The last time Wisconsin’s football team took the field for a game following an in-season firing of its coach, an unshackled offense successfully unveiled new wrinkles during a 42-7 drubbing of Northwestern.
That was only two years ago — six days after head coach Paul Chryst was fired — when the staff under interim coach Jim Leonhard devised a plan that utilized its quarterback in a different way against an opponent on a four-game losing streak. Graham Mertz completed 7 of 10 passes off play-action for two touchdowns after throwing off play-action just nine times through the first five games. He also completed all nine of his passes out of the pistol formation, which the Badgers had not run once all season. Wisconsin threw six touchdowns in a game for the first time in program history.
Of course, that Northwestern team finished 1-11 and was far worse than the 5-5 Nebraska team Wisconsin, also 5-5, will face on Saturday. While Nebraska enters the matchup on a four-game losing streak, the Cornhuskers do have wins against bowl-eligible Rutgers and a Colorado team vying for a College Football Playoff spot. They also have more to play for, with one more victory clinching their first bowl game in eight years.
But the parallel, on the heels of Wisconsin’s firing Sunday of offensive coordinator Phil Longo, remains. Could the Badgers introduce enough tweaks on short notice to again create meaningful change, even if just for a game? Or will it be more of the same in what has been yet another underwhelming season offensively?
“I’m not going to say what our plan is, but we have a plan,” Badgers center Jake Renfro said. “It’s a really good plan, and we’re all super excited to show the world on Saturday.”
𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 1️⃣1️⃣
🆚 Nebraska
📆 Saturday, Nov. 23
⏰ 2:30 PM CT
🏟️ Memorial Stadium
📺 Big Ten Network pic.twitter.com/4b7onYxTr3— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 18, 2024
Here are three questions Wisconsin can answer Saturday, plus a prediction:
Will the offensive game plan work?
Wisconsin isn’t likely to significantly stray from the concepts Longo introduced. But with tight ends coach Nate Letton and wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton shouldering more responsibility, the unit does figure to look at least somewhat different. Paring down the plan while better taking advantage of the players’ strengths will be critical.
Wisconsin’s offensive line needs to spearhead the charge in a matchup against a Nebraska team with a top-20 run defense. Creating a push up front for running backs Tawee Walker and Darrion Dupree will help keep quarterback Braedyn Locke out of third-and-long situations. Perhaps this is a game in which running back Cade Yacamelli, who is averaging a team-best 8.3 yards per carry, could earn touches and provide a spark. Yacamelli hasn’t carried the ball in any of the past three games.
Locke, meanwhile, simply has to be better. Maybe the answer isn’t having him throw the ball 29 times a game, which has been his average this season. Locke is completing 55.1 percent of his passes and has thrown at least one interception in all seven of his starts.
“He’s got to continue to grow and get better, and he knows that,” head coach Luke Fickell said. “We’re going to give him a better opportunity to be able to do that.”
Will the defense suffer a letdown?
Frustration was evident among members of the defense immediately after Wisconsin’s 16-13 loss to No. 1 Oregon last week.The Badgers couldn’t have done much more to put themselves in a position to win against a team that was averaging nearly 36 points per game and had a Heisman Trophy contender at quarterback. Linebacker Jake Chaney and cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean said it was the toughest loss they had felt all season.
But Wisconsin, especially with a reeling offense, likely will require another strong defensive performance. Nebraska has a lot more flaws offensively than Wisconsin’s three previous opponents — games that each resulted in losses. For all the excitement surrounding former five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, the true freshman has been pedestrian of late.
After throwing nine touchdowns and two interceptions in his first five games, Raiola has thrown two touchdowns and eight interceptions over his past five games. Nebraska hasn’t scored more than 20 points in the past five contests. The running game hasn’t helped Raiola. During this five-game stretch, the Huskers have averaged 3.1 yards per rushing attempt. No running back has gained more than 61 yards rushing. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule brought in Dana Holgersen last week to serve as offensive coordinator.
Wisconsin’s defense played well during a 28-13 loss to No. 3 Penn State four weeks ago and then was thrashed in the next game against Iowa, which ran for 329 yards.
What’s left in the tank?
Wisconsin entered its final two regular-season games last year against Nebraska and Minnesota at 5-5 overall, 3-4 in the Big Ten and on a three-game losing streak. Sound familiar? It felt like that season a year ago was on the verge of disaster, but the Badgers rallied and beat the Huskers and the Gophers. Wisconsin faces the same challenge this time around.
The difference is that second year results are no better than Year 1. The same players who preached patience last season have no choice but to utter similar refrains now. But disappointment is mounting, with Longo’s firing serving as the most public admission of failure offensively.
The good news from Wisconsin’s perspective is that players generally have maintained a unified front. Receiver CJ Williams said it would be easy for players to start checking out.
“But I think our team is so unselfish and mature that we have the opportunity to come together and grow stronger and finish out the season the way we want to and how we should,” he said.
Prediction
Sometimes, an in-season change can temporarily elevate a program by giving players juice. The conundrum for Wisconsin is whether an offense handled so exclusively by the previous play caller can work under someone else in less than a week. It didn’t for Holgersen’s first game at Nebraska in an eight-point loss to USC.
The game truly does feel like a toss-up, though Nebraska is a slight betting favorite. Both teams are average. Nebraska is 0-8 under Rhule the past two seasons in games with bowl eligibility on the line. The Huskers also have lost 10 consecutive games to the Badgers. Those streaks won’t last forever, but my inclination is that Wisconsin gets it done Saturday with defense and a better rushing attack to squeak by with a win.
Wisconsin 17, Nebraska 14
(Photo of Wisconsin running back Tawee Walker: Jeff Hanisch / Imagn Images)
