The 2007 Wisconsin football team was considered one of the top teams in the nation before the season began, but after a year of ups and downs, did not live up to its full potential. Much of last year's success, as well as its defeats, rests on the shoulders of the Badgers' defense.
In the 21-17 loss to Tennessee in the 2008 Outback Bowl, the defensive intensity and readiness that Wisconsin needed was severely lacking in the first half, resulting in 21 Tennessee points before the intermission. However, the defense came out strong in the second half and held the Volunteers scoreless for the game's final 35 minutes.
But the defensive lapses in the first half were too much for Wisconsin to overcome. The Badgers gave up 11 plays of 19 yards or more, leaving much to be improved during the current offseason.
With that said, the 2008 Wisconsin football team will have to push forward with a young defensive squad after the loss of four key contributors.
Defensive tackle Nick Hayden as well as cornerbacks Jack Ikegwuonu and Ben Strickland will be replaced with a group of players expected by coaches to step in and contribute without much of a hiccup in the overall defensive scheme.
Secondary
One of the biggest questions on defense will be how Wisconsin will replace Ikegwuonu. The Madison native led the team with 15 pass deflections and finished 14th on the team in total tackles with 24. Despite only having one interception, Ikegwuonu was constantly on the mind of the opposing offense.
Replacing Ikegwuonu will be sophomore Aaron Henry. Henry led all freshmen with 38 tackles last season, along with one interception on a fake punt. Henry suffered a knee ligament injury during practice leading up to the Outback Bowl.
Senior Allen Langford will again occupy the second cornerback spot, but is also rehabbing from a knee injury he suffered with two games left in the season.
At the safety spots, juniors Shane Carter and Aubrey Pleasant are expected to reclaim the spots they held of last season. Carter led the team in interceptions with seven, and ranked first in the secondary with 56 tackles.
Sophomore Jay Valai will push Pleasant for the strong safety spot and could come out the winner if Pleasant does not improve on the tackling and pursuit issues that plagued him a year ago.
Linebacking Corps
The strength of the Wisconsin defense will once again be its linebacking corps Seniors Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy will man the outside spots, while junior Elijah Hodge will undoubtedly hold down the middle linebacking position.
The main concern with the 2008 linebackers will be leadership. With Strickland, Ikegwuonu and Hayden gone, it will be up to Casillas and Levy to take hold of the defense and show the leadership they lacked last season.
Casillas, Levy and Hodge finished as the top three tacklers on the team in 2007 with 96, 70 and 67, respectively.
If Casillas and Levy aren't up to the challenge of leading the defense, Hodge could easily take over. Hodge was injured off-and-on during last season, but still managed to start 12 of the 13 games.
Behind the top three linebackers are sophomores Culmer St. Jean and Blake Sorensen and junior Jaevery McFadden. St. Jean and McFadden saw the most playing time last season, but their statistics - 17 and 13 total tackles - do not reflect as well as could be expected.
Defensive Line
Of the three tiers on defense, the defensive line had the most turnover. Hayden, who had 4.5 sacks in 2007, was the defensive anchor during his tenure in cardinal and white, and it could take a committee to replace him. During spring practice, the defensive line had the most injuries, as senior defensive end Mike Newkirk, sophomore DE Kirk DeCremer, senior defensive tackle Jason Chapman, senior DE Matthew Shaughnessy and junior Dan Moore all sat out practice at some point.
The most serious of these injuries is Shaughnessy, who suffered a broken leg during a practice the night before the annual Spring Game in late April. If Shaughnessy's rehab goes poorly and he is unable to start or play in the season opener against Akron on Aug. 30, it will most likely be up to DeCremer and Moore to pick up the slack.
