’t a vintage Wisconsin offensive line, but it is getting closer. In the first half, the offensive line was merely decent. The holes they created for Clement were serviceable, but they weren’t able to get him into the second level enough. They were also penetrated too easily in short yardage situations. The pass protection was better, although they allowed two sacks.
The second half was better. Deal and Shaw had huge holes to run through, and Wisconsin’s offense was rolling. The line is still young and learning, but the talent is obviously there.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
Akron doesn’t have Leonard Fournette. Coincidentally, Akron could not run the ball on Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s front-3 was just too big, strong, and physical. Defensive End Alec James had his second straight breakout game, sacking quarterback Thomas Woodson for a safety.
Grade: A+
Linebackers
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Once again, the linebacker play was fantastic. Akron struggled to move the ball on the ground all day,and they constantly had guys in red in their backfield. Breaking News: T.J Watt is a stud. He had a sack and made multiple great run stops. Vince Biegel was his usual self, and Ryan Connelly and Jack Cichy once again filled in admirably for Chris Orr. T.J Edwards and Leon Jacobs each had sacks in their respective returns.
Grade: A+
Secondary
While they did look a little shaky defending the deep pass at times, the secondary made a ton of plays on the ball. Cornerback Derrick Tindal was the epitome of that description. He gotten beaten a few times and had a pass interference call go against him, but he rebounded with a pair of pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Is that @peanuttillman?
Nah, it's @BadgerFootball's Derrick Tindal. #punchout
More >>https://t.co/nb60fSZymd https://t.co/T6L27vODY5
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) September 10, 2016
Sojourn Shelton was again a true shutdown cornerback. Leo Musso had an interception, giving the secondary it’s 5th forced turnover of the season. They held a very potent Akron passing attack to a grand total of 136 yards. So much for the secondary being the weak link of the team.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
Wisconsin’s special teams gave up more points than Wisconsin’s defense did. The coverage was horrible on a 55-yard punt return touchdown by Akron’s JoJo Natson. Nobody even laid a hand on the return man. That’s to say nothing of a punt by Anthony Lotti that hung his coverage out to dry on the play.
Rafael Gaglianone was the lone bright spot on the unit, connecting on all seven of his extra point attempts to go along with a 33-yard field goal.
Grade: D-
Coaching
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It can be hard to get up for a game like this coming off such an emotional win. Give credit to Chryst for keeping the teams focus. Wisconsin came ready to play from the opening whistle, and the game was never in doubt.
For the second straight week, Paul Chryst went for it on 4th-1 in the redone, and for the second straight week, the Badgers came up short. But both times, he made the right decision, and it will eventually pay off.
The offensive play calling was also encouraging. Chryst found creative ways to get the ball to Wheelwright and Peavy, using screens and jet sweeps. They are two of Wisconsin’s most effective playmakers, and it is great that the coaches recognize that and try to utilize them as much as possible.
He also did a good job getting in some of the young players in the game early. Hornibrook entered in the middle of the 3rd quarter and was able to gain valuable experience.
Grade: A+
Fans
The Camp Randall crowd was excellent for Wisconsin’s home opener. The stadium was packed to the brim with a sea of red, and the stadium was noisy for three quarters. Buttercup and Jump Around were as special as they always are.
This is impressive. #buttercup #OnWisconsin #Badgers pic.twitter.com/m2eaMYjpfI
— Amy Bailey (@Amy__Bailey) September 10, 2016
Grade: A
The post Wisconsin Football Positional Report Card vs Akron appeared first on Madtown Badgers.
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