1. Gaglianone the great?
In crunch time last week against Nebraska, both the Badger offense and defense did their jobs, coming up huge late in the game. In fact, they did it twice, thanks to Rafael Gaglianone and his maddeningly inconsistent leg. With 1:26 left in the game, Gaglianone lined up for a 39-yarder to send the Badgers back to Madison happy. He nailed the right upright, bringing the Badgers one step closer to virtual elimination in the Big Ten West.
“That was just devastating, not just for me missing that opportunity but just knowing how hard my teammates have worked and putting that drive together and everything,” Gaglianone said. “Going in that direction, me missing, I just really felt like I left my teammates down.”
After another defensive stand and quick, efficient offensive work by redshirt junior quarterback Joel Stave, the Badger kicker redeemed himself, just sneaking a 46-yard kick inside of the upright to clinch the victory.
Overall though, Gaglianone has been less than stellar all season. He is 9-of-15 on the year, a dismal 60% percent mark that puts him at 90th in the nation. He has missed two field goals between 30-39 yards and his longest was the 46-yard winner against the Cornhuskers.
The Badgers are, to put it mildly, a struggling offensive team. Stave is a barely competent passer and the running game continues to struggle. As a result, the Badgers will often rely on the field goal unit to put up points. For Wisconsin to continue to have a shot at the Big Ten West, they will need Gaglianone to start kicking consistently, and his performance will be a key to the Badgers’ success throughout the rest of the season.
2. Struggling on defense
For the first time since Wisconsin’s fateful day against Alabama, its defense showed signs of weaknesses Saturday in Lincoln. After forcing the Cornhuskers to punt on its first four drives, the Badgers allowed them into the end zone twice within 2:10 just before the half, leaving the door open for Nebraska to build a 14-7 lead heading into the third quarter.
Junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. spread Wisconsin out through the air and on the ground, completing 9-of-16 attempts for 113 yards and a touchdown and rushing six times for 29 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter.
“They did a lot of quick throws… Tommy Armstrong rolled out of the pocket a lot, a lot of rollouts away,” senior linebacker Joe Schobert said of Nebraska’s offense. “It wasn’t a lot of drop back passes. We were able to get after them a couple times but overall I thought they did a great job.”
In the fourth quarter, senior fullback Andy Janovich seemed to deliver the definitive dagger, gashing the middle of Wisconsin’s offense for a shocking 55-yard touchdown that whipped Memorial Stadium into a complete frenzy. The Badgers uncharacteristically wiffed on a number of tackles, allowing Janovich a wide-open path to the end zone.
Purdue doesn’t possess the same type of weapons Nebraska does, but it does run a similar spread-style offense that hinges on working the ball to the perimeter and attacking the edges. Wisconsin’s secondary didn’t play especially poorly, but Armstrong’s ability to extend plays allowed receivers time to make an extra move or two to get separation and pull away from defensive backs. Redshirt freshman quarterback David Blough isn’t Armstrong, but look for Purdue to shift around the pocket to similarly attack the edges of Wisconsin’s defense.
3. Running back roulette
UW’s already cloudy running back situation grew even more dire Saturday when redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter. Head coach Paul Chryst did not have an update on his status at his Monday press conference, but he wryly added that he’ll be sure to let the media knows when he learns more. That’s not a good thing.
Freshman Alec Ingold, the No. 3 man behind Deal and redshirt junior Dare Ogunbowale, managed just 14 yards on eight carries against the Cornhuskers. Alec Ingold was also a linebacker a month ago, and his adjustment to the position is clearly not complete.
Ogunbowale finally broke out in the second half after picking up 29 yards on four carries in the first two quarters, finishing with 18 carries for 117 yards, good for 6.5 yards per attempt. His improved second-half performance was encouraging, but Wisconsin now faces the prospect of being without both Deal and junior Corey Clement, who’s still recovering from sports hernia surgery, for the much of the foreseeable future.
As daunting as it may sound, Wisconsin could potentially become even more one-dimensional in the coming weeks if Ogunbowale is the only back with real experience taking carries. UW has already amassed 1,435 passing yards, which contrasts sharply with its 986 rushing yards.
Running backs coach John Settle has some serious juggling to do, and the uncertain time tables for the return of his two best backs makes his job all the more tumultuous. Wisconsin has long made itself known for its powerful rushing game, but now, moreso than at any other point in the season, it appears that the 2015 offense will have a difficult time living up to that legacy. Keep throwing, Stave.
